What's not immediately clear from the story is how this happened. They say they found the resistant plant in a field where GM crops were grown. They say they treated the weed with herbicide and it suffered no ill effects. But does that mean the weed got the herbicide-resistant gene from the crops or did it evolve the gene on its own, the same way that bacteria that are exposed to low doses of antibiotics can develop resistance?
I've mostly read about GM crops that are resistant to RoundUp. It seems pretty unlikely that a plant would independently evolve resistance to that herbicide. But what about the glufosinate-ammonium herbicide this plant was immune to? Is it possible that plants could evolve resistance?
From the original article on X86-Secret.com, it sounds like the new chips will not be using the Pentium branding at all. It's just Intel Core Solo and Intel Core Duo from now on.
Haha! Michael Geist is a cut-up. When I first read the topic I thought, "Damn straight it does, Michael! You tell 'em." Then I RTFA'ed and I realized he's saying this opens the door for a law protecting us from corporations.
Holy Dudley Do-Right, Michael! What country do you live in -- Canada?
This certainly does open up the door for a Digital Rights Management Protection Act. Here's how: Sony goes crying crocodile tears straight to Congress. It petitions every congressional representative in its pocket to draft a new law that indemnifies corporations from any damages resulting from software that gets installed on a customer's computer when he/she makes use of a company's product. Those same representatives, wiping their mouths, will get up on TV and proclaim to the world how this new legislation will protect us all from the frivolous lawsuits that are driving up the costs of everything, depriving Americans of their God-given low low prices.
Because this lawsuit against Sony only serves to point out the failures of our legal system, don't you see? Sony was trying to innovate with new technology and got slapped down by evil, profiteering lawyers. The corporations must be protected!
They are a little fragile. My latest pair are holding up fine so far. The ones that broke on me are the 71P model, the more expensive kind with the "extension cord." I would avoid these, as their sound response is identical to the cheaper 51P model and the two-part cord is not a feature. The extension is not the part that broke on me, but the weight of the connector between the main headphone and the extension would cause it to swing around, pulling one side of the headphones out of my ear and banging against my chest (which was very noticeable, since the other end of the cord was shoved all the way up in my ear). In addition, when the bare metal part of the connector would touch the metal case of my iRiver MP3 player it would produce a weird clicking and buzzing. (In general, the iRiver is poorly grounded -- if you try to record from the exterior mic with it plugged into AC power, all you'll get is a loud 50 cycle buzz.) I ended up painting the extension cord connector with nailpolish to solve the problem... but then, like I said, one ear of the headphones broke. So, yeah, if you're planning on going into combat or something, these aren't really the headphones to buy. Mostly they work fine for listening to Burzum on the bus, though.
TFA describes the in-ear headphones as being less capable at blocking ambient noise than the "earmuff" style phones. That leads me to believe they're actually talking about the old school in-ear phones, the kind that just sort of hang in your ears. Newer ones, like the Sony Fontopia in-ear designs, actually fit all the way into your ear canal. These actually are pretty good at blocking out exterior noises -- in fact, they take some getting used to. If they're going to lead to hearing loss, it's probably because of the amazing bass response for such small phones. I don't work for Sony -- there are other, similar brands on the market, but the Sonys are the only ones I've used.
Sesame Street in the beginning of the show's history -- used to focus the camera directly on the puppet speaking. Adults and Children alike would drift into a mental state, brainwaves and such that would pick up less of the content, much the same way this study indicates. Sesame Street eventually began to film their characters off to the left or the right of center, and constantly changed viewpoint and moved the camera enough to maintain interest.
Care to cite a reference for this claim?
When I was watching Sesame Street in the mid-1970s it was positively manic. The whole point of the show was to make something that resembled commercial television -- complete with "commercials" -- because studies had shown that children were easily enthralled by fast-paced intercutting of different material. The plots with the human actors were simple and constantly interrupted with cartoons, puppet skits, songs and jingles, "sponsorships" by the letter H, and so on.
Though I can't find an article to refer to right now, if anything Sesame Street has been toning down its format in recent years, in response to concern that the style of commercial television that it emulated in its early years might contribute to a lower attention span in children. The camera stays put a little more and the various segments of the shows are longer than they used to be.
To the list so far I can also add snails, jellyfish, and sea cucumber... seafood I guess, but pretty "odd" to most people and yet not too difficult to obtain at restaurants without leaving the United States.
You believe that? If I'm Amazon.com and I'm selling books discounted 20 percent, it's not going to impact my business if all of a sudden my customers have to pay 8.5 percent sales tax on everything I ship? Pull the other one.
And I say let Kansas and Georgia and wherever else have their Intelligent Design. Fifty years from now we can climb over the ruins of their interstate highways and make a fortune selling them fire and wheels.
Well, in California as I understand it you are only half correct. In California you are, as a consumer, required to pay use tax -- not quite the same thing as sales tax, though it may be the same amount, I'm not sure -- on items you order from other states. The companies located in the other states, on the other hand, are not generally obligated to collect that tax. They can't, really -- they have no relationship with the government of California, no tax ID in my state, and no real way of keeping up with local tax laws. Only companies that have a business presence in California can collect California taxes.
So yup, you read between the lines correctly. What that means is that citizens are expected to tally up the value of mail-order purchases from out of state companies themselves and send the relevant taxes to the state's Franchise Tax Board.
Now, how many people do you think actually do that? Of course. And that is why the entire population of the state of California is in prison.
Yeah but that would never fly because it would discourage businesses from setting up in regions that have sales tax. Here in San Francisco, sales tax at the cash register is 8.5 percent. How many e-commerce businesses are going to incorporate here if they have to charge that rate to everybody in the country? None, because they know they won't be able to compete against New Hampshire. Therefore, every state in the nation (with the possible exception of New Hampshire) is going to be against it.
Also, the sales tax as conceived is a consumption tax levvied by the individual states, therefore it only makes sense (and is probably only Constitutional) for a state to collect tax on the consumption of its own citizens, not those of other states.
Seems to me, though, that a value-added tax (VAT) structure like they have in the UK makes more sense for an economy as complex as that of the United States. Is anyone talking about that?
So how then, is open source leveraging a given company, and what's the fulcrum in the metaphor? Or does this term continue to get used time and time again just because levers sound like something smart people use?
Harvesting the innovation of others via open source is hardly beneficial innovative. This does not distinguish a company from anyone else. By the very definition of open source, everyone gets to benefit from this sort of "innovation", including my competitors. Where is the value added?
The key is to take advantage of open source for those areas of your company's IT needs that are non-differentiating. If it's going to give you competitive advantage, keep it in-house. If it's not, then why not open source it?
Bruce Perens, are you reading this topic? Help me out here.
For example, how many people want to drive an innovative car? I prefer my car to use time tested technology.
So you'd prefer to be driving an all-steel monster that gets 8 miles to the gallon, with no airbags, lap belts, and a steering column that will impale you through the chest in a head-on collision? More power to ya. While you're at it, change out your power locks and windows, drop some rack-and-pinion steering in there, and oh yeah, you already said you don't want anti-lock brakes.
If lack of innovation is what you want, the auto industry is actually a pretty poor example.
Couldn't have said it better myself. I'm sure I wouldn't agree with everything that came out of his mouth, but I can say that about anybody.
So he doesn't like gays? His reasons seem valid enough -- by which I mean they seem to be, at least, intellectually consistent. What's more, I see no evidence that he's ever voted to put anybody into "reeducation camps" or something. Is it not possible to be tolerant but still hold an opinion of your own? I mean, that's kind of the definition of tolerance, isn't it? If you believed in something wholeheartedly you wouldn't have to "tolerate" it.
Seriously, I don't get why some people seem to hate this guy so much. So he's a Mormon. It's cool to not like people just because they're Mormons, but it's not cool for Card to be down on homosexuality?
Right. Like the guy said, the only way to conduct secure IM with GAIM is to talk to another GAIM user. Or, alternatively, to talk to somebody who's running the OTR proxy, which seems like an ugly hack and, last I heard, is still very beta.
The problem is that while there is usually a huge drive to get something to boot linux, once it finally does there is less enthusiasm and patience into turning into a viable comercial product.
Ummmmmmm... wouldn't that be Palm's job?
Its the hobby like nature of Linux which is also its Achillies Heel. A lot of enthusiasm can be generated pretty quickly, but also be deflated just as easily. Making something boot with Linux is far easier then making it stable and supporting it fully.
You're right! A bunch of hobbyists boot Linux on a random device as part of their hobby... and hey presto! They have instantly inveiled Linux's Achilles heel! They got Linux to boot on this device, so Linux is going nowhere! Oh man, we're all doomed now!
I often think it's interesting the way people value different products differently, even when both products are simply entertainment. You don't think a game that costs $55 for 8 hours' worth of play is worthwhile. I might tend to agree -- I don't generally play videogames at all -- but then, in the grand scheme of things that sounds like a pretty market-standard rate of return on entertainment dollars spent. Here in San Francisco a movie might cost you $10.50, for a total play lenth of about an hour and a half.
8 hours / 1.5 hours per movie * $10.50 ticket price = $56, total
On the other hand, a hardcover novel might take you considerably longer than 8 hours to finish with a cover price of maybe $28... and yet I'm willing to bet you generally wait for the paperback.
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...I'd want to find the first biotech post ever. Now that would really be interesting!
What's not immediately clear from the story is how this happened. They say they found the resistant plant in a field where GM crops were grown. They say they treated the weed with herbicide and it suffered no ill effects. But does that mean the weed got the herbicide-resistant gene from the crops or did it evolve the gene on its own, the same way that bacteria that are exposed to low doses of antibiotics can develop resistance?
I've mostly read about GM crops that are resistant to RoundUp. It seems pretty unlikely that a plant would independently evolve resistance to that herbicide. But what about the glufosinate-ammonium herbicide this plant was immune to? Is it possible that plants could evolve resistance?
From the original article on X86-Secret.com, it sounds like the new chips will not be using the Pentium branding at all. It's just Intel Core Solo and Intel Core Duo from now on.
Haha! Michael Geist is a cut-up. When I first read the topic I thought, "Damn straight it does, Michael! You tell 'em." Then I RTFA'ed and I realized he's saying this opens the door for a law protecting us from corporations.
Holy Dudley Do-Right, Michael! What country do you live in -- Canada?
This certainly does open up the door for a Digital Rights Management Protection Act. Here's how: Sony goes crying crocodile tears straight to Congress. It petitions every congressional representative in its pocket to draft a new law that indemnifies corporations from any damages resulting from software that gets installed on a customer's computer when he/she makes use of a company's product. Those same representatives, wiping their mouths, will get up on TV and proclaim to the world how this new legislation will protect us all from the frivolous lawsuits that are driving up the costs of everything, depriving Americans of their God-given low low prices.
Because this lawsuit against Sony only serves to point out the failures of our legal system, don't you see? Sony was trying to innovate with new technology and got slapped down by evil, profiteering lawyers. The corporations must be protected!
They are a little fragile. My latest pair are holding up fine so far. The ones that broke on me are the 71P model, the more expensive kind with the "extension cord." I would avoid these, as their sound response is identical to the cheaper 51P model and the two-part cord is not a feature. The extension is not the part that broke on me, but the weight of the connector between the main headphone and the extension would cause it to swing around, pulling one side of the headphones out of my ear and banging against my chest (which was very noticeable, since the other end of the cord was shoved all the way up in my ear). In addition, when the bare metal part of the connector would touch the metal case of my iRiver MP3 player it would produce a weird clicking and buzzing. (In general, the iRiver is poorly grounded -- if you try to record from the exterior mic with it plugged into AC power, all you'll get is a loud 50 cycle buzz.) I ended up painting the extension cord connector with nailpolish to solve the problem ... but then, like I said, one ear of the headphones broke. So, yeah, if you're planning on going into combat or something, these aren't really the headphones to buy. Mostly they work fine for listening to Burzum on the bus, though.
TFA describes the in-ear headphones as being less capable at blocking ambient noise than the "earmuff" style phones. That leads me to believe they're actually talking about the old school in-ear phones, the kind that just sort of hang in your ears. Newer ones, like the Sony Fontopia in-ear designs, actually fit all the way into your ear canal. These actually are pretty good at blocking out exterior noises -- in fact, they take some getting used to. If they're going to lead to hearing loss, it's probably because of the amazing bass response for such small phones. I don't work for Sony -- there are other, similar brands on the market, but the Sonys are the only ones I've used.
When I was watching Sesame Street in the mid-1970s it was positively manic. The whole point of the show was to make something that resembled commercial television -- complete with "commercials" -- because studies had shown that children were easily enthralled by fast-paced intercutting of different material. The plots with the human actors were simple and constantly interrupted with cartoons, puppet skits, songs and jingles, "sponsorships" by the letter H, and so on.
Though I can't find an article to refer to right now, if anything Sesame Street has been toning down its format in recent years, in response to concern that the style of commercial television that it emulated in its early years might contribute to a lower attention span in children. The camera stays put a little more and the various segments of the shows are longer than they used to be.
Would it be OK if you please link to my blog also? You can find it on the wall of the men's room at the Attic bar, 24th/Mission, San Francisco.
The sea cucumber and jellyfish tentacles I ate were, in fact, in a Chinese restaurant.
To the list so far I can also add snails, jellyfish, and sea cucumber... seafood I guess, but pretty "odd" to most people and yet not too difficult to obtain at restaurants without leaving the United States.
You believe that? If I'm Amazon.com and I'm selling books discounted 20 percent, it's not going to impact my business if all of a sudden my customers have to pay 8.5 percent sales tax on everything I ship? Pull the other one.
And I say let Kansas and Georgia and wherever else have their Intelligent Design. Fifty years from now we can climb over the ruins of their interstate highways and make a fortune selling them fire and wheels.
Well, in California as I understand it you are only half correct. In California you are, as a consumer, required to pay use tax -- not quite the same thing as sales tax, though it may be the same amount, I'm not sure -- on items you order from other states. The companies located in the other states, on the other hand, are not generally obligated to collect that tax. They can't, really -- they have no relationship with the government of California, no tax ID in my state, and no real way of keeping up with local tax laws. Only companies that have a business presence in California can collect California taxes.
So yup, you read between the lines correctly. What that means is that citizens are expected to tally up the value of mail-order purchases from out of state companies themselves and send the relevant taxes to the state's Franchise Tax Board.
Now, how many people do you think actually do that? Of course. And that is why the entire population of the state of California is in prison.
Yeah but that would never fly because it would discourage businesses from setting up in regions that have sales tax. Here in San Francisco, sales tax at the cash register is 8.5 percent. How many e-commerce businesses are going to incorporate here if they have to charge that rate to everybody in the country? None, because they know they won't be able to compete against New Hampshire. Therefore, every state in the nation (with the possible exception of New Hampshire) is going to be against it.
Also, the sales tax as conceived is a consumption tax levvied by the individual states, therefore it only makes sense (and is probably only Constitutional) for a state to collect tax on the consumption of its own citizens, not those of other states.
Seems to me, though, that a value-added tax (VAT) structure like they have in the UK makes more sense for an economy as complex as that of the United States. Is anyone talking about that?
(This is not meant as an endorsement of this book, as I haven't read it, but come on, dude. If you don't RTFA at least RTF summary!)
Bruce Perens, are you reading this topic? Help me out here.
If lack of innovation is what you want, the auto industry is actually a pretty poor example.
Couldn't have said it better myself. I'm sure I wouldn't agree with everything that came out of his mouth, but I can say that about anybody.
So he doesn't like gays? His reasons seem valid enough -- by which I mean they seem to be, at least, intellectually consistent. What's more, I see no evidence that he's ever voted to put anybody into "reeducation camps" or something. Is it not possible to be tolerant but still hold an opinion of your own? I mean, that's kind of the definition of tolerance, isn't it? If you believed in something wholeheartedly you wouldn't have to "tolerate" it.
Seriously, I don't get why some people seem to hate this guy so much. So he's a Mormon. It's cool to not like people just because they're Mormons, but it's not cool for Card to be down on homosexuality?
Right. Like the guy said, the only way to conduct secure IM with GAIM is to talk to another GAIM user. Or, alternatively, to talk to somebody who's running the OTR proxy, which seems like an ugly hack and, last I heard, is still very beta.
Haha, so I wasn't the only one.
That would be inadvisable.
I often think it's interesting the way people value different products differently, even when both products are simply entertainment. You don't think a game that costs $55 for 8 hours' worth of play is worthwhile. I might tend to agree -- I don't generally play videogames at all -- but then, in the grand scheme of things that sounds like a pretty market-standard rate of return on entertainment dollars spent. Here in San Francisco a movie might cost you $10.50, for a total play lenth of about an hour and a half.
... and yet I'm willing to bet you generally wait for the paperback.
8 hours / 1.5 hours per movie * $10.50 ticket price = $56, total
On the other hand, a hardcover novel might take you considerably longer than 8 hours to finish with a cover price of maybe $28