Excess? There's an excess of bandwidth? But that's not what 360Networks and Global Crossing were telling me right before I bought their stock for outrageous prices. You don't mean that....no...they couldn't have...
They would be stupid to do so, because bailing out a company like doesn't get rid of the problem. The problem is, that consolidation is necessary. Let the market sort it self out, through a sort of natural selection process. Of course they should step in if one or more companies begin to form a monopoly in the industry, but that's a long way off right now.
As the original poster, I have to agree with you, that the car analogy does work, because it is so simple. The pattern here is an age old one, and that is that eventually as certain growing industries mature they eventually turn into just a handful of large companies. This also happened with telco in the late 20th century, which culminated in the break-up of Bell in (I can't remember 70s, 80s?)
What should the punishment be for these people? We can't really fine them for that amount. And you can't really put them in jail for any amount of time that really makes up for it. Nor can you ask the people who made money on the stock to give their money back to the people who lost money.
I think they should be "stoned" like they used to back in the days. I've always wanted to participate in a stoning. I always found it interesting that one stone doesn't really hurt that much, but as soon as you hit them with hundreds of stones, it really starts to hurt.
I heard on the radio just last week...that there was a guy who worked at a New York investment research firm (they emphasized that he was NOT a broker/analyst), who said in a newspaper column (I think in the NYTimes) that 25 of the 29 largest telecom/photonics companies in the US were at risk of going bankrupt in the next coming months. He compared it to the early 20th century when there were over 50 car manufacturers in the US, and then after a major car industry meltdown, there were 5 companies which emerged from the dust.
This guy predicted that 25 of the largest telco companies will go down (and this 25 included Nortel, but that's the only name I remember), and NO ONE will rescue them at all, because the only way the other 4-5 companies will have a chance of a healthy life afterwards is if they let the companies go bankrupt (R.I.P.) while the 4-5 remaining companies will buy them up in a fire-sale.
Just wondering if anyone else heard about this prediction...it was just last week I think. I'd also like to get my hands on the article. If anyone knows anything about this, please let me know. I did a bit of Google searching and checked the NYTimes, but didn't find anything. Bad keywords probably.
It's so easy to compile the kernel from source. Redhat has a nice PDF tutorial about this somewhere on their website. Sorry I can't get the link for your right now. It is actually a chapter in their user manual I think. I learned how to do this when I was a newbie and it wasn't too bad...even for a newbie.
About the solar cells thing...I doubt it would be possible. These things would use a heck of a lot more energy than a pocket calculator. Palm's currently use 3.0V. I think the solar cells on calculators for example use about half that. So you'd need a larger solar cell first of all for the voltage, and then even larger for the higher current consumption in this computer.
You're missing the key difference (which isn't really big, just the difference that I was trying to point out). That is, that you can avoid this whole signature thing by using a debit card. Sure there are other problems with debit cards, but it seems to me that if you are paranoid about someone sniffing 802.11 signals and getting your signature in digital format, using a debit card might not be a bad idea for you. It would be tougher to find your your PIN compared to your signature.
Can they get your signature anyways? Whether it's on paper or not? Why go to the trouble of sniffing an 802.11 transmission? Why not just grab your wallet and look at the signatures on the backs of your credit cards, etc.
Wow, you Americans must have it pretty lucky down there if you are only limited to $50 for credit cards. I've known people who have lost thousands. Although I have no idea what time frame they reported the stolen card in, so it's moot anyways.
"Signatures are valuable in far more realms than credit cards"
Then why do you go about signing credit card receipts (which I assume you do because you make no other assumption otherwise in your post), when the signature is so valuable, and is the "only legal authentication for many kinds of legally binding documents"? Sorry, that's where I lose you. Any old cashier could take your signature if they wanted. So please, explain your point more clearly for me...if in fact I am missing your point.
I don't think they'll go for it. It's already caused my property to lose half it's value! I'm getting kind of tired of driving that thing in circles too. I may turn it into a roller coster as soon as I get some time.
Your level of paranoia is a little strange, and somewhat contradictory. If you are doing any signing whatsoever, then that must mean you are using credit cards; however, credit cards are probably the most insecure method of exchanging money in the world today, after cash of course. All someone needs is your name, credit card number and the expiry date, and they are home free. Forget about the signature. Gas stations no longer require signatures if you "pay at the pump," nor do on-line retaileres. If you really want to be safe, get rid of your credit cards. Use debit cards. Or if you feel that your PIN may be transmitted insecurely over the air waves (which it wouldn't be in Best Buy's case), your last resort is to use cash.
You also assume that someone is willing to reconstruct your signature into an image from some garbled-looking digital information. And then they have to learn how to copy your signature at least decently (which would be hard to do, because your signature would probably be pretty messy. Have you ever tried writing on those pads? It's a bitch). Which brings me to another point. Do you think those 15 year old cashiers even look at your hand-written signature to see if it is yours? Not likely. So even if someone got a hold of your credit card, they wouldn't need to have parked outside with a 802.11 card and a laptop and sophisticated software to learn your signature...they could just put anything on the dotted line and the cashiers wouldn't blink!
I don't need batteries. It's all done with permanent magnets and jet propulsion. I figured if a kid can build a nuclear reactor in his backyard, I should be able to build a Maglev.
If you are bored, pick up your copy of Kernighan and Ritchie and look up "recursion" in the index. Okay, I know it's lame. But I found it at eeggs.com which is kind of a cool website, if you like that sort of thing.
There was a great article in the latest IEEE Spectrum magazine on Nixie tube clocks. Fortunately for you nixie-heads out there, it is also available online:
USB 2.0 is pretty much the same as 1.0 as far as I know, and largely backwards-compatible. Most of the advantages in USB 2.0 are at the hardware level, in terms of higher bit rates and such...
I'll just set up a quantum information link. If anyone tries to tap into my line, they'll collapse the wavefunction! If anyone tries to spy on me, I'll know that they've tampered with my qubits. All I need is an underground network of dedicated fibre optic links so I can talk to my good friends Alice and Bob. Who says quantum cryptography was a half-baked idea?
They can make a game that takes up 4.5 Gigs of precious magnetic storage, but they can't make an English version of the website. Or should I say Engrish.
Slashdot Mirror
Excess? There's an excess of bandwidth? But that's not what 360Networks and Global Crossing were telling me right before I bought their stock for outrageous prices. You don't mean that....no...they couldn't have...
They would be stupid to do so, because bailing out a company like doesn't get rid of the problem. The problem is, that consolidation is necessary. Let the market sort it self out, through a sort of natural selection process. Of course they should step in if one or more companies begin to form a monopoly in the industry, but that's a long way off right now.
I think they should be "stoned" like they used to back in the days. I've always wanted to participate in a stoning. I always found it interesting that one stone doesn't really hurt that much, but as soon as you hit them with hundreds of stones, it really starts to hurt.
Are there any other suggestions?
This guy predicted that 25 of the largest telco companies will go down (and this 25 included Nortel, but that's the only name I remember), and NO ONE will rescue them at all, because the only way the other 4-5 companies will have a chance of a healthy life afterwards is if they let the companies go bankrupt (R.I.P.) while the 4-5 remaining companies will buy them up in a fire-sale.
Just wondering if anyone else heard about this prediction...it was just last week I think. I'd also like to get my hands on the article. If anyone knows anything about this, please let me know. I did a bit of Google searching and checked the NYTimes, but didn't find anything. Bad keywords probably.
It's so easy to compile the kernel from source. Redhat has a nice PDF tutorial about this somewhere on their website. Sorry I can't get the link for your right now. It is actually a chapter in their user manual I think. I learned how to do this when I was a newbie and it wasn't too bad...even for a newbie.
This thing would use up batteries like there's no tomorrow...especially if the camera was being used continuously for a video call.
http://www.mandrakelinux.com/en/ftptmp/1024501320. d32fd091334bd166624816e3d84d319a.php#others
It looks like HP, Intel, and RedHat have been in the mix since 1999.
http://sverre.home.cern.ch/sverre/Linux_IA64_proje ct.html
About the solar cells thing...I doubt it would be possible. These things would use a heck of a lot more energy than a pocket calculator. Palm's currently use 3.0V. I think the solar cells on calculators for example use about half that. So you'd need a larger solar cell first of all for the voltage, and then even larger for the higher current consumption in this computer.
And laws are different in different countries. Not everyone here is American.
You're missing the key difference (which isn't really big, just the difference that I was trying to point out). That is, that you can avoid this whole signature thing by using a debit card. Sure there are other problems with debit cards, but it seems to me that if you are paranoid about someone sniffing 802.11 signals and getting your signature in digital format, using a debit card might not be a bad idea for you. It would be tougher to find your your PIN compared to your signature.
Wow, you Americans must have it pretty lucky down there if you are only limited to $50 for credit cards. I've known people who have lost thousands. Although I have no idea what time frame they reported the stolen card in, so it's moot anyways.
Then why do you go about signing credit card receipts (which I assume you do because you make no other assumption otherwise in your post), when the signature is so valuable, and is the "only legal authentication for many kinds of legally binding documents"? Sorry, that's where I lose you. Any old cashier could take your signature if they wanted. So please, explain your point more clearly for me...if in fact I am missing your point.
I don't think they'll go for it. It's already caused my property to lose half it's value! I'm getting kind of tired of driving that thing in circles too. I may turn it into a roller coster as soon as I get some time.
You also assume that someone is willing to reconstruct your signature into an image from some garbled-looking digital information. And then they have to learn how to copy your signature at least decently (which would be hard to do, because your signature would probably be pretty messy. Have you ever tried writing on those pads? It's a bitch). Which brings me to another point. Do you think those 15 year old cashiers even look at your hand-written signature to see if it is yours? Not likely. So even if someone got a hold of your credit card, they wouldn't need to have parked outside with a 802.11 card and a laptop and sophisticated software to learn your signature...they could just put anything on the dotted line and the cashiers wouldn't blink!
I don't need batteries. It's all done with permanent magnets and jet propulsion. I figured if a kid can build a nuclear reactor in his backyard, I should be able to build a Maglev.
If you are bored, pick up your copy of Kernighan and Ritchie and look up "recursion" in the index. Okay, I know it's lame. But I found it at eeggs.com which is kind of a cool website, if you like that sort of thing.
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/publicfeature / un02/nixi.html
Check it out here
If it's down, then it's probably been slashdotted.
USB 2.0 is pretty much the same as 1.0 as far as I know, and largely backwards-compatible. Most of the advantages in USB 2.0 are at the hardware level, in terms of higher bit rates and such...
I'll just set up a quantum information link. If anyone tries to tap into my line, they'll collapse the wavefunction! If anyone tries to spy on me, I'll know that they've tampered with my qubits. All I need is an underground network of dedicated fibre optic links so I can talk to my good friends Alice and Bob. Who says quantum cryptography was a half-baked idea?
Has anyone gotten Linux running on this yet? I'd really like to install Debian and be able to run X.
It's easy to say who the villain would be in that movie.
They can make a game that takes up 4.5 Gigs of precious magnetic storage, but they can't make an English version of the website. Or should I say Engrish.