A simple disclaimer would absolve [Apple] of any issue: This device guaranteed to play songs purchased at iTMS only
... OR mp3s that are to spec. I agree with your point, but need to clarify that I'd never have purchased an ipod if it only played itunes drm music (all music purchased from itunes is drm'd).
Was he arrested for killing somebody, or watching "Road Trip"?
I've got a friend who recently tried to get out of a speeding ticket by (falsely) telling the officer that she had been listening to Freebird, hoping that the officer would relate. Didn't work, but I thought it was inspired.
People might pay a little more attention if things were less alarmist all the time...
After the DMCA passed, the term "alarmist" was severely deprecated in my vocabulary. Then the "patriot" act, the "spy on your neighbors" hotline, the Abu Graihb stuff happening from the top down... I'm sorry, I just don't get the term "alarmist" any more. This country is disintegrating right in front of our eyes, right now.
The mere fact that Wired and the WSJ are both running stories against this bill suggest it has zero chance of ever passing.
The above sentiment seems about fifteen years out of date. To borrow from this story, nothing embarrasses people in Washington anymore:
Nothing seems to embarrass the political class in Washington today. Not the fact that more children are growing up in poverty in America than in any other industrial nation; not the fact that millions of workers are actually making less money today in real dollars than they did twenty years ago; not the fact that working people are putting in longer and longer hours and still falling behind; not the fact that while we have the most advanced medical care in the world, nearly 44 million Americans -- eight out of ten of them in working families -- are uninsured and cannot get the basic care they need.
Quantum computing, which holds the promise of nearly unlimited processing power, secure communications and the ability to decode encrypted conversations by terrorists and others
I was willing to forgive a little hype until the idiocy about terrorists. Decided maybe I was just cranky, then read:
While flipping a single electron was difficult, detecting that they had actually done so proved even harder. "We couldn't tell whether it was flipping," Jiang said. "It was like looking for a needle in a haystack."
Wow, I'm so illuminated by this "needle in a haystack" imagery. Before it I had no idea what was going on, but now it all seems so clear.
This article blows. Can we get something better on slashdot please? Something that doesn't make me feel I'm being lumped in with people who need things drastically dumbed down, and/or rationalized in the name of "fighting terrorists"?
Without wanting to detract from your possibly quite valid point, I must say that the above phrase joins the ranks of ads like "Never be unhappy again - use thalidomide", "never lose money again - invest in Enron", et al.
Have you ever borrowed a $20 from your parents? Probably because you needed/wanted it, and you didn't have it, right? Bill III did the same thing, only the scale is different - and he (a) made something on the money, and (b) paid it back in full, both of which I doubt about your parents' $20.
Hmmm. A borrowed sum of $20 isn't typically destined to be part of an investment, it's going to be spent on consumables. Bill didn't go to his parents and ask for enough money to buy $100k worth of ice cream... he was investing it. To say 'scale is the only difference' really misses the different purposes to which these kinds of sums are put.
the new Atak worm cannot be analyzed or debugged by antivirus companies without quite a bit of work, due to the author being sloppy with his or her code.
See, this is what I've been trying to tell my boss: I'm not writing sloppy code, I'm trying to prevent people from reverse engineering our product!
Mike doesn't reply to these messages, and he doesn't publish them
That's right, Mike holds himself to the highest standards of confidentiality by not publishing them. Except when they're just too good not to publish, such as this one he published in the article:
Tired of masturbating into a pack of bologna. Tired of wondering what my man chowder tastes like and if I did taste it, would anyone think differently of me?
Alan's point is that the truly mathematical aspects of computing have become second-place to the eye-candy aspects
I don't think Alan has anything against pretty graphics. I think Alan believes that commercial uses of computing have eclipsed creative uses, and that this is a sad thing.
At the KBBL studios, Bill and Marty's boss gives them a dressing-down.
Boss: Look, our ratings are down, and the station is being swamped
with angry calls and letter-bombs.
[A few letter-bombs explode in a pile]
And it's all your fault!
Bill: Yes it is, ma'am.
Boss: This is the DJ 3000. It plays CDs automatically, and it has
three distinct varieties of inane chatter.
[presses a button] DJ 3000: [stilted] Hey, hey. How about that weather out there?
Woah! _That_ was the caller from hell.
Well, hot dog! We have a weiner.
Bill: Man, that thing's great!
Marty: _Don't_ praise the machine!
Boss: If you don't get that kid an elephant by tomorrow, the DJ 3000
gets your job.
[Marty punches it] DJ 3000: Those clowns in congress did it again. What a bunch of clowns.
Bill: [laughs] How does it keep up with the news like that?
I've been looking for kits and equipment that could be used to construct robotic assembly lines. Examples would be a robotic arm that could grasp a block and place it somewhere, or a roboticly controlled wood lathe/router. I haven't found much that's easy to use. The buzz-terms I've been googling include CNC and stepper motors, but I haven't found what I'm looking for, which would be:
equipment that offers a clearly stated (and comprehendable) range of motion types and weight/force tolerances
a non-obscure computer hardware interface like USB
an accompanying open program environment, where "open" means (a) all source provided, and (b) easily portable to various OSes.
Any leads that anyone could provide would be welcome. And barring that, anyone with robotics experience want to partner with me as software guy to make such a kit?
Two back to back paragraphs in this article got substantially different reactions from me:
You say the iPod, priced from $250 to nearly $500, proves that Apple can charge a premium for superior design. I disagree. What makes the iPod so hot in the consumer market is superior technology -- the first workable user interface on a digital music player. That's the reason why the premium has stuck, not the nifty form factor or funky colors.
Agreed, basically. Wouldn't have called it the 'first workable interface', but I admit it was better than the others when I last surveyed them.
Yes, Apple's operating system has some ease-of-use advantages compared to Windows XP. But Windows offers enough convenience for most people at a lower price. That's why it holds such a dominant market share.
Disagreed; this argument sweeps too much under the rug. When it comes to computers, people are not shopping price and features with the same willingness to jump vendors as they are when shopping mp3 players. If considering a switch from XP to Mac or vise versa, there is a *tremendous* hurdle for mom-n-pop consumers to contemplate regarding whether their existing software will continue to work, whether they'll be able to grasp the similar-yet-different conventions for UI, whether they'll get tech support from passersby, etc.
Project Gutenberg has this online
on
419 Scam Blow-by-Blow
·
· Score: 3, Informative
Alec Baldwin: Um, does anybody know where this came from? Homer Simpson: Oh, *there's* that movie script I wrote! Where did you find it? Alec: On my pillow. Homer: The important thing is, it's got the perfect part for you. Either one of you! It's about a killer robot driving instructor who travels back in time for some reason. Ron Howard's attached to direct! Ron: I am not! Homer: Well, he expressed an interest. Ron: No I didn't! Homer: Did too! Ron: I did not! Homer: You lie! Alec: Yeah, Homer, um, most movie scripts are 120 pages. This is only seventeen. And several of the pages are just drawings of the time machine. [holds up one of Homer's drawings; it appears to be a chair with a beach umbrella attached to the back and an alarm clock wired to the side] Homer: So you're saying you don't want to star in my movie. Alec: I'm sorry, Homer. Homer: Well, if Alec is out, I'm out too. You're on your own, Potsie. [shoves script at Ron] Ron: [reading title] "The Terminizor: An Erotic Thriller"?
(Later, after Alec and Kim have thrown Homer out.) Kim Basinger: Oh, look at these snapshots of us with Homer. Wasn't that a fun weekend? Alec: Yeah. Homer was a pretty good guy. And we just tossed him out like a Golden Globe award. I've got to admit, I miss the way he used to tuck us in and kiss us on the forehead. Kim: Forehead? Alec: Aw, maybe I should've made his movie. Kim: Yeah, it wasn't that bad. I mean the script might even work if you got rid of the talking pie. Alec: What, are you crazy? It's a buddy picture. Without the pie, it would just be me on screen for two hours. Kim: Oh, yeah, and you'd hate that. Ron: No, no, no, you can't lose the pie! The pie's your heart. Kim: Okay, okay, keep the damn pie.
(One month later, at the 20th Century Fox Film Studios, Ron Howard pitches a movie to executive Brian Grazer, who sits at his desk.) Ron: [emotionally] And it grows, to a powerful, emotional climax when the father has to choose which one of his children will live... and which one... will die. Brian: [bored] Pass. [Ron lets out a sigh] Brian: What else you got? Ron: [thinks desperately] Well, well, there is this one thing. It's about a killer robot driving instructor that travels back in time for some reason. Brian: I'm listening. Ron: Okay, okay, well, you see... this robot, he's got a heartbreaking decision to make about whether his best friend lives... or dies. Brian: Ehh. Ron: Did I mention his best friend's a talking pie! Brian: Sold! Howard, you've done it again!
Well to be honest I put more trust in Intel after this incident. Afterall, they were quick to admit their mistake, and are prepared to compensate the manufacturers for any loss.
Of course, with the problem being that the motherboards prevent booting, I suspect its not something they could hide for long - so they really didnt have much choice.
I find the second point above weightier than the first. Intel was going to be found out about this rather quickly, so the best thing they could do for their own PR and their own bottom line was to neutralize this asap. IMO this doesn't really warrant "trust". They can't be counted on to avoid such huge mistakes to start with, nor is this evidence that they place the needs of partners or consumers above their own. Trust is a warm and fuzzy concept that I'm uncomfortable bestowing in response to coldly calculated bottom-line-driven strategic reactions to PR disasters.
What this demonstrates is soundness of strategy given that they find themselves in this pickle (of their own making) to start with. They've avoided the even bigger mistake of staying silent, and the redress they're offering to mobo manufacturers is likely to minimize the damage to their relationships with these parties.
That's like saying that we shouldn't produce safer cars because everyone doesn't buy one.
Not a fair analogy. It would be a fair analogy IFF producing a safer car made existing cars less safe. The argument (as I understand it) against exploit research is that publishing exploit information becomes problematic for systems that aren't subsequently patched, thereby exposing those systems to greater danger than they were exposed to before the information became public.
(Note: I am not arguing that exploits shouldn't be researched or published; just pointing out what I feel is a shortcoming of the above analogy.)
Perhaps there's a substantive difference between being vague while conferring rights (Constitution) vs being vague while taking them away (Wipo treat).
Anyone have success using the net to meet people who are geographically local? I moved recently to the remote outskirts of a metro area, and have been trying to use the net as one of the ways to meet people who might have friendship potential. I've looked at IRC, but had no luck finding channels that aggregate people by locale. I don't want to post on a match-making service, as I'm not after a relationship. Any stories of success out there?
the Turbocharged Broadband Geek Project. The scheme, organized by project head Valerie Fast Horse
A previous attempt by a different group of native Americans failed to crystallize into an actual broadband offering. That group's spokesman, Eddie Slow Turtle, had no explanation.
Bingo. It seems like there are always people who whine every time the subject of immortality comes up --...interfering with the divine plan
Whenever the subject of interfering with nature / the divine plan comes up, I refer to this response which I heard one day in an interview: the single development in recorded history which has most vastly extended lifespans was the invention of the toilet... yet you don't hear people going around debating the morality of having toilets.
Slashdot Mirror
Exactly. Not while masturbation exists as an option.
I've got a friend who recently tried to get out of a speeding ticket by (falsely) telling the officer that she had been listening to Freebird, hoping that the officer would relate. Didn't work, but I thought it was inspired.
After the DMCA passed, the term "alarmist" was severely deprecated in my vocabulary. Then the "patriot" act, the "spy on your neighbors" hotline, the Abu Graihb stuff happening from the top down... I'm sorry, I just don't get the term "alarmist" any more. This country is disintegrating right in front of our eyes, right now.
The above sentiment seems about fifteen years out of date. To borrow from this story, nothing embarrasses people in Washington anymore:
I was willing to forgive a little hype until the idiocy about terrorists. Decided maybe I was just cranky, then read:
While flipping a single electron was difficult, detecting that they had actually done so proved even harder. "We couldn't tell whether it was flipping," Jiang said. "It was like looking for a needle in a haystack."
Wow, I'm so illuminated by this "needle in a haystack" imagery. Before it I had no idea what was going on, but now it all seems so clear.
This article blows. Can we get something better on slashdot please? Something that doesn't make me feel I'm being lumped in with people who need things drastically dumbed down, and/or rationalized in the name of "fighting terrorists"?
Without wanting to detract from your possibly quite valid point, I must say that the above phrase joins the ranks of ads like "Never be unhappy again - use thalidomide", "never lose money again - invest in Enron", et al.
Hmmm. A borrowed sum of $20 isn't typically destined to be part of an investment, it's going to be spent on consumables. Bill didn't go to his parents and ask for enough money to buy $100k worth of ice cream... he was investing it. To say 'scale is the only difference' really misses the different purposes to which these kinds of sums are put.
Is it? At least I know how to back up a disposable DVD to an entirely non-encrypted one.
See, this is what I've been trying to tell my boss: I'm not writing sloppy code, I'm trying to prevent people from reverse engineering our product!
We visionaries are always persecuted.
Mike doesn't reply to these messages, and he doesn't publish them
That's right, Mike holds himself to the highest standards of confidentiality by not publishing them. Except when they're just too good not to publish, such as this one he published in the article:
I don't think Alan has anything against pretty graphics. I think Alan believes that commercial uses of computing have eclipsed creative uses, and that this is a sad thing.
How does it cost the sender money when there are gateways allowing messages to be sent from email?
From Simpsons 1F15:
At the KBBL studios, Bill and Marty's boss gives them a dressing-down.
Boss: Look, our ratings are down, and the station is being swamped
with angry calls and letter-bombs.
[A few letter-bombs explode in a pile]
And it's all your fault!
Bill: Yes it is, ma'am.
Boss: This is the DJ 3000. It plays CDs automatically, and it has
three distinct varieties of inane chatter.
[presses a button]
DJ 3000: [stilted] Hey, hey. How about that weather out there?
Woah! _That_ was the caller from hell.
Well, hot dog! We have a weiner.
Bill: Man, that thing's great!
Marty: _Don't_ praise the machine!
Boss: If you don't get that kid an elephant by tomorrow, the DJ 3000
gets your job.
[Marty punches it]
DJ 3000: Those clowns in congress did it again. What a bunch of clowns.
Bill: [laughs] How does it keep up with the news like that?
- equipment that offers a clearly stated (and comprehendable) range of motion types and weight/force tolerances
- a non-obscure computer hardware interface like USB
- an accompanying open program environment, where "open" means (a) all source provided, and (b) easily portable to various OSes.
Any leads that anyone could provide would be welcome. And barring that, anyone with robotics experience want to partner with me as software guy to make such a kit?Alec Baldwin: Um, does anybody know where this came from?
... and which one ... will die. ... this robot, he's got a heartbreaking decision to make about whether his best friend lives ... or dies.
Homer Simpson: Oh, *there's* that movie script I wrote! Where did you find it?
Alec: On my pillow.
Homer: The important thing is, it's got the perfect part for you. Either one of you! It's about a killer robot driving instructor who travels back in time for some reason. Ron Howard's attached to direct!
Ron: I am not!
Homer: Well, he expressed an interest.
Ron: No I didn't!
Homer: Did too!
Ron: I did not!
Homer: You lie!
Alec: Yeah, Homer, um, most movie scripts are 120 pages. This is only seventeen. And several of the pages are just drawings of the time machine. [holds up one of Homer's drawings; it appears to be a chair with a beach umbrella attached to the back and an alarm clock wired to the side]
Homer: So you're saying you don't want to star in my movie.
Alec: I'm sorry,
Homer. Homer: Well, if Alec is out, I'm out too. You're on your own, Potsie. [shoves script at Ron]
Ron: [reading title] "The Terminizor: An Erotic Thriller"?
(Later, after Alec and Kim have thrown Homer out.)
Kim Basinger: Oh, look at these snapshots of us with Homer. Wasn't that a fun weekend?
Alec: Yeah. Homer was a pretty good guy. And we just tossed him out like a Golden Globe award. I've got to admit, I miss the way he used to tuck us in and kiss us on the forehead.
Kim: Forehead?
Alec: Aw, maybe I should've made his movie.
Kim: Yeah, it wasn't that bad. I mean the script might even work if you got rid of the talking pie.
Alec: What, are you crazy? It's a buddy picture. Without the pie, it would just be me on screen for two hours.
Kim: Oh, yeah, and you'd hate that.
Ron: No, no, no, you can't lose the pie! The pie's your heart.
Kim: Okay, okay, keep the damn pie.
(One month later, at the 20th Century Fox Film Studios, Ron Howard pitches a movie to executive Brian Grazer, who sits at his desk.)
Ron: [emotionally] And it grows, to a powerful, emotional climax when the father has to choose which one of his children will live
Brian: [bored] Pass.
[Ron lets out a sigh]
Brian: What else you got?
Ron: [thinks desperately] Well, well, there is this one thing. It's about a killer robot driving instructor that travels back in time for some reason.
Brian: I'm listening.
Ron: Okay, okay, well, you see
Brian: Ehh.
Ron: Did I mention his best friend's a talking pie!
Brian: Sold! Howard, you've done it again!
So's the "5" in Java5... it's referring to 2005, which is when they expect to release that version.
ok, I'm kidding. :)
What this demonstrates is soundness of strategy given that they find themselves in this pickle (of their own making) to start with. They've avoided the even bigger mistake of staying silent, and the redress they're offering to mobo manufacturers is likely to minimize the damage to their relationships with these parties.
Not a fair analogy. It would be a fair analogy IFF producing a safer car made existing cars less safe. The argument (as I understand it) against exploit research is that publishing exploit information becomes problematic for systems that aren't subsequently patched, thereby exposing those systems to greater danger than they were exposed to before the information became public.
(Note: I am not arguing that exploits shouldn't be researched or published; just pointing out what I feel is a shortcoming of the above analogy.)
Perhaps there's a substantive difference between being vague while conferring rights (Constitution) vs being vague while taking them away (Wipo treat).
Anyone have success using the net to meet people who are geographically local? I moved recently to the remote outskirts of a metro area, and have been trying to use the net as one of the ways to meet people who might have friendship potential. I've looked at IRC, but had no luck finding channels that aggregate people by locale. I don't want to post on a match-making service, as I'm not after a relationship. Any stories of success out there?
A previous attempt by a different group of native Americans failed to crystallize into an actual broadband offering. That group's spokesman, Eddie Slow Turtle, had no explanation.
Whenever the subject of interfering with nature / the divine plan comes up, I refer to this response which I heard one day in an interview: the single development in recorded history which has most vastly extended lifespans was the invention of the toilet... yet you don't hear people going around debating the morality of having toilets.