As reported here on/., MS has over $40 billion on hand. That means they can afford to give away 200 million X-boxes which translates into a free X-box for every man woman in child under the age of 50 in the US (I assume most over that age would be uninterested in a video game console). That's also enough cash to bring two X-boxes to every household. One could go in the kiddies' room and one in the living room to be enjoyed by the whole family.
If BG had any balls, this is the strategy he'd pursue. Maybe he could write it off under his charity.
I had a "touch screen" watch in '87
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Touchscreen Watch
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I bought a touch screen watch from Casio on 1987. It was a calucator watch. Remember those?This watche didn't have regular buttons, just a flat, touch-senstive face.
This watch being advertised as the first "touch screen" watch is pure, unadulterated BS.
Crap, somebody already stole my idea
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Lunar Power
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Why look out when you can look in?
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Lunar Power
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How about if we tapped the magma core right inside the ol' planet earth? We could pile drive a 12,000 mile long, 100' diameter pipe right through to the center of the earth and pop out lava through some souped up oil derrick. The energy supply would be almost limitless!
It's good to see someone advocating for political action. Until citizens start getting involved, things will never change.
To compare such a group with the NRA is probably overstepping what this lobbying arm will be capable of. The NRA is well-armed with money from the gun industry. It's going to be tough to get that kind of muscle from computer geeks. I don't have statistics on the breakdown of how the NRA gets funded, but I'd say it's a safe bet that at least 80% of their money comes from gun manufacturers. Someone needs to be able to pay the lobbyists to go schmooze with the politicians and get the voice of the geeks heard. There also needs to be money for conventions to set the agenda, etc, etc.
The groups proposes raising $200K. But honestly, just how far is that going to go? Maybe it'll cover the expenses and salary of one lobbyist for a year if we're lucky. I wonder what the operating budget of the NRA is. Anybody have an idea?
Anyway, it's a noble idea and should be pursued further. I hope they find ways to raise some serious cash or at the very least, get geeks more politically active.
"It's best for the consumer. We are looking out for their interests."
What's really sad is that this thinly veiled PR mantra still has not lost it's effect. That's because it's more convenient in the current "free" market zeitgeist to buy into it. "We don't need the government designing software, it would hurt the consumer," goes this shallow line of reasoning. As a result, judges can't base their decisions based on what's fair or just but on what's "good" for the consumer, no matter how full of shit the argument is.
Microsoft has been able to spin their whole defense around this simple-minded argument. They claim that software is somehow special and different and should be left in the hands of the technology Gods on Mt. Microsoft.
I say bullshit. The world should not have to bend over backwards to meet the vision of some narrow-minded, profit-driven software engineers. The world existed before Windows or any software "standards" forced on the market by Microsoft. It's a pretty safe assumption the world will keep churning right along without them.
Microsoft chairman and former CEO Bill Gates formally announced his candidacy today at the Seatlle King Dome. Addressing, the standing room crowd of over 120,000 Microsoft employees, Mr. Gates proudly proclaimed his run as the ultimate triumph of the greatest standardizing force the world has ever seen.
"From PCs, to the Internet, and now to the entire nation, we have and will continue to set the pace for doing business in the free world."
CEO Steve Allen gave what is becoming his standard stup speech: "Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters!" which sent the packed audience into a wild frenzy.
Technology insiders say Gates' chances of winning as good. His ability to threaten the withdrawal of his Windows license agreements from all desktops has many voters frightened of the consequences if Gates were to lose the election.
"If he doesn't win this year, he'll certainly take the 2012 race. By that time,.NET will be firmly entrenched and our power to bring down the entire Internet will be unstoppable," said Scott McNealy, lead technology analyst for Microsoft.
Did you happen to see what this what this thread was about? If not, I'll summarize:
Basically the gist was that the free market was failing citizens who'd like more convenience from their cell phones but since the "free" market isn't delivering. Instead, they are forced to sue the cell phone carriers to have their needs met.
If company's need to make life less convenient and expensive for consumers, that's just the way it is. If consumers don't like it, they can just stop buying cell phones and go live life in the Australian Outback.
Life is about survival of the fittest and company's need to do what they need to do to survive. It's the law of the jungle. Yup, it's a dog-eat-dog world out there and there isn't much we can do about it.
Think about this: if the West had to share all of its technological goodies and advancements with the other 5/6ths of the world, that would mean less for us. That's not a world that is acceptable to me and that's just not the way the free market is designed to work.
If you're too poor to deal with reality, find somewhere else to live.
The view expressed by this article isn't a new one and is supported by my many prominent thinkers on globalization.
There is a large arugment amoung sociologists about what the exact outcome of globalization will be. To simplify, those who look at the process from a modernist perspective believe that globalization will create one monoculture because it leads to efficiency. Those with a more postmodern approach say that globalization will actually work to make new kinds of cultures and increase cultural diversity. In fact, the "geek" culture can be seen as a new kind of culture that has appeared as a resulut of technologies such as the Internet.
If you really want to get the skinny on globalization, you should go find some good academic sociology journals that address the issue. NYT certainly can't go into any depth on such a complex subject.
I've got news for you, this is the "free" market at work. In a true free market, he who has the power has the might and the right.
This "free" market philosophy is total nonsense. A fair and level playing field will never happen on its own. It's a fiction of the modern capitalist imagination. It's utopian, idealistic, and total bullshit. Unfortunately, too many geeks have bought into this party line which has paralyzed them into inaction.
The fact is, what works best is an intelligent and difficult balance of capitalism, socialism, and democracy. In their pure form, none of these ideologies work by themselves but when the best elements from each are used, the best possible society results. It's time to reject simplistic notions that a "free" market will save us from the tyranny of ourselves.
What it's really time for is geeks to get off their collective asses and doing something about all this MS bullshit. Until that happens, I'm stuck hear reading the 2,000th post full of intellectual crank yanking that doesn't do a bit of fucking good.
But others (like me) see it as the best hope for a world in which gaps between the tech and non-tech worlds are widening, and the have-nots are increasingly enraged at the haves.
Katz, you might be interesting and write coherent senstences if you didn't waste so much effort trying to sound profound.
No. Your content will compete the next Harry Potter sequel site and pull eyeballs away from it thereby infringing upon AOL Time Warner's right to free speech. You do so at your own risk and could easily get hauled into court.
I'm sorry, it's time for the "R" word folks. Yes, I'm talking regulation. Bandwidth, like electricity and gas, is a utility and a required commodity in this recent age. Utility commissions oversee (at least they used to) the power industry to help make sure we don't get gouged. As a result we know how much it roughly costs to for a KW of electricity and we have a good idea of what utilities can charge and still make a profit, and a rather good one at that. It's time for a some entity, yes that's the "g" word, government, to step in and do the same for bandwidth.
And despite what fairy tales you free-market champions may have been told when you were little children back in the Reagan era, corporations when left to their own, will gouge the hell out of the consumer. That's their job.
From what I've seen from web hosting companies, it costs about $1.50 per GB. And that's probably way overpriced for ISPs whom I'm sure get huge volume discounts. But I'll stick with the $1.50 figure anyway. Just wait until they cap users at 3 and 4 GB a month for $40...
...and without the "R" word, there ain't nothin' you gonna do about it.
This article which accompanies the recent news that of B-22 the ice shelf that has been around since the ice age on top of the dozens of other large ice formation that have disappeared into the sea in addition to the melting ice cap on top of Mt. Kilamanjaro, in addition to the recent news that the arctic ice cap is thinning and will be gone by 2080 on top of all the well-respected climatologists who have concluded global warming is a very real phenomena, plus the highest temperature ever recorded in the last hundred years and the fact that the carbon dioxide levels have increased to 370 ppm from 250 ppm in the last 100 years coupled with the fact that it has been shown there is a strong correlation between CO2 levels and global temperatures, well, there's only one thing left to conclude...
Gee, for a company that is trying so hard to protect their trademark, it's quite amazing this site has been able to stick around for the last two years. This site rips off Intel(TM)'s logo and everything.
If you ask me, this sounds like a lawyer looking for a way to finance a new BMW and a Caribbean vacation.
Slashdot Mirror
If BG had any balls, this is the strategy he'd pursue. Maybe he could write it off under his charity.
This watch being advertised as the first "touch screen" watch is pure, unadulterated BS.
Pipe into hell
How about if we tapped the magma core right inside the ol' planet earth? We could pile drive a 12,000 mile long, 100' diameter pipe right through to the center of the earth and pop out lava through some souped up oil derrick. The energy supply would be almost limitless!
OK, where do I send the check?
To compare such a group with the NRA is probably overstepping what this lobbying arm will be capable of. The NRA is well-armed with money from the gun industry. It's going to be tough to get that kind of muscle from computer geeks. I don't have statistics on the breakdown of how the NRA gets funded, but I'd say it's a safe bet that at least 80% of their money comes from gun manufacturers. Someone needs to be able to pay the lobbyists to go schmooze with the politicians and get the voice of the geeks heard. There also needs to be money for conventions to set the agenda, etc, etc.
The groups proposes raising $200K. But honestly, just how far is that going to go? Maybe it'll cover the expenses and salary of one lobbyist for a year if we're lucky. I wonder what the operating budget of the NRA is. Anybody have an idea?
Anyway, it's a noble idea and should be pursued further. I hope they find ways to raise some serious cash or at the very least, get geeks more politically active.
What's really sad is that this thinly veiled PR mantra still has not lost it's effect. That's because it's more convenient in the current "free" market zeitgeist to buy into it. "We don't need the government designing software, it would hurt the consumer," goes this shallow line of reasoning. As a result, judges can't base their decisions based on what's fair or just but on what's "good" for the consumer, no matter how full of shit the argument is.
Microsoft has been able to spin their whole defense around this simple-minded argument. They claim that software is somehow special and different and should be left in the hands of the technology Gods on Mt. Microsoft.
I say bullshit. The world should not have to bend over backwards to meet the vision of some narrow-minded, profit-driven software engineers. The world existed before Windows or any software "standards" forced on the market by Microsoft. It's a pretty safe assumption the world will keep churning right along without them.
Microsoft chairman and former CEO Bill Gates formally announced his candidacy today at the Seatlle King Dome. Addressing, the standing room crowd of over 120,000 Microsoft employees, Mr. Gates proudly proclaimed his run as the ultimate triumph of the greatest standardizing force the world has ever seen.
"From PCs, to the Internet, and now to the entire nation, we have and will continue to set the pace for doing business in the free world."
CEO Steve Allen gave what is becoming his standard stup speech: "Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters! Voters!" which sent the packed audience into a wild frenzy.
Technology insiders say Gates' chances of winning as good. His ability to threaten the withdrawal of his Windows license agreements from all desktops has many voters frightened of the consequences if Gates were to lose the election.
"If he doesn't win this year, he'll certainly take the 2012 race. By that time, .NET will be firmly entrenched and our power to bring down the entire Internet will be unstoppable," said Scott McNealy, lead technology analyst for Microsoft.
Now 500K in comparison would mean .00125% of his net worth. To put this in more human terms, that's what 62.5 cents is to $50,000.
Off with their mother fucking heads, I say.
Basically the gist was that the free market was failing citizens who'd like more convenience from their cell phones but since the "free" market isn't delivering. Instead, they are forced to sue the cell phone carriers to have their needs met.
Life is about survival of the fittest and company's need to do what they need to do to survive. It's the law of the jungle. Yup, it's a dog-eat-dog world out there and there isn't much we can do about it.
Think about this: if the West had to share all of its technological goodies and advancements with the other 5/6ths of the world, that would mean less for us. That's not a world that is acceptable to me and that's just not the way the free market is designed to work.
If you're too poor to deal with reality, find somewhere else to live.
There is a large arugment amoung sociologists about what the exact outcome of globalization will be. To simplify, those who look at the process from a modernist perspective believe that globalization will create one monoculture because it leads to efficiency. Those with a more postmodern approach say that globalization will actually work to make new kinds of cultures and increase cultural diversity. In fact, the "geek" culture can be seen as a new kind of culture that has appeared as a resulut of technologies such as the Internet.
If you really want to get the skinny on globalization, you should go find some good academic sociology journals that address the issue. NYT certainly can't go into any depth on such a complex subject.
Wired == suckAssJournalism
If I read the article correctly, they are talking about research for the coprocessor, not the student's idea for using it to Carnivore.
Don't jump to conclusions. Did I ever say I disagreed with the decision?
Yes, this could be to patent reform what spilled hot McDonald's coffee is to tort reform.
This "free" market philosophy is total nonsense. A fair and level playing field will never happen on its own. It's a fiction of the modern capitalist imagination. It's utopian, idealistic, and total bullshit. Unfortunately, too many geeks have bought into this party line which has paralyzed them into inaction.
The fact is, what works best is an intelligent and difficult balance of capitalism, socialism, and democracy. In their pure form, none of these ideologies work by themselves but when the best elements from each are used, the best possible society results. It's time to reject simplistic notions that a "free" market will save us from the tyranny of ourselves.
What it's really time for is geeks to get off their collective asses and doing something about all this MS bullshit. Until that happens, I'm stuck hear reading the 2,000th post full of intellectual crank yanking that doesn't do a bit of fucking good.
Katz, you might be interesting and write coherent senstences if you didn't waste so much effort trying to sound profound.
But if you really want precendent, look no further than the cell phone industry. Your minutes get charged when someone calls you.
No. Your content will compete the next Harry Potter sequel site and pull eyeballs away from it thereby infringing upon AOL Time Warner's right to free speech. You do so at your own risk and could easily get hauled into court.
And despite what fairy tales you free-market champions may have been told when you were little children back in the Reagan era, corporations when left to their own, will gouge the hell out of the consumer. That's their job.
From what I've seen from web hosting companies, it costs about $1.50 per GB. And that's probably way overpriced for ISPs whom I'm sure get huge volume discounts. But I'll stick with the $1.50 figure anyway. Just wait until they cap users at 3 and 4 GB a month for $40...
Things sure aren't getting any colder.
If you ask me, this sounds like a lawyer looking for a way to finance a new BMW and a Caribbean vacation.
New York Times new slogan: "All the news fit for nerds"
Slasdot's: "News from New York. Stale links that mattered 6 hours ago."
From same article at yahoo:
"Net loss totalled $225.4 million vs. an income of $35.1 million."
At any rate, I think your theory has something to it. This will be interesting to watch.