"An email service blocking emails from a competing email service is surprising. Has this ever happened before? Is this even legal?"
Well, it's their service. Their server space. Their terms and conditions you agreed to. Unless it's in your EULA somewhere that they must deliver 100% of your email, then I'd say it sure as shootin is. One companies invite is another companies spam, by their definition of spam, of course. Too many loopholes here to be mentioned
I know it's unheard of, but don't wait for the law-- Vote with your feet. It's why I got my own domain and email service years ago.
"he and Dark Skies creator Bryce Zabel have put together an idea for a new Star Trek series, which he said would revive the ailing franchise.
As much as I like Michael Straczynski, having great ideas for a Trek series isn't hard when you have such a rich universe to build upon. Heck, Enterprise was a great idea, which only goes to prove that your great idea is only the tip of the iceburg. It's all about execution, something Enterprise crashed and burned in. And quite frankly, while b5 was good, Jeremiah and Odyssey 5 were steaming piles last I checked [IMO, of course]. That's not a bulletproof track record and I'm not convinced he could pull it off any better, honestly.
But after space-nazies, I'd be willing to give anything a try.
Oh, please. Get over yourself. Half of the reason it was only 20 million was because they didn't have to pioneer the system that had nailed down nearly 50 years of successful spaceflight. Ok, so it's civilan flight. Whoopdeeshit. As great as it is, these people are standing on the shoulders of giants to even get close to where they are today. No freakin chance this would be $20M if they had to R&D and fabricate a space program from the ground up.
And yes, the USA is back and buisness and it is a reason to celebrate. Beyond the petty fact that there is a distinct lack of foreign competition in this sector, the event is a milestone in civilian rocketry worldwide. Whose market was this entire effort born from again...? Yeah, it sounds pigheaded as hell, but then so does dismissing this entire project as nothing more than a invidiual/corporate victory when it's a victory for the entire country whose very way of life made such impossible dreams a possible and whose economic environment could support such flights of fancy, something for which the entire world will look upon and follow.
It's all good... I'll have Terraforming researched in another three turns and the plant built in five. Next in que will be the Marine Barracks and Missile Bases since the Psilons appear to be getting a tad unruley. That Stellar Converter is going to take forever, though....
"Is terraforming ethical? If humans colonize, are the colonists on a one-way trip akin to exile?" Read on for a bit more.
Is it ethical?????? I'm sorry, but that question boarders way to close to environmentalist extreemism country there. The rational that we have to keep everything in it natural, unaltered state is ludicris quite frankly. I mean really; I support archeology and research for a finite period of time, but if it's as dead as it appears to be thus far (or even nothing more than single cell life), it's our planet to with as we please. We are masters of our own environment and destiny and the "ethics" of a "hands off mars!" policy is assnine, quite frankly, especially in regards to a dead world. ESPECIALLY when we don't know where the next habitable planet is, let alone how to get there in the next few lifetimes.
It's a big red rock. Do some research and get on with your life; terraforming, stage one.
As far as settlers go, you make it sound like there would be a total lack of will, eager volunteers and that we'd be forcing people to settle a lifeless baron rock. While it may be lifeless and baron, I suspect the line for that opportunity would be several miles long. It's only unethical if you make the decision for them or don't make them fully aware of the risks involved. It's tough to call an ethics flag when the canidates are volunteers.
You would think that question would be the other way around-- Isn't it unethical to mutate the human race on a gentic level like this story is suggesting? Again, I could give a crap with volunteers, but it's a lot more weighty and ominous subject than terraforming a lifeless world or sending volunteers to settle it. The focus is entirely wrong there. Change the dead planet or change the human species... Honestly, lets get some perspective here.
"Saudi Student Sami Omar Al-Hussayen was found not guilty on charges that he 'rendered techical assistance to terrorists' by acting as the webmaster for an Islamic charity."
What??? Are you saying with prison pictures, anti-terrorism bills and customs finger printing that the system still works??!!! Hold me. I feel faint.
Oh sure, it won't kill anybody, but it will sure make them wish they hadn't been on the recieving end. In many cases, just showing you have teeth is enough to extricate yourself from the situation. After all, the average mark they're aming for is docile and most importantly, unarmed. It may not be a potent load, but you know somewhere in the back of Petty Joe Mugger's mind he knows there is always the off chance of rolling that natural 20 when you pull the trigger. Combine that with having to explain an extranious bodily hole or two along it's accompanying pain and you have something most muggers will try to avoid.
"Would you be willing to pay $600 for a console with all of the capabilities of a standard OEM PC?"
We all know the answer to this we've all seen this product before. And every time I can think of, the market has responded with a no, no, NO. At the price point they're talking about you can buy a freakin Dell with a flatpanel and all the fixins that will undoubtable be less constrictive in terms of what you can actually run on it. I mean think of how pissy MS is being with the XBox, modding, DRM and everything else and apply it to this product.
Come on, do we really need this history lesson yet again? Their gaming aspirations are dead if this is their next product.
"They postulate that to replace our fossil fuel usage it would take only a total of a little over ten thousand square miles, which could fit in an area like the Sonora Desert.
Let's flip a coin. "Heads" and we complain about fossil fuels and the need for alternative energy, "Tails" and we complain how such a project would ruin a pristine natural habitat such as the Sonora Desert.
"I have yet to see really detailed coverage maps for cellular provided by the providers themselves; in cities especially a one-block difference can mean 3 bars of reception or none."
And chances are you never will. You must not realize how utterly ridiculous, not to mention cost prohibitive it is to put a "Can you hear me now" commercial into actual practice. Yeah, you're going to see a map displaying the dead zone between forth and main reeeeal soon.
"Who gets to win in the marketplace - the innovators who invest in R&D like crazy or those that just take cost out of standard products?"
Did he miss the fact that both markets are interdependent on each other? Innovators survive on innovating and the copiers survive on their creations, sure, but it's hardly a one way street and cutting cost is hardly the only way for these companies to turn a profit. The innovators often patent key technologies that are used by the copiers, who have to pay licensing and other associated usage fees. In markets where the copiers can do so without such payouts, the innovator still survive by -gasp!- innovating! According to this person Apple should have been dead years ago and the iPod will be bust soon because of all the copiers.
Which convienintly ignores the fact that a company who can continue to innovate can not only survive, but prosper as well while the copiers feed on the crumbs they trail behind, as Apple and other companies have proven time and time again contrary to Dell's busted reasoning.
but makes you think what else in Star Trek might work if it were tried."
I imagine any of the Rombulan Warbird designs would work decently enough. Most models past and present have enough surface area and shape to naturally act as a wing with a little bit of work.
Are you asking me to prove a negative? Wheee, lame debate tactics 101. Sorry, but if text ads are the best you can do to prove Googles sincerity or their prior commitment to "not being evil", we're all in deep doodoo. But hey, Yahoo is sincere too-- They only spam you with with approved companies they trust, right?
Come on, having "only" text ads means exactly jack and shit in context to being evil. It's an empty fact. They could be worse, sure. But they could be better and not have them at all. In the end it has no relevance to the discussion either way.
Why was this guy modded down? He so close to being correct it's scary. Google already collects aggregated data on every search made through them. There have already been privacy concerns regarding their email policies. how much do you think companies would pay for search data, however anonymous, of your HDD? Heck, this is no huge stretch at all.
Since when were principle nessisary to make million? Isn't this the same forum that incessantly rags on Micro$oft's (note the trendy dollar sign) unethical business tactics?
What worries me most is this all of a sudden holiness that Google has found. Weren't they a business before they were an IPO? Where was all of this before they had to impress shareholders? Wouldn't a company who is claming the Anti-Evil high ground have been doing this from day one??????...Or at very least sometime significantly sooner than their 2.7 billion dollar double blind garage sale. Far be it from me to say so, but it's looking like Google has been taking lessons from the political spindoctors-- Saying stuff that sound all well and good, but is actually ineffectual and useless, aggervated by the fact that they haven't taken the moral high ground until now and are directing that message toward people who probably don't give a crap anyway. Tell me how much spammers are making by flooding your email with junk again?
Maybe if they'd started out as a small, righteous company it'd mean something. But as it stands, it's PR BS.
"Also it describes one of the highlights of the movie: 'A thrilling lightsabre clash between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker while surfing on lava.' Can't wait till May 15th 2005!"
A surfing lightsaber battle? Have you honestly tried to imagine that? If that's THE highlight, I'm pretty sure I can wait until 2005...
No sooner had I just got done speculating that google was looking to be more than just your email for life does this story appear, allowing for searchable local file access. At this point it's a tiny leap to provide seemless HDD/online email storage. And here's another small stretch for you-- Somebody is wondering how they'll make money off this 1/100 gig email venture?? How about by selling the details of your hardrive contense, let alone what's in that gigs worth of email.
I know they've pledged to not be evil, but this is a privacy nightmare in the making with way too may question remaining as to the implimentation of these too good to be true projects...
It's very possible that Google is not looking to become the only email you'll ever need, but literally your harddrive as well. Can you think of anything you'd like to offload from your HD to free up space? We're talking about more potential than just email packrats here. We're talking about entire media archives. Hundreds of MP3s. Photos. A movie or two.
But I'm also wondering if this is as legit as they'd have you believe, or whether it's like the old Simplenet burnout-- Unlimited space as long as you don't try to use it all/try to host stuff we don't like. I think they're banking on the same strategy though... 90% of the people won't use anywhere close to their allotment of one (or 100) gig. And lets be brutally honest, for a lifetime mailbox, does anybody here actually believe Google will last that long? They're a search engine with advertising ties. their position in the market is very assaliable by the competition. They're positioning they're IPO to capitallize the most off their name and publiciity wich will most likely drive prices higher than they're actually worth, THEN refuse to report their projected earnings, which will insulate them from negative opinion when times get bad. good for them, bad for investors.
For a company that pledges not to be evil, they're playing their cards pretty close to their chest in order to maximize the amount of money they can make off public ignorance and media hype.
From the homepage: "Without anonymity there can never be true freedom of speech..."
Funny how that's not true in real life...
The Stuff DREAMS are made of...
on
Google IPO Swami
·
· Score: 4, Funny
Google Corp. Lagos, Nigeria.
Attention: The President/CEO Confidential Business Proposal
Dear Sir,
Having consulted with my colleagues and based on the information gathered from the Nigerian Chambers Of Commerce And Industry, I have the privilege to request your assistance to transfer the sum of $2,700,000,000 (two billion, seven hundred million United States dollars) into your accounts. The above sum resulted from an over-invoiced contract, executed, commissioned and paid for about five years (5) ago by a foreign contractor. This action was however intentional and since then the fund has been in a suspense account at The Central Bank Of Nigeria Apex Bank.
We are now ready to transfer the fund overseas and that is where you come in. It is important to inform you that as civil servants, we are forbidden to operate a foreign account; that is why we require your assistance. The total sum will be shared as follows: 70% for us, 25% for you and 5% for local and international expenses incidental to the transfer.
The transfer is risk free on both sides via a process known as 'Dutch Auction' I am an accountant with the Nigerian National Search Engine Corp. If you find this proposal acceptable, we shall require the following documents:
(a) your banker's name, telephone, account and fax numbers.
(b) your private telephone and fax numbers ? for confidentiality and easy communication.
(c) your letter-headed paper stamped and signed.
Alternatively we will furnish you with the text of what to type into your letter-headed paper, along with a breakdown explaining, comprehensively what we require of you. The business will take us thirty (30) working days to accomplish.
D) use infrared ranging and embedded cameras to detect and report the license number of anyone speeding on the road
Ah, have a can of black sprary paint, will travel. it'd be so easy to screw these little buggers up. On that note, if it's illegle to speed and you can get ticketed for speeding and it against the law to speed, why doesn't the federal government regulate the auto makers like everybody else to make cars that cannot go above the maximum posted speed limit? Looking out for your own well being, no doubt. Granted, it's your responsibility not to break the law, but if so, why allow the auto manufacturers to build in features that break the law in the first place, ie travel at velocities over 65mph?
That's right. Your governenment hard at work to sabotage you so they can make ticket revenues. That black spraypaint will come in handy.
Slashdot Mirror
"An email service blocking emails from a competing email service is surprising. Has this ever happened before? Is this even legal?"
Well, it's their service. Their server space. Their terms and conditions you agreed to. Unless it's in your EULA somewhere that they must deliver 100% of your email, then I'd say it sure as shootin is. One companies invite is another companies spam, by their definition of spam, of course. Too many loopholes here to be mentioned
I know it's unheard of, but don't wait for the law-- Vote with your feet. It's why I got my own domain and email service years ago.
"he and Dark Skies creator Bryce Zabel have put together an idea for a new Star Trek series, which he said would revive the ailing franchise.
As much as I like Michael Straczynski, having great ideas for a Trek series isn't hard when you have such a rich universe to build upon. Heck, Enterprise was a great idea, which only goes to prove that your great idea is only the tip of the iceburg. It's all about execution, something Enterprise crashed and burned in. And quite frankly, while b5 was good, Jeremiah and Odyssey 5 were steaming piles last I checked [IMO, of course]. That's not a bulletproof track record and I'm not convinced he could pull it off any better, honestly.
But after space-nazies, I'd be willing to give anything a try.
Oh, please. Get over yourself. Half of the reason it was only 20 million was because they didn't have to pioneer the system that had nailed down nearly 50 years of successful spaceflight. Ok, so it's civilan flight. Whoopdeeshit. As great as it is, these people are standing on the shoulders of giants to even get close to where they are today. No freakin chance this would be $20M if they had to R&D and fabricate a space program from the ground up.
And yes, the USA is back and buisness and it is a reason to celebrate. Beyond the petty fact that there is a distinct lack of foreign competition in this sector, the event is a milestone in civilian rocketry worldwide. Whose market was this entire effort born from again...? Yeah, it sounds pigheaded as hell, but then so does dismissing this entire project as nothing more than a invidiual/corporate victory when it's a victory for the entire country whose very way of life made such impossible dreams a possible and whose economic environment could support such flights of fancy, something for which the entire world will look upon and follow.
Damn right it's a reason to celebrate.
It's all good... I'll have Terraforming researched in another three turns and the plant built in five. Next in que will be the Marine Barracks and Missile Bases since the Psilons appear to be getting a tad unruley. That Stellar Converter is going to take forever, though....
"Is terraforming ethical? If humans colonize, are the colonists on a one-way trip akin to exile?" Read on for a bit more.
Is it ethical?????? I'm sorry, but that question boarders way to close to environmentalist extreemism country there. The rational that we have to keep everything in it natural, unaltered state is ludicris quite frankly. I mean really; I support archeology and research for a finite period of time, but if it's as dead as it appears to be thus far (or even nothing more than single cell life), it's our planet to with as we please. We are masters of our own environment and destiny and the "ethics" of a "hands off mars!" policy is assnine, quite frankly, especially in regards to a dead world. ESPECIALLY when we don't know where the next habitable planet is, let alone how to get there in the next few lifetimes.
It's a big red rock. Do some research and get on with your life; terraforming, stage one.
As far as settlers go, you make it sound like there would be a total lack of will, eager volunteers and that we'd be forcing people to settle a lifeless baron rock. While it may be lifeless and baron, I suspect the line for that opportunity would be several miles long. It's only unethical if you make the decision for them or don't make them fully aware of the risks involved. It's tough to call an ethics flag when the canidates are volunteers.
You would think that question would be the other way around-- Isn't it unethical to mutate the human race on a gentic level like this story is suggesting? Again, I could give a crap with volunteers, but it's a lot more weighty and ominous subject than terraforming a lifeless world or sending volunteers to settle it. The focus is entirely wrong there. Change the dead planet or change the human species... Honestly, lets get some perspective here.
"Saudi Student Sami Omar Al-Hussayen was found not guilty on charges that he 'rendered techical assistance to terrorists' by acting as the webmaster for an Islamic charity."
What??? Are you saying with prison pictures, anti-terrorism bills and customs finger printing that the system still works??!!! Hold me. I feel faint.
Would that be BeyologyBlade? Now witness my Lurch impression! :D
Uuuuuuuuhhhhuuuggg....
Oh sure, it won't kill anybody, but it will sure make them wish they hadn't been on the recieving end. In many cases, just showing you have teeth is enough to extricate yourself from the situation. After all, the average mark they're aming for is docile and most importantly, unarmed. It may not be a potent load, but you know somewhere in the back of Petty Joe Mugger's mind he knows there is always the off chance of rolling that natural 20 when you pull the trigger. Combine that with having to explain an extranious bodily hole or two along it's accompanying pain and you have something most muggers will try to avoid.
"Would you be willing to pay $600 for a console with all of the capabilities of a standard OEM PC?"
We all know the answer to this we've all seen this product before. And every time I can think of, the market has responded with a no, no, NO. At the price point they're talking about you can buy a freakin Dell with a flatpanel and all the fixins that will undoubtable be less constrictive in terms of what you can actually run on it. I mean think of how pissy MS is being with the XBox, modding, DRM and everything else and apply it to this product.
Come on, do we really need this history lesson yet again? Their gaming aspirations are dead if this is their next product.
"They postulate that to replace our fossil fuel usage it would take only a total of a little over ten thousand square miles, which could fit in an area like the Sonora Desert.
Let's flip a coin. "Heads" and we complain about fossil fuels and the need for alternative energy, "Tails" and we complain how such a project would ruin a pristine natural habitat such as the Sonora Desert.
"I have yet to see really detailed coverage maps for cellular provided by the providers themselves; in cities especially a one-block difference can mean 3 bars of reception or none."
And chances are you never will. You must not realize how utterly ridiculous, not to mention cost prohibitive it is to put a "Can you hear me now" commercial into actual practice. Yeah, you're going to see a map displaying the dead zone between forth and main reeeeal soon.
Did he miss the fact that both markets are interdependent on each other? Innovators survive on innovating and the copiers survive on their creations, sure, but it's hardly a one way street and cutting cost is hardly the only way for these companies to turn a profit. The innovators often patent key technologies that are used by the copiers, who have to pay licensing and other associated usage fees. In markets where the copiers can do so without such payouts, the innovator still survive by -gasp!- innovating! According to this person Apple should have been dead years ago and the iPod will be bust soon because of all the copiers.
Which convienintly ignores the fact that a company who can continue to innovate can not only survive, but prosper as well while the copiers feed on the crumbs they trail behind, as Apple and other companies have proven time and time again contrary to Dell's busted reasoning.
but makes you think what else in Star Trek might work if it were tried."
I imagine any of the Rombulan Warbird designs would work decently enough. Most models past and present have enough surface area and shape to naturally act as a wing with a little bit of work.
""The question "Can Episode III be saved?" begs the question of whether it needs to be saved in the first place."
I can sum it up in three words for you: Lightsaber Lava Surfing. Something tells me only Jesus can save this one, but thatt's just a hunch.
Are you asking me to prove a negative? Wheee, lame debate tactics 101. Sorry, but if text ads are the best you can do to prove Googles sincerity or their prior commitment to "not being evil", we're all in deep doodoo. But hey, Yahoo is sincere too-- They only spam you with with approved companies they trust, right?
Come on, having "only" text ads means exactly jack and shit in context to being evil. It's an empty fact. They could be worse, sure. But they could be better and not have them at all. In the end it has no relevance to the discussion either way.
Why was this guy modded down? He so close to being correct it's scary. Google already collects aggregated data on every search made through them. There have already been privacy concerns regarding their email policies. how much do you think companies would pay for search data, however anonymous, of your HDD? Heck, this is no huge stretch at all.
Gotta pay for that gig of email somehow.
Since when were principle nessisary to make million? Isn't this the same forum that incessantly rags on Micro$oft's (note the trendy dollar sign) unethical business tactics?
...Or at very least sometime significantly sooner than their 2.7 billion dollar double blind garage sale. Far be it from me to say so, but it's looking like Google has been taking lessons from the political spindoctors-- Saying stuff that sound all well and good, but is actually ineffectual and useless, aggervated by the fact that they haven't taken the moral high ground until now and are directing that message toward people who probably don't give a crap anyway. Tell me how much spammers are making by flooding your email with junk again?
What worries me most is this all of a sudden holiness that Google has found. Weren't they a business before they were an IPO? Where was all of this before they had to impress shareholders? Wouldn't a company who is claming the Anti-Evil high ground have been doing this from day one??????
Maybe if they'd started out as a small, righteous company it'd mean something. But as it stands, it's PR BS.
"Also it describes one of the highlights of the movie: 'A thrilling lightsabre clash between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker while surfing on lava.' Can't wait till May 15th 2005!"
A surfing lightsaber battle? Have you honestly tried to imagine that? If that's THE highlight, I'm pretty sure I can wait until 2005...
No sooner had I just got done speculating that google was looking to be more than just your email for life does this story appear, allowing for searchable local file access. At this point it's a tiny leap to provide seemless HDD/online email storage. And here's another small stretch for you-- Somebody is wondering how they'll make money off this 1/100 gig email venture?? How about by selling the details of your hardrive contense, let alone what's in that gigs worth of email.
I know they've pledged to not be evil, but this is a privacy nightmare in the making with way too may question remaining as to the implimentation of these too good to be true projects...
It's very possible that Google is not looking to become the only email you'll ever need, but literally your harddrive as well. Can you think of anything you'd like to offload from your HD to free up space? We're talking about more potential than just email packrats here. We're talking about entire media archives. Hundreds of MP3s. Photos. A movie or two.
But I'm also wondering if this is as legit as they'd have you believe, or whether it's like the old Simplenet burnout-- Unlimited space as long as you don't try to use it all/try to host stuff we don't like. I think they're banking on the same strategy though... 90% of the people won't use anywhere close to their allotment of one (or 100) gig. And lets be brutally honest, for a lifetime mailbox, does anybody here actually believe Google will last that long? They're a search engine with advertising ties. their position in the market is very assaliable by the competition. They're positioning they're IPO to capitallize the most off their name and publiciity wich will most likely drive prices higher than they're actually worth, THEN refuse to report their projected earnings, which will insulate them from negative opinion when times get bad. good for them, bad for investors.
For a company that pledges not to be evil, they're playing their cards pretty close to their chest in order to maximize the amount of money they can make off public ignorance and media hype.
From the homepage:
"Without anonymity there can never be true freedom of speech..."
Funny how that's not true in real life...
Google Corp.
Lagos, Nigeria.
Attention: The President/CEO
Confidential Business Proposal
Dear Sir,
Having consulted with my colleagues and based on the information gathered from the Nigerian Chambers Of Commerce And Industry, I have the privilege to request your assistance to transfer the sum of $2,700,000,000 (two billion, seven hundred million United States dollars) into your accounts. The above sum resulted from an over-invoiced contract, executed, commissioned and paid for about five years (5) ago by a foreign contractor. This action was however intentional and since then the fund has been in a suspense account at The Central Bank Of Nigeria Apex Bank.
We are now ready to transfer the fund overseas and that is where you come in. It is important to inform you that as civil servants, we are forbidden to operate a foreign account; that is why we require your assistance. The total sum will be shared as follows: 70% for us, 25% for you and 5% for local and international expenses incidental to the transfer.
The transfer is risk free on both sides via a process known as 'Dutch Auction' I am an accountant with the Nigerian National Search Engine Corp. If you find this proposal acceptable, we shall require the following documents:
(a) your banker's name, telephone, account and fax numbers.
(b) your private telephone and fax numbers ? for confidentiality and easy communication.
(c) your letter-headed paper stamped and signed.
Alternatively we will furnish you with the text of what to type into your letter-headed paper, along with a breakdown explaining, comprehensively what we require of you. The business will take us thirty (30) working days to accomplish.
Please reply urgently.
Best regards,
Larry Howgul Abul Arhu Page
Come on... It's quite obvious that it's a cheat mode for a popular 18th century FPS. D O U O S V A V V M = Extra Ammo
Duh.
D) use infrared ranging and embedded cameras to detect and report the license number of anyone speeding on the road
Ah, have a can of black sprary paint, will travel. it'd be so easy to screw these little buggers up. On that note, if it's illegle to speed and you can get ticketed for speeding and it against the law to speed, why doesn't the federal government regulate the auto makers like everybody else to make cars that cannot go above the maximum posted speed limit? Looking out for your own well being, no doubt. Granted, it's your responsibility not to break the law, but if so, why allow the auto manufacturers to build in features that break the law in the first place, ie travel at velocities over 65mph?
That's right. Your governenment hard at work to sabotage you so they can make ticket revenues. That black spraypaint will come in handy.
Yep, time to throw away whatever Mac you current own and upgrade, right? :p