And, while we're venturing off topic, geeks need better project planning to prevent a lot of the last minute coding cram sessions that inevitably happen.
Before you flame me, I've long championed the "improv" school of coding - write when you're inspired.
But, good project management might save a lot of hairlines, guts, and relationships from distress.
Because, a fully combat-loaded soldier may be carrying upwards of 100 pounds of gear, including ammunition, clothing, first aid equipment, water, and food.
Now, imagine that you're stuck in battle, 40 miles behind enemy lines. You've had an airdrop of ammunition, but the chopper carrying your food resupply was shot out of the air.
You can carry a day's worth of nutrients in a couple of ounces worth of patches, or a bulkier vitamin bottle - which, by the way, is harder to protect against chemical agents, water, and other contamination.
Oh, and, just so you know, I read the article, and I saw the bit about the "commercial speech" defense applying regardless of intent (i.e., negating my "deriving commercial benefit" illustration above), but this case could very well question that idea.
To analogize even further, if Google could be said to be a landowner and those linked to could be said to be visitors, the fact that Google is deriving commercial benefit would give Google a higher standard of care in tort than if people simple stumbled onto the property (as, say, in the analogous case where URLs were self-added to the database).
The problem is that the bond rating company may or may not have derived a commercial benefit from their ratings system. Google presumably derives commercial benefit from the accuracy, methodology, and structure of its search results.
If, say, a private school had loaned a school district money, then downgraded its own "personal" rating of the school district in order to trigger repayment of the loan, a court would very probably say that the private school had engaged in some manner of predatory practices and would therefore lose in an action against the school district. Sure it's an "opinion," but if it's motivated by bad faith, then it's not going to be protected.
This is probably a more accurate analogy than the cited case.
According to 17 USCA Ch. 12 Sec. 1201(a): "No person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title. The prohibition contained in the preceding sentence shall take effect at the end of the 2-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this chapter."
It may only present a cause of action for Microsoft if cracking the key may be construed as circumventing controlled access to a particular copyrighted work. Does the key do that? Or does the key serve to authenticate software running on the box?
It means: for most of the 20th Century, you've had information thrown at you whether you want it or not through TV ads, TV in general, radio, evangelists standing on street corners, things like that.
By 2012, says our fair author, most information you get will be information you've requested.
My prediction? The amount of pushed information won't diminish a bit, but it'll become a sort of commercial "white noise"... kinda like watching CNN Headline News: you're generally only subconsciously aware of the tickers flying by. Every once in a while your brain might spot something interesting and clue the rest of your awareness into it.
Well, (and this is back on-topic, I hope) at least on/. discussion of a political issue such as this occasionally contains some real and valid points. I mean, I hear lawyers and stuff actually read this.:)
Fark is all about farting and boobies. Nothing wrong with farting and boobies, but.
When the issue at stake is the ability of Americans (sorry non-Americans, I'm not trying to exclude; I'm just keeping an eye on the proper scope of the original topic) to have free and unrestricted access to products that to not represent a threat to Life, Liberty, or the Pursuit of Happiness, and when the legislation ITSELF is a threat to those three principles of Americanism, we need honest debate like this.
Now, occasionally we need to blow off some steam with OT rants and humor, but lemme be pretty clear: this issue is too important to blow off.
My friend, I couldn't agree more with you. Seriously. I was merely indicating my faith that the checks and balances would work. The actions of one misguided - and bought - senator may be stopped at three places: the House (and conference), the President's desk, and the court system.
No, apathy is the reason garbage legislation like this even has a pulse. A group I used to participate in had a slogan that's appropriate for these times: "Democracy is not a spectator sport."
Fritz is still a senator because of two things: he brings SC a lot of money for our tech-school system, and a lot of folks just don't care about trying to replace him with someone younger and more in tune with current events.
I like the man, personally. But I find his political calcification disturbing, and his political selling-out even more disturbing.
No, please don't take my comments as apathetic. And mod the post I'm replying to up, please. He/She makes a good point that I wasn't nearly clear enough about.
Maybe we could get Hollings to introduce legislation to bring RT back... We'll just convince him it's a new Disney character and watch him work his legislative magic...
You know, it used to be that Fritz was just a nice old man. And he really is. He's a smart guy, too. But I'm beginning to wonder if the pressure of being the World's Oldest Junior Senator (Strom is ahead of him) is beginning to make him bitter.
Frankly, I'm not so worried about the implications of this legislation. If it passes (unlikely), it'll just get attacked in the House or defeated in the courts if it somehow makes it past Dubya's desk.
It's more that SC (and the US in general) has a gentleman like this steering legislative policy on something that didn't even exist when he was celebrating his 60th birthday. I'm not saying older folks can't learn, but in this case, I think it's safe to say that SC is not going to become a technology center (nor will the United States remain one) as long as its legislators insist on kissing up to interests that have less consideration for the proper deployment of technology than they do for the protection of their short-term revenue streams.
Anyway, God help us all. Fritz is a nice man, but he should be ignored on this issue.
Boobies!
oops... thought I was on Fark...
You know, at this rate I'll never get modded up...
Ah well, at least _I_ know I have something original to say...:)
You know, what disappoints me is that the muxel-crowd won't overlook the obvious shortcomings of the IMQ Refresh Paroxibot, especially the one that employs shadow-twist refiltering on the third pass. This sort of oversimplification of the Paroximast MMC process seems to bespeak a serious misunderstanding of the underlying one-flap architecture.
The above may or may not contain a single shred of reality. I'm just enjoying a little jab at jargon... It's just 'cuz y'all know so much more than I do... Call it envy.:)
No, no, no... The research came (partly) from South Carolina, therefore we rename the gravastar to "Alabama".... We don't like them very much... besides, if there's such a thing as an observable black hole on earth, it's gotta be Alabama.:)
*poke* *poke* c'mon Alabamans, respond with great vengeance and righteous indignation!:)
Is that the big box over in the corner? Yeah, I remember that thing. "Cosby Show" and all that.
Call me flamebait, but I really don't care. I mean, I'm interested in the intellectual property/fair use debate. That's bloody important.
But TV as such just doesn't do it for me any more.
*sigh*
Slashdot Mirror
And, while we're venturing off topic, geeks need better project planning to prevent a lot of the last minute coding cram sessions that inevitably happen.
Before you flame me, I've long championed the "improv" school of coding - write when you're inspired.
But, good project management might save a lot of hairlines, guts, and relationships from distress.
Is your sex buggy?
Because, a fully combat-loaded soldier may be carrying upwards of 100 pounds of gear, including ammunition, clothing, first aid equipment, water, and food.
Now, imagine that you're stuck in battle, 40 miles behind enemy lines. You've had an airdrop of ammunition, but the chopper carrying your food resupply was shot out of the air.
You can carry a day's worth of nutrients in a couple of ounces worth of patches, or a bulkier vitamin bottle - which, by the way, is harder to protect against chemical agents, water, and other contamination.
I'll take an emergency supply of patches.
A pipe dream? Much like your colon when it is completely lacking in solid matter but your body thinks it's nutritionally satisfied.
vote.
it's that simple.
really.
Oh, and, just so you know, I read the article, and I saw the bit about the "commercial speech" defense applying regardless of intent (i.e., negating my "deriving commercial benefit" illustration above), but this case could very well question that idea.
To analogize even further, if Google could be said to be a landowner and those linked to could be said to be visitors, the fact that Google is deriving commercial benefit would give Google a higher standard of care in tort than if people simple stumbled onto the property (as, say, in the analogous case where URLs were self-added to the database).
Ok, I'll stop now.
The problem is that the bond rating company may or may not have derived a commercial benefit from their ratings system. Google presumably derives commercial benefit from the accuracy, methodology, and structure of its search results.
If, say, a private school had loaned a school district money, then downgraded its own "personal" rating of the school district in order to trigger repayment of the loan, a court would very probably say that the private school had engaged in some manner of predatory practices and would therefore lose in an action against the school district. Sure it's an "opinion," but if it's motivated by bad faith, then it's not going to be protected.
This is probably a more accurate analogy than the cited case.
I swore to myself I'd never do this, but...
1. Build super-tall coaster!
2. ???
3. Vomit!
i feel dirty.
According to 17 USCA Ch. 12 Sec. 1201(a): "No person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title. The prohibition contained in the preceding sentence shall take effect at the end of the 2-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this chapter."
It may only present a cause of action for Microsoft if cracking the key may be construed as circumventing controlled access to a particular copyrighted work. Does the key do that? Or does the key serve to authenticate software running on the box?
Forget DRM... I'm just waiting for the XP Bidet Edition.
I mean, c'mon... They've got my eyes, my hands, and my ears covered with XP flavors, so why not my butt?
Hrm. "flavors" and "butt" so close together makes me feel funny.
It means: for most of the 20th Century, you've had information thrown at you whether you want it or not through TV ads, TV in general, radio, evangelists standing on street corners, things like that.
By 2012, says our fair author, most information you get will be information you've requested.
My prediction? The amount of pushed information won't diminish a bit, but it'll become a sort of commercial "white noise"... kinda like watching CNN Headline News: you're generally only subconsciously aware of the tickers flying by. Every once in a while your brain might spot something interesting and clue the rest of your awareness into it.
Blah blah blah...
Fark is all about farting and boobies. Nothing wrong with farting and boobies, but.
When the issue at stake is the ability of Americans (sorry non-Americans, I'm not trying to exclude; I'm just keeping an eye on the proper scope of the original topic) to have free and unrestricted access to products that to not represent a threat to Life, Liberty, or the Pursuit of Happiness, and when the legislation ITSELF is a threat to those three principles of Americanism, we need honest debate like this.
Now, occasionally we need to blow off some steam with OT rants and humor, but lemme be pretty clear: this issue is too important to blow off.
Ok, I'm done...
No, apathy is the reason garbage legislation like this even has a pulse. A group I used to participate in had a slogan that's appropriate for these times: "Democracy is not a spectator sport."
Fritz is still a senator because of two things: he brings SC a lot of money for our tech-school system, and a lot of folks just don't care about trying to replace him with someone younger and more in tune with current events.
I like the man, personally. But I find his political calcification disturbing, and his political selling-out even more disturbing.
No, please don't take my comments as apathetic. And mod the post I'm replying to up, please. He/She makes a good point that I wasn't nearly clear enough about.
At least Fark has Boobies...
Then again, /. has Beowulf clusters.. that's something...
Yes, yes, offtopic... sorry 'bout that...
Ok, back to my nap...
Frankly, I'm not so worried about the implications of this legislation. If it passes (unlikely), it'll just get attacked in the House or defeated in the courts if it somehow makes it past Dubya's desk.
It's more that SC (and the US in general) has a gentleman like this steering legislative policy on something that didn't even exist when he was celebrating his 60th birthday. I'm not saying older folks can't learn, but in this case, I think it's safe to say that SC is not going to become a technology center (nor will the United States remain one) as long as its legislators insist on kissing up to interests that have less consideration for the proper deployment of technology than they do for the protection of their short-term revenue streams.
Anyway, God help us all. Fritz is a nice man, but he should be ignored on this issue.
Boobies! oops... thought I was on Fark... You know, at this rate I'll never get modded up... Ah well, at least _I_ know I have something original to say... :)
one ring to rule them all and in the broadcast blind them.
yeh yeh, so "broadcast" is out of date. The point's still the same.
Now all we need is a beowulf cluster of these "Now all we need is a beowulf cluster of these!" posts. Woo... recursion!
You know, what disappoints me is that the muxel-crowd won't overlook the obvious shortcomings of the IMQ Refresh Paroxibot, especially the one that employs shadow-twist refiltering on the third pass. This sort of oversimplification of the Paroximast MMC process seems to bespeak a serious misunderstanding of the underlying one-flap architecture.
:)
The above may or may not contain a single shred of reality. I'm just enjoying a little jab at jargon... It's just 'cuz y'all know so much more than I do... Call it envy.
Hey, you know, if we had a Beowulf cluster of Linuses...
Oh, somebody already said that? Drat, always late to the party.
(/. social experiment #42: will they mod me "Redundant", "Offtopic", or "Troll"? Or will they just not care? *sigh*)
No, no, no... The research came (partly) from South Carolina, therefore we rename the gravastar to "Alabama".... We don't like them very much... besides, if there's such a thing as an observable black hole on earth, it's gotta be Alabama. :)
*poke* *poke* c'mon Alabamans, respond with great vengeance and righteous indignation! :)
Is that the big box over in the corner? Yeah, I remember that thing. "Cosby Show" and all that. Call me flamebait, but I really don't care. I mean, I'm interested in the intellectual property/fair use debate. That's bloody important. But TV as such just doesn't do it for me any more. *sigh*
check your pocket. (that's right, mod me down you cynical bastards!)
*cough* I never thought I'd lower myself to this level, but, here goes:
Sony's right out there in the lead with the Clie line. 320x320 screen, sound, IR-remote software, headphone jack... Great product...
Damn, now I feel dirty.
(Something tells me this is going to be redundant.. Goodbye karma, I hardly knew ye.)