I throw out my Budgie's bird seed regularly on the front lawn so we have a few of these hang out at our house quite a bit and they're beautiful little birds. The sound they make when they fly is quite distinct so you know if you've scared one off without even looking.
I'd love to see the economics research behind that number. Must have been a lot of work determining the optimal patent term. I suspect it'll be no trouble getting published. Or, as is more likely, was that arbitrary number pulled out of the air?
Just as arbitrary as the current numbers, you troll.
As for 'no extensions. no exceptions,' what about delays brought about by the patent office? Surely you wouldn't penalize the inventor for bureaucratic incompetence?
So in your model bureaucratic incompetence is inevitable. Fantastic.
This is already the case in the US. Patents can be assigned to companies, but only individuals can apply for and receive them....and plenty of employment contracts stipulate that you MUST assign them. Effectively the company owns the patent, which should never be the case.
Algorithms are already unpatentable. An algorithm, alone, is not useful, and so it fails the requirement of utility. What is patentable is, according to the Federal Circuit, the use of an algorithm tied to a particular machine to accomplish a useful result. I suspect the Supreme Court will probably overrule the Federal Circuit and allow the patenting of the practical application of algorithms.
Are you done defending a system that gave us patents on such brilliant algorithms as "one click"?
I suppose you meant that companies should be prevented from owning patents at all, but that would be pointless. Employees would simply be required to license the invention to the company exclusively. It would only add transaction costs.
Unless of course you make such exclusive licensing illegal.
- No more than 7 years on a patent. No extensions. No exceptions. - No patenting of algorithms - Patents to be awarded to individuals only, not companies
They haven't rebuilt, and never will. Partly due to disputes with the insurer. Partly due to apathy from government. Partly for the very good technical reason that there is too much light pollution there now.
It's a prelude to the release of Prank call hero! You score points by trying to prank call famous stars. Extra points if you do jail time because you've gone too far and done something illegal.
I suggest an equally stupid title: The fledgling Independant Space Industry is just like the Alaska Gold Rush; Folks are excited about getting up their and getting rich!
Too wordy! Try "Space is like a box of chocolates..."
It's not the manufacturer's fault that he moved it while it was spinning - something common sense would say not to do.
Really? I move my Playstation 2 all the time while it's running and haven't damaged any disks. MOST consoles aren't so poorly designed. Designing a console that can be easily damaged to cut costs is the manufacturer's fault.
It's been suggested that this was a "last straw" situation....Pretty weak though.
It is entirely the responsibility of the employer to issue formal warnings where the law requires rather than just suddenly snap. So yep pretty weak. You are suppose to give an employee the opportunity to adjust their behaviour before firing them for behaving badly (except in extreme cases like assaulting others, stealing from the company etc. That too is fair enough). Personally I think this is a good thing. It gives the employer pause and it lets the employee know what will and won't be tolerated so that they can either correct their behaviour or start making alternative arrangements.
Go work doing warranty computer repair for a while...You'll become a cynic too.
Go be a laptop user (consumer) for a while...You'll become a cynic too.
Let me preface by saying I use my laptops heavily but treat them well. Nice extra large well padded case. I don't do stupid things like overclock. I avoid knocking them or bashing them around. I keep them clean and dust free. So far here's my experience with a 3 year warranty on a Dell Inspiron 9400:
1) 2 hard drive replacements in the first year. I dual boot and the first time the Vista backup software of course did not work though I found a way to mount and restore using Virtual PC. Problem only went away when I insisted on a different brand hard drive despite slight performance decrease. (As I said I don't knock the laptop around and this problem hasn't been seen since changing brands despite no change in the way I'm treating the machine)
2) 2 screens replaced due to dust spots UNDER the LCD.
3) Hinge and screen covers replaced due to hinge breaking in normal use. The first time it was fixed the rubber pads on the screen cover that separate it from the keyboard when closed kept falling off, and hooks on the lid were sticking. 2 years and this had never happened. They sent more pads but problems continued. When they had to do the second screen replacement they couldn't remove the lid on site as one of the screws had been stripped, so it had to be sent in instead of being done on site. When it came back, it was covered in dust. I dusted off the machine and started using it and noticed extreme slowdowns after a few minutes 3D gaming. Turned out the CPU fan was jammed. Of course I had to work this out for myself, and unjam it myself by physically rotating it with power off. (Thank goodness I didn't need to call in the techs again!)
Of course none of the above went smoothly. Probably 30 emails (one where I sent pictures) and a couple of dozen hours on the phone including repeatedly arranging appointments - me or my wife taking the day off - to have work done but the Dell technician never shows up and they arrange another appointment which gets rescheduled ad infinitum. Record is 4 times. Oh and if you forget to check that something's been done when they call you can guarantee you have to send it back because they fixed a secondary issue they caused but did not fix the original problem (eg. fixed laptop cover but not dust spot).
Cheap laptop. Great when it works. WORST purchase I ever made. Biggest headache.
I don't know why she doesn't just go find another job, instead of this silly lawsuit... oh wait, greed, that's it... a $17,000 award, nice. Guess who coughs up for that... people like us who don't abuse the system:/
How did she abuse the system exactly? She didn't walk up to her boss and ask to be fired.
Oh please, it's her employer's fault that she has zero savings, yet still bought a house that she couldn't afford without living literally having to live paycheck to paycheck? That makes the employer "responsible" for owing her a living?
The laws are there to prevent people turning to crime because they've just lost their subsistence wage jobs and need to feed their family. An employer is in a position of power over his employees.
People aren't disposable. There is a reason we developed a civilisation where it's not dog eat dog. You enjoy the fruits of that civilisation but don't want it to protect others and call their using that protection "greed". Get a grip.
Nope, sorry. Once you're on the diet for a few weeks, you lose all interest in bread/chips/pasta/etc. It really does seem like an addiction to carbs in that respect.
Yeah and I'm addicted to oxygen and water too. Perhaps I should cut those out.
When I lost weight I did cut out all carbs AND all fat and I didn't lose any cravings.
Well, I'm not following Atkins, but for weight loss alone it's the best place to start. What I have read of the "dangers" are simply people regurgitating the assumed truths about saturated fat.
I'm sorry but you're dillusional. If you have a decent GP they'll tell you that the dangers are real.
[citation needed]
Dude, what's the point - you've just stated that you've decided to ignore them.
You're lumping my diet in with ridiculous diets based on false notions of what causes obesity in the first place (e.g. willpower, simply eating too many calories, etc)
Yep pretty much.
My bad for assuming we all evolved from a common source. As for genes, I have yet to see a gene that completely bypasses the normal functions of the liver and pancreas.
Well since we all evolved from a common source we should all be capable of becoming olympic atheletes, world class scientists etc. You are implying that because we have common genes within our species we're all born with equal abilities. That is patently absurd.
Funny, my weight loss experience over the last year has been quite enjoyable.
Now that is FUNNY. Weight loss as enjoyment. You should sell tickets. Come one, come all! Lose weight!
You might enjoy the results, but if you enjoy the restrictions you're a saddist.
That is what you get for following the normal diet advice. Now, try doing what actually works - high fat, high protein diet, keep carb ingestion below 50g a day.
Oh for fuck sake. Have you read nothing about the Atkins diet and it's dangers. High fat low carb is NOT a healthy way to lose weight.
You are the one that'll reap the rewards of your delusions.
Or that you neglected to mention what the actual problem with the code. Under various assumptions (no operator overloading, no integer overflow, no conversion operators,
Operator overloading in C? I think you need to get a clue what you're talking about. Not every language is object oriented.
Well, actually it was pretty easy for me, and everyone I've recommended this diet to has had similar results - 15-20 lbs dropped in under a month. I myself lost 40 lbs and have kept it off for a year.
Come back and talk to me in 7-10 years. It's not impossible but the majority (well over 50% - somewhere between 70% and 90%) don't manage to keep it off for a decade. I've posted links to the few actual medical journal articles that publish this inconvenient (for weight loss industry) truth.
You're also making the mistake of thining that what worked for you will work for anyone. It may not. That it works for your closest relatives is a matter of genetics.
My weight loss was all without exercise
That is actually very unusual. For me to lose weight in my mid to late 20s, I was doing about 2 hrs a day excercise and eating nothing but salad (VERY large bowl, about 3 times a day) and lean meat or chicken (once a day). NO beverages other than water. It was not much fun to say the least. 6 months like that and I lost perhaps 7-10kg (which was nice). As soon as I went back to something more normal I balooned. I remember my first bit of junk food after breaking that diet - a big mac. My body had gotten so use to not having to process fat that I felt ill for a day.
I ate whenever I was hungry, and even then was eating 1400-2200 Calories a day
This old lie. Yeah you're not going to violate conservation of energy laws, but the way your body processes calories will differ from others. Efficiency, rate of burning, the rate at which you process non food related components required in converting that energy (particularly air), the way your body flushes waste (water) all affect your efficiency.
Her school won't let her carry a concealed weopen, I want her to carry my pistol but I'm afraid if she gets caught with it there would be criminal charges filed.
I'd be more afraid that one of the kids got hold of it and killed her with it.
If it were my wife, we'd be moving or she'd be finding a different job.
I do not get this, in the day and age of computers that are finally pretty much all multi-user capable... nobody uses it.
One word: Inconvenient.
If someone wants to look at their favourite weather site, or wants to check their email, all with me in the room, I don't insist they log out and log back in under a guest account.
What's more, if *I* want to look something up, the rest of the sites I visit are none of their business unless *I* choose to discuss it with them (even if I don't have porn in my history).
In any case, being overweight is one of the worst things you can do to your overall health. Maybe not now, but in old age overweight (particularly obese) people are going to have a lot of problems - physical and cognitive. Again, I deal not with individuals as much as with groups of people so everything I say should be taken as "on average."
Long term weight loss statistics are ABYSMAL. Something like 10%-20% Fat people aren't just lazy weak people who choose to be this way. Some doctors don't even advise you to try anymore - they just recommend stomach banding surgery.
The idea that you can make a couple of simple changes and lose lots of weight is great for building a money milking industry on top of, but it's not particularly true. I would love to see more research on why people metabolise foods differently and why people's hunger drive is so different, and on ways to change it. This would be a lot more helpful than harassing and demonising fat people and constantly telling them they're going to get sick and die sooner.
I haven't seen that to be the case; I don't see more fat people in bars than I do on the street. In fact, there are a higher percentage of fat people where I work than in my favorite bar, although that's probably because most of the people at work sit at a desk, while my favorite bar's clientelle is mostly construction workers.
Bars don't welcome fat people. They tend to drink alone. Or go on an eating binge alone.
The ones with the crappiest jobs usually are doing physical labor, and as such are generally a lot more fit than the average slashdotter, whether he's a skinny nerd or a fat nerd.
Nice stereotype. Ignores the fact that there are plenty of menial jobs that are sendentary, but don't let reality stand in your way.
It's not about optimisation, it's simply about future (or even current) programmers being able to understand the code. That code is not understandable.
Bingo. If I were hiring you'd still be on the short list.
For a programmer to write such code and yet be able to make it work the only thing I can think of is that they were bored and somehow thought that it would be appropriate to waste everyone's time trying to decipher his nonsense. It's pure vandalism. If it's critical code that hasn't been touched for some time the regression testing to ensure nothing else breaks when removing this can be prohibitive. I can only hope the fool that responded "don't worry let the compiler optimise it" was trolling.
Even worse, on a different project, an Easter egg that told the user their hard drive was about to be erased, and another that popped up about 30 dialog boxes full of banter between Spock and Kirk. Worst of all this code written in VB and was licensed for megabux then we got hold of it for orders of magnitude more megabux (Most of the original coders were hired fresh out of highschool). It ended up being rewritten (thankfully NOT by me) but we had to get the source to work out how it worked in the first place.
Slashdot Mirror
I throw out my Budgie's bird seed regularly on the front lawn so we have a few of these hang out at our house quite a bit and they're beautiful little birds. The sound they make when they fly is quite distinct so you know if you've scared one off without even looking.
A mirror surface will harden the target, but even the best mirrors do not reflect all light and a combat laser can still burn a hole in it very fast.
Even so accurately reflect 95% of the light for long enough and boom goes the aircraft with the onboard laser.
I'd love to see the economics research behind that number. Must have been a lot of work determining the optimal patent term. I suspect it'll be no trouble getting published. Or, as is more likely, was that arbitrary number pulled out of the air?
Just as arbitrary as the current numbers, you troll.
As for 'no extensions. no exceptions,' what about delays brought about by the patent office? Surely you wouldn't penalize the inventor for bureaucratic incompetence?
So in your model bureaucratic incompetence is inevitable. Fantastic.
This is already the case in the US. Patents can be assigned to companies, but only individuals can apply for and receive them. ...and plenty of employment contracts stipulate that you MUST assign them. Effectively the company owns the patent, which should never be the case.
Algorithms are already unpatentable. An algorithm, alone, is not useful, and so it fails the requirement of utility. What is patentable is, according to the Federal Circuit, the use of an algorithm tied to a particular machine to accomplish a useful result. I suspect the Supreme Court will probably overrule the Federal Circuit and allow the patenting of the practical application of algorithms.
Are you done defending a system that gave us patents on such brilliant algorithms as "one click"?
I suppose you meant that companies should be prevented from owning patents at all, but that would be pointless. Employees would simply be required to license the invention to the company exclusively. It would only add transaction costs.
Unless of course you make such exclusive licensing illegal.
While we're at it.
- No more than 7 years on a patent. No extensions. No exceptions.
- No patenting of algorithms
- Patents to be awarded to individuals only, not companies
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/aust-03a.html
They haven't rebuilt, and never will. Partly due to disputes with the insurer. Partly due to apathy from government. Partly for the very good technical reason that there is too much light pollution there now.
It's a prelude to the release of Prank call hero! You score points by trying to prank call famous stars. Extra points if you do jail time because you've gone too far and done something illegal.
I explored Paris via Google Maps, but it's just not the same as being there.
No, but it *is* about the same as looking at someone else's holiday photos.
Oh man, in that case get your friend some lessons on using their cameras *groan*
I suggest an equally stupid title:
The fledgling Independant Space Industry is just like the Alaska Gold Rush; Folks are excited about getting up their and getting rich!
Too wordy! Try "Space is like a box of chocolates..."
It's not the manufacturer's fault that he moved it while it was spinning - something common sense would say not to do.
Really? I move my Playstation 2 all the time while it's running and haven't damaged any disks. MOST consoles aren't so poorly designed. Designing a console that can be easily damaged to cut costs is the manufacturer's fault.
It's been suggested that this was a "last straw" situation....Pretty weak though.
It is entirely the responsibility of the employer to issue formal warnings where the law requires rather than just suddenly snap. So yep pretty weak. You are suppose to give an employee the opportunity to adjust their behaviour before firing them for behaving badly (except in extreme cases like assaulting others, stealing from the company etc. That too is fair enough). Personally I think this is a good thing. It gives the employer pause and it lets the employee know what will and won't be tolerated so that they can either correct their behaviour or start making alternative arrangements.
Go work doing warranty computer repair for a while...You'll become a cynic too.
Go be a laptop user (consumer) for a while...You'll become a cynic too.
Let me preface by saying I use my laptops heavily but treat them well. Nice extra large well padded case. I don't do stupid things like overclock. I avoid knocking them or bashing them around. I keep them clean and dust free. So far here's my experience with a 3 year warranty on a Dell Inspiron 9400:
1) 2 hard drive replacements in the first year. I dual boot and the first time the Vista backup software of course did not work though I found a way to mount and restore using Virtual PC. Problem only went away when I insisted on a different brand hard drive despite slight performance decrease. (As I said I don't knock the laptop around and this problem hasn't been seen since changing brands despite no change in the way I'm treating the machine)
2) 2 screens replaced due to dust spots UNDER the LCD.
3) Hinge and screen covers replaced due to hinge breaking in normal use. The first time it was fixed the rubber pads on the screen cover that separate it from the keyboard when closed kept falling off, and hooks on the lid were sticking. 2 years and this had never happened. They sent more pads but problems continued. When they had to do the second screen replacement they couldn't remove the lid on site as one of the screws had been stripped, so it had to be sent in instead of being done on site. When it came back, it was covered in dust. I dusted off the machine and started using it and noticed extreme slowdowns after a few minutes 3D gaming. Turned out the CPU fan was jammed. Of course I had to work this out for myself, and unjam it myself by physically rotating it with power off. (Thank goodness I didn't need to call in the techs again!)
Of course none of the above went smoothly. Probably 30 emails (one where I sent pictures) and a couple of dozen hours on the phone including repeatedly arranging appointments - me or my wife taking the day off - to have work done but the Dell technician never shows up and they arrange another appointment which gets rescheduled ad infinitum. Record is 4 times. Oh and if you forget to check that something's been done when they call you can guarantee you have to send it back because they fixed a secondary issue they caused but did not fix the original problem (eg. fixed laptop cover but not dust spot).
Cheap laptop. Great when it works. WORST purchase I ever made. Biggest headache.
I don't know why she doesn't just go find another job, instead of this silly lawsuit ... oh wait, greed, that's it ... a $17,000 award, nice. Guess who coughs up for that ... people like us who don't abuse the system :/
How did she abuse the system exactly? She didn't walk up to her boss and ask to be fired.
Oh please, it's her employer's fault that she has zero savings, yet still bought a house that she couldn't afford without living literally having to live paycheck to paycheck? That makes the employer "responsible" for owing her a living?
The laws are there to prevent people turning to crime because they've just lost their subsistence wage jobs and need to feed their family. An employer is in a position of power over his employees.
People aren't disposable. There is a reason we developed a civilisation where it's not dog eat dog. You enjoy the fruits of that civilisation but don't want it to protect others and call their using that protection "greed". Get a grip.
Nope, sorry. Once you're on the diet for a few weeks, you lose all interest in bread/chips/pasta/etc. It really does seem like an addiction to carbs in that respect.
Yeah and I'm addicted to oxygen and water too. Perhaps I should cut those out.
When I lost weight I did cut out all carbs AND all fat and I didn't lose any cravings.
Well, I'm not following Atkins, but for weight loss alone it's the best place to start. What I have read of the "dangers" are simply people regurgitating the assumed truths about saturated fat.
I'm sorry but you're dillusional. If you have a decent GP they'll tell you that the dangers are real.
[citation needed]
Dude, what's the point - you've just stated that you've decided to ignore them.
You're lumping my diet in with ridiculous diets based on false notions of what causes obesity in the first place (e.g. willpower, simply eating too many calories, etc)
Yep pretty much.
My bad for assuming we all evolved from a common source. As for genes, I have yet to see a gene that completely bypasses the normal functions of the liver and pancreas.
Well since we all evolved from a common source we should all be capable of becoming olympic atheletes, world class scientists etc. You are implying that because we have common genes within our species we're all born with equal abilities. That is patently absurd.
Funny, my weight loss experience over the last year has been quite enjoyable.
Now that is FUNNY. Weight loss as enjoyment. You should sell tickets. Come one, come all! Lose weight!
You might enjoy the results, but if you enjoy the restrictions you're a saddist.
That is what you get for following the normal diet advice. Now, try doing what actually works - high fat, high protein diet, keep carb ingestion below 50g a day.
Oh for fuck sake. Have you read nothing about the Atkins diet and it's dangers. High fat low carb is NOT a healthy way to lose weight.
You are the one that'll reap the rewards of your delusions.
Or that you neglected to mention what the actual problem with the code. Under various assumptions (no operator overloading, no integer overflow, no conversion operators,
Operator overloading in C? I think you need to get a clue what you're talking about. Not every language is object oriented.
Well, actually it was pretty easy for me, and everyone I've recommended this diet to has had similar results - 15-20 lbs dropped in under a month. I myself lost 40 lbs and have kept it off for a year.
Come back and talk to me in 7-10 years. It's not impossible but the majority (well over 50% - somewhere between 70% and 90%) don't manage to keep it off for a decade. I've posted links to the few actual medical journal articles that publish this inconvenient (for weight loss industry) truth.
You're also making the mistake of thining that what worked for you will work for anyone. It may not. That it works for your closest relatives is a matter of genetics.
My weight loss was all without exercise
That is actually very unusual. For me to lose weight in my mid to late 20s, I was doing about 2 hrs a day excercise and eating nothing but salad (VERY large bowl, about 3 times a day) and lean meat or chicken (once a day). NO beverages other than water. It was not much fun to say the least. 6 months like that and I lost perhaps 7-10kg (which was nice). As soon as I went back to something more normal I balooned. I remember my first bit of junk food after breaking that diet - a big mac. My body had gotten so use to not having to process fat that I felt ill for a day.
I ate whenever I was hungry, and even then was eating 1400-2200 Calories a day
This old lie. Yeah you're not going to violate conservation of energy laws, but the way your body processes calories will differ from others. Efficiency, rate of burning, the rate at which you process non food related components required in converting that energy (particularly air), the way your body flushes waste (water) all affect your efficiency.
Her school won't let her carry a concealed weopen, I want her to carry my pistol but I'm afraid if she gets caught with it there would be criminal charges filed.
I'd be more afraid that one of the kids got hold of it and killed her with it.
If it were my wife, we'd be moving or she'd be finding a different job.
So basically, you're either flying a safe blimp, or a giant bomb with 8% better buoyancy.
Which is probably only unacceptable if it's a manned blimp.
Two words: "Guest Account"
I do not get this, in the day and age of computers that are finally pretty much all multi-user capable... nobody uses it.
One word: Inconvenient.
If someone wants to look at their favourite weather site, or wants to check their email, all with me in the room, I don't insist they log out and log back in under a guest account.
What's more, if *I* want to look something up, the rest of the sites I visit are none of their business unless *I* choose to discuss it with them (even if I don't have porn in my history).
Why don't we have a mod for "I'm obviously lying, but here's my story anyway..."?
+1 : Dear slashdot Editor, you'll never believe this really happened but...
In any case, being overweight is one of the worst things you can do to your overall health. Maybe not now, but in old age overweight (particularly obese) people are going to have a lot of problems - physical and cognitive. Again, I deal not with individuals as much as with groups of people so everything I say should be taken as "on average."
Long term weight loss statistics are ABYSMAL. Something like 10%-20% Fat people aren't just lazy weak people who choose to be this way. Some doctors don't even advise you to try anymore - they just recommend stomach banding surgery.
The idea that you can make a couple of simple changes and lose lots of weight is great for building a money milking industry on top of, but it's not particularly true. I would love to see more research on why people metabolise foods differently and why people's hunger drive is so different, and on ways to change it. This would be a lot more helpful than harassing and demonising fat people and constantly telling them they're going to get sick and die sooner.
I haven't seen that to be the case; I don't see more fat people in bars than I do on the street. In fact, there are a higher percentage of fat people where I work than in my favorite bar, although that's probably because most of the people at work sit at a desk, while my favorite bar's clientelle is mostly construction workers.
Bars don't welcome fat people. They tend to drink alone. Or go on an eating binge alone.
The ones with the crappiest jobs usually are doing physical labor, and as such are generally a lot more fit than the average slashdotter, whether he's a skinny nerd or a fat nerd.
Nice stereotype. Ignores the fact that there are plenty of menial jobs that are sendentary, but don't let reality stand in your way.
Calling someone a criminal when they are not is what is illegal. Downloaders should use the existing laws and watch the instructional videos change.
It's not about optimisation, it's simply about future (or even current) programmers being able to understand the code. That code is not understandable.
Bingo. If I were hiring you'd still be on the short list.
For a programmer to write such code and yet be able to make it work the only thing I can think of is that they were bored and somehow thought that it would be appropriate to waste everyone's time trying to decipher his nonsense. It's pure vandalism. If it's critical code that hasn't been touched for some time the regression testing to ensure nothing else breaks when removing this can be prohibitive. I can only hope the fool that responded "don't worry let the compiler optimise it" was trolling.
Some of the worst I have seen:
In critical C code:
if (some condition)
i *= 0;
else
i *= 1;
And I was the actual variable name.
Even worse, on a different project, an Easter egg that told the user their hard drive was about to be erased, and another that popped up about 30 dialog boxes full of banter between Spock and Kirk. Worst of all this code written in VB and was licensed for megabux then we got hold of it for orders of magnitude more megabux (Most of the original coders were hired fresh out of highschool). It ended up being rewritten (thankfully NOT by me) but we had to get the source to work out how it worked in the first place.
I wish I was making this up.