I would like to suggest that somone build and maintain a list of lawyers in each state with the knowledge (and experience) to tackle RIAA. Then anybody who needs a lawyer can quickly find one -- that would be good survival advice!
I'm not in the Netherlands, I'm in Denmark (is there something rotten here?) so the survival advice is probable a bit different. However, I still might need a lawyer with relevant knowledge, so perhaps have countries as well as states in the list? Still, I would like to see a clear writeup from a European/Danish standpoint.
I second this method, which is a standard method that lends itself well to mathematical analysis: using several numbers based on degree of confidence, otherwise known as risk-based assessment. I use 3 numbers that management and other developers seem to understand:
A) Best case (25% certainty / 75% risk) B) Likely case (50% certainty / 50% risk) C) Worst case (95% certainty / 5% risk)
If there is a large discrepancy between A and C, that means that the task is not well understood, and should be divided into more, better-understood parts. If the numbers are large, and the discrepancy persists, it should be possible to argue that a sub-project has to be defined to determine estimates and minimize risks (or maximize certainty, if you will)
This method has worked well for me, looks good and makes sense when presenting the numbers to the customer and other stakeholders.
I'm very happy that our company is using Oracle - it's expensive, that's why! That high expense reflects back on me, in a good way. "The software is valueable, so the people who work with it are valueable". I'm better paid because they chose Oracle over MySQL.
Another thing is the large selection of Oracle training available. The more expensive a thing is, the more training is "worth it" -- even if it is insanely expensive. When I get this training, it is because "I am worth it" -- making me worth more in the process.
And yet another thig is the high level of professionalism surrounding Oracle. Our Oracle DBA is fantastic, he really preaches the right practice, and management listens to him. Because he is an professional Oracle DBA, not some MySQL tweaker.
Personally I would use PostgreSQL, but I'm happy we are using Oracle. Who needs all the features above and beyond ACID compliance? Perversly, it's Oracles high price tag that makes it better for me - personally - at work. I'm not footing the bill, and a bigger budget translates to higher saleries in the field.
Perhaps someone could invent a file system that fits better with the new hardware. Filesystems today are designed for disc access -- tomorrow's hardware requires tomorrow's software. And I bet Reiser will be on top of that too!:-)
RIAA may be vile and worthless, but using something they have the right to deny you dosen't make you the good guy. In the words of Bahá'u'lláh, the prophet-founder of the Bahá'í Faith:
They who dwell within the Tabernacle of God, and are established upon the seats of everlasting glory, will refuse, though they be dying of hunger, to stretch their hands, and seize unlawfully the property of their neighbour, however vile and worthless he may be.... His [Gods] object is to array every man with the mantle of a saintly character, and to adorn him with the ornament of holy and goodly deeds....
(Cited in Shoghi Effendi, "The Advent of Divine Justice", p. 24)
If you have an agreement with your neighbour allowing you to use their network, then of course you can use it -- otherwise, it's theft, and you can get into trouble if you are caught. Whether or not they are using their network is irrelevant, it's theirs to use or not to use, not yours.
Theft these days is so easy that it takes real moral strength just to not do it. I understand perfectly why some would choose not to exercise their moral muscles; it's just too hard.
Management in Europe just doesn't have the courage to support Open Source. They hide behind the mantra of: "Nobody ever got fired for choosing IBM".
I work for the IT department of a large Danish company. We buy exclusively IBM products -- despite the many problems we have with them, and the availability of Open Source alternatives. IBM prices are obscene, but we keep buying them without looking at alternatives.
We don't need a separate IT industry to support Open Source; we need non-IT companies with IT departments to support them.
Linus Torvalds and many other prominent Open Source luminaries might be from Europe originally, but where do they work? In the States, mostly. And that is why Europe is behind the Open Source curve: not enough courage in management to choose Open Source and provide a job for the local luminaries. That's why it's dark here.
Threatening with quitting, posting "humorous" cartoons, growling and bitching are other suggestions. All these only help widen the gap between "them" and "us", providing fertile ground for future misunderstandings. Learn to talk the talk and walk the walk. Then your future consultations will build bridges out of the walls that keep you apart.
I believe that a human is a human from the moment of conception, making cloning (and other research on fertilised embryos) akin mutilating a fully-grown human -- i.e. illegal.
Is a child only to be considered human after birth? Or in the 23rd week of development? Such an arbitrary limit simply established by "the age required for medical science to help the embryo survive outside the womb" is unacceptable. The limits of science change, making younger embryos eligible for the title "human". But does the reality of the matter change with scientific achievement? No.
This is one of the few cases where we cannot allow science to dictate our definitions. In stead, we may turn to religion. The Baha'i Faith, the most recent complete message from the Almighty, teaches that humans are fundamentally spiritual in nature, and that the soul appears at the moment of conception. So it follows that the title of "human" must be conferred upon an embryo from day one -- or day 0 if you're a C programmer:-).
It is estiamted that, after digging a 100 ft well, it is possible to achieve over six kilobits of extra RAM storage at 20 kHz. We are currently looking for distributors.
Data storage in a well!
Seriously, though, I've been thinking that something like this is the solution to the real-world problem of permanent storage. CDs die. Tapes (or their hardware) die. Harddrives die. The only way to maintain permanent storage over _long_ periods of time is to think of it like drops in an ocean: data forever moving. The net will live forever.
We need a p2p network for secure, private file storage, not sharing. Anybody know of such a project? I don't think it's freenet, nor is it kazaa. Is this a new p2p idea? Data always flowing, noone knowing what's there. Just have everyone pay N MB to store one MB of private data, then the data can be N (-1?) fold secure.
Yes, it is a sign that Linux is in the hands of techies! Office workers don't program, so of course they don't contribute programs to Open Source. They pay for what they need. Up til now, Open Source development has been unpaid, but now that money (IBM, SUN,...) has started to flow into Open Source, we can expect to see more non-techie needs fulfilled.
As long as the source is still Free, I welcome our contributing overlords!:-)
Perhaps if RedHat and Mandrake contribute their nice installers back to the community, Debian won't have to make it's own, and GNU/Open Source/Free Software can work the way it's supposed to.
My experience is also that employers initially ignore all work experience before graduating. But once you've landed the job, the extra experience is appreciated by co-workers and management alike. This generates recognition and respect that may (or may not) translate into better pay rises along the road. YMMV:-)
I held a little "computer awareness" two-day seminar for a few youth from my regional Bahá'í communities. The youth have all been using computers for quite a while, so my aim was to teach them to use their abilities to the benefit of their communities. Also I wanted to make them aware of Linux as a moral alternative to pirating software from over-priced vendors.
I started from the bottom: hardware! I have an old 486 without a case, just the basic components. I got them to identify each component, think about static electricity, put the pieces together, and see the beast run. Then we looked at variations of hardware: CPUs (486, PIII, K7,...) RAM, disks, motherboards, graphics, looked at the external ports (network, USB, monitor,...) This took about ½ day, and by then they could put a computer together.
We then installed a number of operating systems: Win 98, Debian, Red Hat. I don't have an XP CD, or I'd have done that too -- RH vs Win98 just isn't fair. While installing, I spoke about the Free Software community, and it's relationship to the morals of religion, one point I like is that Free Software is much like a religion such as the Bahá'í Faith (plug) or Chritianity: the members are trying to do the right thing, for the love of it. Some say it's for the heck of it, but thats simply avoiding the reality of love.:-)
The next day we used Win98 and Red Hat to build a website. The class fragmented into those who are users, and those who are admins: for admins, I talked about TCP/IP and DNS, for users about HTML, graphics and usability.
All in all, I think it was a good seminar, and the youth seemed happy about it. Next time (in the spring) it'll be better!
This same dynamic has happend to me, so I'm off to find a new job. Even though there is a slump, I still find enough offers to keep me happy.
I'm very fortunate that I love my work (system development), and can afford to seek happiness in employment. However, I think this emotional attachment has made it harder for me to leave when the fun left... Oh, well. Life is hard and then you die!:-)
I know where you're comming from man, and I feel for you. I've been there myself until I gave them a good talk-to. It helps, as long as you are well-formulated. Pointy-haired bosses are not as air-headed as they seem!:-)
I suggest you have a talk with the boss, and reason with him. Just remember to be polite and use the words he uses himself!
Julia, a MUD robot, was often mistaken for a real human mudder... It's getting easier to pass the test when people demand so little intelligence in interaction on the 'Net...
Find stuff about Julia at http://foner.www.media.mit.edu/people/foner/Juli a/
By the way, this is not news, it's just a resurgence of the HAL syndrome.
Now no 'suit would be able to whine about not finding tuning tips for Linux! Of course, it needs to be filled with all kinds of tips, and the search engine needs to work, but hey! It's a good idea!:-) Kudos to them.
The press release is tie-speak if ever I saw it. A true, modern rebel would live with "HCC". What does James Dean have to do with being a rebel is todays society? Fluff.
Slashdot Mirror
I would like to suggest that somone build and maintain a list of lawyers in each state with the knowledge (and experience) to tackle RIAA. Then anybody who needs a lawyer can quickly find one -- that would be good survival advice!
I'm not in the Netherlands, I'm in Denmark (is there something rotten here?) so the survival advice is probable a bit different. However, I still might need a lawyer with relevant knowledge, so perhaps have countries as well as states in the list? Still, I would like to see a clear writeup from a European/Danish standpoint.
I second this method, which is a standard method that lends itself well to mathematical analysis: using several numbers based on degree of confidence, otherwise known as risk-based assessment. I use 3 numbers that management and other developers seem to understand:
A) Best case (25% certainty / 75% risk)
B) Likely case (50% certainty / 50% risk)
C) Worst case (95% certainty / 5% risk)
If there is a large discrepancy between A and C, that means that the task is not well understood, and should be divided into more, better-understood parts. If the numbers are large, and the discrepancy persists, it should be possible to argue that a sub-project has to be defined to determine estimates and minimize risks (or maximize certainty, if you will)
This method has worked well for me, looks good and makes sense when presenting the numbers to the customer and other stakeholders.
I thought it was funny and got the reference right away! :-)
Keep up the good comments, even if most people don't get it. At least you provide a chuckle to some of us.
I'm very happy that our company is using Oracle - it's expensive, that's why! That high expense reflects back on me, in a good way. "The software is valueable, so the people who work with it are valueable". I'm better paid because they chose Oracle over MySQL.
Another thing is the large selection of Oracle training available. The more expensive a thing is, the more training is "worth it" -- even if it is insanely expensive. When I get this training, it is because "I am worth it" -- making me worth more in the process.
And yet another thig is the high level of professionalism surrounding Oracle. Our Oracle DBA is fantastic, he really preaches the right practice, and management listens to him. Because he is an professional Oracle DBA, not some MySQL tweaker.
Personally I would use PostgreSQL, but I'm happy we are using Oracle. Who needs all the features above and beyond ACID compliance? Perversly, it's Oracles high price tag that makes it better for me - personally - at work. I'm not footing the bill, and a bigger budget translates to higher saleries in the field.
I's perverse, but that's how it is.
Perhaps someone could invent a file system that fits better with the new hardware. Filesystems today are designed for disc access -- tomorrow's hardware requires tomorrow's software. And I bet Reiser will be on top of that too! :-)
RIAA may be vile and worthless, but using something they have the right to deny you dosen't make you the good guy. In the words of Bahá'u'lláh, the prophet-founder of the Bahá'í Faith:
...
They who dwell within the Tabernacle of God, and are established upon the seats of everlasting glory, will refuse, though they be dying of hunger, to stretch their hands, and seize unlawfully the property of their neighbour, however vile and worthless he may be.
His [Gods] object is to array every man with the mantle of a saintly character, and to adorn him with the ornament of holy and goodly deeds....
(Cited in Shoghi Effendi, "The Advent of Divine Justice", p. 24)
If you have an agreement with your neighbour allowing you to use their network, then of course you can use it -- otherwise, it's theft, and you can get into trouble if you are caught. Whether or not they are using their network is irrelevant, it's theirs to use or not to use, not yours.
Theft these days is so easy that it takes real moral strength just to not do it. I understand perfectly why some would choose not to exercise their moral muscles; it's just too hard.
Management in Europe just doesn't have the courage to support Open Source. They hide behind the mantra of: "Nobody ever got fired for choosing IBM".
I work for the IT department of a large Danish company. We buy exclusively IBM products -- despite the many problems we have with them, and the availability of Open Source alternatives. IBM prices are obscene, but we keep buying them without looking at alternatives.
We don't need a separate IT industry to support Open Source; we need non-IT companies with IT departments to support them.
Linus Torvalds and many other prominent Open Source luminaries might be from Europe originally, but where do they work? In the States, mostly. And that is why Europe is behind the Open Source curve: not enough courage in management to choose Open Source and provide a job for the local luminaries. That's why it's dark here.
This is the best reply I've read all day!
Threatening with quitting, posting "humorous" cartoons, growling and bitching are other suggestions. All these only help widen the gap between "them" and "us", providing fertile ground for future misunderstandings. Learn to talk the talk and walk the walk. Then your future consultations will build bridges out of the walls that keep you apart.
I believe that a human is a human from the moment of conception, making cloning (and other research on fertilised embryos) akin mutilating a fully-grown human -- i.e. illegal.
:-).
Is a child only to be considered human after birth? Or in the 23rd week of development? Such an arbitrary limit simply established by "the age required for medical science to help the embryo survive outside the womb" is unacceptable. The limits of science change, making younger embryos eligible for the title "human". But does the reality of the matter change with scientific achievement? No.
This is one of the few cases where we cannot allow science to dictate our definitions. In stead, we may turn to religion. The Baha'i Faith, the most recent complete message from the Almighty, teaches that humans are fundamentally spiritual in nature, and that the soul appears at the moment of conception. So it follows that the title of "human" must be conferred upon an embryo from day one -- or day 0 if you're a C programmer
To a baha'i such as me, there is no contradiction between true religion and science, so some of the answers to questions outside the scope of science may safely be found in Sacred writings.
Thank you, looks interesting!
Thank you, looks interesting!
I like this comment:
It is estiamted that, after digging a 100 ft well, it is possible to achieve over six kilobits of extra RAM storage at 20 kHz.
We are currently looking for distributors.
Data storage in a well!
Seriously, though, I've been thinking that something like this is the solution to the real-world problem of permanent storage. CDs die. Tapes (or their hardware) die. Harddrives die. The only way to maintain permanent storage over _long_ periods of time is to think of it like drops in an ocean: data forever moving. The net will live forever.
We need a p2p network for secure, private file storage, not sharing. Anybody know of such a project? I don't think it's freenet, nor is it kazaa. Is this a new p2p idea? Data always flowing, noone knowing what's there. Just have everyone pay N MB to store one MB of private data, then the data can be N (-1?) fold secure.
Yes, it is a sign that Linux is in the hands of techies! Office workers don't program, so of course they don't contribute programs to Open Source. They pay for what they need. Up til now, Open Source development has been unpaid, but now that money (IBM, SUN, ...) has started to flow into Open Source, we can expect to see more non-techie needs fulfilled.
:-)
As long as the source is still Free, I welcome our contributing overlords!
Perhaps if RedHat and Mandrake contribute their nice installers back to the community, Debian won't have to make it's own, and GNU/Open Source/Free Software can work the way it's supposed to.
My experience is also that employers initially ignore all work experience before graduating. But once you've landed the job, the extra experience is appreciated by co-workers and management alike. This generates recognition and respect that may (or may not) translate into better pay rises along the road. :-)
YMMV
I held a little "computer awareness" two-day seminar for a few youth from my regional Bahá'í communities. The youth have all been using computers for quite a while, so my aim was to teach them to use their abilities to the benefit of their communities. Also I wanted to make them aware of Linux as a moral alternative to pirating software from over-priced vendors.
...) RAM, disks, motherboards, graphics, looked at the external ports (network, USB, monitor, ...) This took about ½ day, and by then they could put a computer together.
:-)
I started from the bottom: hardware! I have an old 486 without a case, just the basic components. I got them to identify each component, think about static electricity, put the pieces together, and see the beast run. Then we looked at variations of hardware: CPUs (486, PIII, K7,
We then installed a number of operating systems: Win 98, Debian, Red Hat. I don't have an XP CD, or I'd have done that too -- RH vs Win98 just isn't fair. While installing, I spoke about the Free Software community, and it's relationship to the morals of religion, one point I like is that Free Software is much like a religion such as the Bahá'í Faith (plug) or Chritianity: the members are trying to do the right thing, for the love of it. Some say it's for the heck of it, but thats simply avoiding the reality of love.
The next day we used Win98 and Red Hat to build a website. The class fragmented into those who are users, and those who are admins: for admins, I talked about TCP/IP and DNS, for users about HTML, graphics and usability.
All in all, I think it was a good seminar, and the youth seemed happy about it. Next time (in the spring) it'll be better!
This same dynamic has happend to me, so I'm off to find a new job. Even though there is a slump, I still find enough offers to keep me happy.
:-)
I'm very fortunate that I love my work (system development), and can afford to seek happiness in employment. However, I think this emotional attachment has made it harder for me to leave when the fun left... Oh, well. Life is hard and then you die!
Get the goodness here!
:-)
I've been using CVS for some time and I'm happy with it, but if the same guys think they can make something better, great! I'll try it ASAP.
I know where you're comming from man, and I feel for you. I've been there myself until I gave them a good talk-to. It helps, as long as you are well-formulated. Pointy-haired bosses are not as air-headed as they seem! :-)
I suggest you have a talk with the boss, and reason with him. Just remember to be polite and use the words he uses himself!
Commodore built 8088/8086 based PC-Compatibles Not just the beloved C=64 :-)
Julia, a MUD robot, was often mistaken for a real
i a/
human mudder... It's getting easier to pass the
test when people demand so little intelligence
in interaction on the 'Net...
Find stuff about Julia at
http://foner.www.media.mit.edu/people/foner/Jul
By the way, this is not news, it's just a resurgence
of the HAL syndrome.
Can we port Linux to this baby?
The more processors out there, the better for Linux!
Maybe AMD should team up with Sony to crank
out some K7's at 18 micron... Seems Sony will
have the fabs soon. Just a thought.
Now no 'suit would be able to whine about not finding tuning tips for Linux! :-)
Of course, it needs to be filled with all kinds of tips, and the search engine needs to work, but hey! It's a good idea!
Kudos to them.
Now, if only I had some tuning tip for them...
The press release is tie-speak if ever I saw it.
A true, modern rebel would live with "HCC".
What does James Dean have to do with being a rebel is todays society?
Fluff.
Dilbert Rule! http://www.dilbert.com/