The "throw the law suit up there and see if it sticks" philosophy has got to go... Ebay should be counter-suing this guy for malice and fraud. Then, whoever talked about online auctions on that Stamp Collecting newsgroup in 1994 should get to take over Ebay, since they thought of doing an auction online first (tic).
Let's thing about one other aspect. Auctions have been around forever. Auctions have been done over the telephone since the telephone was invented. How the hell is doing an auction over the internet any different? I want to patent "Method of Advancing Prior Art through Advents In Technology." That way, everyone would owe me everything they own, and I could pay off my student loans:)
A seismologist does not only study earthquakes. A novelist may not only write books. The robotics researcher may have been studying ancient Egyptian basket-weaving techniques and made profound and insightful discoveries thereof to win the award.
Ok, I have to give you the robotics researcher..;p
Very VERY well put! This is something that has never seemed to dawn on many people - that you can have the best technology in the world, but he with the biggest marketing department wins. (Do certain fruit-like computer companies ring a bell here?).
It would be nice if there were more coverage of linux in the public eye. I generally liken Linux to a boy-genius 6-year-old that nobody takes seriously, but would run circles around the world if given the chance. It's difficult to take a 6-year-old seriously, no matter how smart/funny/good-looking he/she is.
I am positive that Linux will eventually see its day. You are very correct that the current perception of linux is that of a college kid's senior project. However, this attitude has been slowly changing for the better. What will take Linux to "the next level" will be a major catalyst.
There have been a few small revelations along the way, like IBMs open-arms acceptance of Linux. But, M$ seems to be able to buy most of them away (Dell no longer offers computers with no O/S because of an illegal licensing agreement that requires them to pay M$ for each computer they sell. The bad thing is that this happened since the judgement, but nobody seems to care. This is another thread entirely). Maybe the world government adoption of open-source software models (not necessarily Linux!) will be key in this actualization. I sure hope so, because I don't know what could come after that.
This may have been mentioned already, but as a computer designer at a large controls company, we run into the "minimum memory density" problem all the time. We might need X amount of RAM, but end up buying 4X amount of RAM because it's the smallest that is available... It's not that they're trying to see you more RAM than you need. They might just be selling the smallest RAM they can buy.
I can see it now... Now anyone who transacts personal business on the 'net has to pay Amazon for the privelege if they use the "honor system" for payment and shipping... basically, trusting someone will no longer be free.
The Patent Office has become ridiculous. They'll grant a patent application for just about anything because it generates filing fee revenue.
I'll file the following Patent now: "Method of generating income by filing obvious patents and suing everyone in sight." That way, I can pay off my student loans....
Disclaimer: I'm not telling anybody to do anything here. I'm speaking in the proverbial sense. "You" does not mean YOU specifically. I am not a doctor, lawyer, crowned prince, dietitian, or personal trainer. ALWAYS SEE YOUR PHYSICIAN BEFORE MAKING ANY DIETARY CHANGES OR BEGINNING REGULAR EXERCISE!!!! ALWAYS!!! If you're a STUPID BLITHERING IDIOT, don't go blaming me.
Let me preface my story by saying that in September of 1999, I was 245lbs. Six months later, in March of 2000, I was 170. For those of you who may be bad at math, that's a 75lb delta. My cholesterol dropped from 225 to 127 in the same period. My blood pressured dropped from 170/110 to 110/60. Resting heart rate? 85 down to 40 (33 was my record low - achieved through meditation).
How did I lose 75lbs so quickly? It wasn't a fad diet like Atkins. Nor did I become a 'speed' addict. I made three very simple and easy-to-stick-to modifications to my lifestyle:
I changed my diet from Pizza and Chef Boyardee to something much more sensible and balanced. Cereal for Breakfast. Soup and Salad w/ Bread for Lunch. Dinner was usually some kind of meat & rice or meat & potatoes dish, or sometimes pasta. But, most important, smaller portions!
I stopped using the elevator. I stopped using my car (I lived on campus, so everthing was a sub-1-mile walk).
I walked 45 minutes every day, and i mean brisk walking. This turned into intermittent jogging, which turned into running after 3 weeks.
Hmmm a balanced diet with exercise - the same plan that the government has been pushing for years and years. Nothing special. The point is that by making minor lifestyle changes (ok, so maybe mine were a bit more than minor), you can become a more healthy person. Instead of Pizza, have a bit of Pasta with a somewhat-rich sauce and dry bread with a salad. It's MUCH more filling and has many fewer calories. Stop drinking soda and beer and just drink water or an occasional diet soda. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk to class/work instead of driving.
You don't have to swear anything off to lose weight. Just eat healthier food and don't eat until you're full. Drink lots of water to help your body metabolize your food. You can still enjoy the occasional slice of pizza or 16oz New york Strip (as I did sometimes).
You know, far too many people run to these fad diets because they feel like "Oh I can't lose weight no matter what I do." I would be willing to guess that most of these people don't know that making night-and-day radical changes to your lifestyle makes it much harder to stick to. If you find it difficult to go on a diet - then go on a diet gradually. Start cutting heavy fatty foods out bit by bit - that will be easier...
Well enough of that tirade. You get the point. You can do all the fad diets, crash diets, gimmicks, pills, potions, snake oils, or whatever, but you'll never lose weight until you take ownership of your life and make the conscious decision to make the changes that are necessary to achieve a lasting change in your level of health. That first hump is very hard, but if you can give yourself enough faith to make it, you'll be much happier and healthier over the long term.
Here it is, precisely three years to the day that I stared making these changes, and I'm still 175 lbs, still have a
Good luck...
IANAL
FWIW, those employment contracts always have something like this: "This agreement shall be governed by the Laws of the State of FUBAR and shall be blah blah blah".... which means to me that if I work for Schlage in California and then go to work for XYZ Lock Company in Nevada, there isn't SQUAT Schlage can do about it...
The key here is if you work for a company, and you have a non-compete, and you want to switch jobs, just move to a right-to-work state...
But then again, IANAL....
Slashdot Mirror
"I'm Tired, TIRED, **TIRED** ah this shit!"
The "throw the law suit up there and see if it sticks" philosophy has got to go... Ebay should be counter-suing this guy for malice and fraud. Then, whoever talked about online auctions on that Stamp Collecting newsgroup in 1994 should get to take over Ebay, since they thought of doing an auction online first (tic).
Let's thing about one other aspect. Auctions have been around forever. Auctions have been done over the telephone since the telephone was invented. How the hell is doing an auction over the internet any different? I want to patent "Method of Advancing Prior Art through Advents In Technology." That way, everyone would owe me everything they own, and I could pay off my student loans :)
You forgot the "go directly to jail" part. Knowing the FBI these days, Mr. Cringley will not get his due process either.
Care to substantiate that claim?
Ok, I have to give you the robotics researcher.. ;p
It would be nice if there were more coverage of linux in the public eye. I generally liken Linux to a boy-genius 6-year-old that nobody takes seriously, but would run circles around the world if given the chance. It's difficult to take a 6-year-old seriously, no matter how smart/funny/good-looking he/she is.
I am positive that Linux will eventually see its day. You are very correct that the current perception of linux is that of a college kid's senior project. However, this attitude has been slowly changing for the better. What will take Linux to "the next level" will be a major catalyst.
There have been a few small revelations along the way, like IBMs open-arms acceptance of Linux. But, M$ seems to be able to buy most of them away (Dell no longer offers computers with no O/S because of an illegal licensing agreement that requires them to pay M$ for each computer they sell. The bad thing is that this happened since the judgement, but nobody seems to care. This is another thread entirely). Maybe the world government adoption of open-source software models (not necessarily Linux!) will be key in this actualization. I sure hope so, because I don't know what could come after that.
This may have been mentioned already, but as a computer designer at a large controls company, we run into the "minimum memory density" problem all the time. We might need X amount of RAM, but end up buying 4X amount of RAM because it's the smallest that is available... It's not that they're trying to see you more RAM than you need. They might just be selling the smallest RAM they can buy.
The Patent Office has become ridiculous. They'll grant a patent application for just about anything because it generates filing fee revenue.
I'll file the following Patent now: "Method of generating income by filing obvious patents and suing everyone in sight." That way, I can pay off my student loans....
*sigh*
Let me preface my story by saying that in September of 1999, I was 245lbs. Six months later, in March of 2000, I was 170. For those of you who may be bad at math, that's a 75lb delta. My cholesterol dropped from 225 to 127 in the same period. My blood pressured dropped from 170/110 to 110/60. Resting heart rate? 85 down to 40 (33 was my record low - achieved through meditation).
How did I lose 75lbs so quickly? It wasn't a fad diet like Atkins. Nor did I become a 'speed' addict. I made three very simple and easy-to-stick-to modifications to my lifestyle:
Hmmm a balanced diet with exercise - the same plan that the government has been pushing for years and years. Nothing special. The point is that by making minor lifestyle changes (ok, so maybe mine were a bit more than minor), you can become a more healthy person. Instead of Pizza, have a bit of Pasta with a somewhat-rich sauce and dry bread with a salad. It's MUCH more filling and has many fewer calories. Stop drinking soda and beer and just drink water or an occasional diet soda. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk to class/work instead of driving.
You don't have to swear anything off to lose weight. Just eat healthier food and don't eat until you're full. Drink lots of water to help your body metabolize your food. You can still enjoy the occasional slice of pizza or 16oz New york Strip (as I did sometimes).
You know, far too many people run to these fad diets because they feel like "Oh I can't lose weight no matter what I do." I would be willing to guess that most of these people don't know that making night-and-day radical changes to your lifestyle makes it much harder to stick to. If you find it difficult to go on a diet - then go on a diet gradually. Start cutting heavy fatty foods out bit by bit - that will be easier...
Well enough of that tirade. You get the point. You can do all the fad diets, crash diets, gimmicks, pills, potions, snake oils, or whatever, but you'll never lose weight until you take ownership of your life and make the conscious decision to make the changes that are necessary to achieve a lasting change in your level of health. That first hump is very hard, but if you can give yourself enough faith to make it, you'll be much happier and healthier over the long term.
Here it is, precisely three years to the day that I stared making these changes, and I'm still 175 lbs, still have a Good luck...
IANAL FWIW, those employment contracts always have something like this: "This agreement shall be governed by the Laws of the State of FUBAR and shall be blah blah blah".... which means to me that if I work for Schlage in California and then go to work for XYZ Lock Company in Nevada, there isn't SQUAT Schlage can do about it... The key here is if you work for a company, and you have a non-compete, and you want to switch jobs, just move to a right-to-work state... But then again, IANAL....