It's what people call themselves after they've just taken their two-week crash course on how to take the tests and pass the examinations. Apparently this is a good way of earning the degree if you don't plan on remembering any of it afterward.
I remember fondly an individual who'd said he was an "MSCE," who knew less about how his Windows-equipped PC worked than I did--and I'd only been fixing computers professionally for about a year.
What do you expect from a game console? Why is making copies a big deal now that they're on CD, when it wasn't on the radar when they still came on cartridges?
Requirements are in the hands of developers; they always have been. I don't blame the people who don't want to buy a $400 graphics board, etc. Of course, even most of the folks who buy the software that's "optimized" for that hardware don't miss the few frames per second they may lose.
My hardware is usually about 12-18 months behind the bleeding edge; and I have never seen a game whose minimum requirements overshoot my PC's specs. Given the range of PCs that developers have to program for, I think they do a pretty good job of making their games compatible for as many newer and older hardware platforms as possible.
On the "windows upgrade" note: any game that says it supports Windows 98 will almost always work on Windows 95 - especially since Windows 98 is little more than window dressing atop Windows 95 OSR2.5. And virtually every game released for Windows PCs is written atop the DirectX gaming platform, which is a free upgrade. Because of that, just about every game out today is backwards-compatible, software-wise, to 1997. Five years is a long time in the PC world--by which time most (non-geek) folks who have owned a PC for a while will have bought a newer one, with a newer OS preinstalled.
All of you out there who have screwdrivers -- you can use those to unscrew poorly secured locks. There, now I'm in trouble for disseminating information about circumvention, and you're all screwed for having the tools.
Seriously, a plan to strip the anonymity from the people who "rip and share" this stuff may be the best deterrent to copyright violators that the RIAA can accomplish. Think about it, when was the last time you saw members of PWA put their real names, addresses, phone numbers, etc., in something they warezed?
I worked for a good-sized computer repair center back in 1998, during which time I saw an amazing number of defects in Western Digital drives--specifically, their WDC33200 and WDC36400 models. The two-platter drives were reliable enough, but the three-platter drives were lucky to last a year before they started either subtly glitching or dying altogether.
I think sometimes it's just luck of the draw. I've owned a Quantum Bigfoot 2.4GB hard drive since 1997, and it still works like a champ five years later. Same with the IBM 12GB drive I run now, though it's not quite as old yet.
This should show you that language is not static, it is fluid. The fact that you don't think it should be called theft is your problem. 'Theft' is now used to indicate copyright infringement. Cope.
"Theft" is also now used to indicate changing channels to avoid watching commercials. That doesn't make it valid.
That's your call. But here's the thing: You control your own access to the outside information that disgusts you. You control where you are, what channels you're watching, what radio stations you're listening to, and what websites you're reading. It's easier than you think to continue living with all the extraneous crap turned off--try it sometime. Build a firewall around your mind; stop wasting your time listening to mainstream media.
That said, I think I did misread your original post. Having seen others who've used their "ordeals" to have books published, I mistook your action as a shout for attention. And for that, I apologize.
Where was the grieving for Pearl Harbor? Where was the grieving for the Gulf War deceased? Where is the grieving for the fallen soldiers during this operation? WHY AREN'T YOU GRIEVING FOR THEM AS MUCH AS 9.11??
When I was in my unit's Honor Guard, I buried folks who had survived all the conflicts you mentioned. But actual grief. . . I don't know that I have. It hasn't affected me on a personal level. . . and I guess in that sense, I'm one of the lucky ones. It has affected my friends, though - including one close friend of mine who watched the shit hit the fan from about five blocks away and who lost about a half-dozen of her close friends to the attack.
All grieving about 11 September aside, though: why weren't we after Osama's arse a lot earlier? Why did it take 3000 deaths at the World Trade Center and 200 deaths at the Pentagon to get the American public's attention? Why wasn't it enough to go after bin Laden when two dozen sailors died on the USS Cole, or when 20 airmen died in the Khobar Towers attack, or when 300 people died in the embassy attacks of 1998?
Nah - it's just limiting the competition. Think of it. . . those Geeks are securing their position in the global economy by shutting down the internet to billions and billions of potential sysadmins, network technicians, computer programmers. ..
Or not. Hell, I just wanted to say billions and billions.
The web could do a lot worse than become a bit more strongly-typed, and a bit more like a programming language than a scripting language.
True, most folks don't need more than the basic mark-up for their websites, especially where personal websites are concerned. But commercial sites could stand for a much better design than they have. . . the author here makes a lot of good points when he calls out the faults of ZDNet and Yahoo for their HTML. The code is crap - thank God HTML doesn't have GOTO statements, or these sites would probably be chock full of those, too.
Let's do what we did with the blink tag. Don't just deprecate it--ignore it. Tell the browser, "Don't listen to the <font> tag, just skip over it."
Not too long ago, I re-wrote my own personal webpages using Cascading Style Sheets. It's tricky, since Netscape/Mozilla oftentimes has different ideas of how to interpret CSS than Internet Explorer. But it's easy enough to accommodate both, without too much effort. And I'm a lot happier now that my HTML code looks less like last night's dinner and more like something that someone else could read and understand.
And just because you were in one of the towers doesn't mean you're the only one who has any right to grief. A lot of folks didn't make it out of the towers--or the Pentagon, for that matter. A lot of families will never be able to "move on."
Reflect on the fact that you were lucky a year ago so that you could have your hissyfit today. Then STFU and let people grieve for the folks who weren't so lucky.
. ..and within two clicks of the page SlashDot refers to, I found this in the site's FAQ:
"Do you license mp3/mp3PRO software to end users?"
"No. We license mp3/mp3PRO software and patents to developers and manufacturers of software applications and hardware devices."
So these licensing fees don't apply to Joe Blow--they apply to the companies who want to incorporate MP3/MP3Pro encoding or decoding. Yeah, it sucks for RedHat, but they're not going to send you and me a bill.
I would imagine most places have a budget for how much they're allowed to spend for a certain project - I know my office follows this. The upside of this is, they can't go over that spending limit. The downside is, they have no incentive to save any of that money.
Of course, the ideal thing to do for the project manager is to get the most bang one can for the money available. But what you often see instead is the project manager going for the bid that comes closest to the company's estimate for how much it would cost them to do the work themselves.
Right. And since newspapers across the country publish Letters to the Editor, many of which disagree with editorial columns and many of which disparage the paper itself, those newspapers must agree with what the letters to the editor contain.
Journalism isn't always about reporting "the Truth." Sometimes, it's just about reporting someone's version of the truth by reporting what that person said or did.
Actually, you're mistaken. If the FBI learns you have 3000 VHS cassettes containing copies of The Country Bears, and catches wind of your intent to sell them, they can nail you well before you actually carry out the act. That's the definition of conspiracy.
Likewise, the police don't have to wait for you to attempt murder if they know you're planning one. Authorities can arrest and convict you merely by proving intent.
Overall, I get the strong impression that Rick Berman is not targeting geeks, but rather, the mainstream gun/sex/action oriented entertainment. "Blow stuff up and fuck the girl!" That seems great in a lot of ways, but I've always turned to ST for entertainment of a more intellectual sort.
Then it wouldn't be that much different from the original Star Trek, if you think about it. Redshirts died in every episode, and they showed as much sexual tension as they could get away with at the time. I think anyone who remembers the series remembers Kirk kissing just about anything female that he came across, whether she was human or not.
I don't see a problem with taking Star Trek into dark places. . . just like many mythological heroes faced a descent into the underworld and survived the ordeal, the characters of Trek must undergo the same. If anything, I think the series, and the characters, will be stronger for the experience.
Slashdot Mirror
That, or worthless - take your pick. :)
It's what people call themselves after they've just taken their two-week crash course on how to take the tests and pass the examinations. Apparently this is a good way of earning the degree if you don't plan on remembering any of it afterward.
I remember fondly an individual who'd said he was an "MSCE," who knew less about how his Windows-equipped PC worked than I did--and I'd only been fixing computers professionally for about a year.
What do you expect from a game console? Why is making copies a big deal now that they're on CD, when it wasn't on the radar when they still came on cartridges?
Requirements are in the hands of developers; they always have been. I don't blame the people who don't want to buy a $400 graphics board, etc. Of course, even most of the folks who buy the software that's "optimized" for that hardware don't miss the few frames per second they may lose.
My hardware is usually about 12-18 months behind the bleeding edge; and I have never seen a game whose minimum requirements overshoot my PC's specs. Given the range of PCs that developers have to program for, I think they do a pretty good job of making their games compatible for as many newer and older hardware platforms as possible.
On the "windows upgrade" note: any game that says it supports Windows 98 will almost always work on Windows 95 - especially since Windows 98 is little more than window dressing atop Windows 95 OSR2.5. And virtually every game released for Windows PCs is written atop the DirectX gaming platform, which is a free upgrade. Because of that, just about every game out today is backwards-compatible, software-wise, to 1997. Five years is a long time in the PC world--by which time most (non-geek) folks who have owned a PC for a while will have bought a newer one, with a newer OS preinstalled.
All of you out there who have screwdrivers -- you can use those to unscrew poorly secured locks. There, now I'm in trouble for disseminating information about circumvention, and you're all screwed for having the tools.
Pun intended. . ?
What's next, CPUs that use dilithium crystals?
Seriously, a plan to strip the anonymity from the people who "rip and share" this stuff may be the best deterrent to copyright violators that the RIAA can accomplish. Think about it, when was the last time you saw members of PWA put their real names, addresses, phone numbers, etc., in something they warezed?
I worked for a good-sized computer repair center back in 1998, during which time I saw an amazing number of defects in Western Digital drives--specifically, their WDC33200 and WDC36400 models. The two-platter drives were reliable enough, but the three-platter drives were lucky to last a year before they started either subtly glitching or dying altogether.
I think sometimes it's just luck of the draw. I've owned a Quantum Bigfoot 2.4GB hard drive since 1997, and it still works like a champ five years later. Same with the IBM 12GB drive I run now, though it's not quite as old yet.
I dunno, but I think waking up next to, say, Drew Barrymore has to be at least a very close second.
I don't think he's asking for anyone to feel sorry for him. . .
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer
This should show you that language is not static, it is fluid. The fact that you don't think it should be called theft is your problem. 'Theft' is now used to indicate copyright infringement. Cope.
"Theft" is also now used to indicate changing channels to avoid watching commercials. That doesn't make it valid.
That's your call. But here's the thing: You control your own access to the outside information that disgusts you. You control where you are, what channels you're watching, what radio stations you're listening to, and what websites you're reading. It's easier than you think to continue living with all the extraneous crap turned off--try it sometime. Build a firewall around your mind; stop wasting your time listening to mainstream media.
That said, I think I did misread your original post. Having seen others who've used their "ordeals" to have books published, I mistook your action as a shout for attention. And for that, I apologize.
Where was the grieving for Pearl Harbor? Where was the grieving for the Gulf War deceased? Where is the grieving for the fallen soldiers during this operation? WHY AREN'T YOU GRIEVING FOR THEM AS MUCH AS 9.11??
When I was in my unit's Honor Guard, I buried folks who had survived all the conflicts you mentioned. But actual grief. . . I don't know that I have. It hasn't affected me on a personal level. . . and I guess in that sense, I'm one of the lucky ones. It has affected my friends, though - including one close friend of mine who watched the shit hit the fan from about five blocks away and who lost about a half-dozen of her close friends to the attack.
All grieving about 11 September aside, though: why weren't we after Osama's arse a lot earlier? Why did it take 3000 deaths at the World Trade Center and 200 deaths at the Pentagon to get the American public's attention? Why wasn't it enough to go after bin Laden when two dozen sailors died on the USS Cole, or when 20 airmen died in the Khobar Towers attack, or when 300 people died in the embassy attacks of 1998?
Nah - it's just limiting the competition. Think of it. . . those Geeks are securing their position in the global economy by shutting down the internet to billions and billions of potential sysadmins, network technicians, computer programmers. . .
Or not. Hell, I just wanted to say billions and billions.
Spammers never lie or forge domain names! So of course it's unfair that this lawyer's mailserver was blacklisted. . .
Bah. With all the money lawyers make, you'd think he could buy himself a clue.
The web could do a lot worse than become a bit more strongly-typed, and a bit more like a programming language than a scripting language.
True, most folks don't need more than the basic mark-up for their websites, especially where personal websites are concerned. But commercial sites could stand for a much better design than they have. . . the author here makes a lot of good points when he calls out the faults of ZDNet and Yahoo for their HTML. The code is crap - thank God HTML doesn't have GOTO statements, or these sites would probably be chock full of those, too.
Let's do what we did with the blink tag. Don't just deprecate it--ignore it. Tell the browser, "Don't listen to the <font> tag, just skip over it."
Not too long ago, I re-wrote my own personal webpages using Cascading Style Sheets. It's tricky, since Netscape/Mozilla oftentimes has different ideas of how to interpret CSS than Internet Explorer. But it's easy enough to accommodate both, without too much effort. And I'm a lot happier now that my HTML code looks less like last night's dinner and more like something that someone else could read and understand.
Dude, if you're sick of hearing it, turn off CNN.
And just because you were in one of the towers doesn't mean you're the only one who has any right to grief. A lot of folks didn't make it out of the towers--or the Pentagon, for that matter. A lot of families will never be able to "move on."
Reflect on the fact that you were lucky a year ago so that you could have your hissyfit today. Then STFU and let people grieve for the folks who weren't so lucky.
. . .and within two clicks of the page SlashDot refers to, I found this in the site's FAQ:
"Do you license mp3/mp3PRO software to end users?"
"No. We license mp3/mp3PRO software and patents to developers and manufacturers of software applications and hardware devices."
So these licensing fees don't apply to Joe Blow--they apply to the companies who want to incorporate MP3/MP3Pro encoding or decoding. Yeah, it sucks for RedHat, but they're not going to send you and me a bill.
I would imagine most places have a budget for how much they're allowed to spend for a certain project - I know my office follows this. The upside of this is, they can't go over that spending limit. The downside is, they have no incentive to save any of that money.
Of course, the ideal thing to do for the project manager is to get the most bang one can for the money available. But what you often see instead is the project manager going for the bid that comes closest to the company's estimate for how much it would cost them to do the work themselves.
Tinfoil hat check, boys and girls!
Right. And since newspapers across the country publish Letters to the Editor, many of which disagree with editorial columns and many of which disparage the paper itself, those newspapers must agree with what the letters to the editor contain.
Journalism isn't always about reporting "the Truth." Sometimes, it's just about reporting someone's version of the truth by reporting what that person said or did.
You don't have to use a Social Security card, either. . . but good luck living without one.
Actually, you're mistaken. If the FBI learns you have 3000 VHS cassettes containing copies of The Country Bears, and catches wind of your intent to sell them, they can nail you well before you actually carry out the act. That's the definition of conspiracy.
Likewise, the police don't have to wait for you to attempt murder if they know you're planning one. Authorities can arrest and convict you merely by proving intent.
Maybe we could have an icon of a Borgified Wesley Crusher or something. . .
Overall, I get the strong impression that Rick Berman is not targeting geeks, but rather, the mainstream gun/sex/action oriented entertainment. "Blow stuff up and fuck the girl!" That seems great in a lot of ways, but I've always turned to ST for entertainment of a more intellectual sort.
Then it wouldn't be that much different from the original Star Trek, if you think about it. Redshirts died in every episode, and they showed as much sexual tension as they could get away with at the time. I think anyone who remembers the series remembers Kirk kissing just about anything female that he came across, whether she was human or not.
I don't see a problem with taking Star Trek into dark places. . . just like many mythological heroes faced a descent into the underworld and survived the ordeal, the characters of Trek must undergo the same. If anything, I think the series, and the characters, will be stronger for the experience.