but I just don't see it being economically feasible in North America.
While true, I don't think that it's still not a good idea. We, as a country, are continually paying for short-sighted mistakes made in the past. It's like kids with credit cards. It seems like a good idea to buy everything you want now, as 1.9% interest for a year, and credit card companies are practically dumping their cards on you. But ten years down the road, when you're working overtime just to pay your minimum payments, it doesn't seem like such a good idea.
The last thing I could be confused with is a "tree-hugging hippie," but we still need to start thinking ahead and come up with some better alternatives than creating more landfills.
There actually is a pretty big difference. A fingerprint is just as identifier, it contains no other information. DNA, can be *used* as an identifier, but it also contains a near-infinite amount of biometric information as well. Entities may claim that they only *intend* to use stored samples for ID, but who knows what they can/will use it for in the future. There are many intriguing and disturbing potential uses for this kind of information.
I don't own a tinfoil hat, but I do try to remain aware of possible abuse.
Your insurance provider isn't picking up the rest; the other subscribers to your plans are.
Most insurance works basically the same way: a group of people pay into a "pool" of money (that's the premiums you pay) that gets disbursed when one of them file a claim.
Thank you, Mr. Professor, I had *no* idea how insurance works! You mean the insurance company is not a genuinely altruistic entity, who pays for my checkups from their own cash reserves that they earned via newspaper routes and recycling bottles? I'm shocked!
So anyway, you're welcome for my contributions to your subsidized healthcare.
I'll be sure to add your name to my Christmas Card list this year! Thank you for your unselfish contribution to my medical wellbeing!
Also, in the distant future, I think that people will be given the option of preserving their DNA so they can live again.. [snip] Kinda nice if that person turns out to be someone who makes significant changes in the quality of human life, world preservation, etc
Are you making the argument that everything a person does, says, believes in, etc are stored in their DNA? You think we could just clone Einstein, keep him in a lab for 20 years, then we'd have a physics genius who likes to ride bikes all over again. Sorry, but environment plays a *huge* role in a person's actions. It could be some obscure childhood experience that caused Einstein to *want* to solve physics problems, not a "make profound theories" gene.
Uh.. I think "the system" of properly going through the correct channels to obtain and use stored DNA samples in order to be presented as evidence in a criminal trial.
I fail to see the relevence and +insightfulness of your post. Way to go, mods!
How can you get away with this? My insurance member number *is* my SSN. Both medical and car insurance. Do you pay for everything in cash? I'd much rather *cave in* and simply pay my $15 copay, letting my company's insurance provider pick up the rest than pay full price everytime I needed medical assistance - just for the benefit of "keeping your SSN secure (*chuckle*)"
I have a sudden urge to send Mr. Sosa a letter stating that his computer is broadcasting an IP address and that his IP address has trespassed upon my router. He should send me $3500 or I will consider seeking legal actions.
* The above post is of my own work and may be freely distributed and/or modified without my direct consent or knowledge. You may even fix the typos. Have fun!
This letter concerns the new bill, introduced by Reps. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and Howard Berman (D-Calif.), known as the "Author, Consumer and Computer Owner Protection and Security Act of 2003", or ACCOPS.
I would like to take this moment to express my extreme disapproval of this and any other similar legislation. This country already has substantial laws dealing with copyright violations, and has no need for further "extreme" measures to deal with the issue.
From my reading of the text of the bill and other's analysis, this bill would make certain acts of copyright violations felony offenses, with 5-year jail sentences and fines of up to $250,000. Also, the poorly worded bill makes extreme over-generalizations which would cause a great majority of the nation's citizens to be in violation of the law, were it to be approved and enforced.
I ask that you recognize this bill for what it is: a desperate attempt by a powerful lobbying committee (Hollywood and the recording industry) to maintain and protect its aging business models through extreme and vengeful legislation. It represents the very antithesis of our nation's capitalist philosophy, and should be struck down accordingly.
I hope that you will consider this bill carefully and take appropriate measures to ensure that your constituents, as well as the rest of the country, are not subjected to this, or any other, radical acts of negligent legislation.
I doubt they they fed-ex a floppy every time they have a document to transfer...
Actually, that's exactly what they do. They did use tapes, but now that everyone is using x-rays to scan packages, they mostly burn stuff to CDs. Depending on the sensitivity, it's send via Fed-Ex in an inconspicuous package or via a special courier service.
$90 million to provide licenses for 140,000 desktops? That's ~$642 per PC, just for licencing! I can just about build a complete computer for about that same price.
Well duh. I forgot about all that. The last car I rented had a nifty radio that would display the station call letters and text messages (from supported stations.)
You mean have an FM-receiver card in your PC and using it to receive coded FM frequencies, which can be converted to digital? Sounds intriguing... Surely this has been though about before (and probably denounced as unfeasible,) although I (obviously) know nothing about radio waves.
Wow. I guess it all depends on how you browse. I hate to clutter up my taskbar with multiple copies of the same app, as it makes it harder to find the app I want to use at the moment (I always have many apps open at once, I never "just browse" or just "IM".) I like the *cleaness* of having all webpages in the same application.
I always had a problem with IE in that it would *never* remember windows positions for multiple browsers. They would come up in different locations and in different sizes all over the place. (I am one of the Type-A personalities that likes all my windows lined up in specific locations, etc.)
I also like the mouse gestures that allow me to run the cursor over multiple links, then open each one in a separate tab. (you can also use separate windows) Also handy is the ability to have mutiple tabs as your startup pages, and the ability to *remember* what links are loaded in what tabs, so if the browser does crash, you can do a quick restore and start surfing again right where you left off. I always pissed me off with IE to have 8-9 windows open, researching something, then have the browser crash and have to refind all those links (browser history is usually clunky at best.)
But that's just me. If you feel comfortable using multiple windows vs tabs, carry on. To each his own.
Just like the linked PDF says, if a committee doesn't concentrate on C++, corporations will bend it to their will with proprietary crap and screw it up for the rest of us. Focus is a Good Thing.
Slashdot Mirror
The last thing I could be confused with is a "tree-hugging hippie," but we still need to start thinking ahead and come up with some better alternatives than creating more landfills.
I did. I just thought Ars was trying to 1-up Anantech on their 13- Motherboard CEOs interview.
(note to self: Think up and post a witty comment involving SCO and their "corny" tactics...)
Interesting...
I find your ideals and philosophies intriguing. Teach me, O paranoid one ;)
There actually is a pretty big difference. A fingerprint is just as identifier, it contains no other information. DNA, can be *used* as an identifier, but it also contains a near-infinite amount of biometric information as well. Entities may claim that they only *intend* to use stored samples for ID, but who knows what they can/will use it for in the future. There are many intriguing and disturbing potential uses for this kind of information.
I don't own a tinfoil hat, but I do try to remain aware of possible abuse.
So instead of a unique goverment-issued tracking ID, they've given you a unique company-issued tracking ID. And this gains you what exactly?
I'll be sure to add your name to my Christmas Card list this year! Thank you for your unselfish contribution to my medical wellbeing!
Also, in the distant future, I think that people will be given the option of preserving their DNA so they can live again.. [snip] Kinda nice if that person turns out to be someone who makes significant changes in the quality of human life, world preservation, etc
Are you making the argument that everything a person does, says, believes in, etc are stored in their DNA? You think we could just clone Einstein, keep him in a lab for 20 years, then we'd have a physics genius who likes to ride bikes all over again. Sorry, but environment plays a *huge* role in a person's actions. It could be some obscure childhood experience that caused Einstein to *want* to solve physics problems, not a "make profound theories" gene.
Uh.. I think "the system" of properly going through the correct channels to obtain and use stored DNA samples in order to be presented as evidence in a criminal trial.
I fail to see the relevence and +insightfulness of your post. Way to go, mods!
How can you get away with this? My insurance member number *is* my SSN. Both medical and car insurance. Do you pay for everything in cash? I'd much rather *cave in* and simply pay my $15 copay, letting my company's insurance provider pick up the rest than pay full price everytime I needed medical assistance - just for the benefit of "keeping your SSN secure (*chuckle*)"
How Long Do DVD's Last?
I have a sudden urge to send Mr. Sosa a letter stating that his computer is broadcasting an IP address and that his IP address has trespassed upon my router. He should send me $3500 or I will consider seeking legal actions.
Forgot:
* The above post is of my own work and may be freely distributed and/or modified without my direct consent or knowledge. You may even fix the typos. Have fun!
Let me get you started:
----------------
Dear $TITLE $NAME,
This letter concerns the new bill, introduced by Reps. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) and Howard Berman (D-Calif.), known as the "Author, Consumer and Computer Owner Protection and Security Act of 2003", or ACCOPS.
I would like to take this moment to express my extreme disapproval of this and any other similar legislation. This country already has substantial laws dealing with copyright violations, and has no need for further "extreme" measures to deal with the issue.
From my reading of the text of the bill and other's analysis, this bill would make certain acts of copyright violations felony offenses, with 5-year jail sentences and fines of up to $250,000. Also, the poorly worded bill makes extreme over-generalizations which would cause a great majority of the nation's citizens to be in violation of the law, were it to be approved and enforced.
I ask that you recognize this bill for what it is: a desperate attempt by a powerful lobbying committee (Hollywood and the recording industry) to maintain and protect its aging business models through extreme and vengeful legislation. It represents the very antithesis of our nation's capitalist philosophy, and should be struck down accordingly.
I hope that you will consider this bill carefully and take appropriate measures to ensure that your constituents, as well as the rest of the country, are not subjected to this, or any other, radical acts of negligent legislation.
Your constituent,
$ME
---------------
$90 million to provide licenses for 140,000 desktops? That's ~$642 per PC, just for licencing! I can just about build a complete computer for about that same price.
All together now:
http://www.mozilla.org/projects/firebird/
*Smack*
Well duh. I forgot about all that. The last car I rented had a nifty radio that would display the station call letters and text messages (from supported stations.)
You mean have an FM-receiver card in your PC and using it to receive coded FM frequencies, which can be converted to digital? Sounds intriguing... Surely this has been though about before (and probably denounced as unfeasible,) although I (obviously) know nothing about radio waves.
Wow. I guess it all depends on how you browse. I hate to clutter up my taskbar with multiple copies of the same app, as it makes it harder to find the app I want to use at the moment (I always have many apps open at once, I never "just browse" or just "IM".) I like the *cleaness* of having all webpages in the same application.
I always had a problem with IE in that it would *never* remember windows positions for multiple browsers. They would come up in different locations and in different sizes all over the place. (I am one of the Type-A personalities that likes all my windows lined up in specific locations, etc.)
I also like the mouse gestures that allow me to run the cursor over multiple links, then open each one in a separate tab. (you can also use separate windows) Also handy is the ability to have mutiple tabs as your startup pages, and the ability to *remember* what links are loaded in what tabs, so if the browser does crash, you can do a quick restore and start surfing again right where you left off. I always pissed me off with IE to have 8-9 windows open, researching something, then have the browser crash and have to refind all those links (browser history is usually clunky at best.)
But that's just me. If you feel comfortable using multiple windows vs tabs, carry on. To each his own.
You mean something like adding ACE and other middleware packages to the STL? Might not be a bad idea. I agree that the STL is terribly underused.
Just like the linked PDF says, if a committee doesn't concentrate on C++, corporations will bend it to their will with proprietary crap and screw it up for the rest of us. Focus is a Good Thing.
Talk about stealth. It looks just like a Nimitz-class carrier! Or perhaps it was a landing that went horribly wrong.