Not about any one company in particular; but, I said this years ago that the software industry will move to a services model. The competition will no longer be who provides the best product; but, who provides the best services. Symantec discovered this maxim years ago when they moved from providing A/V protection with free virus definitions and moved to a A/V protection through virus definition-update subscription. Why? {cue speculation} Any john with a computer and their A/V software was getting free updates - meanwhile, symantec still had to pay their programmers and Virus analysts. Where was the money they needed to pay these guys? They had to change in order to stay afloat.
I must admit, it scares me greatly to think of an OS where I'd have to subscribe to use my Windows's software such as Word.
Let's say I've been using Linux for years, and I'm a compulsive downloader and installer. I like trying out different OS's and desktop environments, everything from FreeDOS to CentOS to OpenBSD. I'm familiar enough with different package systems and administration styles to figure out how stuff works, but I don't want to spend a whole lot of time on something tedious and unrewarding.
This is me! That being said, I'm no guru. I've collected a lot of older systems through the years and I have two boxes I like to test distros out on. One is a very tempermental beast - I think there's a problem with the bios. This PC is from 1996-97. I've tried many distros out on this box to no avail. Most recently I tried Debian 'Sarge' and it puked on the first install and I'm going to put Slackware 10.x or 11 back on it later. However, when I installed Slackware 10.1 on this box it too failed. None-the-less, I eventually got it up and running and it runs quite well.
What's my point? I guess my point is, is that slackware is notoriously effective/stable on older systems. When I got semi-serious about linux I turned to Slackware because of its reputation. I was not disappointed and I remember learning so much. My first install with Slackware on this system did not go smoothly - it was rather rough - but, it went on and I learned *a lot* about linux, permissions and its filesystem.
I did a study of the Cassini mission's RTGs while I was in college. Even if the RTG's broke, the ceramic-like material they're made of is designed to "clump" which leads to easy collection and disposal or recycling. In the end, it was determined that there is more radiation from the Earth's natural background radiation than that from any incident that a catastrophic failure of the launch vehicle could cause.
The Bottom Line: The activists should have been out picketing their local cement supplier/home builder for not supplying more shielding to their basements walls.
I can't say enough about my 30G Video iPod. I love that thing! It is by far the most useful little device I've ever purchased. I like the interface (for the most part) - it intuitive and easy to use - even my mother and father can use it. I use it everywhere - programming at work, in my Jeep, at home doing choirs, biking, hiking - you name it. I'm soon to buy a clock radio that uses my iPod to wake me.
I like its weight, too. It seems sturdy enough though I have a rubber case for it with a neck strap that's long enough to fit in my shirt pocket. Although, I did have to stop turning the volume down while it was still in my shirt pocket - spinning a finger around my shirt-pocket-area did elicite a few strange looks (which were promptly explained away - much to their relief!!).;)
As for other players...I'm sure they have their pros and cons over the Apple iPod; but, I've grown to attached to Apple's product why should I change? I'm satisfied with iTunes as it works pretty damn well on my systems.
I'm not a serious Microsoft basher - they put food on my table - but why should I toss all my money at MS when Apple seems to have hit a home run?
As for catching my editing mistake...bravo. I initially wrote clock.exe, changed it clock.avi but missed the word 'executable.' Oh well.
However, sitting in a crowded airport terminal (in a hit-shy population fearful of their own shadows) one doesn't take more than a micro-second to clear the screen. I'm not too sure I'd appreciate watching my laptop being blown up on TV while I sit in a cell in Cuba listening to Mahat Macoat pray every four hours.:P
I own an HP Pavilion. It has 3 distinct MPBs for volume (down, mute, up - in that order). However, they're software controlled. If I'm starting up and the windows sound plays I've got to wait until the load is done in order to change the volume. Very annoying.
Me: I just purchased a new LT that was about 3 days new to me. Being on the road I didn't have much time to 'play' with it. I arrive at the airport, get my tickets and proceed to my terminal. I'm early. I decide to sit and have a look-see at what was preinstalled on my LT. I sit next to the check-in counter. I open windows explorer. yadda yadda yadda, I open the windows folder and find an executable named 'clock.avi.' I double-click it.
The face of a clock take up most of the screen. It begins to Beep. LOUDLY. The clock is counting down. From 10.
Here's another one. IM. Email them your IM name and discuss petty stuff/work stuff in an impersonal fashion. Once you've removed the feminity of *you* they'll probably be more receptive to your presence in person and forget your a woman and treat you like a person.
Having her learn what teams play when and who did what fantastic feat when could be completely boring for her and insulting to them if they feel she's pandering to them.
Me: I can't stand golf. Don't include me in the discussion. I'll do nothing but make fun of it and probably piss a lot of people off. I'm a guy. Who cares. Talk about Mountain Biking and I'm all into it.
To the topic poster: Basically, don't sell yourself out to 'fit in.' You'll only alienate those people you're trying to impress. Especially after you've 'tricked them' into thinking you're into topics you're really not. They'll not trust you or label you as fake. Be true to yourself.
There've been companies I've worked for where the men were real burly types quick to rip you a new one and other places where estrogen ran a little high in the male department. You'll just have to probe the group's interests from time to time as a passer-by. One group I worked for, I didn't associate with the sales guys for almost a year before I was 'accepted' into their group.
Yeah, it's great to be appreciated where you work. It's even better to be respected. But, truthfully, you're there to perform a job. That's it. Making friends at work is a bonus not an expectation. Just be friendly and courteous and slowly any division should be broken down.
I remember shortly after starting I found out about their new head quarters in Texas. It cost $700 million dollars. My first thought was, "Are you freakin' kidding me!?" Radio Shack has over 7000 stores and I'm sure they bring in a ton of money; but, that seemed a little much.
Radio Shack also has training at least once a month at their district office. During training we would watch video's from the home office of various senior officers of the company talk about various topics. *Invariably,* their CEO would make a comment about the new $700 million dollar HQ Campus for Radio Shack. After the third or forth meeting it became apparent to me that RS isn't just proud of the new HQ, it's trying to justify its purchase to their employees and, I'm sure, their stock-holders.
And now this. Radio Shack has, sadly, slipped in to complete chaos.
The key, I've found, is to enjoy the company of what ever animal or person you love while they are still with us. Some things we can't control. Life happens and part of life is death. Take lots of pictures and enjoy the time you've been given. Lamenting what could have been produces only poisoness fruit for the soul and the mind.
Love. In the end, it's all you can do to honor someone close to you.
Back in the day (1976-ish) my father was in the Marines. We lived on a Marine base. My older brother (he was 12) and two of his friends were playing in a creek. They followed the creek (which was beside a road) looking for frogs. At one point a vehicle pulled up and out jumped two armed Marines - guns fully drawn and pointed them at my brother and his friends. They were hand-cuffed, arrested and tossed in a cell.
Then they made the requisite phone calls to their parents. They couldn't reach the first two kids' parents when they called my father. They told him that his boy was in the base brig. They also told him that if he knew the parents of the other boys that he should contact them. They gave my father the boys' names and my father grinned ear-to-ear.
Yadda, yadda, yadda.
The base CO had the two MPs severely reprimanded, stripped of rank and transferred for type writer maintanence in Poedunk, Alaska for pulling guns on his two boys and my brother.
Moral of the story - Don't pull weapons on the base COs children.
Let's talk about the solution the Aussies took to rid themselves of the rabbits - Biological Warfare.
The decision to use rodent specific biological warfare (rabbit specific viruses and diseases) is debatable. However, one thing is certain - the rabbits and the viruses/diseases were all "contained" within the continent of Australia.
Using biological warfare against these crabs would be a very bad idea. Oceanic currents would easily carry any bacteria/virus/agent all over the oceans of the world. Non-invasive, non-targetted species would be affected and potentially decimated by, once again, 'man playing God.'
If countries were to lift quotas in certain regions for a while we could fish them to extinction in areas the crabs don't belong. Then there's the bonus of eating all that delicious crab meat!
...It doesn't matter that kudzu and dandelions and purple loosestrife and house sparrows and starlings and gypsy moths and buckthorn and... you get the picture:...
Phew! For a second there I thought I was reading an un-aired Monty Python script.
I've seen lots of complaints about people using javascript and Yahoo!'s use of it. Yahoo!'s beta version is not effected by this worm.
FTFA, "The Yamanner worm targets all versions of Yahoo Web-based mail except the latest beta version, Symantec said in an advisory released Monday." (Emphisis mine)
Every time Microsoft runs a FUD campaign like this one, everyone stops what they're working on to investigate another senseless, useless claim that MS has drummed up.
Moral of the story? While you're working away to refute their claims, you're not working on {{insert technology MS is interested in}}.
It's in the US. How can it save hundreds of millions of Euros a year?
FTFA, "...the International Tokamak Experimental Reactor (ITER) - which is to be built in Cadarache, France, from 2008 at cost of 10 billion Euros." The experiment was completed in the US. The reactor's use will be in France and probably service, oh, I don't know...Europeans.
Why does everything those fuckheads say have to make it to news sites?
Well, I can't answer that question; but, what I can say is that at least, for sites like/., the audience has a chance to refute the claims some asshat spouts. So, here we are, refuting Microsoft's absurd claims.
You create crime by criminilizing non criminal behavior conversly if everything was legal there would be no crime.
You create crime statistics by criminilizing non criminal behavior.
You manufacture criminals by criminilizing non criminal behavior.
There is nothing morally wrong with keeping ones secrets secret; which, I'm sure you agree with. And, no, I'm not attacking you. I'm just posting my viewpoint. Your post just seemed like a good place to put it.
The UK needs to wake up and realize that these forms of crime control only waste money and create more crime, than stop crime from happening.
This system doesn't create more crime - it manufactures criminals where none existed; therefore, statistically, the realized crime rate increases thus appearing as if crime rates increased.
I've got some anecdotal information to back that up. I ride mountain bikes, a lot. Let me stress that. A lot!
I thought I was in pretty good shape for a 34 year old (at the time). My troop of riders went to Long Island to ride our bikes with some friends of friends. There was this one guy, we called him "Sarge," that was 62 or 63 y.o. He was the fastest thing on two wheels I ever saw (besides the amateur MTB Racers, that is). He whooped the pants off of us youngins.
So, I'd say, the parent post hangs true. I've experienced it (from the 'younger' point of view). Kind of puts some things into perspective.
When I look at how people allow their focus to be interrupted by mobile devices I'm not so sure that they are really helping people's productivity.
Yeah, I know what you mean. Some of the less intelligent peers I have at work *always* answer the phone even though we're engaged in a very productive discussion. We're making great headway into some system we're developing or reverse engineering some problem domain programming language and the phone will ring. Even though both of us are really engaged in the conversation when that bell rings Pavlov comes out of Science class and I watch the eyes glaze over as they reach for the phone. Minutes later, the conversation can continue; but, it continues at a much slower pace than before because rover just answered the phone call and the 'flow' is no longer there.
Answering machines and Caller ID have been around for quite a while, people! Don't disrespect your profession or your peers by answering some phone call from Russell who's on your baseball team. Let them leave a message. If they're in your building and it is important enough they'll come down to your office. Most people will not interupt a company problem to talk about BS items; though, some will try. Knock there conversation off the plate before it begins in earnest.
Anymore, when I know I'm going to engage someone who "answers the call of the bell" I'll call them over to my office and discuss items there. I've also noticed that the smarter ones are the ones who can ignore the ringing of the bell until a more appropriate time is available.
Of course, sales-people have a special set of rules where the phone is concerned. They're the only ones I allow to get away with that behavior because the phone is their life-blood.
IT Guys, unless you've got the duty or aren't monitoring some production facility, respect your coworkers and let the answering machine do its job. You do know how to work an answering machine, right?
Slashdot Mirror
Strange, the article mentions nothing about grammar.nazi.org.
Were they indicted, also?
Not about any one company in particular; but, I said this years ago that the software industry will move to a services model. The competition will no longer be who provides the best product; but, who provides the best services. Symantec discovered this maxim years ago when they moved from providing A/V protection with free virus definitions and moved to a A/V protection through virus definition-update subscription. Why? {cue speculation} Any john with a computer and their A/V software was getting free updates - meanwhile, symantec still had to pay their programmers and Virus analysts. Where was the money they needed to pay these guys? They had to change in order to stay afloat.
I must admit, it scares me greatly to think of an OS where I'd have to subscribe to use my Windows's software such as Word.
This is me! That being said, I'm no guru. I've collected a lot of older systems through the years and I have two boxes I like to test distros out on. One is a very tempermental beast - I think there's a problem with the bios. This PC is from 1996-97. I've tried many distros out on this box to no avail. Most recently I tried Debian 'Sarge' and it puked on the first install and I'm going to put Slackware 10.x or 11 back on it later. However, when I installed Slackware 10.1 on this box it too failed. None-the-less, I eventually got it up and running and it runs quite well.
What's my point? I guess my point is, is that slackware is notoriously effective/stable on older systems. When I got semi-serious about linux I turned to Slackware because of its reputation. I was not disappointed and I remember learning so much. My first install with Slackware on this system did not go smoothly - it was rather rough - but, it went on and I learned *a lot* about linux, permissions and its filesystem.
Should have suppled this before I clicked submit.
/ radon/index.html
http://www.teachersdomain.org/6-8/sci/phys/energy
I did a study of the Cassini mission's RTGs while I was in college. Even if the RTG's broke, the ceramic-like material they're made of is designed to "clump" which leads to easy collection and disposal or recycling. In the end, it was determined that there is more radiation from the Earth's natural background radiation than that from any incident that a catastrophic failure of the launch vehicle could cause.
The Bottom Line: The activists should have been out picketing their local cement supplier/home builder for not supplying more shielding to their basements walls.
I can't say enough about my 30G Video iPod. I love that thing! It is by far the most useful little device I've ever purchased. I like the interface (for the most part) - it intuitive and easy to use - even my mother and father can use it. I use it everywhere - programming at work, in my Jeep, at home doing choirs, biking, hiking - you name it. I'm soon to buy a clock radio that uses my iPod to wake me.
;)
I like its weight, too. It seems sturdy enough though I have a rubber case for it with a neck strap that's long enough to fit in my shirt pocket. Although, I did have to stop turning the volume down while it was still in my shirt pocket - spinning a finger around my shirt-pocket-area did elicite a few strange looks (which were promptly explained away - much to their relief!!).
As for other players...I'm sure they have their pros and cons over the Apple iPod; but, I've grown to attached to Apple's product why should I change? I'm satisfied with iTunes as it works pretty damn well on my systems.
I'm not a serious Microsoft basher - they put food on my table - but why should I toss all my money at MS when Apple seems to have hit a home run?
You caught me. It indeed counts up to 12.
:P
As for catching my editing mistake...bravo. I initially wrote clock.exe, changed it clock.avi but missed the word 'executable.' Oh well.
However, sitting in a crowded airport terminal (in a hit-shy population fearful of their own shadows) one doesn't take more than a micro-second to clear the screen. I'm not too sure I'd appreciate watching my laptop being blown up on TV while I sit in a cell in Cuba listening to Mahat Macoat pray every four hours.
I own an HP Pavilion. It has 3 distinct MPBs for volume (down, mute, up - in that order). However, they're software controlled. If I'm starting up and the windows sound plays I've got to wait until the load is done in order to change the volume. Very annoying.
Here's a no shitter.
TIME: Post-9/11.
Location: Major Metropolitan airport
Me: I just purchased a new LT that was about 3 days new to me. Being on the road I didn't have much time to 'play' with it. I arrive at the airport, get my tickets and proceed to my terminal. I'm early. I decide to sit and have a look-see at what was preinstalled on my LT. I sit next to the check-in counter. I open windows explorer. yadda yadda yadda, I open the windows folder and find an executable named 'clock.avi.' I double-click it.
The face of a clock take up most of the screen. It begins to Beep. LOUDLY. The clock is counting down. From 10.
Excellent ideas!
Here's another one. IM. Email them your IM name and discuss petty stuff/work stuff in an impersonal fashion. Once you've removed the feminity of *you* they'll probably be more receptive to your presence in person and forget your a woman and treat you like a person.
Having her learn what teams play when and who did what fantastic feat when could be completely boring for her and insulting to them if they feel she's pandering to them.
Me: I can't stand golf. Don't include me in the discussion. I'll do nothing but make fun of it and probably piss a lot of people off. I'm a guy. Who cares. Talk about Mountain Biking and I'm all into it.
To the topic poster: Basically, don't sell yourself out to 'fit in.' You'll only alienate those people you're trying to impress. Especially after you've 'tricked them' into thinking you're into topics you're really not. They'll not trust you or label you as fake. Be true to yourself.
There've been companies I've worked for where the men were real burly types quick to rip you a new one and other places where estrogen ran a little high in the male department. You'll just have to probe the group's interests from time to time as a passer-by. One group I worked for, I didn't associate with the sales guys for almost a year before I was 'accepted' into their group.
Yeah, it's great to be appreciated where you work. It's even better to be respected. But, truthfully, you're there to perform a job. That's it. Making friends at work is a bonus not an expectation. Just be friendly and courteous and slowly any division should be broken down.
I used to work for the Rat Shack, too.
I remember shortly after starting I found out about their new head quarters in Texas. It cost $700 million dollars. My first thought was, "Are you freakin' kidding me!?" Radio Shack has over 7000 stores and I'm sure they bring in a ton of money; but, that seemed a little much.
Radio Shack also has training at least once a month at their district office. During training we would watch video's from the home office of various senior officers of the company talk about various topics. *Invariably,* their CEO would make a comment about the new $700 million dollar HQ Campus for Radio Shack. After the third or forth meeting it became apparent to me that RS isn't just proud of the new HQ, it's trying to justify its purchase to their employees and, I'm sure, their stock-holders.
And now this. Radio Shack has, sadly, slipped in to complete chaos.
RIP, RS.
The key, I've found, is to enjoy the company of what ever animal or person you love while they are still with us. Some things we can't control. Life happens and part of life is death. Take lots of pictures and enjoy the time you've been given. Lamenting what could have been produces only poisoness fruit for the soul and the mind.
Love. In the end, it's all you can do to honor someone close to you.
Back in the day (1976-ish) my father was in the Marines. We lived on a Marine base. My older brother (he was 12) and two of his friends were playing in a creek. They followed the creek (which was beside a road) looking for frogs. At one point a vehicle pulled up and out jumped two armed Marines - guns fully drawn and pointed them at my brother and his friends. They were hand-cuffed, arrested and tossed in a cell.
Then they made the requisite phone calls to their parents. They couldn't reach the first two kids' parents when they called my father. They told him that his boy was in the base brig. They also told him that if he knew the parents of the other boys that he should contact them. They gave my father the boys' names and my father grinned ear-to-ear.
Yadda, yadda, yadda.
The base CO had the two MPs severely reprimanded, stripped of rank and transferred for type writer maintanence in Poedunk, Alaska for pulling guns on his two boys and my brother.
Moral of the story - Don't pull weapons on the base COs children.
Let's talk about the solution the Aussies took to rid themselves of the rabbits - Biological Warfare.
0 &cid=15711090.
The decision to use rodent specific biological warfare (rabbit specific viruses and diseases) is debatable. However, one thing is certain - the rabbits and the viruses/diseases were all "contained" within the continent of Australia.
Using biological warfare against these crabs would be a very bad idea. Oceanic currents would easily carry any bacteria/virus/agent all over the oceans of the world. Non-invasive, non-targetted species would be affected and potentially decimated by, once again, 'man playing God.'
I've got to agree with the first significant post on this thread: http://science.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=19106
If countries were to lift quotas in certain regions for a while we could fish them to extinction in areas the crabs don't belong. Then there's the bonus of eating all that delicious crab meat!
Phew! For a second there I thought I was reading an un-aired Monty Python script.
Don't forget to lobbith thy Holy Hand-Grenade.
I've seen lots of complaints about people using javascript and Yahoo!'s use of it. Yahoo!'s beta version is not effected by this worm.
FTFA, "The Yamanner worm targets all versions of Yahoo Web-based mail except the latest beta version, Symantec said in an advisory released Monday." (Emphisis mine)
MOD PARENT UP!
Every time Microsoft runs a FUD campaign like this one, everyone stops what they're working on to investigate another senseless, useless claim that MS has drummed up.
Moral of the story? While you're working away to refute their claims, you're not working on {{insert technology MS is interested in}}.
FTFA, "...the International Tokamak Experimental Reactor (ITER) - which is to be built in Cadarache, France, from 2008 at cost of 10 billion Euros." The experiment was completed in the US. The reactor's use will be in France and probably service, oh, I don't know...Europeans.
Well, I can't answer that question; but, what I can say is that at least, for sites like /., the audience has a chance to refute the claims some asshat spouts. So, here we are, refuting Microsoft's absurd claims.
You create crime statistics by criminilizing non criminal behavior.
You manufacture criminals by criminilizing non criminal behavior.
There is nothing morally wrong with keeping ones secrets secret; which, I'm sure you agree with. And, no, I'm not attacking you. I'm just posting my viewpoint. Your post just seemed like a good place to put it.
This system doesn't create more crime - it manufactures criminals where none existed; therefore, statistically, the realized crime rate increases thus appearing as if crime rates increased.
Anyone want to give odds this legislation gets passed after elections?
Anyone want to give odds this legislation gets forgotten after elections?
I've got some anecdotal information to back that up. I ride mountain bikes, a lot. Let me stress that. A lot!
I thought I was in pretty good shape for a 34 year old (at the time). My troop of riders went to Long Island to ride our bikes with some friends of friends. There was this one guy, we called him "Sarge," that was 62 or 63 y.o. He was the fastest thing on two wheels I ever saw (besides the amateur MTB Racers, that is). He whooped the pants off of us youngins.
So, I'd say, the parent post hangs true. I've experienced it (from the 'younger' point of view). Kind of puts some things into perspective.
When I look at how people allow their focus to be interrupted by mobile devices I'm not so sure that they are really helping people's productivity.
Yeah, I know what you mean. Some of the less intelligent peers I have at work *always* answer the phone even though we're engaged in a very productive discussion. We're making great headway into some system we're developing or reverse engineering some problem domain programming language and the phone will ring. Even though both of us are really engaged in the conversation when that bell rings Pavlov comes out of Science class and I watch the eyes glaze over as they reach for the phone. Minutes later, the conversation can continue; but, it continues at a much slower pace than before because rover just answered the phone call and the 'flow' is no longer there.
Answering machines and Caller ID have been around for quite a while, people! Don't disrespect your profession or your peers by answering some phone call from Russell who's on your baseball team. Let them leave a message. If they're in your building and it is important enough they'll come down to your office. Most people will not interupt a company problem to talk about BS items; though, some will try. Knock there conversation off the plate before it begins in earnest.
Anymore, when I know I'm going to engage someone who "answers the call of the bell" I'll call them over to my office and discuss items there. I've also noticed that the smarter ones are the ones who can ignore the ringing of the bell until a more appropriate time is available.
Of course, sales-people have a special set of rules where the phone is concerned. They're the only ones I allow to get away with that behavior because the phone is their life-blood.
IT Guys, unless you've got the duty or aren't monitoring some production facility, respect your coworkers and let the answering machine do its job. You do know how to work an answering machine, right?