I used this some versions back. It's a AWESOME program, users can be greeted by prerecorded stuff, text-to-speech, leave faxes or voicemessages for different users, holding calls,etc. I can heartily recommend it.
Seriously, it _is_ a major problem. Several countries have only access to state-run biased news, if any at all. Unbiased news sources could, for instance, inform citizens that their current election is rigged and that foreign advisors are being forcibly ejected from their country.
If farmers sell their produce for, say, 50 cents and were to learn that the same produce costs a hundred times that in the West, they might inform some Western activists about it and raise a stink. Probably the company in question would lose more money if people were to boycott its products, than if it were to raise the wages.
Actually, 90% of the spam that bounces from me is from the US, from US servers, and advertise US products.
And no-one is talking about 'subservience' here. You make the UN sound like some unaccountable shadowy organization hell-bent on bringing the US to its knees.
The United Nations is worthless, and has been for years. Their resolutions aren't followed, which makes them ineffective in enacting any global changes, and if they can't enact any global changes, the debating is just wasting time. It's already been proven that if someone defies the UN, nothing will happen.
A bit of circular reasoning here? The US does not follow UN resolutions, and therefore the US can say that UN is worthless? They are ineffective in enacting global resolutions only so long as the US ignores those resolutions and don't pay their share to the UN.
The best thing they can do is make it illegal for spammers to get safe harbor anywhere. Or, failing that, to make sure that spam only gets sent to the country of origin somehow. That would eliminate 90% of my spam, which is from the US.
Probably it will only end up in another treaty the US will refuse to ratify, like Kyoto and the International Court of Justice.
And why is he not a nerd? Certainly he knows a lot about an area the public does not. Probably stays up reading books at all hours. Probably he speaks weird languages in his sleep, and he certainly knows a Turing machine. I'd say (oh, he's fat,too!) he's a nerd.
I've only got High school, English is my second language, I live in a non-English country, and yet, I understood every word. Why? Because I have read literature. If Eco was discussing code and you didn't understand anything, you'd keep your mouth shut for fear of getting flamed. I thought Slashdot was 'News for Nerds', but apparently the definition of 'Nerd' these days are only sweaty WASPs from engineering and IT.
IIRC, someone made a chess game using the Quake engine, as well as a car racer. If the people behind it had to make their own 'chess engine' with probably far inferior graphics technology, it might never have been made.
Part of the problem is standardization. Hollywood makes movies on film. The same technology, the same cameras, the same editing equipment (and probably the same actors) are going to be used on every production. So it's basically easy and (relatively) cheap to make a movie, unless you need tons of extras or some new tech.
I think gaming should go in the same direction, and we're starting to see it happen. Many games use the same engine (Lithtech, ut2003,etc.) and that's going to lower the bar for making a game.
When you don't need to reinvent the wheel every time you want to make a game, but instead can focus on the story, the backdrop and the characters, I think gaming will be ubiquitous. Sure, you'll always have the large corporate politically-correct games, but when it becomes easier for 'indie' designers to make large-scale games, we'll see the dawning of a new era.
Slashdot Mirror
http://www.voicecallcentral.com/advancedcallcenter .htm
I used this some versions back. It's a AWESOME program, users can be greeted by prerecorded stuff, text-to-speech, leave faxes or voicemessages for different users, holding calls,etc. I can heartily recommend it.
Nowe we canne fynde oute about the Dragons and mighty Sea-Serpents alsoe. I, for Onne, can't Waite to fynde oute if they melted down, or what.
What empirical evidence?
An article named 'Sleazy Scumbags' and a guidelines paper he wrote himself?
For you zealots out there, this isn't about Microsoft stifling Linux. It's just ONE distribution!
..
And for heaven's sake, the name is way too similar.
What if this was about Microsoft marketing Lie-nux or your SO coming home with Pepzi or Mountain Due? You'd be pissed off
How about for education?
Seriously, it _is_ a major problem. Several countries have only access to state-run biased news, if any at all. Unbiased news sources could, for instance, inform citizens that their current election is rigged and that foreign advisors are being forcibly ejected from their country.
If farmers sell their produce for, say, 50 cents and were to learn that the same produce costs a hundred times that in the West, they might inform some Western activists about it and raise a stink.
Probably the company in question would lose more money if people were to boycott its products, than if it were to raise the wages.
Actually, 90% of the spam that bounces from me is from the US, from US servers, and advertise US products.
And no-one is talking about 'subservience' here. You make the UN sound like some unaccountable shadowy organization hell-bent on bringing the US to its knees.
Just for the sake of clearing this up, do you have any links to substantiate your claim?
A bit of circular reasoning here? The US does not follow UN resolutions, and therefore the US can say that UN is worthless? They are ineffective in enacting global resolutions only so long as the US ignores those resolutions and don't pay their share to the UN.
It's pretty damn insightful, and we need some counterweight to the paranoia.
The best thing they can do is make it illegal for spammers to get safe harbor anywhere.
Or, failing that, to make sure that spam only gets sent to the country of origin somehow. That would eliminate 90% of my spam, which is from the US.
Probably it will only end up in another treaty the US will refuse to ratify, like Kyoto and the International Court of Justice.
And why is he not a nerd?
Certainly he knows a lot about an area the public does not. Probably stays up reading books at all hours. Probably he speaks weird languages in his sleep, and he certainly knows a Turing machine.
I'd say (oh, he's fat,too!) he's a nerd.
I've only got High school, English is my second language, I live in a non-English country, and yet, I understood every word. Why? Because I have read literature. If Eco was discussing code and you didn't understand anything, you'd keep your mouth shut for fear of getting flamed. I thought Slashdot was 'News for Nerds', but apparently the definition of 'Nerd' these days are only sweaty WASPs from engineering and IT.
I'm all for it!
I'm fed up with games that 'feature' horrible acting, crappy FMV and hackneyed, generic stories.
Bring on the frag-fest!
IIRC, someone made a chess game using the Quake engine, as well as a car racer. If the people behind it had to make their own 'chess engine' with probably far inferior graphics technology, it might never have been made.
Most people in the world don't have a choice.
Part of the problem is standardization.
Hollywood makes movies on film. The same technology, the same cameras, the same editing equipment (and probably the same actors) are going to be used on every production. So it's basically easy and (relatively) cheap to make a movie, unless you need tons of extras or some new tech.
I think gaming should go in the same direction,
and we're starting to see it happen. Many games use the same engine (Lithtech, ut2003,etc.) and that's going to lower the bar for making a game.
When you don't need to reinvent the wheel every time you want to make a game, but instead can focus on the story, the backdrop and the characters, I think gaming will be ubiquitous. Sure, you'll always have the large corporate politically-correct games, but when it becomes easier for 'indie' designers to make large-scale games, we'll see the dawning of a new era.
Is something 'most popular' when people don't even know it exists? Or if there even is a choice?
It's like saying water is the 'most popular soft-drink' in the world..
Looks like their server lost its juice.
How about using the energy made by a slashdotting to power a server?
Soldier: Hey, did you guys just tighten my .. throat.. I can't breathe!
Evil H4x0rz / SkyNet / Iraqi Information Minister: There is no problem breathing. You are fine.
This articleshows how SMS can be useful in emergencies, places with bad coverage,etc.