George Bush & Tony Blair are as much to blame for this atrocity as the idiot terrorists.
I guess Secretary of Defense Rumsfield put it best in his memo:
After noting that we do not know how to measure success in the war on terrorism, Rumsfeld asks "Are we capturing, killing or deterring and dissuading more terrorists every day than the madrassas and the radical clerics are recruiting, training and deploying against us?" Asking the question in this way shows the same misunderstanding that was at work in Vietnam.... We cannot capture of kill terrorists faster than they are bred by our enemies, unless paradoxically we make capturing or killing them subordinate to winning the larger political struggle which determines the supply of terrorists.
No, the old model, where changes to the past are permitted, is true.
All the changes to our past have already occurred.
How else do you explain the Rennassiance, crop circles, or the absence of WMD? The only reasonable explanation is obviously the actions of future activist agitators and pornographers.
It also explains Intelligient Design... and who created the Great Designer. He was probably some megomaniacal schmuck from 2305 during the period of the Third Great Crusade and Inquisition setting the dials to zero (and voiding his warranty). Funny, those time travelers never seem to learn from the past.
I've been looking for an open-source, LAMP-based, non-abandoned, production-ready solution which could also do time tracking.
Best I've found so far is TUTOS.
The demo off their homepage is in german, but there is an english online demo hosted (somewhere).
It's worth considering. (And no, I have no bias or connection with this project).
Good luck!
In art, it's known as the "white page syndrome".
You have a clean, white canvas, on it your talents enable you to paint anything. So you sit there, awash in the mental miasma of the endless possibilities assailing you.
The way I deal with it is to stop thinking and draw a random line, then based on what this restricts the possibilities to, I can build around it.
or in other words...
When confronted with infinite possibilities it is important to assume some finite requirements.
The hardest part of software development IMHO is requirements assessment and user interface design, because figuring out *what* should be built is harder than actually building it.
Unless it's a large land-grant university with a cash cow of a football program (Go Vols!) and it involves evidence of adminstration-sanctioned changing of player grades over the objection of the professor. Then watch merrily as the reporter sells out the whistle-blower for a cushy public-relations position, and the whistle-blower gets threatened with being blackballed and backs down.
Do NOT trust reporters to value the story above alternative rewards. Hell, they often can't get stories correct, much less Defend Freedom (tm) or Do The Right Thing (tm).
They should have remained anonymous by mailing the information and a press release to *multiple* news desks.
But the problem with all of these diversions is that none of them make any money.
And that's exactly why they are buying up anti-virus software companies. Finally! A way of realizing the subscription model they have always dreamed of...
I've seen people do similar at parties. The 'rogue' joins a small group, steers the conversation towards some topic, then exits on to to the next small group to repeat. The party takes on the general tone of the agitator. I confronted one agitator who fessed up. He did it for fun. He liked to see how far he could turn the party. What I found distressing in this instance was he would steer conversations towards the morbid. Also, no one else at the party was aware of his actions.
This also sounds a bit like what a friend used to do in chat rooms on AOL. People would go there looking for some hot chat, and he would deliberately weird them out for fun. He would weird them out with conversation so bizarre, they were incredulous they had found such a nutcase. I found this hilarious to read as a third-party, and it probably did the target some good, as they will be forewarned about anonymous fiends on the other side of their chat.
Social manipulation is nothing new; this style of agitation once restricted to face-to-face interactions has become empowered in online social groups or forums.
For a list of "scientists" who are really shills for big industry denying global warming, see: environmentaldefense.org
Also, when your right-wing relatives start citing contrary "legitimate sources", it's always good to look them up at the Disinfopedia: sourcewatch.org
Here you can easily identify sheep-skinned pundits and astroturfers.
With high explosives commonly available and remote detonation with scavenged garage-door openers already commonplace, it seems to me that these expensive robots will be blown to shreds before they make any significant impact.
Any place where improvised explosives can be placed will be off limits to these robots, just to keep them in service. I can see them used at guardposts.
And what is the cost of operations: Blown up robot: $250,000 Blown up soldier: $12,000 death benefit
The sad fact in this equation is that while human life is intrinsinctly more valuable, the military does not bear the ultimate cost of each soliders death: cost of upbringing and education from cradle to grave, loss of future earnings, loss of intangibles such as being someone's spouse, mother or father.
So, platoon, whatever you do, protect the company's robot! We only have one of those suckers!
The real reason for deploying these is to test an emerging new techonology which may ultimately transform the way wars are fought. [sarcasm] I eagerly look forward to when they start using these for civilian enforcement stateside. A rolling roadblock with teeth! Perhaps someday a cop on every corner / in every household will become a reality. [/sarcasm]
Microsoft has built its empire by announcing, acquiring or developing products to compete with already existing products. Often these products are at least initially inferior, but often cost less and are bundled with the OS.
For example: Netscape Navigator -> Internet Explorer, Macintosh Finder -> Windows, RealAudio -> Media Player, WordPerfect -> Word, and tried to do this with Money -> Quicken stopped by the FTC. I'm sure there are many more examples of this strategy you historians can name.
If they do charge money for a anti-spyware/virus product, this will undermine Norton and the other companies which so far HAVE SAVED MICROSOFT's ARSE. If it is a pay-product, then it will garner resentment. If this product is inferior, it will make Windows as a platform less viable by exposing its own weaknesses.
Hey Microsoft, here is a *great* opportunity for you to finally get recurring subscription fees from your user base!!!!
Where do you want to go today? What's in your wallet?
I can see. Using the iPod in the car is *infruriating*, because with a WHEEL it is difficult to select one of 311 artists, or one of 520 albums. Spin-spin-spin...backspin, backspin, click click click. It is *difficult* to *impossible* to select an album, artist or song when confronted with 35GB of music.
Wheel-selection is only somewhat practical to select a playlist (since I only have 2 dozen or so). A wheel interface is impractical unless you can constantly look at it / see it, and you have a limited number of items to select from.
Funding for applied psychic phenomona is consistent with the administration's Faith Based Initiative.
Personally, I am glad that the Faith Based Inititive is now being applied to hard, physical sciences instead of just the fruity social sciences. Imagine the progress we can make now that we are not confined by the moldy paradigms, theories and "laws" of scientists. It's high time for spirtualists to take a turn!
The problem with you liberal intelligentia elite is that you think that just because something is not scientific (testable, reproducible) that it is inherantly without merit. Can your science prove a negative? I thought not!
Get with the program, bub. Faith == reality is the new science. Now click your heels together 3 times and pray this has all been a bad dream.
Slashdot Mirror
I guess Secretary of Defense Rumsfield put it best in his memo:
No, the old model, where changes to the past are permitted, is true.
All the changes to our past have already occurred.
How else do you explain the Rennassiance, crop circles, or the absence of WMD? The only reasonable explanation is obviously the actions of future activist agitators and pornographers.
It also explains Intelligient Design... and who created the Great Designer. He was probably some megomaniacal schmuck from 2305 during the period of the Third Great Crusade and Inquisition setting the dials to zero (and voiding his warranty). Funny, those time travelers never seem to learn from the past.
I've been looking for an open-source, LAMP-based, non-abandoned, production-ready solution which could also do time tracking. Best I've found so far is TUTOS. The demo off their homepage is in german, but there is an english online demo hosted (somewhere). It's worth considering. (And no, I have no bias or connection with this project). Good luck!
or in other words...
When confronted with infinite possibilities it is important to assume some finite requirements.
The hardest part of software development IMHO is requirements assessment and user interface design, because figuring out *what* should be built is harder than actually building it.
My care scale goes to -11
Unless it's a large land-grant university with a cash cow of a football program (Go Vols!) and it involves evidence of adminstration-sanctioned changing of player grades over the objection of the professor. Then watch merrily as the reporter sells out the whistle-blower for a cushy public-relations position, and the whistle-blower gets threatened with being blackballed and backs down.
Do NOT trust reporters to value the story above alternative rewards. Hell, they often can't get stories correct, much less Defend Freedom (tm) or Do The Right Thing (tm).
They should have remained anonymous by mailing the information and a press release to *multiple* news desks.
I am a non-Microsoft guy working at Microsoft.
We need more everyday irony:
"Mello Yellow, there's nothing mellow about it".
WTF?
You can tell that Microsaur realizes they have credibility-gap when they feel they must disavow associating with themselves.
If you're female, can I swop you for my wife?
No, but it might affect usage in IE.
Would you please complain about the Bush administration and continue to put your remarkable powers to use for the light side of the Force?
"The problem with the French is that they don't have a word for 'entrepreneur.'"
-George W Bush
citation
I've seen people do similar at parties. The 'rogue' joins a small group, steers the conversation towards some topic, then exits on to to the next small group to repeat. The party takes on the general tone of the agitator. I confronted one agitator who fessed up. He did it for fun. He liked to see how far he could turn the party. What I found distressing in this instance was he would steer conversations towards the morbid. Also, no one else at the party was aware of his actions.
This also sounds a bit like what a friend used to do in chat rooms on AOL. People would go there looking for some hot chat, and he would deliberately weird them out for fun. He would weird them out with conversation so bizarre, they were incredulous they had found such a nutcase. I found this hilarious to read as a third-party, and it probably did the target some good, as they will be forewarned about anonymous fiends on the other side of their chat.
Social manipulation is nothing new; this style of agitation once restricted to face-to-face interactions has become empowered in online social groups or forums.
For a list of "scientists" who are really shills for big industry denying global warming, see:
environmentaldefense.org
Also, when your right-wing relatives start citing contrary "legitimate sources", it's always good to look them up at the Disinfopedia:
sourcewatch.org
Here you can easily identify sheep-skinned pundits and astroturfers.
So what if the dialing party lives in a single-party consent state, and calls someone living in an all-party consent state?
Which states' laws trump consent requirements?
.
With high explosives commonly available and remote detonation with scavenged garage-door openers already commonplace, it seems to me that these expensive robots will be blown to shreds before they make any significant impact.
Any place where improvised explosives can be placed will be off limits to these robots, just to keep them in service. I can see them used at guardposts.
And what is the cost of operations:
Blown up robot: $250,000
Blown up soldier: $12,000 death benefit
The sad fact in this equation is that while human life is intrinsinctly more valuable, the military does not bear the ultimate cost of each soliders death: cost of upbringing and education from cradle to grave, loss of future earnings, loss of intangibles such as being someone's spouse, mother or father.
So, platoon, whatever you do, protect the company's robot! We only have one of those suckers!
The real reason for deploying these is to test an emerging new techonology which may ultimately transform the way wars are fought. [sarcasm] I eagerly look forward to when they start using these for civilian enforcement stateside. A rolling roadblock with teeth! Perhaps someday a cop on every corner / in every household will become a reality. [/sarcasm]
And don't forget the $12 MILLION that the District of Columbia had to spend to foot the inaguration security bill.
(Why didn't corporations pony up that money too, instead of the taxpayers ???)
The cost of freedom just went up by $40 million.
"W"ar criminal
.
Microsoft has built its empire by announcing, acquiring or developing products to compete with already existing products. Often these products are at least initially inferior, but often cost less and are bundled with the OS.
For example: Netscape Navigator -> Internet Explorer, Macintosh Finder -> Windows, RealAudio -> Media Player, WordPerfect -> Word, and tried to do this with Money -> Quicken stopped by the FTC. I'm sure there are many more examples of this strategy you historians can name.
If they do charge money for a anti-spyware/virus product, this will undermine Norton and the other companies which so far HAVE SAVED MICROSOFT's ARSE. If it is a pay-product, then it will garner resentment. If this product is inferior, it will make Windows as a platform less viable by exposing its own weaknesses.
Hey Microsoft, here is a *great* opportunity for you to finally get recurring subscription fees from your user base!!!!
Where do you want to go today? What's in your wallet?
.
I for one, welcome our new unencumbered, wrong-admitting leadership. .
Wow!
I didn't know Cartman was a Mac-version naming snob!
He even posts on slashdot!
.
Magazines are 90s era.
(which followed as a result of the 80's desktop publishing craze
lowering the cost to produce print media)
Everything is web-based now.
(as a result of the internet lowering production and distribution costs to neglible)
Forget "where you came from". The past is history.
.
I can see.
Using the iPod in the car is *infruriating*, because with a WHEEL it is difficult to select one of 311 artists, or one of 520 albums.
Spin-spin-spin...backspin, backspin, click click click.
It is *difficult* to *impossible* to select an album, artist or song when confronted with 35GB of music.
Wheel-selection is only somewhat practical to select a playlist (since I only have 2 dozen or so). A wheel interface is impractical unless you can constantly look at it / see it, and you have a limited number of items to select from.
The iPod interface is *overrated*.
This is your boss.
You're fired.
And these are not the droids I'm looking for.
Move along. Move along.
.
I think you miss the point here.
Funding for applied psychic phenomona is consistent with the administration's Faith Based Initiative.
Personally, I am glad that the Faith Based Inititive is now being applied to hard, physical sciences instead of just the fruity social sciences. Imagine the progress we can make now that we are not confined by the moldy paradigms, theories and "laws" of scientists. It's high time for spirtualists to take a turn!
The problem with you liberal intelligentia elite is that you think that just because something is not scientific (testable, reproducible) that it is inherantly without merit. Can your science prove a negative? I thought not!
Get with the program, bub.
Faith == reality is the new science.
Now click your heels together 3 times and pray this has all been a bad dream.
.