I agree, Microsoft's command-line interface will be like IE. The first
release version of a Microsoft program is, in my opinion, more like a
pre-pre-alpha than a version that should be released.
Internet Explorer is following this pattern exactly. By version 7, IE
will be renamed to make it sound completely new, perhaps, and will actually be
Microsoft's first relatively bug-free browser. Version 7.0 of Microsoft
Internet Explorer should actually be called version 1.0.
Perhaps 2 years ago I was talking with some top-level Microsoft
technical support representatives. I gave them a list of 12 ways Microsoft's
command line interface (which everyone calls DOS) did not fully support a
32-bit OS. They agreed and seemed embarrassed.
I also sent a message to a group inside Microsoft about this. I said
that the Linux and BSD command-line processors were relatively bug-free, and
had far more features. Surprisingly, I got a response indicating that they too
thought that Windows should not have a primitive toy command-line interface
like DOS.
Apparently having a toy command-line interface has been causing
some discomfort inside Microsoft.
Expect Microsoft's new command-line interface to follow the same
pattern. It will be very, very buggy. Maybe the U.S. government's spy agencies
will direct Microsoft to include security vulnerabilities. In any case, if
history is any guide, the new command-line interface will be quite usable
about 3 years after release, and by about version 7 will be fairly bug-free
and feature-complete.
(Of course, Microsoft Word has not followed this pattern.
Even after many versions, it is still extremely quirky. My
understanding is that the code in Word is such an extreme mess that there
is no corporate will to fix it.)
Want an example of DOS not fully supporting a 32-bit OS? Try this:
SUBST R: C:\
This assigns the drive letter R: to the root folder of the C: drive. This kind
of substitution is often very valuable in taking some of the drudgery out of
corporate operations.
However, that command also destroys the operation of the Recycle bin.
It seems to be reversible, however, so there appears to be no harm in trying
it, which I have done on several computers with no ill effects that I was able
to detect.
The Hexus.net article is just an advertisement, with links to places to buy the cards that were reviewed. The writer didn't have any technical insights because he apparently has no technical knowledge. For example, read this sentence, "35A from the two 12V rails on the ASUS PSU keep things ticking over." First, it says on the label, which is clearly visible, that the maximum is not 35A times 12V = 420 Watts, but 324 Watts. Second, neither the graphic card nor the motherboard nor the hard drives require that much 12V power.
Manufacturers make so much money from taking advantage of the technical ignorance of customers that it has in some cases corrupted an area of the industry.
The Corporate version of Windows XP does not require activation. Note: When you contact a big distributor, don't accept any statements that there is no Corporate version.
We use IMS Ink from Costco for our Canon printers. Under $0.30 a cartridge refill.
Don't forget these refilling tips:
1. CAUTION: Ink is permanent. Work over paper towel or absorbent material to catch any ink which drips or leaks during refill process.
2. Before refilling become familiar the refill kit contents.
3. Avoid contact with any of the cartridges metal contacts. Oil from fingers may interrupt contact with printer. Clean contacts with a damp lint-free cloth.
4. Remove ink jet cartridge from printer before refilling.
5. It is best to check cartridge periodically and add ink.
6. Try to avoid allowing cartridge to run dry. Refill as soon as possible.
7. Be certain to inject ink SLOWLY to avoid creating air bubbles which can cause poor printing results.
8. After using refill bottle, replace cap to store remaining ink for future use.
9. Sealed filling holes must be airtight to avoid ink leaking out of cartridge. DO NOT install a leaking cartridge into printer.
10. If your printer is not listed, try to find listing of printer's cartridge number.
11. Immediately replace cartridge in printer then follow specific instructions in printer user manual.
12. Cleaning or priming cycles may need to be performed more than once for some cartridges.
13. Photo inks are used ONLY in cartridges that use photo ink.
You said, "There are a lot of great things about Brazil, but I feel safer in the USA, and I don't see the government in the USA as being nearly as corrupt."
My understanding is that the U.S. government is extremely corrupt, but
most U.S. citizens just don't want to know. They've been told for so long that
theirs is the best country in the world that they have difficulty believing
otherwise.
The present terrorism was caused by U.S. government support for
violence against Arabs and others in the Middle East. Not surprisingly, there
were people there who decided to fight violence with more violence. I think
that violence is caused by mental illness, but it is easy to understand that
Arabs don't like to be killed, and that some of them would decide to do to the
U.S. what the U.S. government was doing to them.
I would be very interested to know how you view the information at
this web site: U.S. Debt
Clock. Do you say, "Oh, well, that's not real corruption. They are just
stealing money?" Has the $7 trillion dollars borrowed made you richer? If it
hasn't, where did the money go? It is a fact that people who were already rich
got most of the money.
The U.S. government is stealing money from its own people and killing
people in other countries. Can that somehow be considered moral?
See the Downing Street
Memo. The U.S. government lied to the American people to justify its
violence. Congressman like John
Conyers are unhappy about that, even if you aren't.
The U.S. and British governments have a long history of destructive
involvement in the mideast. Those who don't know that don't have the means to
understand what is happening today.
I'm an American, and my impression is that, in general, Brazilians seem to have healthier family lives than Americans.
The person who wrote the grandparent comment said, "One town I was in the ratio of women to men was 8:1!" This is just a cultural misunderstanding. The single Brazilian women thought he was exotic, and they were interested in meeting him. Only that. In most towns, the most interesting things to do are social. It just seemed like there were more women in the town than men because the single women were more interested in meeting him. His popularity was connected to the interest that Brazilian women have in marrying.
I've read other comments to this Slashdot story, and I feel uncomfortable with the implication in some of them that the Brazilian culture is less developed. I feel uncomfortable with the idea that the Brazilian government is more corrupt than the U.S. government.
I write a column about culture, called "Duas Culturas", for a small Brazilian newspaper. The column compares Brazilian and U.S. culture. It's a new column and I will soon try to sell it to other newspapers, so most of the articles are not online. However, one of them is below, slightly modified for online reading.
Here is a translation to English of the first paragraph:
"My Brazilian friends talk a lot about corruption in the Brazilian government and violence in Brazilian society. The things that they say seem reasonable. However, the way that they speak frequently implies that corruption and violence are much worse in Brazil than in other countries. In truth, corruption and violence are very serious problems in the U.S., also."
Duas Culturas
Two Cultures
"Um americano compartilha pensamentos e opiniões sobre o Brasil e os EUA"
Meus amigos brasileiros falam bastante sobre corrupção no governo brasileiro e violência na sociedade brasileira. As coisas que eles dizem parecem razoáveis. Porém, o modo que eles falam freqüentemente insinua que corrupão e violência são muito piores no Brasil do que em outros países. Na verdade, corrupção e violência são problemas muito sérios nos Estados Unidos também.
Desde que o presidente George Bush foi eleito, o governo norte-americano tem pedido dinheiro emprestado a uma velocidade sem precedente. Os EUA devem hoje mais dinheiro do que qualquer outro governo na história do mundo. No momento, os EUA devem mais de US$ 7 trilhões. O dinheiro vai para os ricos; as pessoas da classe média ficam mais pobres. (Na internet: U.S. Debt Clock). O empréstimo é a razão porque o valor do dólar está se desvalorizando rapidamente.
Há uma discussão sobre violência na sociedade e prisões brasileiras demonstrada no excelente filme brasileiro "Ônibus 174". Para comparação, se você sabe inglês e tem acesso à internet, você pode assistir um documentário norte-americano mostrado na televisão de lá, chamado The New Asylums. O documentário discute o fato de que o governo americano põe as pessoas mentalmente doentes em prisões. De todos os países no mundo, os EUA têm a porcentagem mais alta de seus cidadãos em prisões. Você pode comparar a superpopulação e tortura em prisões brasileiras com o tratamento extremamente agressivo em prisões norte-americanas. Houve também muitas histórias sobre o governo norte-americano torturando prisioneiros no Iraque e em Guantánamo, Cuba. Qual governo tortura mais? O governo dos EUA matou estimadas 3,000,000 de pessoas desde o fim da Segunda Guerra Mundial. Qual governo mata mais?
Have you ever wondered why it takes Microsoft 6 months to fix a vulnerability when the Mozilla team requires less than 24 hours? Dogbert has the answer.
MOD PARENT UP! Very true, but a little too mild, in my opinion.
The job that is mentioned in the Slashdot story would take an already
skilled person 50% to 100% of his time. That's because it is not serving
regular users, it is serving programmers, who expect a lot more from their
computers.
Computer administration is not just administration. There a many
lengthy one-time projects, like finding better backup methods, or dealing with
the latest vulnerability. Fixing and cleaning after a serious security breach
can take a month, for example.
Anyone administering Windows computers must deal with the fact that
there are people with huge amounts of money who want to exploit Microsoft's
(deliberate) sloppiness. One list of major investors in
spyware companies shows a total of over $139 million in venture capital.
Remember, Microsoft makes more money if a user becomes tired of slowness and
problems caused by spyware and buys a new computer, which is how most resolve
such problems. If you administer Windows computers you have the richest man in
the world and his rich think-alikes riding on your back.
It sounds like the old story. People with control over more money than
brains buy a successful software company, figuring that they can extract more
that ever before from the customers.
We already have enough information to predict that the company will go
out of business. Because it is a reasonable assumption that the person who
submitted the Slashdot story isn't the only one being abused, we know that the
company has already begun dying; the abuse is killing the company right now.
It may, however, be a slow death, sometimes old customers are reluctant to
change to new software, and try to live with the new stupidity.
There is a reason why Dilbert is one of the most popular comics in the United States. The real
bosses are actually worse than the pointy-haired bosses in the comic. The real
PHB's abuse everyone, take more than their share of the money, and destroy the company, too.
The new owner of the company is wanting to test the limits to see how
much he can abuse the Slashdot story writer. He is: 1) wildly out of touch, 2)
ignorant, 3) self-destructive, 4) arrogant, 5) abusive, 6) seriously abusive,
and 7) lacking in social skills.
What may happen is that not enough time will be spent on computer
system administration, and the programmers will not be served. That's the
self-destructive element.
My guess is that the Business Week article linked in the parent comment is better than the New Scientist article at explaining the researcher's intentions. Here's a quote from the Business Week article: "The Blue Brain Project will search for novel insights into how humans think and remember."
If you've been around scientific research, it is not difficult to understand that this research has little chance of producing anything valuable.
There are several reasons:
1) The research is equivalent to trying to understand how a computer operates without understanding the programming of the computer.
2) The quote from the Business Week article above is probably unintentionally accurate. Probably the Business Week writer interviewed someone from the lab, and that person, not being as skilled as the New Scientist writer at hiding the truth, revealed what they actually are doing. Probably the Business Week writer did not understand the significance of what he wrote, but just thought it was an interesting quote.
The significance of "search for novel insights" is that they do not intend to do theory-driven science. In theory-driven science, you have novel insights before you do an experiment. Otherwise, as thousands of years of human history have proven, investigation is mostly a waste of time.
Instead, the researchers will just do the "scientific" equivalent of playing.
3) Researchers found in the early 70's that research proposals that promised a better understanding of the brain or intelligence would get funded. The research that is actually done is research that is funded, not necessarily research that is useful.
They found that brain and intelligence research would be funded, but there was a problem. It was, and is, extremely difficult to do useful research, or even to think of a direction for research that would be useful in finding new understanding.
To be more certain of funding, researchers began wildly over-estimating the value of their proposed research, and thereby taking advantage of any ignorance on the part of grant-givers. Partly this was because the researchers deliberately lied. Partly it was because the researchers would discuss their research in a way that would encourage others to over-estimate. The researchers take advantage of a social weakness; people want to believe there is progress in understanding ourselves.
Thomas J. Watson, Jr., former CEO of IBM came to the conclusion that the talk of artificial intelligence was not to be believed, and said so publically. I was not able to find the quote. Mr. Watson was expressing a low opinion of the research in intelligence at the time.
4) Research about the brain and intelligence is far more difficult than other research. That's partly because the architecture of the brain is far more complicated than that of a computer.
Digital computers use binary. Biological computers use many more levels than two, and we are far from fully understanding the architecture.
This (poorly edited) PDF file from UCSD has some basic facts about the brain: Levels of neurophysiological description. From page 2: "100 billion neurons in the brain; 1/20th [of] 1 hair width in diameter; Speed transmission 2-120 metres/sec; each neuron has about 10,000 contacts with other neurons.
From page 17: "Each neuron [of the 30 billion neurons] has about 10,000 connections with other neurons. These connections use many different neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters differ in their strength, timing, and whether they excite or inhibit the postsynaptic neuron. If excitatory + inhibitory = threshold the postsynaptic neuron fires!" [slight editing for clarity]
Security vulnerabilities are profitable.
on
Korean MSN Site Hacked
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Microsoft's virtual monopoly for the desktop OS means that security vulnerabilities are profitable. People buy a new computer when they find the old one has become slow. The don't realize they are infected, and that their computer became imperceptibly slower each time it got infected.
There are many people in the U.S. who say they are pro-Republican when
they are actually just pro-anger or are "religious" in an extremist
obsessive-thinking manner. Anyone who is logical enough to be a computer
programmer is likely to notice their lack of logic.
The U.S. government is bankrupt. The value of the U.S. dollar is
dropping fast because the Bush administration is rapidly borrowing money. Who is doing
the borrowing? These people: U.S. Federal Deficit by Political Party. If you are a U.S. citizen, you
owe $26,289.01, even if
you are only 1 year old.
As Republican John McCain has said many times, campaign finance has corrupted the U.S.
government.
I disagree with Senator McCain about Bolton, but at least McCain does
not lie about the facts: "We all know that Mr. Bolton is perhaps not the
world's most beloved manager, nor one to keep his temper entirely under
wraps." McCain is a true Republican.
"Hearsay if you prefer. I agree that conflicts of interested abound. However, they are not completely avoidable, and I'm not convinced it's any worse than it has been in the past."
I'm guessing you didn't read any of the books, or even look at the reviews. Yet you seem to dismiss the major issues raised.
If you read the books, you will see many reputable people claiming that it is much worse than ever before.
The U.S. government is bankrupt. The value of the U.S. dollar is
dropping fast because the Bush administration is rapidly borrowing money. Who is doing
the borrowing? These people: U.S. Federal Deficit by Political Party. If you are a U.S. citizen, you
owe: $26,289.01, even if
you are only 1 year old.
Most people who find that their computer has become slow buy another computer, so Microsoft sells another copy of the operating system. As the OpenBSD team has shown, it is not impossible to make an OS with very, very few vulnerabilities. But the vulnerabilities make money, so apparently that's why Microsoft leaves them in, or takes a long time to fix them.
So anti-spyware software would reduce Microsoft's profits.
Zener diode noise is random. Zener diodes cost less than a dollar. What about digitizing Zener noise? Amplify it with an op amp. Digitize it by feeding it into an Analog to Digital converter.
I visited the RainDance web site, and discovered that they sell solutions. I was impressed... NOT!
Solutions are spendy:
5-User Pack, $274.95 per month*. Unlimited use of your online meeting room for you and up to four others. Integrated audio conferencing at $0.20 per minute per caller. Additional web participants at $0.50 per minute per participant.
Before all the other charges, the base cost is $3,299.40 per year, every year, for meetings of up to five people. There must be a better way.
My guess: UTTER FRAUD. There can be no truth to the article. Think about it. Certainly a huge difference in gender statistics would have been noticed before.
Slashdot Mirror
I agree, Microsoft's command-line interface will be like IE. The first release version of a Microsoft program is, in my opinion, more like a pre-pre-alpha than a version that should be released.
Internet Explorer is following this pattern exactly. By version 7, IE will be renamed to make it sound completely new, perhaps, and will actually be Microsoft's first relatively bug-free browser. Version 7.0 of Microsoft Internet Explorer should actually be called version 1.0.
Perhaps 2 years ago I was talking with some top-level Microsoft technical support representatives. I gave them a list of 12 ways Microsoft's command line interface (which everyone calls DOS) did not fully support a 32-bit OS. They agreed and seemed embarrassed.
I also sent a message to a group inside Microsoft about this. I said that the Linux and BSD command-line processors were relatively bug-free, and had far more features. Surprisingly, I got a response indicating that they too thought that Windows should not have a primitive toy command-line interface like DOS.
Apparently having a toy command-line interface has been causing some discomfort inside Microsoft.
Expect Microsoft's new command-line interface to follow the same pattern. It will be very, very buggy. Maybe the U.S. government's spy agencies will direct Microsoft to include security vulnerabilities. In any case, if history is any guide, the new command-line interface will be quite usable about 3 years after release, and by about version 7 will be fairly bug-free and feature-complete.
(Of course, Microsoft Word has not followed this pattern. Even after many versions, it is still extremely quirky. My understanding is that the code in Word is such an extreme mess that there is no corporate will to fix it.)
Want an example of DOS not fully supporting a 32-bit OS? Try this:
SUBST R: C:\
This assigns the drive letter R: to the root folder of the C: drive. This kind of substitution is often very valuable in taking some of the drudgery out of corporate operations.
However, that command also destroys the operation of the Recycle bin. It seems to be reversible, however, so there appears to be no harm in trying it, which I have done on several computers with no ill effects that I was able to detect.
To undo the command, enter:
SUBST R:
The Hexus.net article is just an advertisement, with links to places to buy the cards that were reviewed. The writer didn't have any technical insights because he apparently has no technical knowledge. For example, read this sentence, "35A from the two 12V rails on the ASUS PSU keep things ticking over." First, it says on the label, which is clearly visible, that the maximum is not 35A times 12V = 420 Watts, but 324 Watts. Second, neither the graphic card nor the motherboard nor the hard drives require that much 12V power.
Manufacturers make so much money from taking advantage of the technical ignorance of customers that it has in some cases corrupted an area of the industry.
The Corporate version of Windows XP does not require activation. Note: When you contact a big distributor, don't accept any statements that there is no Corporate version.
Earlier comment: IMS Ink, under $0.30 a Canon cartridge refill.
Excellent results. At that price you can print all photos full page size.
It's a minor hassle refilling the first time, easier all subsequent times.
We use IMS Ink from Costco for our Canon printers. Under $0.30 a cartridge refill.
Don't forget these refilling tips:
1. CAUTION: Ink is permanent. Work over paper towel or absorbent material to catch any ink which drips or leaks during refill process.
2. Before refilling become familiar the refill kit contents.
3. Avoid contact with any of the cartridges metal contacts. Oil from fingers may interrupt contact with printer. Clean contacts with a damp lint-free cloth.
4. Remove ink jet cartridge from printer before refilling.
5. It is best to check cartridge periodically and add ink.
6. Try to avoid allowing cartridge to run dry. Refill as soon as possible.
7. Be certain to inject ink SLOWLY to avoid creating air bubbles which can cause poor printing results.
8. After using refill bottle, replace cap to store remaining ink for future use.
9. Sealed filling holes must be airtight to avoid ink leaking out of cartridge. DO NOT install a leaking cartridge into printer.
10. If your printer is not listed, try to find listing of printer's cartridge number.
11. Immediately replace cartridge in printer then follow specific instructions in printer user manual.
12. Cleaning or priming cycles may need to be performed more than once for some cartridges.
13. Photo inks are used ONLY in cartridges that use photo ink.
You said, "There are a lot of great things about Brazil, but I feel safer in the USA, and I don't see the government in the USA as being nearly as corrupt."
I agree about being safer in the United States. However, have a look at my earlier comment: Corrupt, but U.S. citizens don't want to know.
There's a serious problem with corruption in the U.S. government, I think.
I didn't have time to translate the entire article to English, due to a problem called work.
Here is my opinion about U.S. government corruption. It is a review of 35 books from respected publishers and 3 movies: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.
My understanding is that the U.S. government is extremely corrupt, but most U.S. citizens just don't want to know. They've been told for so long that theirs is the best country in the world that they have difficulty believing otherwise.
The U.S. government hides its corruption. For example, see this article: History surrounding the U.S. war with Iraq: Four short stories.
The present terrorism was caused by U.S. government support for violence against Arabs and others in the Middle East. Not surprisingly, there were people there who decided to fight violence with more violence. I think that violence is caused by mental illness, but it is easy to understand that Arabs don't like to be killed, and that some of them would decide to do to the U.S. what the U.S. government was doing to them.
I would be very interested to know how you view the information at this web site: U.S. Debt Clock. Do you say, "Oh, well, that's not real corruption. They are just stealing money?" Has the $7 trillion dollars borrowed made you richer? If it hasn't, where did the money go? It is a fact that people who were already rich got most of the money.
The U.S. government is stealing money from its own people and killing people in other countries. Can that somehow be considered moral?
See the Downing Street Memo. The U.S. government lied to the American people to justify its violence. Congressman like John Conyers are unhappy about that, even if you aren't.
The U.S. and British governments have a long history of destructive involvement in the mideast. Those who don't know that don't have the means to understand what is happening today.
Good comment about culture.
I'm an American, and my impression is that, in general, Brazilians seem to have healthier family lives than Americans.
The person who wrote the grandparent comment said, "One town I was in the ratio of women to men was 8:1!" This is just a cultural misunderstanding. The single Brazilian women thought he was exotic, and they were interested in meeting him. Only that. In most towns, the most interesting things to do are social. It just seemed like there were more women in the town than men because the single women were more interested in meeting him. His popularity was connected to the interest that Brazilian women have in marrying.
I've read other comments to this Slashdot story, and I feel uncomfortable with the implication in some of them that the Brazilian culture is less developed. I feel uncomfortable with the idea that the Brazilian government is more corrupt than the U.S. government.
I write a column about culture, called "Duas Culturas", for a small Brazilian newspaper. The column compares Brazilian and U.S. culture. It's a new column and I will soon try to sell it to other newspapers, so most of the articles are not online. However, one of them is below, slightly modified for online reading.
Here is a translation to English of the first paragraph:
"My Brazilian friends talk a lot about corruption in the Brazilian government and violence in Brazilian society. The things that they say seem reasonable. However, the way that they speak frequently implies that corruption and violence are much worse in Brazil than in other countries. In truth, corruption and violence are very serious problems in the U.S., also."
Duas Culturas
Two Cultures
"Um americano compartilha pensamentos e opiniões sobre o Brasil e os EUA"
Meus amigos brasileiros falam bastante sobre corrupção no governo brasileiro e violência na sociedade brasileira. As coisas que eles dizem parecem razoáveis. Porém, o modo que eles falam freqüentemente insinua que corrupão e violência são muito piores no Brasil do que em outros países. Na verdade, corrupção e violência são problemas muito sérios nos Estados Unidos também.
Desde que o presidente George Bush foi eleito, o governo norte-americano tem pedido dinheiro emprestado a uma velocidade sem precedente. Os EUA devem hoje mais dinheiro do que qualquer outro governo na história do mundo. No momento, os EUA devem mais de US$ 7 trilhões. O dinheiro vai para os ricos; as pessoas da classe média ficam mais pobres. (Na internet: U.S. Debt Clock ). O empréstimo é a razão porque o valor do dólar está se desvalorizando rapidamente.
Há uma discussão sobre violência na sociedade e prisões brasileiras demonstrada no excelente filme brasileiro "Ônibus 174". Para comparação, se você sabe inglês e tem acesso à internet, você pode assistir um documentário norte-americano mostrado na televisão de lá, chamado The New Asylums . O documentário discute o fato de que o governo americano põe as pessoas mentalmente doentes em prisões. De todos os países no mundo, os EUA têm a porcentagem mais alta de seus cidadãos em prisões. Você pode comparar a superpopulação e tortura em prisões brasileiras com o tratamento extremamente agressivo em prisões norte-americanas. Houve também muitas histórias sobre o governo norte-americano torturando prisioneiros no Iraque e em Guantánamo, Cuba. Qual governo tortura mais? O governo dos EUA matou estimadas 3,000,000 de pessoas desde o fim da Segunda Guerra Mundial. Qual governo mata mais?
Dê sua opinião: Michael Jennings, Caixa Postal 122, Campos do Jordão, SP 12460-000. duasculturas AT gmail DOT com. ©2005. Duas Culturas e Two Cultures são marcas de serviço.
Good point.
Have you ever wondered why it takes Microsoft 6 months to fix a vulnerability when the Mozilla team requires less than 24 hours? Dogbert has the answer.
This week's best sig, slightly modified:
"2004 US mil spending = US$455B, almost 1/2 world total & > next 32 nations combined. The rich play, we pay."
MOD PARENT UP! Very true, but a little too mild, in my opinion.
The job that is mentioned in the Slashdot story would take an already skilled person 50% to 100% of his time. That's because it is not serving regular users, it is serving programmers, who expect a lot more from their computers.
Computer administration is not just administration. There a many lengthy one-time projects, like finding better backup methods, or dealing with the latest vulnerability. Fixing and cleaning after a serious security breach can take a month, for example.
Anyone administering Windows computers must deal with the fact that there are people with huge amounts of money who want to exploit Microsoft's (deliberate) sloppiness. One list of major investors in spyware companies shows a total of over $139 million in venture capital. Remember, Microsoft makes more money if a user becomes tired of slowness and problems caused by spyware and buys a new computer, which is how most resolve such problems. If you administer Windows computers you have the richest man in the world and his rich think-alikes riding on your back.
It sounds like the old story. People with control over more money than brains buy a successful software company, figuring that they can extract more that ever before from the customers.
We already have enough information to predict that the company will go out of business. Because it is a reasonable assumption that the person who submitted the Slashdot story isn't the only one being abused, we know that the company has already begun dying; the abuse is killing the company right now. It may, however, be a slow death, sometimes old customers are reluctant to change to new software, and try to live with the new stupidity.
There is a reason why Dilbert is one of the most popular comics in the United States. The real bosses are actually worse than the pointy-haired bosses in the comic. The real PHB's abuse everyone, take more than their share of the money, and destroy the company, too.
The new owner of the company is wanting to test the limits to see how much he can abuse the Slashdot story writer. He is: 1) wildly out of touch, 2) ignorant, 3) self-destructive, 4) arrogant, 5) abusive, 6) seriously abusive, and 7) lacking in social skills.
What may happen is that not enough time will be spent on computer system administration, and the programmers will not be served. That's the self-destructive element.
My guess is that the Business Week article linked in the parent comment is better than the New Scientist article at explaining the researcher's intentions. Here's a quote from the Business Week article: "The Blue Brain Project will search for novel insights into how humans think and remember."
If you've been around scientific research, it is not difficult to understand that this research has little chance of producing anything valuable.
There are several reasons:
1) The research is equivalent to trying to understand how a computer operates without understanding the programming of the computer.
2) The quote from the Business Week article above is probably unintentionally accurate. Probably the Business Week writer interviewed someone from the lab, and that person, not being as skilled as the New Scientist writer at hiding the truth, revealed what they actually are doing. Probably the Business Week writer did not understand the significance of what he wrote, but just thought it was an interesting quote.
The significance of "search for novel insights" is that they do not intend to do theory-driven science. In theory-driven science, you have novel insights before you do an experiment. Otherwise, as thousands of years of human history have proven, investigation is mostly a waste of time.
Instead, the researchers will just do the "scientific" equivalent of playing.
3) Researchers found in the early 70's that research proposals that promised a better understanding of the brain or intelligence would get funded. The research that is actually done is research that is funded, not necessarily research that is useful.
They found that brain and intelligence research would be funded, but there was a problem. It was, and is, extremely difficult to do useful research, or even to think of a direction for research that would be useful in finding new understanding.
To be more certain of funding, researchers began wildly over-estimating the value of their proposed research, and thereby taking advantage of any ignorance on the part of grant-givers. Partly this was because the researchers deliberately lied. Partly it was because the researchers would discuss their research in a way that would encourage others to over-estimate. The researchers take advantage of a social weakness; people want to believe there is progress in understanding ourselves.
Thomas J. Watson, Jr., former CEO of IBM came to the conclusion that the talk of artificial intelligence was not to be believed, and said so publically. I was not able to find the quote. Mr. Watson was expressing a low opinion of the research in intelligence at the time.
4) Research about the brain and intelligence is far more difficult than other research. That's partly because the architecture of the brain is far more complicated than that of a computer.
Digital computers use binary. Biological computers use many more levels than two, and we are far from fully understanding the architecture.
This (poorly edited) PDF file from UCSD has some basic facts about the brain: Levels of neurophysiological description. From page 2: "100 billion neurons in the brain; 1/20th [of] 1 hair width in diameter; Speed transmission 2-120 metres/sec; each neuron has about 10,000 contacts with other neurons.
From page 17: "Each neuron [of the 30 billion neurons] has about 10,000 connections with other neurons. These connections use many different neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters differ in their strength, timing, and whether they excite or inhibit the postsynaptic neuron. If excitatory + inhibitory = threshold the postsynaptic neuron fires!" [slight editing for clarity]
Microsoft's virtual monopoly for the desktop OS means that security vulnerabilities are profitable. People buy a new computer when they find the old one has become slow. The don't realize they are infected, and that their computer became imperceptibly slower each time it got infected.
Once again, moderators have used mod points to suppress discussion.
How can a statement that is supported by 35 books from reputable publishers be "Flamebait".
There are many people in the U.S. who say they are pro-Republican when they are actually just pro-anger or are "religious" in an extremist obsessive-thinking manner. Anyone who is logical enough to be a computer programmer is likely to notice their lack of logic.
There are many good Republicans. But the Re-money-cans are 100% corrupt. They are helping George W. Bush sell the U.S. government to whomever has the money: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.
Background information: History surrounding the U.S. war with Iraq: Four short stories. The U.S. government declared war on Arabs long before there was Arab terrorism against the U.S.: New York Governor Pataki's statements are equivalent to a declaration of war.
The U.S. government is bankrupt. The value of the U.S. dollar is dropping fast because the Bush administration is rapidly borrowing money. Who is doing the borrowing? These people: U.S. Federal Deficit by Political Party. If you are a U.S. citizen, you owe $26,289.01, even if you are only 1 year old.
As Republican John McCain has said many times, campaign finance has corrupted the U.S. government.
I disagree with Senator McCain about Bolton, but at least McCain does not lie about the facts: "We all know that Mr. Bolton is perhaps not the world's most beloved manager, nor one to keep his temper entirely under wraps." McCain is a true Republican.
Exactly. The figures are highly suspect.
Responding only to number 1 in the parent post:
You said,
"Hearsay if you prefer. I agree that conflicts of interested abound. However, they are not completely avoidable, and I'm not convinced it's any worse than it has been in the past."
I'm guessing you didn't read any of the books, or even look at the reviews. Yet you seem to dismiss the major issues raised.
If you read the books, you will see many reputable people claiming that it is much worse than ever before.
In my opinion it is worse than you say.
Here are reviews of 35 books and 3 movies that discuss how bad it really is: Unprecedented Corruption: A guide to conflict of interest in the U.S. government.
Background information: History surrounding the U.S. war with Iraq: Four short stories. The U.S. government declared war on Arabs long before there was Arab terrorism against the U.S.: New York Governor Pataki's statements are equivalent to a declaration of war.
The U.S. government is bankrupt. The value of the U.S. dollar is dropping fast because the Bush administration is rapidly borrowing money. Who is doing the borrowing? These people: U.S. Federal Deficit by Political Party. If you are a U.S. citizen, you owe: $26,289.01, even if you are only 1 year old.
Most people who find that their computer has become slow buy another computer, so Microsoft sells another copy of the operating system. As the OpenBSD team has shown, it is not impossible to make an OS with very, very few vulnerabilities. But the vulnerabilities make money, so apparently that's why Microsoft leaves them in, or takes a long time to fix them.
So anti-spyware software would reduce Microsoft's profits.
Try GIMPshop, GIMP with PhotoShop menus.
Zener diode noise is random. Zener diodes cost less than a dollar. What about digitizing Zener noise? Amplify it with an op amp. Digitize it by feeding it into an Analog to Digital converter.
Webex sells "solutions" that "empower your workforce". And "solutions" are expensive:
"WebEx Meeting Center Pro: $199 per concurrent port/month"
I don't know what a concurrent port is, but I'm guessing there needs to be a lot of them. $2,388.00 per year for each concurrent port.
I visited the RainDance web site, and discovered that they sell solutions. I was impressed... NOT!
Solutions are spendy:
5-User Pack, $274.95 per month*. Unlimited use of your online meeting room for you and up to four others. Integrated audio conferencing at $0.20 per minute per caller. Additional web participants at $0.50 per minute per participant.
Before all the other charges, the base cost is $3,299.40 per year, every year, for meetings of up to five people. There must be a better way.
My guess: UTTER FRAUD. There can be no truth to the article. Think about it. Certainly a huge difference in gender statistics would have been noticed before.