... Snowden is no more principled than McCain or an investment banker. He released ALL of the intelligence information he gathered at the NSA...
I am intrigued !
How do you know Edward Snowden has released _*ALL*_ the information he had gathered at the NSA ?
How do you know Edward Snowden does not keep some files to himself, files that pack even *MORE* fire power than what he has released so far ?
As a poker player, I never release my trump card early in the game.
I don't know if Edward Snowden plays poker or not, but judging from what he has done since his days as a security guard... I suspect the guy has even more juicy things in the pipeline
And if you just enjoy playing god, well, go into the City, or start up your own business. If you're that good, then you can perform in plain sight, can't you?
Speaking from experience here... it's not that simple
I started to plan for my escape from China way back in the late 1960's because of the social madness created by Mao back then.
Thongs of mindless assholes with red armband parading on the street, waving that little red book and plunged the Chinese society into total darkness.
Those of us with brains knew that the things coming from Mao were bullshit, but those without brains who embraced Mao's bullshit outnumbered us 1000 to 1.
So we ran, and ran, and finally I got to Hongkong.
From Hongkong I ended up in the United States, and at that time, the U. S. of A. was a paradise, a place where brainy people get to do whatever they want to do without having fear of official repression.
Some 40 odd years have passed, and the United States is turning into just like Mao's China...
Everything coming from Washington D.C. is pure bullshit, and the things I have noticed right now is that the mindless fucktards who bought into Washington D.C.'s bullshit are outnumbering those who know better.
While the society in the United States of American haven't plunged into darkness yet, there is no certainty that it won't.
When the controlling regime got desperate ~ (Mao's reign at that time was in danger of collapsing from within, motivating Mao in his encouragements to the mindless assholes with red armbands creating social havoc), ~ they will do anything to remain in charge.
And if (and when) the regime which is reigning over Washington D.C. (democrats _ and_ republicans) is in danger of collapsing, there is NO TELLING what they would do.
To make the matter worse... they have a lot of very powerful tools Mao couldn't even begin to dream of 50 years ago.
I am an American now, and I am looking at my adopted country, the United States of America, with the same dismay as Mao's China, back in the 1960's.
The term "Rogue" is used to denote "dishonest and/or unprincipled".
They used to put USSR, China, North Korea under the "Rogue Government" category.
Both the governments of the United States of American and that of Great Britain have proven to be DISHONEST _and_ UNPRINCIPLED !
IMHO, it's time we should include the government of the United States and that of United Kingdom under the "Rogue Government" category.
And btw, if you see the performance of John McCain, especially how he tried to blame Edward Snowden, you would understand how ludicrously pathetic American politicians have become...
... McCain also said he was convinced that Snowden gave all of his information to Russia...
Nothing has changed because basic human nature is the same. This is the way it will always be. So you get to choose whether you want to be part of the herd near the edge looking for the wolves, or oblivious somewhere the middle, or if you want to be a wolf. Being near the edge isn't a problem because you see the danger coming, so you get a head start. Being in the middle, you don't even realize the danger is there until the whole herd is moving.. And of course being a wolf has its own unique advantages: you get to eat mutton and you get to watch the whole herd fear you. But you have no herd for protection and in trying times, the other wolves don't mind eating wolf, too
Both the above have failed to realize that there is another entity in the picture --- the one who puts ***FEAR*** in the midst and use it for its own dastardly agenda.
A true analogy : Fish farmers who ship live fishes in flexitanks used to be troubled by the large number of fish turned belly up during the transit, and finally someone found a simple way to solve the problem --- they put a live crab inside the same flexitank with the fish.
Because of that one live crab, the fishes were pre-occupied with fear throughout the journey, and as a result, up to 95% of the fishes arrived at the destination still alive.
Same thing happens in the United States.
Because of the fear that has been instilled by the government the people forgot about everything else and willingly surrender their rights, their liberty, their privacy, just so they can remain "protected".
Yeah because when I am out and about, i much prefer to carrry a map, a compass, a walkman, a mobile phone, a laptop, a pager, a camera, a tape recorder and a gaming console.
I am curious...
Before 2011, did you regularly go out and about with a map, a compass, a walkman, a mobile phone, a laptop, a pager, a camera, a tape recorder _and_ a gaming console ?
"There are about 150,000 vehicle fires reported every year in the U.S. â" about 17 every hour, on average. But when that vehicle fire is a Tesla, the Internet notices "
What is the real intention behind the above quote?
Was the author getting any financial supprt from the Tesla car company ?
The piece is nothing but a naked attempt in fraudulently abusing the statistics to make Tesla cars look better than they really are.
True, there are over one hundreds thousand car fires per year, and that shouldn't even be any surprise, for they carry HIGHLY COMBUSTIBLE HYDRO-CARBON FUEL, - such as gasoline or diesel, - in them !
On the other hand, Tesla cars, being electrically powered, do NOT need gasoline, or do they??
Comparing the big number of hydrocarbon-powered vehicles which caught fire with the 3 cases of Tesla cars is, to put it very mildly, totally misleading !!
The question regarding whether Edward Snowden is a hero, or not, requires more time for the world to judge.
However one thing is clear - Edward Snowden, and what he has done so far, with his expose of the dirty secrets of the so-called "democratic countries", shows that the guy does believe in the ideal of democracy.
Contrast this to those untold millions of power-craving freaks who have helped NSA/GCHQ (amongst others) putting up massive surveillance systems to spy on their own people in supposedly democratic countries, Edward Snowden shines.
When compared to the enormous spook complex, Edward Snowden stands out like a tiny, lonely beacon.
However tiny that beacon is, what Edward Snowden has accomplished, for the freedom of the world, should not be forgotten.
The submitter of TFA, Mr. Cold Fjord, has been very actively astroturfing Slashdot by launching all kinds of accusations towards Edward Snowden, from all angles.
We must be awared that, had it not because of Edward Snowden, we wouldn't have known so much of the despotic schemes perpetrated by those democratic governments .
In conclusion, even if Edward Snowden is not (yet declared) a hero, I still owe my sincerest thank to him !
Now that we know AT&T is on the take; Now that we know CIA is using our tax monies to bribe a PRIVATE COMPANIES so to SPY ON US, are they going to cook up even more harebrained excuses and then try to pin them to Edward Snowden ?
Can't wait to see the astroturfers crawling out from their hideouts with their brainless accusations...
Microsoft was the first ever company to produce an OS, or where there companies before that went bust despite at one point being market leader? Similar for the other companies you name.
Before Microsoft there were many companies producing OS, such as CP/M, Atari-TOS, and so on.
Most of those firms went bust because the computer platforms that their OS ran on no longer exist.
And then there were competitors such as IBM - which shot themselves in the foot once too many times (much more than Microsoft did to their own feet).
Even Facebook and Google will one day be a thing of the past.
I agree that nothing will last forever.
IBM was one time the almighty of all things technology, and look where are they now ?
But my point being, as long as your product is THE ONLY ONE IN THE MARKET, and as long as the market still exists, you have nothing to worry about.
"If we don't stay competitive, if we don't build whatever that that next thing is the user wants to do and build it in as simple a way as they expect from the consumer tools they are using, then we will get swapped out "
The above quote might happen only if...
... there are many direct competitors offering similar products in the market
On the other hand, if your company offers the only product there is, or you are one of the very few providing similar goods and/or services, you have nothing to worry.
You will still be in the playing field even after you repeatedly fuck up your customers.
... the ability to work menial jobs and complete passable academics with massive sleep deprivation doesn't really reflect your ability to perform mentally taxing tasks for 40-60hrs a week later in life
Although I am not as rich, and my life is not as illustrious as Elon Musk or Bill Gates or Steve Jobs (amongst others), they and I have had crossed path many times, in the decades that I have spent in the tech fields.
And thanks to my college days, I have full use of 20 waking hours every single day since then, to carry out my research, to plan my investment, to manage my companies, and to partake in all kinds of important events in the lives of my wife and my children.
I may be dumb, but at the very least, under my own supervision there had been several (not many, only several) successful hi-tech startups, some in Silicon Valley.
And of those other startups which I have invested (whether in the form of seed money, or injection of critically needed fund for expansion), there were (and still are) many.
I may just be your Average Joe with a passable academic credential, but even so, stereotyping others still won't make you any more superior.
Followed closely with the accusation that he has been a Soviet spy.
Now ?
Edward Snowden, according to them, is aiding pedophile and all other sexual perverts, especially those "exploiting innocent children", to evade surveillance by the "GOOD GUYS", namely, the spooks/cops/big brothers.
In other words, Edward Snowden, to some, is a de-human-izer.
You're wrong to exclude basic living expenses. Completing a high workload degree (ie science and technology) in four years means you don't have time to be earning
Come again ?
In the 1970's when I was attending college in the United States I was a political refugee from China. As a political refugee I had to attend the college as an INTERNATIONAL STUDENT - which means, I had to pay a MUCH HIGHER (as much as 10X) tuition fee than my American classmates (and those students who have greencards [permanent resident card for the USA]).
I graduated within 3 (three) years, and in those 3 years, I studied full time while having 4 (four) part-time jobs on the side, just so I could earn enough moola to pay for my tuition fee/a place to stay/food to sustain my life.
Yes, 3 fucking years of no-life routine, consisting of waking up--morning classes--part-time work#1 (at the canteen as dish washer)--library--afternoon classes--part-time work#2 (at nearby supermarket as stuffer/bag carrier)--library--with less than 4 hour sleep per day during the weekdays, and waking up--library--part-time work#3 (as mechanic in local workshop)--library--part-time work#4 (night time pizza delivery) for the weekends.
And I was not the only one who did that.
Many people that I know also worked while studying.
How come we could do that and survived, but on the other hand, the current crop of youngsters couldn't ?
"Key members of the U.S. House of Representatives are seeking to require the National Science Foundation (NSF) to justify every grant it awards as being in the 'national interest.' "
Although I agree that the Republican proposal is asininely stupid, I really can't blame them, because they are reacting against Obama --- such as the equally insanely asinine order from Obama to Nasa to make the Muslims to "feel good ".
Before you guys accuse me of Islamophobic, I do provide proofs with links below ---
As AMD and Nvidia trade blows, PC gamers seem to be the ones who benefit
TFA claimed that PC gamers would be benefiting from the "trade blows" between AMD and Nvidia.
But are they ?
Back in the days when the marketplace was served by a lot more vendors, PC Gamers back then were truly benefiting from the fierce competition.
Sadly, it is not happening anymore.
From a marketplace that used to be served by 6 competing vendors into a duopoly marketplace that is currently served by only 2 vendors --- the pace of innovation has slowed to a crawl.
The performance increment for every new edition of hardware is getting smaller and smaller.
The leaks have created diplomatic problems that are likely to prevent effective intervention against the smuggling.
Dear Mr. Cold Fjord,
This is INDONESIA that we are talking about.
For years (actually, decades) Indonesia never took the issue human trafficking/smuggling seriously. Whether it be human trafficking/smuggling to Australia, to Singapore, to Malaysia, or to any other place in the world.
Indonesia is a nation which has too many people living on too many island, and the corrupt regime (whether or not it was under Suhartoe or the current one) never place that issue as a top priority.
Furthermore, Indonesia, as the world's MOST POPULOUS Muslim country, has the obligation to spread Islam to kafir countries such as Australia.
In other words, EVEN WITHOUT the leaks from Edward Snowden, the human trafficking/smuggling business would still go on, as usual.
All the so-called "cooperation" from the Indonesian side is utterly absurd from the beginning.
When you can't disprove what someone says you simply assassinate their character by lumping them in with pedophiles, terrorists, smugglers, etc. and claim that the discredited person is providing them aid.
Would someone please explain what happens to BitCoins whose owners die without passing on their wallets to successors?
Until someone can work out what the password / key is, the bitcoins will be unable to be used by anyone else -- the value of the remaining bitcoins will probably increase.
The total final amount of Bitcoins will stay at under 21million. At least that's the plan.
No matter how many of those 21 millions Bitcoin got locked inside the ledger, due to lost and/or forgotten keyphrases, the TOTAL AMOUNT of Bitcoin still stands at 21 millions.
The one that is reduced is the amount of Bitcoins in circulation.
To say that Bitcoins will experience a "deflation" is misleading, because although the amount of Bitcoins in circulation might become less and less, the amount in the ledger does not change !
The most likely outcome of Bitcoin is that when the amount in circulation gets down too low, people will abandon Bitcoin and start using other kinds of virtual money - such as Litecoin, or Worldcoin, or Realcoin - for serious transaction purposes.
Slashdot Mirror
Snowden has said he does not have any more files
Two possibilities ...
A. Snowden is not lying, that he has nothing left
B. Snowden is playing NSA back to NSA
As I say, poker players won't reveal their cards until the very end
... Snowden is no more principled than McCain or an investment banker. He released ALL of the intelligence information he gathered at the NSA ...
I am intrigued !
How do you know Edward Snowden has released _*ALL*_ the information he had gathered at the NSA ?
How do you know Edward Snowden does not keep some files to himself, files that pack even *MORE* fire power than what he has released so far ?
As a poker player, I never release my trump card early in the game.
I don't know if Edward Snowden plays poker or not, but judging from what he has done since his days as a security guard ... I suspect the guy has even more juicy things in the pipeline
And if you just enjoy playing god, well, go into the City, or start up your own business. If you're that good, then you can perform in plain sight, can't you?
Speaking from experience here ... it's not that simple
I started to plan for my escape from China way back in the late 1960's because of the social madness created by Mao back then.
Thongs of mindless assholes with red armband parading on the street, waving that little red book and plunged the Chinese society into total darkness.
Those of us with brains knew that the things coming from Mao were bullshit, but those without brains who embraced Mao's bullshit outnumbered us 1000 to 1.
So we ran, and ran, and finally I got to Hongkong.
From Hongkong I ended up in the United States, and at that time, the U. S. of A. was a paradise, a place where brainy people get to do whatever they want to do without having fear of official repression.
Some 40 odd years have passed, and the United States is turning into just like Mao's China ...
Everything coming from Washington D.C. is pure bullshit, and the things I have noticed right now is that the mindless fucktards who bought into Washington D.C.'s bullshit are outnumbering those who know better.
While the society in the United States of American haven't plunged into darkness yet, there is no certainty that it won't.
When the controlling regime got desperate ~ (Mao's reign at that time was in danger of collapsing from within, motivating Mao in his encouragements to the mindless assholes with red armbands creating social havoc), ~ they will do anything to remain in charge.
And if (and when) the regime which is reigning over Washington D.C. (democrats _ and_ republicans) is in danger of collapsing, there is NO TELLING what they would do.
To make the matter worse ... they have a lot of very powerful tools Mao couldn't even begin to dream of 50 years ago.
I am an American now, and I am looking at my adopted country, the United States of America, with the same dismay as Mao's China, back in the 1960's.
The term "Rogue" is used to denote "dishonest and/or unprincipled".
They used to put USSR, China, North Korea under the "Rogue Government" category.
Both the governments of the United States of American and that of Great Britain have proven to be DISHONEST _and_ UNPRINCIPLED !
IMHO, it's time we should include the government of the United States and that of United Kingdom under the "Rogue Government" category.
And btw, if you see the performance of John McCain, especially how he tried to blame Edward Snowden, you would understand how ludicrously pathetic American politicians have become ...
As an American, I am beyond furious ...
TFA sez:
And the motivation for doing so is â" fear
Dunbal sez:
Nothing has changed because basic human nature is the same. This is the way it will always be. So you get to choose whether you want to be part of the herd near the edge looking for the wolves, or oblivious somewhere the middle, or if you want to be a wolf. Being near the edge isn't a problem because you see the danger coming, so you get a head start. Being in the middle, you don't even realize the danger is there until the whole herd is moving.. And of course being a wolf has its own unique advantages: you get to eat mutton and you get to watch the whole herd fear you. But you have no herd for protection and in trying times, the other wolves don't mind eating wolf, too
Both the above have failed to realize that there is another entity in the picture --- the one who puts ***FEAR*** in the midst and use it for its own dastardly agenda.
A true analogy : Fish farmers who ship live fishes in flexitanks used to be troubled by the large number of fish turned belly up during the transit, and finally someone found a simple way to solve the problem --- they put a live crab inside the same flexitank with the fish.
Because of that one live crab, the fishes were pre-occupied with fear throughout the journey, and as a result, up to 95% of the fishes arrived at the destination still alive.
Same thing happens in the United States.
Because of the fear that has been instilled by the government the people forgot about everything else and willingly surrender their rights, their liberty, their privacy, just so they can remain "protected".
Yeah because when I am out and about, i much prefer to carrry a map, a compass, a walkman, a mobile phone, a laptop, a pager, a camera, a tape recorder and a gaming console.
I am curious ...
...
Before 2011, did you regularly go out and about with a map, a compass, a walkman, a mobile phone, a laptop, a pager, a camera, a tape recorder _and_ a gaming console ?
Don't get me wrong, I'm just curious
" There are about 150,000 vehicle fires reported every year in the U.S. â" about 17 every hour, on average. But when that vehicle fire is a Tesla, the Internet notices "
What is the real intention behind the above quote?
Was the author getting any financial supprt from the Tesla car company ?
The piece is nothing but a naked attempt in fraudulently abusing the statistics to make Tesla cars look better than they really are.
True, there are over one hundreds thousand car fires per year, and that shouldn't even be any surprise, for they carry HIGHLY COMBUSTIBLE HYDRO-CARBON FUEL, - such as gasoline or diesel, - in them !
On the other hand, Tesla cars, being electrically powered, do NOT need gasoline, or do they??
Comparing the big number of hydrocarbon-powered vehicles which caught fire with the 3 cases of Tesla cars is, to put it very mildly, totally misleading !!
The question regarding whether Edward Snowden is a hero, or not, requires more time for the world to judge.
However one thing is clear - Edward Snowden, and what he has done so far, with his expose of the dirty secrets of the so-called "democratic countries", shows that the guy does believe in the ideal of democracy.
Contrast this to those untold millions of power-craving freaks who have helped NSA/GCHQ (amongst others) putting up massive surveillance systems to spy on their own people in supposedly democratic countries, Edward Snowden shines.
When compared to the enormous spook complex , Edward Snowden stands out like a tiny, lonely beacon.
However tiny that beacon is, what Edward Snowden has accomplished, for the freedom of the world, should not be forgotten.
The submitter of TFA, Mr. Cold Fjord, has been very actively astroturfing Slashdot by launching all kinds of accusations towards Edward Snowden, from all angles.
We must be awared that, had it not because of Edward Snowden, we wouldn't have known so much of the despotic schemes perpetrated by those democratic governments .
In conclusion, even if Edward Snowden is not (yet declared) a hero, I still owe my sincerest thank to him !
Now that we know AT&T is on the take; Now that we know CIA is using our tax monies to bribe a PRIVATE COMPANIES so to SPY ON US, are they going to cook up even more harebrained excuses and then try to pin them to Edward Snowden ?
Can't wait to see the astroturfers crawling out from their hideouts with their brainless accusations ...
Calling Mr. Cold Fjord ...
Please do not compare the government of the United States of America back in the 1960's to one that is now.
It is totally unfair.
The government of the United States of America of today can't even launch a website properly.
The two following stories which appeared in Slashdot can tell you how bad the United States government has turned out to be ...
http://science.slashdot.org/story/13/10/28/125207/why-cant-big-government-launch-a-website
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/11/07/154201/healthcaregov-official-resigns-website-still-a-disaster
Microsoft was the first ever company to produce an OS, or where there companies before that went bust despite at one point being market leader?
Similar for the other companies you name.
Before Microsoft there were many companies producing OS, such as CP/M, Atari-TOS, and so on.
Most of those firms went bust because the computer platforms that their OS ran on no longer exist.
And then there were competitors such as IBM - which shot themselves in the foot once too many times (much more than Microsoft did to their own feet).
Even Facebook and Google will one day be a thing of the past.
I agree that nothing will last forever.
IBM was one time the almighty of all things technology, and look where are they now ?
But my point being, as long as your product is THE ONLY ONE IN THE MARKET, and as long as the market still exists, you have nothing to worry about.
" If we don't stay competitive, if we don't build whatever that that next thing is the user wants to do and build it in as simple a way as they expect from the consumer tools they are using, then we will get swapped out "
The above quote might happen only if ...
... there are many direct competitors offering similar products in the market
On the other hand, if your company offers the only product there is, or you are one of the very few providing similar goods and/or services, you have nothing to worry.
You will still be in the playing field even after you repeatedly fuck up your customers.
Examples:
Microsoft
Nvdia/ATI
Seagate/WD
I mean, if Isaac Asimov is alive today, how would NSA view him ?
Or more importantly, how would Isaac Asimov view the unconstitutional activities NSA has carried out under the name of "National Security" ?
Can the teachers touch their students ?
No ?
Why don't the schools simply bind everyone in strait jackets then ??
... the ability to work menial jobs and complete passable academics with massive sleep deprivation doesn't really reflect your ability to perform mentally taxing tasks for 40-60hrs a week later in life
Although I am not as rich, and my life is not as illustrious as Elon Musk or Bill Gates or Steve Jobs (amongst others), they and I have had crossed path many times, in the decades that I have spent in the tech fields.
And thanks to my college days, I have full use of 20 waking hours every single day since then, to carry out my research, to plan my investment, to manage my companies, and to partake in all kinds of important events in the lives of my wife and my children.
I may be dumb, but at the very least, under my own supervision there had been several (not many, only several) successful hi-tech startups, some in Silicon Valley.
And of those other startups which I have invested (whether in the form of seed money, or injection of critically needed fund for expansion), there were (and still are) many.
I may just be your Average Joe with a passable academic credential, but even so, stereotyping others still won't make you any more superior.
First, they said he was a traitor.
Then, they accused him of stealing.
Followed closely with the accusation that he has been a Soviet spy.
Now ?
Edward Snowden, according to them, is aiding pedophile and all other sexual perverts, especially those "exploiting innocent children", to evade surveillance by the "GOOD GUYS", namely, the spooks/cops/big brothers.
In other words, Edward Snowden, to some, is a de-human-izer.
You're wrong to exclude basic living expenses. Completing a high workload degree (ie science and technology) in four years means you don't have time to be earning
Come again ?
In the 1970's when I was attending college in the United States I was a political refugee from China. As a political refugee I had to attend the college as an INTERNATIONAL STUDENT - which means, I had to pay a MUCH HIGHER (as much as 10X) tuition fee than my American classmates (and those students who have greencards [permanent resident card for the USA]).
I graduated within 3 (three) years, and in those 3 years, I studied full time while having 4 (four) part-time jobs on the side, just so I could earn enough moola to pay for my tuition fee/a place to stay/food to sustain my life.
Yes, 3 fucking years of no-life routine, consisting of waking up--morning classes--part-time work#1 (at the canteen as dish washer)--library--afternoon classes--part-time work#2 (at nearby supermarket as stuffer/bag carrier)--library--with less than 4 hour sleep per day during the weekdays, and waking up--library--part-time work#3 (as mechanic in local workshop)--library--part-time work#4 (night time pizza delivery) for the weekends.
And I was not the only one who did that.
Many people that I know also worked while studying.
How come we could do that and survived, but on the other hand, the current crop of youngsters couldn't ?
" Key members of the U.S. House of Representatives are seeking to require the National Science Foundation (NSF) to justify every grant it awards as being in the 'national interest.' "
Although I agree that the Republican proposal is asininely stupid, I really can't blame them, because they are reacting against Obama --- such as the equally insanely asinine order from Obama to Nasa to make the Muslims to " feel good ".
Before you guys accuse me of Islamophobic, I do provide proofs with links below ---
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/7875584/Barack-Obama-Nasa-must-try-to-make-Muslims-feel-good.html
http://frontpagemag.com/2013/dgreenfield/obamas-muslim-self-esteem-nasa-in-complete-disarray/
http://www.space.com/8725-nasa-chief-bolden-muslim-remark-al-jazeera-stir.html
According to the various articles I got online, it is claimed that the cost for India's Mars expedition program is around $83 millions.
http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/india-to-launch-orbiter-to-mars-next-week--29838.html
http://www.firstpost.com/india/will-isro-mars-mission-start-an-indo-china-space-race-1211933.html
How can it be so cheap ?
I read TFA, and did a search on that "bottom of pizza box" antenna.
Found it @ http://www.terra-wave.com/shop/font-colororangenewfont-245-ghz-14-dbi-high-density-panel-antenna-with-nstyle-jack-connectors-p-2993.html
The only problem is the price.
The cost of the antenna alone is $591.25 a pop.
Perhaps Georgia Institute of Technology has a big endowment, that they can afford to install such devices all over their campuses.
For most private enterprises, on the other hand, it's simply not affordable.
As AMD and Nvidia trade blows, PC gamers seem to be the ones who benefit
TFA claimed that PC gamers would be benefiting from the "trade blows" between AMD and Nvidia.
But are they ?
Back in the days when the marketplace was served by a lot more vendors, PC Gamers back then were truly benefiting from the fierce competition.
Sadly, it is not happening anymore.
From a marketplace that used to be served by 6 competing vendors into a duopoly marketplace that is currently served by only 2 vendors --- the pace of innovation has slowed to a crawl.
The performance increment for every new edition of hardware is getting smaller and smaller.
The leaks have created diplomatic problems that are likely to prevent effective intervention against the smuggling.
Dear Mr. Cold Fjord,
This is INDONESIA that we are talking about.
For years (actually, decades) Indonesia never took the issue human trafficking/smuggling seriously. Whether it be human trafficking/smuggling to Australia, to Singapore, to Malaysia, or to any other place in the world.
Indonesia is a nation which has too many people living on too many island, and the corrupt regime (whether or not it was under Suhartoe or the current one) never place that issue as a top priority.
Furthermore, Indonesia, as the world's MOST POPULOUS Muslim country, has the obligation to spread Islam to kafir countries such as Australia.
In other words, EVEN WITHOUT the leaks from Edward Snowden, the human trafficking/smuggling business would still go on, as usual.
All the so-called "cooperation" from the Indonesian side is utterly absurd from the beginning.
When you can't disprove what someone says you simply assassinate their character by lumping them in with pedophiles, terrorists, smugglers, etc. and claim that the discredited person is providing them aid.
Ain't that the definition of Ad Hominem ?
... that everyone does it ?
Would someone please explain what happens to BitCoins whose owners die without passing on their wallets to successors?
Until someone can work out what the password / key is, the bitcoins will be unable to be used by anyone else -- the value of the remaining bitcoins will probably increase.
The total final amount of Bitcoins will stay at under 21million. At least that's the plan.
No matter how many of those 21 millions Bitcoin got locked inside the ledger, due to lost and/or forgotten keyphrases, the TOTAL AMOUNT of Bitcoin still stands at 21 millions.
The one that is reduced is the amount of Bitcoins in circulation.
To say that Bitcoins will experience a "deflation" is misleading, because although the amount of Bitcoins in circulation might become less and less, the amount in the ledger does not change !
The most likely outcome of Bitcoin is that when the amount in circulation gets down too low, people will abandon Bitcoin and start using other kinds of virtual money - such as Litecoin, or Worldcoin, or Realcoin - for serious transaction purposes.