I'm talking about the well-established economic concept of negative externalities, where a cost is incurred by someone who didn't get the benefit. For instance, if I lived next door to you and turned my home into a dump, the accompanying drop in property value of your home would be a negative externality.
In the case of oil, the CO2 isn't as much of a problem as the CO and SO2. Furthermore, the wars for oil definitely do happen: Even if I conceded the current Iraq War as not being about oil (which I dispute, but that's not important), that still leaves Afghanistan (fought in part to allow Unocal - with Hamid Karzai as one of their executives - to build a pipeline from the Caspian Sea), the first Gulf War (fought to protect the Kuwaiti and Saudi oil supply), and the attempted Venezuela coup (with some native backing, but the CIA was almost definitely involved). That's funded by about 25% of my tax money. If you want a better idea of how oil affects current US foreign policy, read up on the Project for the New American Century.
If the lack of caring about GPL violations is documented anywhere, then I'd say the FSF has a pretty open and shut case. And if you wanted to help out the FSF a bunch, a few forwarded emails might do the job.
The costs of oil, coal, and gas start going up rather rapidly when you start factoring in the costs that are currently foisted on the public. Environmental damage, wars to take over oil fields, and drilling rights to name a few.
Perhaps Chu has that, too, but his lack of name recognition will constrain his effectiveness.
How much have you heard about Sam Bodman (the current Secretary of Energy)? Me neither, and I usually know things like that. For me at least competence beats out name recognition any day of the week.
And another important point is that this appointment says quite clearly that Obama expects the DOE to use scientific methods and procedures as the basis for what it's doing. When you're charging an organization with the task of fixing the US energy problem, that's exactly what you want.
Imagine, if you will, a Department of Energy focused on keeping the oil, coal, and gas companies happy. Oh wait, you don't need to imagine that, because that's what we've had for several decades.
Smart people do get laid. That's not the issue. Some likely reasons smart people reproduce less that dumb people: 1. They're smarter about avoiding pregnancy if they don't want to have a child. If they fail, they're more likely to have the cash to pay for abortion should they want one. 2. They want to give plenty of attention to each child, so they tend to have 1-4 kids rather than 7-12.
However, it's worth noting that the bushy eyebrow and mustache exception was put in place at the request of the Greater Indianapolis Groucho Marx Lookalike Society.
The problem, in my opinion, is that a lot of folks have become convinced that MySql is an absolutely essential part of a web application that runs on Linux and Apache. It's getting used largely because it's part of the LAMP stack that some boss has heard a few things about.
Having used both MySql and several real databases (postgres, Oracle, even MS SqlServer) throughout my career, I have yet to figure out what MySql's appeal really is. It's like the PHP of databases: it was one of the first to enter the game of open database options, and so a lot of people use it despite causing lots of grief.
That doesn't seem to be a problem with government programs. It seems to be a problem with monopolistic telecoms (who may or may not have been giving out large donations to politicians to help the government look the other way).
Remember that little spat over the Total Information Awareness project back in 2001? You know, the one where after a lot of public pressure Congress tried to de-fund the program?
My impression of Woz is that what he is at heart is an engineer. He wants to make stuff, and make stuff work, and make stuff do really nifty things, and create jokes and pranks. I think in his mind being rich is nice and all, but there are much more important things to worry about, like helping other people out and teaching kids about technology.
Hence his gift of stock to other employees: he has plenty for himself, so he decided to do the decent thing and help out some other folks he knew.
It's an interesting perspective, here's a counterargument (I don't have the exact text in front of me, so I'll have to paraphrase) by Geoffrey Canada, head of the Harlem Children's Zone:
Geoff described his experience of carrying a gun after he'd managed to work his way out of the ghetto and into college. What he realized after a while was that situations that he would have avoided based on his upbringing on the streets (like walking right through the middle of a group of rival gang members) he no longer avoided. In other words, by carrying a gun he regularly put himself into a position where he would be forced to use it, and might also get shot himself. Being unafraid made him, in short, stupid.
You can read about his experiences with street violence in his book Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America.
Obama has been very clear that he's not the President yet. As most commentators have pointed out, the only thing he can do right now is talk to people, and that's the only thing he's trying to do. His press conferences seem to be pretty much "here's who I'm planning on hiring, here's what I'm going to want them to do."
As I see it, the "Office of the President-Elect" is simply a formal name for all the people that are either on his transition team or are expected to become part of his staff or cabinet. It has absolutely no official authority.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, it's at least revivable.
The problem is that it belonged to some fellow named Ab Normal.
I'm talking about the well-established economic concept of negative externalities, where a cost is incurred by someone who didn't get the benefit. For instance, if I lived next door to you and turned my home into a dump, the accompanying drop in property value of your home would be a negative externality.
In the case of oil, the CO2 isn't as much of a problem as the CO and SO2. Furthermore, the wars for oil definitely do happen: Even if I conceded the current Iraq War as not being about oil (which I dispute, but that's not important), that still leaves Afghanistan (fought in part to allow Unocal - with Hamid Karzai as one of their executives - to build a pipeline from the Caspian Sea), the first Gulf War (fought to protect the Kuwaiti and Saudi oil supply), and the attempted Venezuela coup (with some native backing, but the CIA was almost definitely involved). That's funded by about 25% of my tax money. If you want a better idea of how oil affects current US foreign policy, read up on the Project for the New American Century.
If the lack of caring about GPL violations is documented anywhere, then I'd say the FSF has a pretty open and shut case. And if you wanted to help out the FSF a bunch, a few forwarded emails might do the job.
That sounds like it ought to be an exclamation, along the lines of "Stallman's beard! I wasn't expecting that error."
The costs of oil, coal, and gas start going up rather rapidly when you start factoring in the costs that are currently foisted on the public. Environmental damage, wars to take over oil fields, and drilling rights to name a few.
How about the Python version
if foo == "bar":
print "Hello world!"
That seems pretty easy to explain to me. And I say that as someone who's taught a lot of 12-year-olds about programming.
Like this:
http://instantrimshot.com/
Perhaps Chu has that, too, but his lack of name recognition will constrain his effectiveness.
How much have you heard about Sam Bodman (the current Secretary of Energy)? Me neither, and I usually know things like that. For me at least competence beats out name recognition any day of the week.
And another important point is that this appointment says quite clearly that Obama expects the DOE to use scientific methods and procedures as the basis for what it's doing. When you're charging an organization with the task of fixing the US energy problem, that's exactly what you want.
Imagine, if you will, a Department of Energy focused on keeping the oil, coal, and gas companies happy. Oh wait, you don't need to imagine that, because that's what we've had for several decades.
Smart people do get laid. That's not the issue. Some likely reasons smart people reproduce less that dumb people:
1. They're smarter about avoiding pregnancy if they don't want to have a child. If they fail, they're more likely to have the cash to pay for abortion should they want one.
2. They want to give plenty of attention to each child, so they tend to have 1-4 kids rather than 7-12.
It makes you look like some sort of elitist.
You betcha! (This message brought to you by the Palin 2012 campaign)
However, it's worth noting that the bushy eyebrow and mustache exception was put in place at the request of the Greater Indianapolis Groucho Marx Lookalike Society.
The problem, in my opinion, is that a lot of folks have become convinced that MySql is an absolutely essential part of a web application that runs on Linux and Apache. It's getting used largely because it's part of the LAMP stack that some boss has heard a few things about.
Having used both MySql and several real databases (postgres, Oracle, even MS SqlServer) throughout my career, I have yet to figure out what MySql's appeal really is. It's like the PHP of databases: it was one of the first to enter the game of open database options, and so a lot of people use it despite causing lots of grief.
It will when you're living in a van down by the river!
No, GP's right on the last point: Even if the people don't move to Peoria, the rail line still has to be built that goes through there.
The important stuff can be learned on a 486.
Heck, I learned the important stuff on an 8088!
That doesn't seem to be a problem with government programs. It seems to be a problem with monopolistic telecoms (who may or may not have been giving out large donations to politicians to help the government look the other way).
Keanu Reeves can't destroy the Earth, though. But Chuck Norris definitely can.
Read up on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Awareness_Office
Remember that little spat over the Total Information Awareness project back in 2001? You know, the one where after a lot of public pressure Congress tried to de-fund the program?
My impression of Woz is that what he is at heart is an engineer. He wants to make stuff, and make stuff work, and make stuff do really nifty things, and create jokes and pranks. I think in his mind being rich is nice and all, but there are much more important things to worry about, like helping other people out and teaching kids about technology.
Hence his gift of stock to other employees: he has plenty for himself, so he decided to do the decent thing and help out some other folks he knew.
"The number of IPv6 networks has increased by 300%" could easily be interpreted as the number going from 1 to 4.
Of course, that's not exactly true from RTFA, but it's a classic method of lying with statistics.
quantum entanglement used to teleport things
I teleported home one night
with Ron and Sid and Meg.
Ron stole Meggie's heart away,
and I got Sidney's leg.
-Douglas Adams
And even more amazing is that a guy that smart didn't know when to empty his bladder.
This has been a message from the Tasteless Jokes Department.
It's an interesting perspective, here's a counterargument (I don't have the exact text in front of me, so I'll have to paraphrase) by Geoffrey Canada, head of the Harlem Children's Zone:
Geoff described his experience of carrying a gun after he'd managed to work his way out of the ghetto and into college. What he realized after a while was that situations that he would have avoided based on his upbringing on the streets (like walking right through the middle of a group of rival gang members) he no longer avoided. In other words, by carrying a gun he regularly put himself into a position where he would be forced to use it, and might also get shot himself. Being unafraid made him, in short, stupid.
You can read about his experiences with street violence in his book Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America.
Obama has been very clear that he's not the President yet. As most commentators have pointed out, the only thing he can do right now is talk to people, and that's the only thing he's trying to do. His press conferences seem to be pretty much "here's who I'm planning on hiring, here's what I'm going to want them to do."
As I see it, the "Office of the President-Elect" is simply a formal name for all the people that are either on his transition team or are expected to become part of his staff or cabinet. It has absolutely no official authority.