university administration that holds lavish parties for professors with huge salaries
I'm not sure what University you are talking about, but I know a good number of professors who make less than 50k per year. I work at a University which happens to be in the upper echelon and wages are still modest for most faculty.
Incidentally, the parent post you respond to was pointing out that one lazy person can inflict a lot of financial harm to a library. I didn't see anything in the post to indicate a University's unwillingness to hire "more than one 1/4-time shelf-reader at a time" to use your words.
Some people actually find value in old and outdated things. I personally enjoy looking at old maps because they reveal a lot about what what known at the time, or the personal biases of who commissioned the map making. This may seem whimsical, but I think Libraries serve a purpose to house historical documents in addition to timely manuscripts.
I used IM at a previous job extensively and use it sparingly at my present job. I too am annoyed at the abbreviations that people use, but what can one do? I make a point of writing complete sentences, as it takes only a bit more time and it improves the odds of being understood.
I saw TTT twice in the theatre and just watched the extended edition. I felt like I watched an entirely different movie. I swear by the extended editions and wish there was a movie venue where I could see ROTK in this format, but it gives me something to look forward to in 2004. Bottom line: the extended versions rock.
I guess it depends on how you define progress, but the regionalization (and eventual globalization) of business is not all good news. While prices have decreased and products have been commoditized (clearly related processes) there are other losses. Downtown businesses tend to cost more, but on average they provide a better service. There are exceptions, naturally.
Not only is this their right [to choose imports over stateside], but it is the right thing to do.
I believe the right thing would be for consumers to accept a reasonable delta between the cost of an item (the business expense) and the price (what the consumer spends). If consumers expect the delta to approach too low a level it forces the business to make compromises. While american companies abide by admittedly dodgy clean water and air laws, our foreign counterparts pollute with abandon, not to speak of fundamental labor issues. I contend that perpetuating the problem isn't the right thing to do.
The stubborn need to preserve the present is always a human failing, especially in light of the EU and Asia growing by leaps and bounds soon to eclipse the USA. In short, adapt or die. It's simply how the world works, and no pork-laden politician will stop it or change its course for long.
I agree that political solutions don't work. I favor educational reform, akin to what I'm doing right here -- telling people why they should pay 10% more to purchase goods in a socially responsible way.
As for other markets eclipsing the US, I think if this fear is true then it is incumbent on us to support local manufacturing, lest we empower foreign markets.
So what you are saying is that Wal-mart should raise prices, so a few US suppliers can have their goods sold?
In a manner of speaking yes, but let me qualify this answer. I believe that wal-mart does a disservice to people by emphasizing lower price with no regard to cost. As a matter of definition, price is what the consumer pays and cost is what the vendor pays to sell the product. When wal-mart leverages its market dominance to demand ever thinner deltas between cost and price it forces businesses to become more efficient (good) and/or to cut corners (bad). From my observations the latter has occurred too much over the past decade.
At the risk of being redundant, this is a good move. For those who are earnestly looking, there is an online sample available. In my quick experience the page rendered a bit quicker on Safari.
I'm one of those people who hate wal-mart (and I don't shop there as a result), so I'll comment. I'll grant that wal-mart has demonstrated a lot of innovation when it comes to supply lines and inventory management, but I despise their low price mantra.
As if it wasn't bad enough that the wal-mart chain has destroyed downtown industry all over America in favor of big box stores, if a stateside business can't meet their price point they go with an import. So much for the effort to buy american that Sam Walton pushed when he was alive.
It is estimated that 7.5 cents of every consumer dollar (excepting auto purchases) go through the wal-mart's registers. They have such a dominant position that businesses can't afford not to do business with wal-mart. For many it is a lose-lose proposition.
I think there are many wasteful and incompetent american businesses that need to be put out of their misery, but wal-mart is decimating many a good business. Their impact on the US economy is such that we should question seriously the low price mantra.
You may want to read the following article to get a more clear picture of how wal-mart operates. I read the article this morning, and it happens to be very timely.
Actually, the people at Fedora are simply stating that they are concerned about the implications of RedHat trademarking the name. I believe they raise some good points. Rather than engaging in dialogue, RedHat simply went on a track to claim ownership on the name.
As for the "farted around for 5 years" statement, I don't think you have enough appreciation for the scope of the project. Digital library initiatives are pushing a very big rock uphill. When a library has 300 year old books surviving on the shelf they look at any technology with appropriate skepticism. Anything they adopt is expected to endure, so it is an extensive process.
I don't mean any disrespect to the fedora linux project, but they aren't trying to build something that can outlive our grandchildren.
I keep hoping that digital signatures will become common place. I recently setup a digital signature on my mail client (instructions for Mac users) and I'm impressed at how easy it is to use. With a small cadre of of my email buddies I can easily confirm the sender and encrypt communications. If I'm particular, the read-receipt does the job for me to know that it was sent, but rarely do I doubt this.
I'm afraid my trust in digital signatures may be naive though. They are too hard to setup. Does anyone know of any concerted efforts in this area?
I'm a cyclist as well, and I seem to recall reading about how the chain drivetrain is about 95% efficient. If this is true, there is no way that anyone is losing 100w of power in normal riding due to friction in the drivetrain.
Given the range of bluetooth is something like 10 meters, and given the wrath many of use feel about spam, I tend to think this won't catch on. Most spammers like to keep more distance for good reason.
I think for many applications the ability to draw directly onto the screen is much more intuitive than drawing on an off-screen tablet. Getting used to a wacom tablet is like learning to use a mouse for the first time. I don't think the two approaches are equally comparable.
I was thinking about this problem this week. When I first heard about the US postal service offering email I thought it was a total waste since the private sector provides this service for nearly free. Now I'm much more interested in some manner of official email, even if it means some added beauracracy. I still hope the private sector can straighten out this mess, but I've been hoping that for years. (for what it is worth, my company even made an effort to build a spam fighting solution that didn't work out)
As for the protocol to verify IP addresses, I think this is a variation on asking the sending relay to verify the authenticity of the sender. I've played with this idea multiple times but I keep coming back to a conclusion that the sender could fake it.
You bring up a great point. I'm working on a project at the University of Virginia to develop an online journal with emphasis on Nineteenth Century Literature. The peer review aspect is regarded as one of the most important deliverables. It is the only way to consistently deliver good content.
Do you want guaranteed availability of telephone service at uniform and reasonable rates, even if you live on a farm or in a slum?
If I live far away from the phone hub I don't see why I should pay the same as someone who lives conveniently close. What is the rationale for making some people subsidize a service for others? Capitalism has a great solutions for this problem... you pay for what you get.
I seem to remember some time ago when the retirement age was changed from 62 to 65 for social security. Are you sure it wasn't a lower number when FDR established the program? I don't know off hand, but I would be interested to know.
I commute by bicycle and generally try to be friendly to the environment while the vast majority of my peers drive single occupant vehicles. Does anyone really expect cyclists to accept a guilt trip over the environmental shortcomings of a non-bamboo bike? On the whole I think my cycling is earth-friendly enough.
Netbeans also has support for this and I'm hooked. Another tool I make extensive use of is PMD, which helps to detect various bad habits in coding. I'm not sure about eclipse, but I know there is a netbeans plug-in to show these things in real-time. I've found it handy.
Interesting analysis, but I tend to think that SAP will be the big winner. They currently have something like 37% of the worldwide ERP market. The Oracle-PeopleSoft brawl may make both options look unstable and I'm sure SAP will capitalize on it.
I do a fair bit of cycling and road racing, and I would credit equipment with very little of my success or failure. Like most things, at the elite level every fraction of a percentage matters, but the biggest determination of speed and success lies in the engine. Put Lance Armstrong on an old beater bike and he will still clean my clock no matter what bike I ride.
Some sports do have a bigger technology divide. Professional sports car racing is one example I can think of. There is a mostly consistent relationship between team funding and team success, but in cycling no one is losing races because they couldn't afford a better bike. In fact, bicycle manufacturers are falling over themselves to give bikes to pro teams for the exposure and endorsement.
I must say though, I do enjoy the technological advancement of the sport. Most of it is snake oil, but every once in a while something comes along that really changes things, like clipless pedals or earo bars. Here's to Lance winning!
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university administration that holds lavish parties for professors with huge salaries
I'm not sure what University you are talking about, but I know a good number of professors who make less than 50k per year. I work at a University which happens to be in the upper echelon and wages are still modest for most faculty.
Incidentally, the parent post you respond to was pointing out that one lazy person can inflict a lot of financial harm to a library. I didn't see anything in the post to indicate a University's unwillingness to hire "more than one 1/4-time shelf-reader at a time" to use your words.
Some people actually find value in old and outdated things. I personally enjoy looking at old maps because they reveal a lot about what what known at the time, or the personal biases of who commissioned the map making. This may seem whimsical, but I think Libraries serve a purpose to house historical documents in addition to timely manuscripts.
I used IM at a previous job extensively and use it sparingly at my present job. I too am annoyed at the abbreviations that people use, but what can one do? I make a point of writing complete sentences, as it takes only a bit more time and it improves the odds of being understood.
I saw TTT twice in the theatre and just watched the extended edition. I felt like I watched an entirely different movie. I swear by the extended editions and wish there was a movie venue where I could see ROTK in this format, but it gives me something to look forward to in 2004. Bottom line: the extended versions rock.
Downtown industry has been obselete for decades.
I guess it depends on how you define progress, but the regionalization (and eventual globalization) of business is not all good news. While prices have decreased and products have been commoditized (clearly related processes) there are other losses. Downtown businesses tend to cost more, but on average they provide a better service. There are exceptions, naturally.
Not only is this their right [to choose imports over stateside], but it is the right thing to do.
I believe the right thing would be for consumers to accept a reasonable delta between the cost of an item (the business expense) and the price (what the consumer spends). If consumers expect the delta to approach too low a level it forces the business to make compromises. While american companies abide by admittedly dodgy clean water and air laws, our foreign counterparts pollute with abandon, not to speak of fundamental labor issues. I contend that perpetuating the problem isn't the right thing to do.
The stubborn need to preserve the present is always a human failing, especially in light of the EU and Asia growing by leaps and bounds soon to eclipse the USA. In short, adapt or die. It's simply how the world works, and no pork-laden politician will stop it or change its course for long.
I agree that political solutions don't work. I favor educational reform, akin to what I'm doing right here -- telling people why they should pay 10% more to purchase goods in a socially responsible way.
As for other markets eclipsing the US, I think if this fear is true then it is incumbent on us to support local manufacturing, lest we empower foreign markets.
So what you are saying is that Wal-mart should raise prices, so a few US suppliers can have their goods sold?
In a manner of speaking yes, but let me qualify this answer. I believe that wal-mart does a disservice to people by emphasizing lower price with no regard to cost. As a matter of definition, price is what the consumer pays and cost is what the vendor pays to sell the product. When wal-mart leverages its market dominance to demand ever thinner deltas between cost and price it forces businesses to become more efficient (good) and/or to cut corners (bad). From my observations the latter has occurred too much over the past decade.
At the risk of being redundant, this is a good move. For those who are earnestly looking, there is an online sample available. In my quick experience the page rendered a bit quicker on Safari.
I'm one of those people who hate wal-mart (and I don't shop there as a result), so I'll comment. I'll grant that wal-mart has demonstrated a lot of innovation when it comes to supply lines and inventory management, but I despise their low price mantra.
As if it wasn't bad enough that the wal-mart chain has destroyed downtown industry all over America in favor of big box stores, if a stateside business can't meet their price point they go with an import. So much for the effort to buy american that Sam Walton pushed when he was alive.
It is estimated that 7.5 cents of every consumer dollar (excepting auto purchases) go through the wal-mart's registers. They have such a dominant position that businesses can't afford not to do business with wal-mart. For many it is a lose-lose proposition.
I think there are many wasteful and incompetent american businesses that need to be put out of their misery, but wal-mart is decimating many a good business. Their impact on the US economy is such that we should question seriously the low price mantra.
You may want to read the following article to get a more clear picture of how wal-mart operates. I read the article this morning, and it happens to be very timely.
Actually, the people at Fedora are simply stating that they are concerned about the implications of RedHat trademarking the name. I believe they raise some good points. Rather than engaging in dialogue, RedHat simply went on a track to claim ownership on the name.
As for the "farted around for 5 years" statement, I don't think you have enough appreciation for the scope of the project. Digital library initiatives are pushing a very big rock uphill. When a library has 300 year old books surviving on the shelf they look at any technology with appropriate skepticism. Anything they adopt is expected to endure, so it is an extensive process.
I don't mean any disrespect to the fedora linux project, but they aren't trying to build something that can outlive our grandchildren.
Like it or not, the tax code is simply a way of codifying the values of the society. America loves it banks, so mortgage interest is tax deductible.
I do agree that a tax on email won't do anything about the problem though.
I keep hoping that digital signatures will become common place. I recently setup a digital signature on my mail client (instructions for Mac users) and I'm impressed at how easy it is to use. With a small cadre of of my email buddies I can easily confirm the sender and encrypt communications. If I'm particular, the read-receipt does the job for me to know that it was sent, but rarely do I doubt this.
I'm afraid my trust in digital signatures may be naive though. They are too hard to setup. Does anyone know of any concerted efforts in this area?
I'm a cyclist as well, and I seem to recall reading about how the chain drivetrain is about 95% efficient. If this is true, there is no way that anyone is losing 100w of power in normal riding due to friction in the drivetrain.
So says McDonalds in the press.
Given the range of bluetooth is something like 10 meters, and given the wrath many of use feel about spam, I tend to think this won't catch on. Most spammers like to keep more distance for good reason.
I think for many applications the ability to draw directly onto the screen is much more intuitive than drawing on an off-screen tablet. Getting used to a wacom tablet is like learning to use a mouse for the first time. I don't think the two approaches are equally comparable.
I was thinking about this problem this week. When I first heard about the US postal service offering email I thought it was a total waste since the private sector provides this service for nearly free. Now I'm much more interested in some manner of official email, even if it means some added beauracracy. I still hope the private sector can straighten out this mess, but I've been hoping that for years. (for what it is worth, my company even made an effort to build a spam fighting solution that didn't work out)
As for the protocol to verify IP addresses, I think this is a variation on asking the sending relay to verify the authenticity of the sender. I've played with this idea multiple times but I keep coming back to a conclusion that the sender could fake it.
You bring up a great point. I'm working on a project at the University of Virginia to develop an online journal with emphasis on Nineteenth Century Literature. The peer review aspect is regarded as one of the most important deliverables. It is the only way to consistently deliver good content.
Do you want guaranteed availability of telephone service at uniform and reasonable rates, even if you live on a farm or in a slum?
If I live far away from the phone hub I don't see why I should pay the same as someone who lives conveniently close. What is the rationale for making some people subsidize a service for others? Capitalism has a great solutions for this problem... you pay for what you get.
Minor nitpick, "ZZ" exits and saves in one motion. The ":q!" command exits without saving.
I seem to remember some time ago when the retirement age was changed from 62 to 65 for social security. Are you sure it wasn't a lower number when FDR established the program? I don't know off hand, but I would be interested to know.
I commute by bicycle and generally try to be friendly to the environment while the vast majority of my peers drive single occupant vehicles. Does anyone really expect cyclists to accept a guilt trip over the environmental shortcomings of a non-bamboo bike? On the whole I think my cycling is earth-friendly enough.
Netbeans also has support for this and I'm hooked. Another tool I make extensive use of is PMD, which helps to detect various bad habits in coding. I'm not sure about eclipse, but I know there is a netbeans plug-in to show these things in real-time. I've found it handy.
Interesting analysis, but I tend to think that SAP will be the big winner. They currently have something like 37% of the worldwide ERP market. The Oracle-PeopleSoft brawl may make both options look unstable and I'm sure SAP will capitalize on it.
I do a fair bit of cycling and road racing, and I would credit equipment with very little of my success or failure. Like most things, at the elite level every fraction of a percentage matters, but the biggest determination of speed and success lies in the engine. Put Lance Armstrong on an old beater bike and he will still clean my clock no matter what bike I ride.
Some sports do have a bigger technology divide. Professional sports car racing is one example I can think of. There is a mostly consistent relationship between team funding and team success, but in cycling no one is losing races because they couldn't afford a better bike. In fact, bicycle manufacturers are falling over themselves to give bikes to pro teams for the exposure and endorsement.
I must say though, I do enjoy the technological advancement of the sport. Most of it is snake oil, but every once in a while something comes along that really changes things, like clipless pedals or earo bars. Here's to Lance winning!