GemStar (aka Starsight) has a reputation for suing everyone, including most of their customers. They do TV program guides for settop boxes. I think their patents include things like selecting a program and clicking on it to change the channel to the program, and storing the data locally (i.e. in the settop). Pretty advanced stuff, huh?
We had almost this exact conversation at my house a couple of years ago, but the roles were reversed. I caught my son and his friend using vi, and I explained to them in no uncertain terms that this is an EMACS household. They could use vi someplace else, but not in my house.
For one thing, conditions on Earth are quite different now than they were 4 billion years ago. But even if new life was being created today, don't you think there would be a lot more interest in the scientific community to find it? Sort of a Search for New Terrestrial Life? I think it would be Big News.
"Scientists generally accept the notion that life began with a single ancestral cell, similar to modern bacteria, which developed into plants, animals and humans. Conventional wisdom is that the first such cell appeared on Earth 3.8 billion to 4 billion years ago."
I was referring to statements like that. If conditions were such that it happened once, why not more? When I was in high school, we learned about some experiment where chemicals were put into a closed glass sphere with electrodes sticking out of it (it sort of looked like a glass Sputnik). When this brew was zapped amino acids were formed. Viola! Life! Well, almost, all we need is for those amino acids to get together and form DNA, cells, etc, etc.
As far as it happening today, I think biologists would notice if some new life form just sprang up out of nothing. AFAIK, existing life just sort of all fits together in the total picture. (Well, except for tube worms and Anonynous Cowards.)
On last night's news there was a quote from a Microsoft spokesman. I don't have it exactly, but it went something like: "What's with those DOJ bastards, why are they still after us after this AOL/T-W deal was announced? Fuckers!"
Answer: AOL and TW don't engage in illegal business practices. (Or at least they haven't been caught.)
"They" always talk about the beginning of life on earth, how just the right chemicals were present, and then there was a lightning flash and presto! life was formed. My question is, did this only happan once? Why not many times, even thousands or millions? And why does it not happen today?
From my limited experience, girls/women ARE more social than boys/boys. When my daughter was in 4th grade I got her to go online and search for answers for her homework. Now, in the 7th grade, she would rather play soccer and hang out with friends. On the other hand, it looks like my son will be following in his father's footsteps.
BTW, there are two types of people in the world. Those who believe there are two types of people in the world, and those who don't.
I wonder if anyone has tried building an electric rail spud gun? If it's feasible then maybe someone can genetically engineer potatoes to grow embedded iron particles.
Datek really sucks. I sent them a $50,000 cashier's check to fund an account. At first they couldn't find it (I sent it Fedex, so I had a record that someone there signed for it), then they sent it back to the bank it was drawn on. They kept telling me "Don't worry, it will show up any your account any day now".
Just think, you could have put that twinkie away twenty years ago and pulled it out on New Year's Eve. I think the half-life of a twinkie is about 150 years.
Actually, I believe the "Y2K bloke" was in Las Vegas, Nevada. It looked like he got to the arm of the light pole, but wanted to get a little bit higher, so he reached up the high voltage wire.
In the not-so-distant past, O'Reilly published more generic Un*x books (e.g. Unix in a Nutshell), but as the popularity of Linux rose so did the number of Linux-specific books from O'Reilly.
Slashdot Mirror
to the GermStar buys TV Guide story.
l
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/991004/ca_gemstar_2.htm
I'm pretty sure Germstar bought TV Guide recently.
GemStar (aka Starsight) has a reputation for suing everyone, including most of their customers. They do TV program guides for settop boxes. I think their patents include things like selecting a program and clicking on it to change the channel to the program, and storing the data locally (i.e. in the settop). Pretty advanced stuff, huh?
You still can't run Windoze over DR-DOS on it.
We had almost this exact conversation at my house a couple of years ago, but the roles were reversed. I caught my son and his friend using vi, and I explained to them in no uncertain terms that this is an EMACS household. They could use vi someplace else, but not in my house.
Chief Software Architect?
For one thing, conditions on Earth are quite different now than they were 4 billion years ago. But even if new life was being created today, don't you think there would be a lot more interest in the scientific community to find it? Sort of a Search for New Terrestrial Life? I think it would be Big News.
From the Boston Globe article:
"Scientists generally accept the notion that life began with a single ancestral cell, similar to modern bacteria, which developed into plants, animals and humans. Conventional wisdom is that the first such cell appeared on Earth 3.8 billion to 4 billion years ago."
I was referring to statements like that. If conditions were such that it happened once, why not more? When I was in high school, we learned about some experiment where chemicals were put into a closed glass sphere with electrodes sticking out of it (it sort of looked like a glass Sputnik). When this brew was zapped amino acids were formed. Viola! Life! Well, almost, all we need is for those amino acids to get together and form DNA, cells, etc, etc.
As far as it happening today, I think biologists would notice if some new life form just sprang up out of nothing. AFAIK, existing life just sort of all fits together in the total picture. (Well, except for tube worms and Anonynous Cowards.)
On last night's news there was a quote from a Microsoft spokesman. I don't have it exactly, but it went something like: "What's with those DOJ bastards, why are they still after us after this AOL/T-W deal was announced? Fuckers!"
Answer: AOL and TW don't engage in illegal business practices. (Or at least they haven't been caught.)
"They" always talk about the beginning of life on earth, how just the right chemicals were present, and then there was a lightning flash and presto! life was formed. My question is, did this only happan once? Why not many times, even thousands or millions? And why does it not happen today?
Yeah baby! It doesn't get any better than this. Unless someone can Natalie Portman's petrified leg out of my ass.
I maintain that Hal's "psychological problems" were really just a Y2K-related bug.
Are women topologically congruent with Klein bottles? That might explain the geek fascination with them. I think I need to do more research...
From my limited experience, girls/women ARE more social than boys/boys. When my daughter was in 4th grade I got her to go online and search for answers for her homework. Now, in the 7th grade, she would rather play soccer and hang out with friends. On the other hand, it looks like my son will be following in his father's footsteps.
BTW, there are two types of people in the world. Those who believe there are two types of people in the world, and those who don't.
Maybe you didn't read past the first definition in your dictionary. Here's Webster's second definition:
2 a : SEX b : the behavioral, cultural, or psychological traits typically associated with one sex
I wonder if anyone has tried building an electric rail spud gun? If it's feasible then maybe someone can genetically engineer potatoes to grow embedded iron particles.
My Wu-Name: Sheepish Lord of Chaos.
First Millennium: 1 AD to 1000 AD
Second Millennium: 1001 AD to 2000 AD
Third Millennium: 2001 AD to 3000 AD
etc
since the REAL new millennium is 2001.
I wonder if you can go to all of the stores and sign up, or even go back to the same store day after day and get $400 each time?
Datek really sucks. I sent them a $50,000 cashier's check to fund an account. At first they couldn't find it (I sent it Fedex, so I had a record that someone there signed for it), then they sent it back to the bank it was drawn on. They kept telling me "Don't worry, it will show up any your account any day now".
Just think, you could have put that twinkie away twenty years ago and pulled it out on New Year's Eve. I think the half-life of a twinkie is about 150 years.
And with luck, some good old fashioned Strategic Alliances.
Websters definition:
gadget - an often small mechanical or electronic device with a practical use but often thought of as a novelty.
How about the TV remote?
Actually, I believe the "Y2K bloke" was in Las Vegas, Nevada. It looked like he got to the arm of the light pole, but wanted to get a little bit higher, so he reached up the high voltage wire.
In the not-so-distant past, O'Reilly published more generic Un*x books (e.g. Unix in a Nutshell), but as the popularity of Linux rose so did the number of Linux-specific books from O'Reilly.