Presumably, he means that Google purposefully lowered his PageRank scores, but the fact that they chose to target his company, and his company alone, was an unfair and arbitrary choice.
Fair point. I guess what I was trying to say is that plenty of in-the-know web designers are starting to use XHTML and CSS properly now, and using a browser that at least understands standards lets you see their webpages as they intended.
Once that starts happening, we're moving out of the chicken-or-egg situation in which web designers can't use the standards because the browsers don't understand them, because no websites use the standards.
Then hopefully, in the near future, the web will become more standards-compliant on average, and we'll be in a situation where designers can easily go and see the actual advantages that XHTML etc. bring, rather than it just being a neat thing that some browsers support.
Alternatively, convince the millions of average web surfers to use a standards-compliant browser. Then, when everyone complains that their whizz-bang site doesn't work, the bad designers will be forced to standardize their site.
So how many of YOU GUYS knew exactly what you wanted to do when you started first grade?
Exactly. What is first grade, seven years old? (I'm European, sue me.) Anyway, it's pretty young. Maths is quite an abstract subject at any stage, and at that age, you're still just learning to use the basic concepts effectively (basic arithmetic, a bit of geometry maybe).
At that level where you're basically just learning methods (long division, long multiplication, times tables and so on), I'd venture that it's not a subject that can invoke any kind of real interest, other than pleasure at being 'good at it'. Perhaps only when you encouter equations, and start getting the first inklings that maths is more than a tool for just manipulating specific numbers, does it become an interesting subject in its own right.
That said, I got really interested in Physics between the ages of 7 and 11, and read loads of books about quantum physics and relativity and other exciting things. Of course I didn't fully understand any of it, but I could at least see how fascinating things could be. And whaddyaknow, here I am studying Physics at university.
What I'm saying is that it can happen, but don't expect them to be automatically interested in what you like, or in what they're studying right now. Kids have an amazing curiosity, and that should be harnessed early on to demonstrate that science is an exciting thing. I'd say it's more important to give them that kind of good mindset, than to worry about them not being interested in fractions.
I've never really understood people who say "But what would you do if you won the lottery; wouldn't you be really bored?" Perhaps it's because I don't automatically come from the perspective that says 'work is my life, and anything I do outside of that is frivolous entertainment'. I find it's more like 'work is something I do to survive, and unfortunately it takes up a lot of time that I would rather spend doing things I enjoy'.
I would love to have all the time in the world to study and learn about all the subjects I'm really interested in, but don't have time to get deeply into because of real life. I'd read into academic subjects, like genetics, neuroscience, philosophy, pure maths; I'd spend much more time practising the piano, improving my technique and increasing my repertoire; I'd read lots of novels; I'd learn all the programming languages and other techie stuff that I never have time to devote to.
Basically, without the pressure of having to focus my attention on skills that will make me attractive in the job market (or at least in the able-to-make-money market), then I don't think I'd ever run out of interesting things with which to occupy my mind!
Well, if you run a website, they're pretty useful for finding out how people are getting to your site, what they're searching for to get to it, seeing which big site is linking to you and sapping all your bandwidth, etc. etc. Those are just off the top of my head.
Of course, the main reason is that, without referer logs, you'd never have sites like Disturbing Search Requests.
It's interesting that, while they make the potentially valid point that a proliferation of free software might discourage local software industries from developing, they've completely missed the reasons behind this.
If these software companies went ahead and produced software that was better than the available free software -- that is, actually worth the cost of ownership over the free software -- then they would probably sell copies. As it is, it sounds like the BSA is saying that decent, respectable software companies aren't able to get away with hawking mediocre products, because the evil free software developers are producing software that's as good or better, and giving it away! Well, boo hoo.
Incidentally, this quote's a keeper: "free software, which is often manufactured by organized criminals". Classic.
This doesn't seem like a bad tactic on the part of Apple to get some film studios to use Macs more. There was some worry that Apple would simply discontinue the Windows/Linux versions, and force people to switch in order to stay upgraded and supported.
Also, I'm pretty certain that the $5000 Mac price is a discount off the original price, rather than the Windows/Linux prices being hiked up from the original price. All in all, it seems a pretty decent policy, IMHO.
Yeah, I could never understand why American cell phones worked like that.
In the UK, the prefix 07 is reserved for mobile phones, pagers, and personal number services. Normal area codes all start with 01 or 02. It works quite well.
Another good digicam review site is Digital Photography Review at dpreview.com. If you are definitely sticking with Smartmedia, then they have a good features search that will let you find cameras by desired features, including storage type.
Would it not be possible to encase the waste physically, such that technology roughly equivalent to today's level is required to access it? (e.g. deep-level drilling, remote excavation) At this level of technology, it's reasonable to assume that some knowledge of radioactivity will exist, and so a pictoral/linguistic description of the danger will probably be understood.
On the other hand, if technology has regressed, such that the warnings are not understood, then the people won't be able to get at the danger anyway.
Actually they thought of this (Appendix F, section 3.3.3):
"Graphics are likely to be culturally restricted in meaning. There are no conventional signs, such as the skull and crossbones [In Mexico, the bones are the repository of the life force, and thus the skull and crossbones would have a very different meaning.], for example, that convey the same meaning across cultures."
Also, a quick Google search brought this up:
The Tascam US-428 has 4 channels of audio plus MIDI, and has actual sliders and transport controls that can control your recording software.
And this online store has a whole page of USB audio interfaces.
Slashdot Mirror
To my eternal shame, I spent about five minutes trying to work out what the word 'FEATURE' had to do with the word 'Herbie'.
But then I got it.
Presumably, he means that Google purposefully lowered his PageRank scores, but the fact that they chose to target his company, and his company alone, was an unfair and arbitrary choice.
Fair point. I guess what I was trying to say is that plenty of in-the-know web designers are starting to use XHTML and CSS properly now, and using a browser that at least understands standards lets you see their webpages as they intended.
Once that starts happening, we're moving out of the chicken-or-egg situation in which web designers can't use the standards because the browsers don't understand them, because no websites use the standards.
Then hopefully, in the near future, the web will become more standards-compliant on average, and we'll be in a situation where designers can easily go and see the actual advantages that XHTML etc. bring, rather than it just being a neat thing that some browsers support.
Alternatively, convince the millions of average web surfers to use a standards-compliant browser. Then, when everyone complains that their whizz-bang site doesn't work, the bad designers will be forced to standardize their site.
So how many of YOU GUYS knew exactly what you wanted to do when you started first grade?
Exactly. What is first grade, seven years old? (I'm European, sue me.) Anyway, it's pretty young. Maths is quite an abstract subject at any stage, and at that age, you're still just learning to use the basic concepts effectively (basic arithmetic, a bit of geometry maybe).
At that level where you're basically just learning methods (long division, long multiplication, times tables and so on), I'd venture that it's not a subject that can invoke any kind of real interest, other than pleasure at being 'good at it'. Perhaps only when you encouter equations, and start getting the first inklings that maths is more than a tool for just manipulating specific numbers, does it become an interesting subject in its own right.
That said, I got really interested in Physics between the ages of 7 and 11, and read loads of books about quantum physics and relativity and other exciting things. Of course I didn't fully understand any of it, but I could at least see how fascinating things could be. And whaddyaknow, here I am studying Physics at university.
What I'm saying is that it can happen, but don't expect them to be automatically interested in what you like, or in what they're studying right now. Kids have an amazing curiosity, and that should be harnessed early on to demonstrate that science is an exciting thing. I'd say it's more important to give them that kind of good mindset, than to worry about them not being interested in fractions.
I've never really understood people who say "But what would you do if you won the lottery; wouldn't you be really bored?" Perhaps it's because I don't automatically come from the perspective that says 'work is my life, and anything I do outside of that is frivolous entertainment'. I find it's more like 'work is something I do to survive, and unfortunately it takes up a lot of time that I would rather spend doing things I enjoy'.
I would love to have all the time in the world to study and learn about all the subjects I'm really interested in, but don't have time to get deeply into because of real life. I'd read into academic subjects, like genetics, neuroscience, philosophy, pure maths; I'd spend much more time practising the piano, improving my technique and increasing my repertoire; I'd read lots of novels; I'd learn all the programming languages and other techie stuff that I never have time to devote to.
Basically, without the pressure of having to focus my attention on skills that will make me attractive in the job market (or at least in the able-to-make-money market), then I don't think I'd ever run out of interesting things with which to occupy my mind!
Well, if you run a website, they're pretty useful for finding out how people are getting to your site, what they're searching for to get to it, seeing which big site is linking to you and sapping all your bandwidth, etc. etc. Those are just off the top of my head.
Of course, the main reason is that, without referer logs, you'd never have sites like Disturbing Search Requests.
It's interesting that, while they make the potentially valid point that a proliferation of free software might discourage local software industries from developing, they've completely missed the reasons behind this.
If these software companies went ahead and produced software that was better than the available free software -- that is, actually worth the cost of ownership over the free software -- then they would probably sell copies. As it is, it sounds like the BSA is saying that decent, respectable software companies aren't able to get away with hawking mediocre products, because the evil free software developers are producing software that's as good or better, and giving it away! Well, boo hoo.
Incidentally, this quote's a keeper: "free software, which is often manufactured by organized criminals". Classic.
This doesn't seem like a bad tactic on the part of Apple to get some film studios to use Macs more. There was some worry that Apple would simply discontinue the Windows/Linux versions, and force people to switch in order to stay upgraded and supported.
Also, I'm pretty certain that the $5000 Mac price is a discount off the original price, rather than the Windows/Linux prices being hiked up from the original price. All in all, it seems a pretty decent policy, IMHO.
Um... 14 bucks x 12 months = 168 bucks a year.
Which is more than Apple's asking for (99.95 bucks a year). Or am I missing something?
Yeah, I could never understand why American cell phones worked like that. In the UK, the prefix 07 is reserved for mobile phones, pagers, and personal number services. Normal area codes all start with 01 or 02. It works quite well.
Another good digicam review site is Digital Photography Review at dpreview.com. If you are definitely sticking with Smartmedia, then they have a good features search that will let you find cameras by desired features, including storage type.
Would it not be possible to encase the waste physically, such that technology roughly equivalent to today's level is required to access it? (e.g. deep-level drilling, remote excavation) At this level of technology, it's reasonable to assume that some knowledge of radioactivity will exist, and so a pictoral/linguistic description of the danger will probably be understood.
On the other hand, if technology has regressed, such that the warnings are not understood, then the people won't be able to get at the danger anyway.
Or am I missing something?
Actually they thought of this (Appendix F, section 3.3.3): "Graphics are likely to be culturally restricted in meaning. There are no conventional signs, such as the skull and crossbones [In Mexico, the bones are the repository of the life force, and thus the skull and crossbones would have a very different meaning.], for example, that convey the same meaning across cultures."
Also, a quick Google search brought this up: The Tascam US-428 has 4 channels of audio plus MIDI, and has actual sliders and transport controls that can control your recording software. And this online store has a whole page of USB audio interfaces.
No experience of Mac audio myself, but I'm guessing Apple's own page on Music and Audio is a good place to start.