And since when is the web supposed to be about censorship?
Google is a search engine. They can certainly decide what ads they run, but they should NOT decide what I can and cannot read. Just because you happen to not like something doesn't mean you should ban it. Censorship is censorship. Hate speech--who really gets to decide if something is hate speech--vs. fact? Let us decide--I don't need daddy google to tell me. It really makes me see why they cozied up to the Chinese government because they do the same thing. They censor their feed to china so those people don't get to read anything from those naughty dissidents! Or anything on religion or other items that get in the way of the government's view of things.
There's a lot of things I don't particularly want to view or read on the web, but I'm not expecting a search engine to filter things out unless I change the settings.
If you found the government was behind this, I'll bet you'd be screaming your head off! But it's okay for a mega-corporation to do this? Let's quit acting like Google is still some warm, fuzzy startup with big dreams.
Let's face it, Lucas is no literary great. The plot of the original episodes is pretty thin. But what made it great was the (then) revolutionary special effects. Who's mouth didn't drop open when the huge empire ship first crawled across the big screen? Previously, you just didn't see sci-fi effects where you couldn't tell the ship was a pie plate on a string! I remember when it was shown in ONE theater for a YEAR (and this was a major metropolitan area) before it came out in the area--so expectations were high.
It was great, Luke even drove a flying car of sorts.
But the plot was classic: Orphaned boy goes off to seek adventure, meets wise man and a pirate, falls for princess (until he find she's his twin sister) and saves the universe.
But 20 years later those thin plots (in the later films) are not going to work. The special effects are routine. Of course we're still going to be nostalgic about the first 3, but don't be surprised when your kids shrug and say, "What's the big deal?"
In 2005 I paid more in sales tax than I did in payroll.
YOU didn't pay the sales tax. WE (i.e., your customers) did! Sales tax is a no loss collection with you as the collection agent for the state. In fact, you could very well invest the money until it's due that quarter to make some profit. In my state, if you pay it by a certain time you get a (tiny) rebate. However, If you spent it on other things instead of keeping it separate and then had to scrape it together every three months, shame on you.
If things stink so much in the bricks and sticks world, but you still have a viable business, why not go on-line instead of closing down? Seems to me you're cutting off your nose to spite the state. There was a retail chain called Egghead that totally closed their physical stores and went online to become New Egg. Very daring at the time they did it. I believe they're making a tidy profit AND I can tell you the prices are a WHOLE lot better than when they had a store in my community!
Local communities WILL suffer, though. Retail sales can be a big income base for the local community
It seems you consider someone in retail only if they have a physical shop. With exception of the landlords wanting to rent space, I think e-business could HELP small towns and SAVE a lot of mom and pop shops because they can appeal WORLDWIDE instead of just to their community. Diversification will save a small-town business, because you're not sweating when a new Wal*Mart or other larger chain moves into town if you've got a expanded customer base.
Businesses large and small have to change and roll with what's out there. Small businesses have the advantage of being more flexable than say a Montgomery Wards or a Mervyns. You've got to pick up your head and see what the trends are. Or you can just quit and sit on the porch and watch the bigger dogs go by.
Get an unlisted number. Don't give it out to companies, use your business line if you have to. Since most home telemarketers call at night they won't catch you (unless you work the night shift.);-) And I've never had them leaving messages. If I write a check and the clerk asks for a phone number, I either give them my work number or make one up. Usually the latter--I know the check is good so they DON'T need that information. Goes without saying--never have them print it on the check!
We very rarely get calls, we used to get calls for the previous owner of the number--mostly those geared for Hispanics as was the case. Since we don't speak Spanish they weren't interested in trying to hook us, apparently.
Being as I don't want to, by virtue of signing up, become fresh meat for every charity (legitimate or not) and political fundraiser (how nice of politicians to leave THAT loophole in), I'll pass, thanks.
{sigh} Yes, but why is it one company simply MUST stick it's fingers in every pie it can? I can understand wanting to be the best in your field. I can understand wanting company diversity. But I can't understand wanting to go in 100 different directions at once. At some point your customer base will (and do) suffer.
And once they do take over by hook or crook, leverage or dirty tricks (Remember MSN breaking their site for Opera users?) they simply go on to the next project. And it hurts consumers. For example, once IE took over Netscape by bundling their browser with their operating system and got away with it, there was no further improvement. I haven't seen significant changes in the browser since ver 4.0! Opera and Mozilla are far superior in features, but will they ever really be able to compete as long as MS is able to dominate the market by bundling (now integrating) their browser into their OS? And not content to leave ONE company unscathed or unaquired, they're now off to dominate the search engine market.
One wonders how long it will be before Google's site stops working right in IE.
It's interesting that they bring up the Baghdad looters. I've thought about it and, while it's too bad when they went after a museum (possibly done by insiders) and the zoo animals, I felt the looters were JUSTIFIED in taking from the government buildings and Ba'ath party members. That government STOLE from the people so they could have their gold toilets and fixtures. The people were just taking back what should have been rightfully theirs in the first place.
And like an oppressive government, The RIAA doesn't want their distribution and king-maker monopoly to crumble. It would be one thing it it were artist's interests that they were truly protecting, but it's obviously not. This 1999 Salon article is about who owns the digital rights (such as the website, customer database and merchandising). Guess who wants to get their hands on it?
This quote from the article: "Traditionally, record labels have brought in the lion's share of their revenues by selling records, often using Draconian contracts to minimize the artists' take of the profits. Record labels took ownership of the music, its marketing and sales, reserving only a tiny percentage of the take for the artists. So, the artists made their money by merchandising ancillary products, like concert tickets or T-shirts." ...
But most record labels salivate over the idea of a mailing list of 100,000 fans, for multiple reasons. A list of fans of the Backstreet Boys, for example, could easily be used to promote another upcoming pop boy band -- this is what is known as data mining, and is a hot topic within the record industry. As Marc Schiller, CEO of Electric Artists, puts it, "The label wants the data not necessarily for the artist -- they are looking for that data for their artists who are similar to that artist. Should you use one artist's leverage to create a database of consumers that is used for other artists? That is going to become more controversial."
One question: Isn't Canada also one country that charges a tax on CD-Rs allegedly to pay back record companies for MP3 trading? Which leads to independent artists are being taxed for doing their own records instead of playing the record contract game.
Re:Don't take away freedoms to "improve" productiv
on
Improving Company Morale?
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· Score: 2, Insightful
Know what your people DO. Probably not a problem at the company in the question. But it amazes me how many managers don't have a clue about the type of work people under them do.
You expect us to learn all about the company business. Well then find out about what we do for you. That way you know if someone is blowing smoke or if the task/deadline you set is unrealistic.
It also builds resentment when you discover your manager is an example of the Peter Principle and drawing $$$ while you know more than he/she does about what's going on.
"What these kids don't realize is that every time they pull up music and movies and make a copy, they are committing a felony under the United States code," Carter said in an interview. "If you were to prosecute someone and give them three years, I think this would act as a deterrent."
So if I shoplift a CD, that would be a misdemeanor. But if I download a song--that's a felony!?
Yeah I think I know how the threat of 3 years would affect America's youth. Back to the stores!;-) And it sure will help those dealing CDs out of the backs of trucks.
Don't think that's the intended message though.... Be careful what you legislate.
Thanks. (There's still some NEW 5.25 floppy drives around.;-)
However, I think what they were saying (the quote I posted) was the "off-disk" copy protection prevented it just being copied and run off the hard drive. Maybe I read it wrong....
I think I have an old 5 1/4 floppy drive around somewhere (not sure if it still works).
Arguably the best of the series, it looks from this site that it's pretty much a no-go as far as ever being published.
"The original Keen series was a trilogy of games. Keens 1-3 were collectively called "Invasion of the Vorticons". As Tom talks about above, the sequel was also to be a trilogy of games, but the id guys were convinced to break Keen 6 off and make it into an independent retail item. To this, the sequel that was distributed through Apogee was only two games. Episodes 4 & 5 were collectively called "Goodbye Galaxy", and Keen 6 was called "Aliens Ate My Babysitter". Keen 6 was sold by FormGen in retail, and since it was in retail, FormGen convinced the id guys to put in some off disk copy protection for the game. The fact that Keen 6 was broken off into it's own game, and the addition of the copy protection kind of made the "vibe" not the same as the original, but Keens 4-6 are awesome games, even if it's not a trilogy.
One last note about Keen 6. At the moment, there is no legal way to obtain the game - it was a retail game by FormGen that Apogee merely resold the title. As FormGen doesn't exist anymore, the game has been discontinued, and for now, there is no legal way to obtain Keen 6 (save for the 3 level demo which was created to promote Keen 6)."
I'm fortunate enough to have a copy (including the box!), but it's in 5 1/4 disk format and basically an item of nostalgia sitting on a shelf.
Well now that's an interesting thing to say. I've been using Outlook primarily for several years and I can't say that I've ever had a virus... let alone a virus caused by Outlook. I've received plenty, the trick is to just not open attachments from people I don't know.
Heh, heh...have you asked your friends lately about that? I'm getting this mental image of them saying, "Damn, Tom keeps sending me that 'I Love You' message."
Because opening attachments from friends is JUST as risky as opening ones from strangers. And an email that uses HTML only and opens in a preview pane is at risk of the next Nimba that comes along.
How long will it be before they get audited by Microsoft? Is this even legal anymore?
It's already happened:
"Microsoft had us do an audit last year that took two weeks out of my schedule," Rugg said. "That's two week's work of taxpayers' money to satisfy Microsoft."
I wonder how long they've been using Linux. The timing of the audit is suspicious, unless it was the audit that got him to switch. (But knowing how long it takes to get grants, I doubt it.)
Hang in there through high school, college is much better.
Forget the journalism degree--go for computer science. P.S. get a math tutor NOW!
In high school, be sure and make notes about the people you like and hate in your yearbook. If they were jerks then, they'll probably be jerks later. Maybe this will keep you from marrying the one you meet at your 10 year reunion!
AOL is getting everything it deserves. Let's hope this sealed off network dies a death. Even Bill Gates had the insight to ditch his plans to have MSN as a sealed off network. It's time for AOL to do the same.
I'm no lover of AOL and have encouraged many newbies to get out of AOL-land by looking at another provider.
But do you really WANT MSN left as the only nationally recognized internet provider? Sure Earthlink and some others run commercials. But, AFAIK, only MSN and AOL are the only ones to equip new PCs with an instant sign-up to their service.
What you don't get is your local TV station's programming. So you miss your local news, and things like local information on the Weather Channel, as well as independent stations in your area. That's a long way from saying you don't get the Simpsons.
Yes you CAN get local programming (YMMV depending on the city you're in). And to answer the other reply: you no longer have to petition the company and prove you can't get local stations to get the national networks if local is not available. I've got DirecTV and local stations are an option, including the independents (I do live in a large metropolitan area). I decided not to subscribe (it's an additional $5/month) because I rarely watch local shows (and isn't this why I got a dish to start with?)
And BTW, they have an addition to the weather channel that's interactive. You put in your city and find out the day's or three day forecast. That's one thing I like about DirectTV...it's interactive.
Slashdot Mirror
And since when is the web supposed to be about censorship?
Google is a search engine. They can certainly decide what ads they run, but they should NOT decide what I can and cannot read. Just because you happen to not like something doesn't mean you should ban it. Censorship is censorship. Hate speech--who really gets to decide if something is hate speech--vs. fact? Let us decide--I don't need daddy google to tell me. It really makes me see why they cozied up to the Chinese government because they do the same thing. They censor their feed to china so those people don't get to read anything from those naughty dissidents! Or anything on religion or other items that get in the way of the government's view of things.
There's a lot of things I don't particularly want to view or read on the web, but I'm not expecting a search engine to filter things out unless I change the settings.
If you found the government was behind this, I'll bet you'd be screaming your head off! But it's okay for a mega-corporation to do this? Let's quit acting like Google is still some warm, fuzzy startup with big dreams.
Let's face it, Lucas is no literary great. The plot of the original episodes is pretty thin. But what made it great was the (then) revolutionary special effects. Who's mouth didn't drop open when the huge empire ship first crawled across the big screen? Previously, you just didn't see sci-fi effects where you couldn't tell the ship was a pie plate on a string! I remember when it was shown in ONE theater for a YEAR (and this was a major metropolitan area) before it came out in the area--so expectations were high.
It was great, Luke even drove a flying car of sorts.
But the plot was classic: Orphaned boy goes off to seek adventure, meets wise man and a pirate, falls for princess (until he find she's his twin sister) and saves the universe.
But 20 years later those thin plots (in the later films) are not going to work. The special effects are routine. Of course we're still going to be nostalgic about the first 3, but don't be surprised when your kids shrug and say, "What's the big deal?"
There is NO technology on earth smart enough to do that!
However, maybe they'll create a Sims-like hologram to appear above their head so you can at least tell if she's IN the mood or not.
Isn't that also what a crack dealer does? ;-)
And the reverse is true....
Can Google really say their against censorship and protecting their users when the cave in to China's censorship?
Big double standard--they're hardly taking the high road.
I thought they were referring to DotComGuy who changed his name to well...DotComGuy. And then back again.
In 2005 I paid more in sales tax than I did in payroll.
YOU didn't pay the sales tax. WE (i.e., your customers) did! Sales tax is a no loss collection with you as the collection agent for the state. In fact, you could very well invest the money until it's due that quarter to make some profit. In my state, if you pay it by a certain time you get a (tiny) rebate. However, If you spent it on other things instead of keeping it separate and then had to scrape it together every three months, shame on you.
If things stink so much in the bricks and sticks world, but you still have a viable business, why not go on-line instead of closing down? Seems to me you're cutting off your nose to spite the state. There was a retail chain called Egghead that totally closed their physical stores and went online to become New Egg. Very daring at the time they did it. I believe they're making a tidy profit AND I can tell you the prices are a WHOLE lot better than when they had a store in my community!
Local communities WILL suffer, though. Retail sales can be a big income base for the local community
It seems you consider someone in retail only if they have a physical shop. With exception of the landlords wanting to rent space, I think e-business could HELP small towns and SAVE a lot of mom and pop shops because they can appeal WORLDWIDE instead of just to their community. Diversification will save a small-town business, because you're not sweating when a new Wal*Mart or other larger chain moves into town if you've got a expanded customer base.
Businesses large and small have to change and roll with what's out there. Small businesses have the advantage of being more flexable than say a Montgomery Wards or a Mervyns. You've got to pick up your head and see what the trends are. Or you can just quit and sit on the porch and watch the bigger dogs go by.
Get an unlisted number. Don't give it out to companies, use your business line if you have to. Since most home telemarketers call at night they won't catch you (unless you work the night shift.) ;-) And I've never had them leaving messages. If I write a check and the clerk asks for a phone number, I either give them my work number or make one up. Usually the latter--I know the check is good so they DON'T need that information. Goes without saying--never have them print it on the check!
We very rarely get calls, we used to get calls for the previous owner of the number--mostly those geared for Hispanics as was the case. Since we don't speak Spanish they weren't interested in trying to hook us, apparently.
Being as I don't want to, by virtue of signing up, become fresh meat for every charity (legitimate or not) and political fundraiser (how nice of politicians to leave THAT loophole in), I'll pass, thanks.
Maybe it's just a link to the "Babes of the Mormon Church" layout for Playboy. ;-)
Explanation of why they were into polygamy, maybe?
{sigh} Yes, but why is it one company simply MUST stick it's fingers in every pie it can? I can understand wanting to be the best in your field. I can understand wanting company diversity. But I can't understand wanting to go in 100 different directions at once. At some point your customer base will (and do) suffer.
And once they do take over by hook or crook, leverage or dirty tricks (Remember MSN breaking their site for Opera users?) they simply go on to the next project. And it hurts consumers. For example, once IE took over Netscape by bundling their browser with their operating system and got away with it, there was no further improvement. I haven't seen significant changes in the browser since ver 4.0! Opera and Mozilla are far superior in features, but will they ever really be able to compete as long as MS is able to dominate the market by bundling (now integrating) their browser into their OS? And not content to leave ONE company unscathed or unaquired, they're now off to dominate the search engine market.
One wonders how long it will be before Google's site stops working right in IE.
And like an oppressive government, The RIAA doesn't want their distribution and king-maker monopoly to crumble. It would be one thing it it were artist's interests that they were truly protecting, but it's obviously not. This 1999 Salon article is about who owns the digital rights (such as the website, customer database and merchandising). Guess who wants to get their hands on it?
This quote from the article:
...
"Traditionally, record labels have brought in the lion's share of their revenues by selling records, often using Draconian contracts to minimize the artists' take of the profits. Record labels took ownership of the music, its marketing and sales, reserving only a tiny percentage of the take for the artists. So, the artists made their money by merchandising ancillary products, like concert tickets or T-shirts."
But most record labels salivate over the idea of a mailing list of 100,000 fans, for multiple reasons. A list of fans of the Backstreet Boys, for example, could easily be used to promote another upcoming pop boy band -- this is what is known as data mining, and is a hot topic within the record industry. As Marc Schiller, CEO of Electric Artists, puts it, "The label wants the data not necessarily for the artist -- they are looking for that data for their artists who are similar to that artist. Should you use one artist's leverage to create a database of consumers that is used for other artists? That is going to become more controversial."
One question: Isn't Canada also one country that charges a tax on CD-Rs allegedly to pay back record companies for MP3 trading? Which leads to independent artists are being taxed for doing their own records instead of playing the record contract game.
You expect us to learn all about the company business. Well then find out about what we do for you. That way you know if someone is blowing smoke or if the task/deadline you set is unrealistic.
It also builds resentment when you discover your manager is an example of the Peter Principle and drawing $$$ while you know more than he/she does about what's going on.
Of course in Japan, layoffs are looked upon as a company failure. Here, they make the company stock go up.
So if I shoplift a CD, that would be a misdemeanor. But if I download a song--that's a felony!?
Yeah I think I know how the threat of 3 years would affect America's youth. Back to the stores! ;-) And it sure will help those dealing CDs out of the backs of trucks.
Don't think that's the intended message though.... Be careful what you legislate.
Thanks. (There's still some NEW 5.25 floppy drives around. ;-)
However, I think what they were saying (the quote I posted) was the "off-disk" copy protection prevented it just being copied and run off the hard drive. Maybe I read it wrong....
I think I have an old 5 1/4 floppy drive around somewhere (not sure if it still works).
"The original Keen series was a trilogy of games. Keens 1-3 were collectively called "Invasion of the Vorticons". As Tom talks about above, the sequel was also to be a trilogy of games, but the id guys were convinced to break Keen 6 off and make it into an independent retail item. To this, the sequel that was distributed through Apogee was only two games. Episodes 4 & 5 were collectively called "Goodbye Galaxy", and Keen 6 was called "Aliens Ate My Babysitter". Keen 6 was sold by FormGen in retail, and since it was in retail, FormGen convinced the id guys to put in some off disk copy protection for the game. The fact that Keen 6 was broken off into it's own game, and the addition of the copy protection kind of made the "vibe" not the same as the original, but Keens 4-6 are awesome games, even if it's not a trilogy.
One last note about Keen 6. At the moment, there is no legal way to obtain the game - it was a retail game by FormGen that Apogee merely resold the title. As FormGen doesn't exist anymore, the game has been discontinued, and for now, there is no legal way to obtain Keen 6 (save for the 3 level demo which was created to promote Keen 6)."
I'm fortunate enough to have a copy (including the box!), but it's in 5 1/4 disk format and basically an item of nostalgia sitting on a shelf.
Heh, heh...have you asked your friends lately about that? I'm getting this mental image of them saying, "Damn, Tom keeps sending me that 'I Love You' message."
Because opening attachments from friends is JUST as risky as opening ones from strangers. And an email that uses HTML only and opens in a preview pane is at risk of the next Nimba that comes along.
Probaby so you get the privilege of being set up in a subscription based service so you can spend $$$ on forced upgrades.
The only thing that needs cloning out of Office is simply the compatibility aspect of it's documents.
No need to clone the rest of the package: the bloat, the security holes, etc. ;-)
It's already happened:
"Microsoft had us do an audit last year that took two weeks out of my schedule," Rugg said. "That's two week's work of taxpayers' money to satisfy Microsoft."
I wonder how long they've been using Linux. The timing of the audit is suspicious, unless it was the audit that got him to switch. (But knowing how long it takes to get grants, I doubt it.)
Pull out that .com stock money in about...oh 1998!
Hang in there through high school, college is much better.
Forget the journalism degree--go for computer science. P.S. get a math tutor NOW!
In high school, be sure and make notes about the people you like and hate in your yearbook. If they were jerks then, they'll probably be jerks later. Maybe this will keep you from marrying the one you meet at your 10 year reunion!
I'm no lover of AOL and have encouraged many newbies to get out of AOL-land by looking at another provider.
But do you really WANT MSN left as the only nationally recognized internet provider? Sure Earthlink and some others run commercials. But, AFAIK, only MSN and AOL are the only ones to equip new PCs with an instant sign-up to their service.
Yes you CAN get local programming (YMMV depending on the city you're in). And to answer the other reply: you no longer have to petition the company and prove you can't get local stations to get the national networks if local is not available. I've got DirecTV and local stations are an option, including the independents (I do live in a large metropolitan area). I decided not to subscribe (it's an additional $5/month) because I rarely watch local shows (and isn't this why I got a dish to start with?)
And BTW, they have an addition to the weather channel that's interactive. You put in your city and find out the day's or three day forecast. That's one thing I like about DirectTV...it's interactive.
One thing that I haven't seen mentioned is that Ramon was one of the fighter pilots who destroyed an unfinished nuclear reactor in Iraq in 1981
Yeah it's probably a technical failure. But one hell of a coincedence, don't you think?
What's amazing the above post being rated as "insightful" instead of what it really is..."flamebait."
And no, it isn't illegal to kill someone if you are defending yourself. Not in the US anyway. Which is exactly the example Sklyarov made.