"Influential scientists?" - Consider the general journalistic quality of the source.
1. Blade Runner 2. Gattaca 3. 12 Monkeys 4. The Lathe of Heaven (the original) 5. Brazil 6. Forbidden Planet 7. The Day the Earth stood Still 8. Aliens 9. Planet of the Apes (the original) 10. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
I think you've misunderstood my suggestion. Assuming that the local library will agree to host the machine and provided electricity, no 'net connection of any kind is needed. The ISOs are stored on a large HD and updated at most monthly by a member of the LUG. The library's staff need not be involved beyond pointing out the kiosk, providing help in finding GNU/Linux library materials and selling blank media to the interested public in such a manner that they recoup any cost of hosting the machine. The LUG can donate the machine to the library and have one or more of its members write the interface and provided maintenance and updates as needed. Note that this does not preclude the same library from lending copies of Knoppix, Debian, Mandrake and Fedora just as they do CDs of everything from Bach to Barry Manilow. The point is that many more distros can be hosted on the machine than the library is likely to want to keep track of as part of its standard lending service. The cost to the LUG is that of the machine, continued administration and perhaps written materials or paper disc sleeves with the LUG's name and contact information prominently stamped on each one. Having a library hosted machine or kiosk will (Free Software! - See reference desk) create far more interest than simply placing donating a few copies which people will likely bypass on their way to something else. This is about GNU/Linux outreach for people who have heard little or nothing about alternatives to the dominant OS and weren't looking for it when they arrived to return the John Grisham novel they borrowed two weeks ago. My take on human nature is that Joe Sixpack is more likely to buy a CDR to get "free" software than he is to borrow (at no cost) something he knows nothing about. YMMV.
>>"Why not just set up a PC with a burner, >>post instructions and allow people to burn >>to their own CDs?"
>That would let people come in and make >copies of the non-free stuff.
Set up a box restricted to burning from ISO files only. Provide a simple click'n'burn interface and a laminated card next to the PC that would explain the different distros, number of disks needed, hardware needed and pointers to paper references both in and outside the library. The library could provide CDRs at a small profit to pay for upkeep on the system and to buy more paper references. This would be a great thing for a local Linux User Group to sponsor. It would create much greater public awareness of the local group, GNU/Linux and the Open Source movement. And no drone from Redmond (or anywhere else) could complain about software piracy.
My first thought was that they would be running more reality programming, which I find has already lessened my television watching substantially.
However, I do find that since getting a Netflix subscription I watch more of what I want at more convenient times. I gather others have the same experience with PVRs. I just watched Joss Whedon's
unfortunately cancelled Firefly series thanks to
Netflix and I'm looking forward to the entire Prisoner series, followed by Fawlty Towers. I tend to pop in a DVD at my convenience, watch something
I really enjoy and then turn it off. Of course any time saved is probably spent reading slashdot:).
Note: I don't work for or own stock in Netflix.
I had a.sig around here somehere...
You can't tell me that a "secure" system will prevent this, because I can't tell a secure system by looking at one. The promise of Open Source is no guarantee, either. Even if it had a picture of a penguin on the outside, a spiffy GNU-y logo, and OSF and SourceForge brand stickers on it, how do I know it's really "IdentifyMe_2.0" and not some hacked-up demo being run by Vinnie the Chiseler?/
Understood, but if the capture pad whined at you in Richard Stallman's voice then you'd no doubt feel much more comfortable.
The signature on the back of your credit card has been entirely superfluous for some time now. Many gas pumps, pay phones and other vending devices require only a swipe or insertion for access to your line of credit. Also, less than half of clerks that are unfamiliar with me even bother to turn the card over where, instead of a signature, it has PLEASE CHECK ID in bold letters. Some of the clerks that do check the back simply give me a strange look and hand it back. Perhaps ~75% of those who bother to look at the back ask for ID, and I've presented everything from my driver's license (sans SSN)to really old photo IDs created by private organizations. All have been accepted with nary a question. I've even given a second credit card ("Sorry, musta left my ID at the house") to "validate" the first one. When I'm asked sign on the digitising pad I'm seized with a strange palsy that causes me to doodle erratically in the space provided before approving the purchase by plonking yes with the stylus. Again, I've never had my obvious non-signature questioned even on those CRT systems where the clerk can see in real time my astonishing lack of penmanship. Biometrics in conjunction with with a credit/debit card would seem to provide far more positive identification than the current system. That said, I feel uncomfortable with the idea of widespread biometrics in commercial applications. The more information available in the databases is just that much more available for inevitable commercial or governmental abuse. Count me as a Neo-Luddite on this issue. I'll go back to squatting in my cave now.
Oh great! This will be the social and technical test bed for the roll out of the RIAA's favored version of Digital Rights Management. While Johnny is off at University being taught what passes for critical thinking he can be indoctrinated into the RIAA's future music licensing paradigm. After all, why sell physical copies of licensed work just ONCE when you can continuously charge per student/per month for the same content?
*** This Month Only!: The Metallica add on pack is only one penny more for the first three months*
*One year contract at standard pricing required.
After providing this "service" to the nation's colleges for a time the RIAA will have trained the next generation of music consumers to accept usurious licensing fees in exchange for digitally managed content without batting an eye.
*** Note: Beginning next month all Britney Spears content will be disabled pending the release of her new masterwork - - "Ooops, I made Millions again"!
Slashdot Mirror
"Influential scientists?" - Consider the general journalistic quality of the source.
.sig around here somewhere...
1. Blade Runner
2. Gattaca
3. 12 Monkeys
4. The Lathe of Heaven (the original)
5. Brazil
6. Forbidden Planet
7. The Day the Earth stood Still
8. Aliens
9. Planet of the Apes (the original)
10. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
I had a
I think you've misunderstood my suggestion.
.sig around here somewhere...
Assuming that the local library will agree
to host the machine and provided electricity,
no 'net connection of any kind is needed.
The ISOs are stored on a large HD and updated
at most monthly by a member of the LUG. The
library's staff need not be involved beyond
pointing out the kiosk, providing help in
finding GNU/Linux library materials and
selling blank media to the interested public
in such a manner that they recoup any cost of
hosting the machine. The LUG can donate the
machine to the library and have one or more of
its members write the interface and provided
maintenance and updates as needed.
Note that this does not preclude the same
library from lending copies of Knoppix, Debian,
Mandrake and Fedora just as they do CDs of
everything from Bach to Barry Manilow.
The point is that many more distros can be
hosted on the machine than the library is
likely to want to keep track of as part of
its standard lending service.
The cost to the LUG is that of the machine,
continued administration and perhaps written materials or paper disc sleeves with the LUG's
name and contact information prominently
stamped on each one.
Having a library hosted machine or kiosk will
(Free Software! - See reference desk)
create far more interest than simply placing
donating a few copies which people will likely
bypass on their way to something else. This
is about GNU/Linux outreach for people who
have heard little or nothing about alternatives
to the dominant OS and weren't looking for it
when they arrived to return the John Grisham
novel they borrowed two weeks ago.
My take on human nature is that Joe Sixpack is
more likely to buy a CDR to get "free" software
than he is to borrow (at no cost) something he knows nothing about. YMMV.
There's a
>>"Why not just set up a PC with a burner,
.sig around here somewhere
>>post instructions and allow people to burn
>>to their own CDs?"
>That would let people come in and make
>copies of the non-free stuff.
Set up a box restricted to burning from ISO
files only. Provide a simple click'n'burn
interface and a laminated card next to the
PC that would explain the different distros,
number of disks needed, hardware needed and pointers to paper references both in and
outside the library.
The library could provide CDRs at a small
profit to pay for upkeep on the system and
to buy more paper references. This would be
a great thing for a local Linux User Group to sponsor. It would create much greater public awareness of the local group, GNU/Linux and
the Open Source movement.
And no drone from Redmond (or anywhere else)
could complain about software piracy.
There's a
My first thought was that they would be running more reality programming, which I find has already lessened my television watching substantially. However, I do find that since getting a Netflix subscription I watch more of what I want at more convenient times. I gather others have the same experience with PVRs. I just watched Joss Whedon's unfortunately cancelled Firefly series thanks to Netflix and I'm looking forward to the entire Prisoner series, followed by Fawlty Towers. I tend to pop in a DVD at my convenience, watch something I really enjoy and then turn it off. Of course any time saved is probably spent reading slashdot:). Note: I don't work for or own stock in Netflix. I had a .sig around here somehere...
You can't tell me that a "secure" system will prevent this, because I can't tell a secure system by looking at one. The promise of Open Source is no guarantee, either. Even if it had a picture of a penguin on the outside, a spiffy GNU-y logo, and OSF and SourceForge brand stickers on it, how do I know it's really "IdentifyMe_2.0" and not some hacked-up demo being run by Vinnie the Chiseler?/
Understood, but if the capture pad whined at you in Richard Stallman's voice then you'd no doubt feel much more comfortable.
The signature on the back of your credit card has been entirely superfluous for some time now. Many gas pumps, pay phones and other vending devices require only a swipe or insertion for access to your line of credit. Also, less than half of clerks that are unfamiliar with me even bother to turn the card over where, instead of a signature, it has PLEASE CHECK ID in bold letters. Some of the clerks that do check the back simply give me a strange look and hand it back.
Perhaps ~75% of those who bother to look at the back ask for ID, and I've presented everything from
my driver's license (sans SSN)to really old photo
IDs created by private organizations. All have been accepted with nary a question. I've even given
a second credit card ("Sorry, musta left my ID at the house") to "validate" the first one.
When I'm asked sign on the digitising pad I'm seized with a strange palsy that causes me to doodle erratically in the space provided before approving the purchase by plonking yes with the stylus. Again, I've never had my obvious non-signature questioned even on those CRT systems
where the clerk can see in real time my astonishing
lack of penmanship.
Biometrics in conjunction with with a credit/debit
card would seem to provide far more positive identification than the current system.
That said, I feel uncomfortable with the idea of widespread biometrics in commercial applications.
The more information available in the databases is
just that much more available for inevitable commercial or governmental abuse.
Count me as a Neo-Luddite on this issue.
I'll go back to squatting in my cave now.
Oh great! This will be the social and technical test bed for the roll out of the RIAA's favored version of Digital Rights Management. While Johnny is off at University being taught what passes for critical thinking he can be indoctrinated into the RIAA's future music licensing paradigm. After all, why sell physical copies of licensed work just ONCE when you can continuously charge per student/per month for the same content?
*** This Month Only!: The Metallica add on pack is
only one penny more for the first three months*
*One year contract at standard pricing required.
After providing this "service" to the nation's colleges for a time the RIAA will have trained the next generation of music consumers to accept usurious licensing fees in exchange for digitally managed content without batting an eye.
*** Note: Beginning next month all Britney Spears
content will be disabled pending the release of her new masterwork - - "Ooops, I made Millions again"!
yeesh,
Fibonacci Ceres