>> Is Making Government More Open and Connected a Good Idea?
If it ever happens, let me know. The only truly "open government" I've ever seen has been a township board. Even there, major decisions were as likely as to have been made out at dinner on someone's farm as in an open debate chamber. On every other level, governments have been headed down the path of beefing up specialist/executive powers at the expense of public access or power.
I think you'll find that the same guests who want to borrow your computer are also the same ones who won't be able to get boarding passes on their phone.
>> humans to harness such power to do all sorts of things like safety — what like catching falling workers perhaps
Doubt it. However, I could see a bunch of these being loosed by a in a war zone: individually find the big metal ship, clump together beneath the waterline, go boom. Or, to clear the way for a raid, something like for the next 6 hours, find all the moving human-like shapes, get close, go boom (or clump at doors, go boom).
Love the understated way Google's rattling the patent saber here: "If you stay open-source you're probably safe, but if we think you're a commercial entity with closed source we may unleash the software patent lawyers."
>> Annie Lien, a senior engineer...near Silicon Valley. 'People are surprised when I tell them that you're not going to get a car that drives you from A to B, or door to door, in the next 10 years.'"
Are you sure that the smartest people live in the Valley?
Set this utility up with about four garbage usernames, then your actual admin credentials in the username list, and put four junk passwords before your admin password in the password list. Then run the utility with one-second intervals. If your FTP server (or SFTP service) is set up well, your IP (and possibly your username) should be locked out before the utility gets to your legit credentials on its 25th try. (In other words, if the utility can sign on as you, your FTP or SFTP service could use some additional security.)
If the best way to populate the galaxy is to seed it with primitive, unicellular life, perhaps the ultimate function of multicellular life is to help scatter and feed bacteria (and the like) all over the world, so when something big finally hits us, enough of the well-distributed, well-fed spores might survive on blasted chunks of rock to colonize the next world.
>> these efforts cannot be completed and validated without safety, reliability, and performance standards
Translation: We know that drones falling out of the sky will kill and main a lot of our citizens. However, we need someone to make a call on how many deaths-per-million-flights (or other metric) is an acceptable number.
This might be the short version: guy writes book to complain about recipes that don't warn people that some of the ingredients could be dangerous. Ends up on SlashDot because he doesn't think we'll fix "idiotproof" in the future either.
My take: watch "Idiocracy" instead - with take-out.
Possible outcome: New York City government official reads book, proposes a ban on cooking at home for citizens' own good.
>> "For Democrats, it could be...a nightmare." How exactly is this true?
Remember the current system also nullifies Republicans in large Democratic states (California, Illinois, New York, etc.). Think of the electoral votes if allocated by House districts rather than by states...
What is this - 1995? Why is a programmer doing marketing?
> reusable components to sell to other programmers
Good choice to avoid that. Programmers tend to like their modules free AND with source code. AND they suck up your time with edge cases (which is why they probably began looking at your component rather than writing their own in the first place). In three different companies now I've had a hand in killing off standalone components targeted at programmers...and I'd do it again.
> Are there any other options to make a bit of cash as a programmer?
As a side job? Find an ecosystem, even a niche ecosystem where people are actually buying components (Exchange plug-ins, Blackberry apps, mainframe software, whatever) and write something simple. Do that once or twice a year and enjoy!
>> It's surprising how few novels are set in the workplace
Not really. We like Dilbert because it's one quick chuckle about work a day and that's it. I don't have time for The Office because it's 30 minutes long (zzz). A whole novel about work? Fugetaboutit!
Slashdot Mirror
>> Is Making Government More Open and Connected a Good Idea?
If it ever happens, let me know. The only truly "open government" I've ever seen has been a township board. Even there, major decisions were as likely as to have been made out at dinner on someone's farm as in an open debate chamber. On every other level, governments have been headed down the path of beefing up specialist/executive powers at the expense of public access or power.
>> An assistant professor....writes: "I will not get a job—and if you go to graduate school, neither will you"
Um...isn't she employed...by a Big 10 university...after going to grad school?
>> You will no longer have any friends outside academia.
I wonder why. Must REALLY get under her skin that the only place she gets published is on SlashDot.
>> Printing boarding passes? How quaintly retro!
I think you'll find that the same guests who want to borrow your computer are also the same ones who won't be able to get boarding passes on their phone.
>> Have a dedicated Linux boot just for them, and if they give you funny looks tell them too bad.
This. As long as you can PRINT from it. (Most of the time I loaned "local" computer access it was to let someone print airline boarding passes.)
Also make a couple paper copies of your WiFi creds and encourage them to BYOD.
What if SlashDot announced a mandatory "all hands meeting" to its readership? I think it would feel about the same as the response to this article.
>> He's a good talker, too.
OK - you sold me. I'll watch an old man talk to me. (Er...not really.)
>> humans to harness such power to do all sorts of things like safety — what like catching falling workers perhaps
Doubt it. However, I could see a bunch of these being loosed by a in a war zone: individually find the big metal ship, clump together beneath the waterline, go boom. Or, to clear the way for a raid, something like for the next 6 hours, find all the moving human-like shapes, get close, go boom (or clump at doors, go boom).
Love the understated way Google's rattling the patent saber here: "If you stay open-source you're probably safe, but if we think you're a commercial entity with closed source we may unleash the software patent lawyers."
>> Annie Lien, a senior engineer...near Silicon Valley. 'People are surprised when I tell them that you're not going to get a car that drives you from A to B, or door to door, in the next 10 years.'"
Are you sure that the smartest people live in the Valley?
>> accomplished nature and wildlife photographer
Cool story, bro. Sounds more like a way to get one's Wikipedia entry updated through use of SlashDot-as-citation to me.
You can use this free scanner to test your FTP or SFTP access.
http://www.filetransferconsulting.com/low-and-slow-ftp-scanner/
Set this utility up with about four garbage usernames, then your actual admin credentials in the username list, and put four junk passwords before your admin password in the password list. Then run the utility with one-second intervals. If your FTP server (or SFTP service) is set up well, your IP (and possibly your username) should be locked out before the utility gets to your legit credentials on its 25th try. (In other words, if the utility can sign on as you, your FTP or SFTP service could use some additional security.)
>> rich deposits of rare earth elements on the sea floor in Japanese Exclusive Economic Zone water
Good thing no one's ever disputed ownership of an island two-thousand miles away from the mainland, right?
>> The first Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, worth £, awarded in the U.K., an international effort
One of those facts does not fit.
WhoTF is Sarah Brightman? Seriously - I may not watch E! News, but there are a few celebrities who register some name recognition...just not this one.
If the best way to populate the galaxy is to seed it with primitive, unicellular life, perhaps the ultimate function of multicellular life is to help scatter and feed bacteria (and the like) all over the world, so when something big finally hits us, enough of the well-distributed, well-fed spores might survive on blasted chunks of rock to colonize the next world.
>> Farmers and other food-producers can receive SMS messages about the best ways to handle pests, for example, or take care of their cows
Aha...the future of Africa is Monsanto text-spam.
>> Some have praised its innovation
Er...what? 28 comments in 8 hours tells me no one cares about Graph Search - not even on SlashDot.
>> Tech Leaders Encourage Teaching Schoolkids How To Code
The 80's called - they want their BASIC story back.
>> these efforts cannot be completed and validated without safety, reliability, and performance standards
Translation: We know that drones falling out of the sky will kill and main a lot of our citizens. However, we need someone to make a call on how many deaths-per-million-flights (or other metric) is an acceptable number.
This Valentine's day, give your mistress the gift that's out of this world. Claim an asteroid for her...
This might be the short version: guy writes book to complain about recipes that don't warn people that some of the ingredients could be dangerous. Ends up on SlashDot because he doesn't think we'll fix "idiotproof" in the future either.
My take: watch "Idiocracy" instead - with take-out.
Possible outcome: New York City government official reads book, proposes a ban on cooking at home for citizens' own good.
"Dam toes, ale in bass 'tards argon happy forts 'ooting up my right. "
>> "For Democrats, it could be...a nightmare." How exactly is this true?
Remember the current system also nullifies Republicans in large Democratic states (California, Illinois, New York, etc.). Think of the electoral votes if allocated by House districts rather than by states...
> making web sites for small businesses
What is this - 1995? Why is a programmer doing marketing?
> reusable components to sell to other programmers
Good choice to avoid that. Programmers tend to like their modules free AND with source code. AND they suck up your time with edge cases (which is why they probably began looking at your component rather than writing their own in the first place). In three different companies now I've had a hand in killing off standalone components targeted at programmers...and I'd do it again.
> Are there any other options to make a bit of cash as a programmer?
As a side job? Find an ecosystem, even a niche ecosystem where people are actually buying components (Exchange plug-ins, Blackberry apps, mainframe software, whatever) and write something simple. Do that once or twice a year and enjoy!
>> It's surprising how few novels are set in the workplace
Not really. We like Dilbert because it's one quick chuckle about work a day and that's it. I don't have time for The Office because it's 30 minutes long (zzz). A whole novel about work? Fugetaboutit!