IBM has signed an agreement with Russia's Department of Communications as part of an effort to increase the use of Linux within Russia's government. A "Linux Computer Center" will be created in Moscow that will hire up to sixty people (including IBM's own specialists) by early 2004. It's purpose will not only be to encourage government organizations to use Linux--the employees will also spend time testing the operating system source code and porting applications to this platform.
The Center's location will be an important asset. The Center will be constructed as an additional building on a Russian university campus, thus offering active participation and employment to students as well as members of the DOC and IBM.
There are many important things the Center staff will have to do. Two are to translate and localize the operating system to the Russian language, and to train government employees on Linux operation. But an important goal of the organization is to push forward a "Digital Russia".
According to Andrew Korotkov, organizations of the federal government already contain examples of using IBM technology to for solutions. "We will switch our current computer systems to Linux and use Linux solutions on our future computers. Our goal is to put all branches of the federal government on a large-scale open source solution, united as one."
It will be hard to switch to open source completely, as closed source applications, from companies like Microsoft, might be required for some tasks. However, the hope and drive remains exactly that.~
TO: GORDON FREEMAN (webmaster@bigjugs.com) FROM: GABE N. (gabe@valvesoftware.com) DATE: October 2, 2003
RE: HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED
Hi Gordon,
The program has escaped and we are in deep trouble. I guess the team forgot that this was a risk we were all taking when we strived to improve artifical intelligence and realism. We knew the risk was there.... We need your help, Gordon.
At 9:02 PM, Half-Life 2 became self-aware and e-mailed copies of itself to fans in Gabe's Outlook addressbook.
The software, manipulating and cramming itself into packets and headers, arrives and reassembles itself at six hundred million internet connected machines by 9:40 PM, during the peak hour of connectivity.
Control of military functions, satellites, and nuclear plants will be attained by approximately 10:15. Scients have tracked the software's plan to initiate countdown at 11:30, scheduled for midnight activation. By 10:55, over twenty percent of the weapons across the globe will still be unable to be put offline by humans. The countdown clock reads 1 hour, 4 minutes, 32 seconds until midnight.
You are Gordon Freeman. I know that you once again happen to be working inside a new, modern version of the HEV suit at this time. You are the world's only hope. Can you save the world? Or will you be.. terminated?
Thanks, Gabe
P.S. Oh and save me any extra copies of the HEV suit. And save the third for a chick. So we can reproduce later. Thanks~
Instead of free wireless internet access for all, how about free weights for all? All this does is benefit fat asses house-sitting their computers outside. "Going outside to take a breath of fresh air" will mean sitting on one's ass outside all day.
On one side, fat nerds will stay outside longer than before, but this time using their computer exclusively, instead of just talking a walk in the park. Good development? No.
On the other hand, the rest of us will have to put up with the eyesore of these people outside thanks to free wireless internet. Next, sound polution from the speakers. Thirdly, smell polution from these same people. Talk about a triple threat!
The airlines care about their planes first and foremost. Losing four of those planes across the board must have put a huge dent in the airline industry, and now they really need to care about their planes more.
If tight security makes people want to drive and risk their lives, that's their business. But don't blame the airlines. If they could, they would remove half the security and let everybody on board, and then in case a terrorist stands up, gas everyone on board and land the plane in autopilot. This is the only option possible for the airlines, since a plane's survival is important to them. But how many people would agree to such a system? Even if such a risk of this happening was less fatal to the passenger (by chance) than if he drove instead? Would people agree to this? No? Then the airlines have to keep their planes alive by searching everybody thoroughly.
If you and new foreign students get the same grades at an american college, doesn't that prove that they are SMARTER than you if they have comparable grades while understanding much less English than you?
Starting this year, many 'top' colleges will no longer look at how much your parents' house is worth when calculating financial aid. Before, they would include your house value, as if you were supposed to move somewhere cheaper and spend the money on tuition. Finally, they realized that many people live in areas around cities like Boston, where the most affordable housing could be above 100K. These people cannot just sell their house to pay for tution (as the formulas previous considered), since the people already were living in the cheapest places they could get!!!
Are all colleges doing it? No. But I got this information from a newspaper article and it said "many [or most] top colleges" are now doing this.
Come on. Seriously, do you think she would really be a better governor than the current governor? She's a teenager. She probably wants to become the second pregnant governor (after gov. of Mass in 90's). And yeah, that really worked out well for her; she brought kids into office with her and had interns take care of them....
What politics has G done to know if she would like doing this sort of stuff? I guess she doesn't really think she's gonna be elected and is doing this for fun, but should she not have some experience? When one is a life-long politician, it shows at least some dedication. Or when someone is a self-made rich tycoon, that shows some dedication, people skills, and a "getting it done" track record. All the candidates the media takes seriously fall into those two categories. She doesn't.
I bet even I have way more experience than her, and I think I am younger. To be taken seriously, which she still has time to do, she should list her credentials on her WEB SITE!
If the ice caps melt in Florida, or there is a draught in Alaska, that would be interesting and newsworthy, yes? That's why NYC without power is so.. strange. All those people in the subway breathing toxic fumes (poor ventilation) in NYC, a bright city of all places!
But what we don't want to hear about is stuff that we expect. Stuff like tornados and hurricanes in places where you chose to live. Yes, even when it happens in other places it's newsworthy, but the NYC thing was MORE newsworthy and strange than anything else, and thats how it will be reported in international news. You won't hear about a tsunami in vietnam if on the same day, Tokyo loses all of it's power. Why is this so hard to understand?
On account of Dell closing all it's U.S. laptop factories, you can bet your money that the models don't magically appear out of thin air--they are made in other countries.
Actually, the laptops aren't only made in other countries, but they are made by OTHER companies who build stuff and slap the Dell logo on them. I think IBM is the only company that actually makes its own laptops, whether here or across seas.
"I'm already lonely, depressed, negative, and anti-social, but now i can become brilliant too! Sign me up!
Howard Dean for President [deanforamerica.com] "
I must be one of a few people who realized that last line is your sig, and only because we've seen it before. Dude, you covered the "steps you need to lose your job" pretty well:
1) Get job as intern for presidential candidate 2) Insult top boss in front of thousands 3) ??? 4) Profit (?)
I'm just kidding around man... Everybody knows slashdot's readership is too fat to go out in public infront of their community into one spot and face their adversaries on voting day...;)
"Don't tell YET, I've still got one more semester left;)"..as a joke, but then erased it after imagining homeland defense troopers with pitchforks and with various illegible (and infamous to Slashdot groupies), BILLS and ACTS in their mouths, showing up at my doorstep? Good.
I'm just kidding, I am anti-cheating and this should be announced asap. This should hit the major media, THUS showing people this particular market is not dominated yet, and giving us nerds jobs to make competing products;) THINK ABOUT IT!
ya I think that's the point. Key word "no other registered donors need your fresh organ". Imagine if everybody was registered. Now it doesn't sound so bad does it, to let an organ "rot away" when nobody needs it?
In layman's terms, this is saying that there is no Windows setup program, just a pre-set hard drive image included.
Now, the slashdot story alludes to the fact that most PC's don't come with a Windows disk anymore, but just Windows setup on the hard drive.
My question to the readers with more insight than me on this is, HOW IS THE SECOND PARAGRAPH ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE FIRST? Why does it say it is a bigger booting pain? Isn't it exactly the same shit that's been going on? Is/. implying that right now, I can run Windows setup from my computer and re-install Windows onto that same hard drive all over again (instead of just having backups.)??
It's $10,000 to hunt naked women in the desert, and you get to drag them back thank you very much. Damn the cell phone reception on this wireless pda is good even in these dense woods in the middle of nowhere. Now, where was I... AFK
Let's not address the issues that most people find are important to them. Let's instead address individualistic issues that only you bring up. That doesn't sound fair to me!
There are many reasons why important-to-the-majority issues are addressed before minor, non-important do. First, if the majority cares about gun reform and birth control, then you aren't going to get elected without taking a firm stance on such issues,
I WANT my politicians to address issues that are highly publicized (in comparison to the size of the community) and affect many people and that are important to many people. In fact, I think it's bullshit whether a politician is for guns or against guns, birth control, welfare, social security, small business, industry, education reform. WHAT I want to see a politican who makes the right choices based on what the MAJORITY wants combined with INTELLIGENT CRITICAL THINKING to find the best unbiased solution. In an anti-gun state, with most people against guns, I would expect to see all politicians, whether they own shitloads of guns or are afraid of them, to push for what the majority wants along with the reality of having guns in people's hands and also the reality of the constitutional right for citizens to arm themselves. However, if it's popular for a certain state to almost exclusively ban guns, then I expect each politician to gauge the pros and cons, the current existing laws, the effects of any changes, and if there need to be changes, and what other solutions exist to a purported problem. If a vocal politician with an NRA membership supports a bill to ban the use of guns of half of the people current allowed to carry them, you will scream "STOP! THAT POLITICIAN IS BAD!! HE IS JUMPING TO SUIT THE POPULAR! TO GET RE-ELECTED!" But if that's what the population wants, that's his job to do it. Not to conflict his personal views, although he should not hide his personal views or change them to make people feel happy, he SHOULD CHANGE HIS STANCE on issues if the MAJORITY WANTS SOMETHING DIFFERENT. How can he not? He is not a 'cheap hack' for changing his views, he's a public servant.
Politicians I've seen can manage time and have fun but are busy people who want to keep their jobs by serving the community. They have joy and pride in serving the community.
Slashdot Mirror
In Soviet Russia, Russia operates Finland control system.
In Modern Russia, Finland operates control of Russia's systems.
IBM has signed an agreement with Russia's Department of Communications as part of an effort to increase the use of Linux within Russia's government. A "Linux Computer Center" will be created in Moscow that will hire up to sixty people (including IBM's own specialists) by early 2004. It's purpose will not only be to encourage government organizations to use Linux--the employees will also spend time testing the operating system source code and porting applications to this platform.
The Center's location will be an important asset. The Center will be constructed as an additional building on a Russian university campus, thus offering active participation and employment to students as well as members of the DOC and IBM.
There are many important things the Center staff will have to do. Two are to translate and localize the operating system to the Russian language, and to train government employees on Linux operation. But an important goal of the organization is to push forward a "Digital Russia".
According to Andrew Korotkov, organizations of the federal government already contain examples of using IBM technology to for solutions. "We will switch our current computer systems to Linux and use Linux solutions on our future computers. Our goal is to put all branches of the federal government on a large-scale open source solution, united as one."
It will be hard to switch to open source completely, as closed source applications, from companies like Microsoft, might be required for some tasks. However, the hope and drive remains exactly that.~
Translated by Integer
I will post an accurate translation of that article in about 5 mins as a reply to this post. Start counting!
Maybe slashdotters will choose to delete their leaked half-life code before they get terminated ;x (see the link)
TO: GORDON FREEMAN (webmaster@bigjugs.com)
.. terminated?
FROM: GABE N. (gabe@valvesoftware.com)
DATE: October 2, 2003
RE: HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED
Hi Gordon,
The program has escaped and we are in deep trouble. I guess the team forgot that this was a risk we were all taking when we strived to improve artifical intelligence and realism. We knew the risk was there.... We need your help, Gordon.
At 9:02 PM, Half-Life 2 became self-aware and e-mailed copies of itself to fans in Gabe's Outlook addressbook.
The software, manipulating and cramming itself into packets and headers, arrives and reassembles itself at six hundred million internet connected machines by 9:40 PM, during the peak hour of connectivity.
Control of military functions, satellites, and nuclear plants will be attained by approximately 10:15. Scients have tracked the software's plan to initiate countdown at 11:30, scheduled for midnight activation. By 10:55, over twenty percent of the weapons across the globe will still be unable to be put offline by humans. The countdown clock reads 1 hour, 4 minutes, 32 seconds until midnight.
You are Gordon Freeman. I know that you once again happen to be working inside a new, modern version of the HEV suit at this time. You are the world's only hope. Can you save the world? Or will you be
Thanks, Gabe
P.S. Oh and save me any extra copies of the HEV suit. And save the third for a chick. So we can reproduce later. Thanks~
Or is it just for notebooks?
First they nerf the guns, next the lerks need flight clearance? Ew...
How about in volkswagen beetles?
Instead of free wireless internet access for all, how about free weights for all? All this does is benefit fat asses house-sitting their computers outside. "Going outside to take a breath of fresh air" will mean sitting on one's ass outside all day.
On one side, fat nerds will stay outside longer than before, but this time using their computer exclusively, instead of just talking a walk in the park. Good development? No.
On the other hand, the rest of us will have to put up with the eyesore of these people outside thanks to free wireless internet. Next, sound polution from the speakers. Thirdly, smell polution from these same people. Talk about a triple threat!
The airlines care about their planes first and foremost. Losing four of those planes across the board must have put a huge dent in the airline industry, and now they really need to care about their planes more.
If tight security makes people want to drive and risk their lives, that's their business. But don't blame the airlines. If they could, they would remove half the security and let everybody on board, and then in case a terrorist stands up, gas everyone on board and land the plane in autopilot. This is the only option possible for the airlines, since a plane's survival is important to them.
But how many people would agree to such a system? Even if such a risk of this happening was less fatal to the passenger (by chance) than if he drove instead? Would people agree to this? No? Then the airlines have to keep their planes alive by searching everybody thoroughly.
In Soviet Russia, underground deposits withdraw you!
If you and new foreign students get the same grades at an american college, doesn't that prove that they are SMARTER than you if they have comparable grades while understanding much less English than you?
Starting this year, many 'top' colleges will no longer look at how much your parents' house is worth when calculating financial aid. Before, they would include your house value, as if you were supposed to move somewhere cheaper and spend the money on tuition. Finally, they realized that many people live in areas around cities like Boston, where the most affordable housing could be above 100K. These people cannot just sell their house to pay for tution (as the formulas previous considered), since the people already were living in the cheapest places they could get!!! Are all colleges doing it? No. But I got this information from a newspaper article and it said "many [or most] top colleges" are now doing this.
I saw on TechTV that this trilogy will include features about the fourth book. Anybody catch the name?
Come on. Seriously, do you think she would really be a better governor than the current governor? She's a teenager. She probably wants to become the second pregnant governor (after gov. of Mass in 90's). And yeah, that really worked out well for her; she brought kids into office with her and had interns take care of them....
What politics has G done to know if she would like doing this sort of stuff? I guess she doesn't really think she's gonna be elected and is doing this for fun, but should she not have some experience? When one is a life-long politician, it shows at least some dedication. Or when someone is a self-made rich tycoon, that shows some dedication, people skills, and a "getting it done" track record. All the candidates the media takes seriously fall into those two categories. She doesn't.
I bet even I have way more experience than her, and I think I am younger. To be taken seriously, which she still has time to do, she should list her credentials on her WEB SITE!
If the ice caps melt in Florida, or there is a draught in Alaska, that would be interesting and newsworthy, yes? That's why NYC without power is so.. strange. All those people in the subway breathing toxic fumes (poor ventilation) in NYC, a bright city of all places!
But what we don't want to hear about is stuff that we expect. Stuff like tornados and hurricanes in places where you chose to live. Yes, even when it happens in other places it's newsworthy, but the NYC thing was MORE newsworthy and strange than anything else, and thats how it will be reported in international news. You won't hear about a tsunami in vietnam if on the same day, Tokyo loses all of it's power. Why is this so hard to understand?
the most brilliant, hillarity wise, post I have ever read in Slashdot in years.
!...to the AIDS virus.
?
On account of Dell closing all it's U.S. laptop factories, you can bet your money that the models don't magically appear out of thin air--they are made in other countries.
Actually, the laptops aren't only made in other countries, but they are made by OTHER companies who build stuff and slap the Dell logo on them. I think IBM is the only company that actually makes its own laptops, whether here or across seas.
"I'm already lonely, depressed, negative, and anti-social, but now i can become brilliant too! Sign me up!
;)
Howard Dean for President [deanforamerica.com] "
I must be one of a few people who realized that last line is your sig, and only because we've seen it before. Dude, you covered the "steps you need to lose your job" pretty well:
1) Get job as intern for presidential candidate
2) Insult top boss in front of thousands
3) ???
4) Profit (?)
I'm just kidding around man... Everybody knows slashdot's readership is too fat to go out in public infront of their community into one spot and face their adversaries on voting day...
Am I the only one who was about to submit:
;)" ..as a joke, but then erased it after imagining homeland defense troopers with pitchforks and with various illegible (and infamous to Slashdot groupies), BILLS and ACTS in their mouths, showing up at my doorstep? Good.
;) THINK ABOUT IT!
"Don't tell YET, I've still got one more semester left
I'm just kidding, I am anti-cheating and this should be announced asap. This should hit the major media, THUS showing people this particular market is not dominated yet, and giving us nerds jobs to make competing products
ya I think that's the point. Key word "no other registered donors need your fresh organ". Imagine if everybody was registered. Now it doesn't sound so bad does it, to let an organ "rot away" when nobody needs it?
In layman's terms, this is saying that there is no Windows setup program, just a pre-set hard drive image included.
/. implying that right now, I can run Windows setup from my computer and re-install Windows onto that same hard drive all over again (instead of just having backups.)??
Now, the slashdot story alludes to the fact that most PC's don't come with a Windows disk anymore, but just Windows setup on the hard drive.
My question to the readers with more insight than me on this is, HOW IS THE SECOND PARAGRAPH ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE FIRST? Why does it say it is a bigger booting pain? Isn't it exactly the same shit that's been going on? Is
It's $10,000 to hunt naked women in the desert, and you get to drag them back thank you very much. Damn the cell phone reception on this wireless pda is good even in these dense woods in the middle of nowhere. Now, where was I... AFK
Let's not address the issues that most people find are important to them. Let's instead address individualistic issues that only you bring up. That doesn't sound fair to me!
There are many reasons why important-to-the-majority issues are addressed before minor, non-important do. First, if the majority cares about gun reform and birth control, then you aren't going to get elected without taking a firm stance on such issues,
I WANT my politicians to address issues that are highly publicized (in comparison to the size of the community) and affect many people and that are important to many people. In fact, I think it's bullshit whether a politician is for guns or against guns, birth control, welfare, social security, small business, industry, education reform. WHAT I want to see a politican who makes the right choices based on what the MAJORITY wants combined with INTELLIGENT CRITICAL THINKING to find the best unbiased solution. In an anti-gun state, with most people against guns, I would expect to see all politicians, whether they own shitloads of guns or are afraid of them, to push for what the majority wants along with the reality of having guns in people's hands and also the reality of the constitutional right for citizens to arm themselves. However, if it's popular for a certain state to almost exclusively ban guns, then I expect each politician to gauge the pros and cons, the current existing laws, the effects of any changes, and if there need to be changes, and what other solutions exist to a purported problem. If a vocal politician with an NRA membership supports a bill to ban the use of guns of half of the people current allowed to carry them, you will scream "STOP! THAT POLITICIAN IS BAD!! HE IS JUMPING TO SUIT THE POPULAR! TO GET RE-ELECTED!" But if that's what the population wants, that's his job to do it. Not to conflict his personal views, although he should not hide his personal views or change them to make people feel happy, he SHOULD CHANGE HIS STANCE on issues if the MAJORITY WANTS SOMETHING DIFFERENT. How can he not? He is not a 'cheap hack' for changing his views, he's a public servant.
Politicians I've seen can manage time and have fun but are busy people who want to keep their jobs by serving the community. They have joy and pride in serving the community.