It's a sad state of affairs, however it's it so burdensome, why bother going into medicine? Statistics already show that the majority of American college graduates graduate from college with more debt than any other country in the world.
As for the UAW jobs they are on the decline. Every year, the Big 4 use more and more parts from NAFTA partners (Mexico, Canada). If an automaker does invest in a new plant it is usually highly automated.
It won't matter much longer anyway since at the rate the economy is going, no one is going to be able to afford to go to the doctor since health care premiums are shooting up at 30-40% a year. Where does all that money go?
Re:Immigration in and of itself is NOT the problem
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The Jobs Crunch
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· Score: 1
Now, I see that as a basic problem. IMHO the moral standards for those with extreme privelege ought to be _higher_. Just FYI I _don't_ like seeing folks unkind of unfair to those unlike themselves-however there are other problems operating here. US Immigration and Trade policy may be Politically Correct Sociopathy-aimed at people that are "racists" but that doesn't mean there isn't a very, negative sum game being played here.
I see your point. It would be nice if our leaders and corporate officers had higher moral standards. Instead of doing what is "right" or "fair" they do whatever they can get away with and these days, they seem to be getting away with quite a lot.
As for the rich being racist. Pick up an annual report and look at the picture of the corporate officers. Do you see any women or non-white men? The answer is probably not. I always find it humourous that they put "multicultural" stock photos in the annual report, but the composite shot of the officers is 100% old-white male.
The way I see it is this, in order for "good ol' boys" to maintain their outrageous compensation levels in this low-margin economy they have to do it on the backs of the American worker. So you're right, it's a negative sum game and the average worker is on the side that is growing more and more negative.
This summer I tried to find a house on the water in a Bay area and was depressed when I saw the proprety values. I couldn't help but wondering who owned all those empty castle houses. Are there that many rich people in this country or is the "real estate" bubble going to burst when executive compensation can no longer be sustained?
Re:Immigration in and of itself is NOT the problem
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The Jobs Crunch
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· Score: 1
Is it "tax and trade policy" or is it rampant materialism which leads to massive debt?
While I agree that "tax and trade policy" has hurt a lot of people, especially manufacturing employees, there are many people who have combined annual incomes of $300k which live paycheck to paycheck. It's not how much you make, it's how much you spend. If you outspend your income then mom is going to have to go find a job.
Re:Where have you been for the last 30 years?
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· Score: 1
I don't disagree, Japan makes good stuff. They are a hardworking bunch. In fact in Japan it is said that...
The people of Japan have given their all to the corporation and now Japan is quickly becoming an empty shell. When Work = Life seven days a week, the society suffers as evidenced in the suicide rate, teen prostitution rate (no one home watching the kids), and young people working part time instead of becoming corporate slave.
If the Japenese are so smart, why don't they automate their jobs so can have a life and not have to work 76 hrs. a week? The Japanese have turned themselves into a race of human slaves which serve the mega-corporation. Ironically, this sounds a lot like the pre-civil war South. Only now, the corporation has replaced the slave owner and the Japanese people are literally slaves to the corporations for life! (In Japan you are hired for life and start on April 1).
I do not envy the Japanese worker and do not want to adopt their lifestyle or culture. However, I do like sushi and wasabi.
Re:Japan is automating like crazy.
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· Score: 1
Your "prediction" about Japan ignores Japan's high investment rates in automation.
Are you referring to the robots that Japan is building to care for the elderly in it's nursing homes since there won't be enough young people around to work and take care of the eldery?
I say to you sir, that warehousing the elderly of a society in storage facilities that are manned by robots is immoral. A society should have more respect for elders and care for them better.
I can not follow your argument between "slave holders vs. automation.", perhaps you could elaborate. I am not arguing we need more people to pick cotton or do slave labor. I am arguing that society must maintain certain proportions (percentage of young to old) in order to maintain stability over the longterm with social programs intact.
Re:Save Social Security - Have More Kids!
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· Score: 1
Don't forget about the DINKS = Dual Income No Kids. Some couples don't even have one kid and truly believe that "he who dies with the most toys wins."
Re:Immigration in and of itself is NOT the problem
on
The Jobs Crunch
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· Score: 1
Um. 2.2 or so should do the trick. Are you just making this shit up?
You are correct, 2.2 is the accepted value if you factor in approximately 12 million immigrants per year. I rounded up to 3, which should allow us to close the borders and throw out the immigration factor. Do I have a hard formula to backup the 3 kids per woman statistic? No, but I could write a simulation if you like:)
Japan is doing just fine and will do fine. So what if there's more old people? It's not that big a deal. Japan wil be less crowded and depressing eventually leading to a higher quality of life. You do not need a pyramid structure to have a high quality of life. You're just making shit up, again.
First off, Japan IS NOT OVERCROWDED. There are areas of high population density, but it is far from overcrowded. The pictures you see on TV usually show Tokyo. Second, Japan is NOT doing well. Japan went from kicking America's butt in the 80's to a decline.
As for presidential politics. All policitians are for BIG BUSINESS, (period). This year, we have a choice between, "Give Big Business Anything They Want" and "I Like Big Business a Lot Less than Bush and Cheney, but they are still my good friends."
When Clinton signed NAFTA, that was the beginning of the end for the American middle class. When the Republican's came to power, the middle class really took a beating. Until we can all figure out how to deal with each other fairly and kick big business out of Washington, the decline is going to worsen.
Thus with the middle class dying off and contributing less money through taxes, we are going to need even more immigrants to come in and prop up the tax base since I doubt the Republican's will shift the tax burden to their rich friends. Because people will have less money, they buy cheaper good, forcing Wallmart to stock 100% of it's inventory from China. It's a viscious cycle.
Additionally, we have a $800 million/day sucking chest wound funding GW's war in Iraq and making Cheney's old company Haliburton rich off no-bid contracts. The debt is growing out of control and the Republican's are cutting taxes.
We need planners to help make our society livable, fair and equitable. As a white-male, I am glad that the day of the stupid white male running the country into the ground is coming to and end. Hopefully the new immigrants with large families will come to power and change the social structure of our country and get it back on track. However, neither Bush or Cheney have a clue about the "gathering storm" except for the fact that their Big Business Buddies are raking in the cash. I think GW and Cheney live in an insulated bubble and wear rose colored glasses.
The truly sad thing about America is that before anyone will deal with a long term problem it has to come crashing down from the sky on fire. We are a reactionary society. We need to look 5-10 years out and PLAN! Failing to PLAN is PLANNING to FAIL! Really, I'm not making this stuff up.
Immigration in and of itself is NOT the problem
on
The Jobs Crunch
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· Score: 4, Interesting
It's easy to blame immigration and say, "Look at all the foreigners coming into our country and stealing all our jobs."
Let me ask you this? Why must we have immigration?
The answer is that you want you society to resemble a pyramid with the youngest at the base of the pyramid, the middle aged in the middle, and the eldest at the top of the pyramid. If your society is not shaped like a pyramid, social programs and the system of collecting taxes completely fall apart.
In order for society to maintain a balance, every woman needs to have on average about three kids. How many kids did your parents have?
How many kids are you going to have?
Because citizens don't have enough kids to fill in the bottom of the pyramid we must have immigration or, we have to re-engineer our social systems and methods of tax collection. Take your pick.
This is why France has the largest muslim population in Europe. Native France citizens didn't have enough kids to support the country. SOo to supplement they had to allow immigration.
This is why Japan is doomed without immigration. Women there are now refusing to marry and having kids later and later (post 35). Pretty soon the population pyramid of Japan will be inverted with the oldest at the top. I predict they will allow immigration soon.
Africa's population has no middle. Only the very young and very old. The middle was wiped out by AIDS.
So that's the long and short of immigration. If you want something different, you have three choices:
1. Have more kids.
2. Change your system of collecting taxes (shift the tax burden higher up the pyramid).
3. Change your system of social programs. Maybe public education is no longer free. Maybe social security vanishes. Lot's of cuts will have to be made since there are fewer older people to pay taxes and usually they pay less.
The sad thing is that our politicians don't explain the social engineering of our country and let everyone jump to their own conclusions. The Repulicans know that if they do not capture the Hispanic/Latino/Mexican vote that they will NEVER win an election again. That is why Bush speaks spanish and was going to open the immigration flood gates to Mexio prior to 9-11. Right now, it's a giant mess and we really need some good social planners to figure out how best to manage our society in the direction that we want it to go.
Let this be a lesson out there to all the mouse wiggling MSCE's who scorn the uptime of UNIX and shun the power commandline. If you are running a critical Windows Server, REBOOT EARLY and REBOOT OFTEN. Remember, REBOOT-ing is part of the job description and it has to be done. Please protect our key infrastructure and reboot your servers WEEKLY! Just beacause the UNIX guys get 2 years of uptime, doesn't mean you can too. It just doesn't work that way.
Might I suggest this wonderful little tool.
Poweroff.
It's the only tool I know of which seems to be able to reliable reboot widows boxes, even when they are crippled due to worms and/or memory leaks. It can even close running apps. Also, you get get it to work over the network with a magic packet, in case Terminal Server crashes or is too slow to use.
The main article should get flagged as troll/flamebait due to the phrase upgrade from Unix to Windows. That wasn't an upgrade, that (as we now know) it was a disaster waiting to happen. Wait until the worm of the month comes through and shuts it down. When will people learn to use the RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB! If it has to run 24x7 forever, don't put it on Windows. Geez...
If you really want to keep this stinky computer going, try putting a
Sharper Image ionic breeze unit behind the blower fans. Also, make sure all the front fans are sucking air and the rear fans are blowing air out that back over the ionic breeze. I assume you can disinfect the outside with febreeze or some other agent that breaks down organics, but you aren't going to get the stench out of the inside very easily.
Or if it's still under warranty, try to RMA some of the big pieces like the powersupply and motherboard:)
Remember that:
Affect is a verb.
Effect is a noun.
So then the label advances $TEEN_FEMALE_SINGER the money for cosmetic surgery on her backside, affecting her bottom line.
Checkout
Grammar for Geeks
Recently, I started attending college and made this same fatal mistake several times in a paper. A quick way to remember the difference is "affect the effect" or "When you affect a situation, you have an effect on it." Overall, you demonstrate good punctuation and writing style.:)
"You are so convinced that you believe only what you believe that you believe, that you remain utterly blind to what you really believe without believing you believe it."
-Carlotta
Nobody has ever brought together the world of documents, media and structured information in giving you one simple set of verbs that lets you richly find, move around and replicate those things.
What is iFS?
iFS can manage all content -- which is scattered across PC desktops, document management systems, and websites -- in a single repository, he said. It supports the storage and management of more than 150 different file types, including documents created using XML.
Look for a new group ending in AA to form soon called the VGAA (Video Game Asssociation of America). I am sure they can put a stop to this illegal, immoral, and downright scandalous behavior. I bet video game sales are plummeting as you read this due to this activity.
Playing video games on the big screen must violate some law, act, or at least allegedly infringe on some intellectual property right. I wonder if anyone will sneak in a mini cam corder then record a game and make it available on P2P. I wonder if people take modded X-Boxes to the movie theatre? Imagine playing Halo on a modded X-box using the big screen (public display), while having someone record a video of the game, then posting it to a P2P network with a hacked 802.11 WEP key from the adjacent grocery store. This might be a new record for the amount of laws broken with a single activity!
Be warned! The black helicopters are probably assembling right now to go round these hoodlums up. I just wish the black helicopters would stop stealing my lawn furniture.
Photon's are massless. They only "appear" to be affected by gravity. What is really happening? We believe that the space that the photon is traveling through is curved or bent by the gravity field from a massive objects. The photon always travels in a straight line through space-time. Warping and bending space is how the warp-drive works on futuristic star ships as well:)
Here's an interesting question to think about. If there were no mass in the universe, would space-time exist? Is space time an extension of mass or is space-time independent of mass?
Hmmm... just about any worm can escalate priviledges and run as administrator. I wonder if Microsoft has patented buffer overflows as well.
I am glad the European's are harmonizing with our US Patent and Copyright systems. It's time to forget IT and go work on International Patent Law so I can get that house on the bay that I've always wanted.
I can't wait for the next version of their killer O/S. It's very similar to that crappy FREE version called Linux. I am going to buy SCO stock as soon as the markey opens on Monday., they product is so good that everyone in the world is going to be licensing it by the truckload.
I tried buying an older SCO product from CDW and it has been backorderd for over a month. Apparently, SCO is selling so much product that they can't even print the license keys fast enough.
I am really looking forward to the next version of UnixWare and all the innovative OpenSource products that it will include that have been cleaned up, secured, and neatly organized by SCO software engineers. Without SCO repackaging Open Source software, we'd have it get it from all those loose cannon, non-professional programmers. I for one want to thank SCO for adding professionalism to software engineering world. Let's face it, you can't trust just any programmer to do a good job.
Ok I can't take it anymore, I have to go throw up now......
It uses custom third party libraries for character based forms, reports, and input handling. Other than that, everything is in 'C' and Oracle Pro*C so it wouldn't be hard to port.
This isn't Unixware, it's Openserver. There were a few SCO to LINUX projects on out on Sourceforge, but if you give the developers a crutch, they will NEVER move and new wierd problems will occur. I'd rather just encapsulate the old SCO Openserver O/S's in VMWARE and then stick them on a Linux server. At least then I won't have to worry about aging hardware.
Believe it or not, we are still nursing a few old SCO Openserver 5.0.x boxes along. Recently, I tried to purchase a SCO 5.0.8 because, I believe SCO is going to go belly up soon, and I wanted any last drivers they may have compiled into their O/S... I had to order the media and license separately. The SCO 5.0.8 media showed up, but the license has been backordered for about a month. It's really wierd that a piece of paper containing a license key could ever be on backorder. Maybe SCO fired their printer after all their NEW Linux license keys didn't sell.
I just wondered if anyone else has experience has tried to purchase any SCO product lately and experienced anything similar. Also, if anyone has any unused SCO 5.0.8 licenses they want to sell, please let me know. We are going are best to move off of SCO, but unfortunately some of the old applications just won't DIE easily.
This is silly. First the Xbox gets hacked, they E-Voting gets hacked, and Progressive thinks they can stick a little black-box in your car that won't get hacked so that all the data can be fudged?
This is a great idea! I plan to save lots of money on car insurance! I will suddenly become the safest driver in the US (according to my little black box). Never mind all my tickets and accidents.
I knew my BS in CS would come in handy eventually. Maybe I should just outsource hacking the black-box to India. Any takers? Do Indians get to read slashdot?
I've been working with UNIX/Linux for 10 years and was recently sucked into a Windows 95 to Windows XP upgrade/deployment.
In my opinion, Windows XP is a DISORGANIZED MESS! The XP software process works like this.... image a three sided hand-grendade. On one side you have DLL's, on another side you have Registry entries, and on another side you have executables and datafiles. Pull the pin and that is basic method of windows software installation. Also, there is no standard way to install software and people use everything from custom Java installers, Microsoft Installer, Install Shield which makes creating SILENT installations lots of fun. To get an MSCE you should have to package 20 different applications all using different installers to do silent installs under XP. If you still have your sanity at the end, you get the MSCE.
What if something doesn't work? What if the installer fails? What if you have a piece of software that no one can locate the media for, how can you move it from one XP box to another? What if you have old software the requires a CUSTOM environment that conflicts with newer software?
I imagine XP is a great product if you stick to using all brand new Microsoft products and don't try to run your business with older applications from 3rd parties.
Moving on to security.. policies are an overly complex joke. Anyone with even moderate technical skill and intelligence can defeat domain or group policies.
Now let's take UNIX/Linux. It definately has some sharp edges especially if you are trying to run with new or non-standard hardware. However, Linux has some great strengths...
1. I know what package installed what file. (rpm -qf
2. I can move applications EASILY from one system to another without going through the install process.
3. I can backup and restore a Linux/UNIX box from a centralized tape backup system MUCH easier than a Windows server with custom RAID. You haven't experienced IT to the fullest until you tried to recover an older server class Windows NT/2000 box.
4. I can run multiple version of the SAME software by creating custom environments. Trying installing two versions of an application like MS Office on the same Windows XP. The later install typically uninstalls the previous install. Running it under VMWARE doesn't count.
5. Remote adminstration can be done EASILY from the command line under Linux. In XP I've installed Cygwin SSH on XP and have written some VBS scripts. Windows is definately catching up in the area of remote administration, but is still hard to use and books are scarce.
6. Patching for security flaws is a breeze under Linux/UNIX. With Microsoft, install a SUS server and maybe, just maybe if the planets align the patch will saunter down to the PC. I had to write some scripts to slam patches in and reboot. Seems like every critical patch requires a reboot.
7. Figuring out what's going on under Linux/UNIX is pretty simple. You can clearly see what launches applications, what files they have open, what resources they are using etc... Try to remove some of the newer Spyware from an XP box. You won't get a sense for how much you don't know and can't see on an XP box until you've tried to kill spyware. In most cases it's faster to reload XP than to try and track it down.
I've been using both Linux/XP Servers and Linux/XP Desktops. Handsdown, I prefer running Linux servers over XP or 2003. If I must run XP or 2003 servers, I feel it's best to stick them into VMWARE ESX or GSX so that they are neatly contained and can be easily recovered, moved, and backed up. I know you take a slight performance hit, but the ability to manage the server and keep it up far outweighs it.
For the desktop I prefer Knoppix and a thumbdrive.:) I can work anywhere and even have access to compilers, it's a beautiful thing:) However, for the population at large Windows XP in CLASSIC VIEW is still the way to go for the massess
Assuming Seagate has proprietary code or apparatus in it's harddrive, shouldn't Seagate have patents and copyrights that cover these inventions? If an ex-employee were to infringe on these patents and copyrights then Seagate could claim and injury and sue?
How much protection do large monolithic companies need? Usually corporations treat workers as-if they are insignificant, until they decide to leave. Not only do they want to own the thoughts of the employee, but also control where the employee works next. Somebody save us before we have to change our lastname to that of our employer as a condition of employment. Geeez.
I've often joked at work that we shouldn't fire our underperforming employees, but instead get them jobs with our competitors. This would be sort of a reverse HR/recruiting department.
Come on.. this is slashdot. Home of the geek! We don't buy PC's from Gateway, Dell, or IBM. We build them the old fashioned way by hand selecting our motherboard, harddrives, CPU, RAM, DVD-ROM, Case, Powersupply, and Videocard.
Unfortunately, I occasionally work on the Dell/Gateway value PC's and they are typically junk inside. Low end harddrives that die every year on the year. Monitors that snap, crackle, pop and die. CD roms that skip and don't even have audio cables for playing normal Audio CD's. I've have seen fixed and witnessed nearly every shortcut imaginable on their PC line. I would never trust these guys to build a killer PC. I wouldn't even buy one of their value PC's as a base for building a high-end killer PC.
My Advice: Do your research. Hand pick your components and build it yourself.
The government should be able to secretly listen into all your voice communication and can do so via the Patriot Act.
The FCC will allow you to share freely available digtal TV shows with up to 9 friends with a TiVo as long as the shows are encrypted and use a cumbersome key system.
Fair Use copying of copyrighted DVD's is illegal.
Munich stopped deployed Linux because of "Patent Concerns"
The NTSB want's "black boxes" in all cars.
Your employer owns all your thoughts.
All the Euro countries and Australia are caving-in, errr, I mean harmonizing to screwed up US copyright and patent laws.
Microsoft is getting on the Patent train. (Just as ESR predicted)
Even with all this fussing and fighting over technology, the best anyone could do in the Darpa Grand Challenge (2004) was to get an unmanned vehicle to travel 7 miles through the desert before crashing or catching fire.
Is anyone else out there starting to get angry? How long until the Deparment of Homeland Security implants RFID chips in our necks? How long until employees are forced to get their employer's logo tattooed on their face after changing their last name and waiving all of their human rights in the employment contract.
Geeez..... what kind of America are we living in?
America, previously land of the free, now home of the Corporate controlled puppet government run by lawyers with the best healthcare taxpayer money can buy.
It's a sad state of affairs, however it's it so burdensome, why bother going into medicine? Statistics already show that the majority of American college graduates graduate from college with more debt than any other country in the world.
As for the UAW jobs they are on the decline. Every year, the Big 4 use more and more parts from NAFTA partners (Mexico, Canada). If an automaker does invest in a new plant it is usually highly automated.
It won't matter much longer anyway since at the rate the economy is going, no one is going to be able to afford to go to the doctor since health care premiums are shooting up at 30-40% a year. Where does all that money go?
Now, I see that as a basic problem. IMHO the moral standards for those with extreme privelege ought to be _higher_. Just FYI I _don't_ like seeing folks unkind of unfair to those unlike themselves-however there are other problems operating here. US Immigration and Trade policy may be Politically Correct Sociopathy-aimed at people that are "racists" but that doesn't mean there isn't a very, negative sum game being played here.
I see your point. It would be nice if our leaders and corporate officers had higher moral standards. Instead of doing what is "right" or "fair" they do whatever they can get away with and these days, they seem to be getting away with quite a lot.
As for the rich being racist. Pick up an annual report and look at the picture of the corporate officers. Do you see any women or non-white men? The answer is probably not. I always find it humourous that they put "multicultural" stock photos in the annual report, but the composite shot of the officers is 100% old-white male.
The way I see it is this, in order for "good ol' boys" to maintain their outrageous compensation levels in this low-margin economy they have to do it on the backs of the American worker. So you're right, it's a negative sum game and the average worker is on the side that is growing more and more negative.
This summer I tried to find a house on the water in a Bay area and was depressed when I saw the proprety values. I couldn't help but wondering who owned all those empty castle houses. Are there that many rich people in this country or is the "real estate" bubble going to burst when executive compensation can no longer be sustained?
Is it "tax and trade policy" or is it rampant materialism which leads to massive debt?
While I agree that "tax and trade policy" has hurt a lot of people, especially manufacturing employees, there are many people who have combined annual incomes of $300k which live paycheck to paycheck. It's not how much you make, it's how much you spend. If you outspend your income then mom is going to have to go find a job.
I don't disagree, Japan makes good stuff. They are a hardworking bunch. In fact in Japan it is said that...
Men live at the office and commute to home.
However, efficienty has it's price and, that price is that the younger generation doesn't want to play the same game that their parents played. This group is known as "freeters." Women don't want to be trapped at home with kids and never see their husbands who work, drink, and sleep around.
How would you like this as the typical workday?
The people of Japan have given their all to the corporation and now Japan is quickly becoming an empty shell. When Work = Life seven days a week, the society suffers as evidenced in the suicide rate, teen prostitution rate (no one home watching the kids), and young people working part time instead of becoming corporate slave.
If the Japenese are so smart, why don't they automate their jobs so can have a life and not have to work 76 hrs. a week? The Japanese have turned themselves into a race of human slaves which serve the mega-corporation. Ironically, this sounds a lot like the pre-civil war South. Only now, the corporation has replaced the slave owner and the Japanese people are literally slaves to the corporations for life! (In Japan you are hired for life and start on April 1).
I do not envy the Japanese worker and do not want to adopt their lifestyle or culture. However, I do like sushi and wasabi.
Your "prediction" about Japan ignores Japan's high investment rates in automation.
Are you referring to the robots that Japan is building to care for the elderly in it's nursing homes since there won't be enough young people around to work and take care of the eldery?
The Nursing Home Of The Future?
Japan's Push Button Nursing."
Japan Seeks Robotic Help in Caring for the Aged
I say to you sir, that warehousing the elderly of a society in storage facilities that are manned by robots is immoral. A society should have more respect for elders and care for them better.
I can not follow your argument between "slave holders vs. automation.", perhaps you could elaborate. I am not arguing we need more people to pick cotton or do slave labor. I am arguing that society must maintain certain proportions (percentage of young to old) in order to maintain stability over the longterm with social programs intact.
Don't forget about the DINKS = Dual Income No Kids. Some couples don't even have one kid and truly believe that "he who dies with the most toys wins."
Um. 2.2 or so should do the trick. Are you just making this shit up?
:)
You are correct, 2.2 is the accepted value if you factor in approximately 12 million immigrants per year. I rounded up to 3, which should allow us to close the borders and throw out the immigration factor. Do I have a hard formula to backup the 3 kids per woman statistic? No, but I could write a simulation if you like
Japan is doing just fine and will do fine. So what if there's more old people? It's not that big a deal. Japan wil be less crowded and depressing eventually leading to a higher quality of life. You do not need a pyramid structure to have a high quality of life. You're just making shit up, again.
First off, Japan IS NOT OVERCROWDED. There are areas of high population density, but it is far from overcrowded. The pictures you see on TV usually show Tokyo. Second, Japan is NOT doing well. Japan went from kicking America's butt in the 80's to a decline.
Here are some stories you can use to draw your own conclusion: Japan's economy in more trouble
Population Trends Pose Major Risks For Stability In Japan, Elsewhere: Japan's population would drop to 100 million by 2050
As for presidential politics. All policitians are for BIG BUSINESS, (period). This year, we have a choice between, "Give Big Business Anything They Want" and "I Like Big Business a Lot Less than Bush and Cheney, but they are still my good friends."
When Clinton signed NAFTA, that was the beginning of the end for the American middle class. When the Republican's came to power, the middle class really took a beating. Until we can all figure out how to deal with each other fairly and kick big business out of Washington, the decline is going to worsen.
Thus with the middle class dying off and contributing less money through taxes, we are going to need even more immigrants to come in and prop up the tax base since I doubt the Republican's will shift the tax burden to their rich friends. Because people will have less money, they buy cheaper good, forcing Wallmart to stock 100% of it's inventory from China. It's a viscious cycle.
Additionally, we have a $800 million/day sucking chest wound funding GW's war in Iraq and making Cheney's old company Haliburton rich off no-bid contracts. The debt is growing out of control and the Republican's are cutting taxes.
We need planners to help make our society livable, fair and equitable. As a white-male, I am glad that the day of the stupid white male running the country into the ground is coming to and end. Hopefully the new immigrants with large families will come to power and change the social structure of our country and get it back on track. However, neither Bush or Cheney have a clue about the "gathering storm" except for the fact that their Big Business Buddies are raking in the cash. I think GW and Cheney live in an insulated bubble and wear rose colored glasses.
The truly sad thing about America is that before anyone will deal with a long term problem it has to come crashing down from the sky on fire. We are a reactionary society. We need to look 5-10 years out and PLAN! Failing to PLAN is PLANNING to FAIL! Really, I'm not making this stuff up.
It's easy to blame immigration and say, "Look at all the foreigners coming into our country and stealing all our jobs."
Let me ask you this? Why must we have immigration?
The answer is that you want you society to resemble a pyramid with the youngest at the base of the pyramid, the middle aged in the middle, and the eldest at the top of the pyramid. If your society is not shaped like a pyramid, social programs and the system of collecting taxes completely fall apart.
In order for society to maintain a balance, every woman needs to have on average about three kids. How many kids did your parents have?
How many kids are you going to have?
Because citizens don't have enough kids to fill in the bottom of the pyramid we must have immigration or, we have to re-engineer our social systems and methods of tax collection. Take your pick.
This is why France has the largest muslim population in Europe. Native France citizens didn't have enough kids to support the country. SOo to supplement they had to allow immigration.
This is why Japan is doomed without immigration. Women there are now refusing to marry and having kids later and later (post 35). Pretty soon the population pyramid of Japan will be inverted with the oldest at the top. I predict they will allow immigration soon.
Africa's population has no middle. Only the very young and very old. The middle was wiped out by AIDS.
So that's the long and short of immigration. If you want something different, you have three choices:
1. Have more kids.
2. Change your system of collecting taxes (shift the tax burden higher up the pyramid).
3. Change your system of social programs. Maybe public education is no longer free. Maybe social security vanishes. Lot's of cuts will have to be made since there are fewer older people to pay taxes and usually they pay less.
The sad thing is that our politicians don't explain the social engineering of our country and let everyone jump to their own conclusions. The Repulicans know that if they do not capture the Hispanic/Latino/Mexican vote that they will NEVER win an election again. That is why Bush speaks spanish and was going to open the immigration flood gates to Mexio prior to 9-11. Right now, it's a giant mess and we really need some good social planners to figure out how best to manage our society in the direction that we want it to go.
Let this be a lesson out there to all the mouse wiggling MSCE's who scorn the uptime of UNIX and shun the power commandline. If you are running a critical Windows Server, REBOOT EARLY and REBOOT OFTEN. Remember, REBOOT-ing is part of the job description and it has to be done. Please protect our key infrastructure and reboot your servers WEEKLY! Just beacause the UNIX guys get 2 years of uptime, doesn't mean you can too. It just doesn't work that way.
Might I suggest this wonderful little tool. Poweroff. It's the only tool I know of which seems to be able to reliable reboot widows boxes, even when they are crippled due to worms and/or memory leaks. It can even close running apps. Also, you get get it to work over the network with a magic packet, in case Terminal Server crashes or is too slow to use.
The main article should get flagged as troll/flamebait due to the phrase upgrade from Unix to Windows. That wasn't an upgrade, that (as we now know) it was a disaster waiting to happen. Wait until the worm of the month comes through and shuts it down. When will people learn to use the RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB! If it has to run 24x7 forever, don't put it on Windows. Geez...
If you really want to keep this stinky computer going, try putting a Sharper Image ionic breeze unit behind the blower fans. Also, make sure all the front fans are sucking air and the rear fans are blowing air out that back over the ionic breeze. I assume you can disinfect the outside with febreeze or some other agent that breaks down organics, but you aren't going to get the stench out of the inside very easily.
:)
Or if it's still under warranty, try to RMA some of the big pieces like the powersupply and motherboard
Remember that:
:)
Affect is a verb.
Effect is a noun.
So then the label advances $TEEN_FEMALE_SINGER the money for cosmetic surgery on her backside, affecting her bottom line.
Checkout Grammar for Geeks
Recently, I started attending college and made this same fatal mistake several times in a paper. A quick way to remember the difference is "affect the effect" or "When you affect a situation, you have an effect on it." Overall, you demonstrate good punctuation and writing style.
"You are so convinced that you believe only what you believe that you believe,
that you remain utterly blind to what you really believe without believing you believe it."
-Carlotta
Nobody has ever brought together the world of documents, media and structured information in giving you one simple set of verbs that lets you richly find, move around and replicate those things.
Someone please call Oracle and tell Larry that Bill says that IFS (The Oracle Internet File System) doesn't exist.
What is iFS?
iFS can manage all content -- which is scattered across PC desktops, document management systems, and websites -- in a single repository, he said. It supports the storage and management of more than 150 different file types, including documents created using XML.
Look for a new group ending in AA to form soon called the VGAA (Video Game Asssociation of America). I am sure they can put a stop to this illegal, immoral, and downright scandalous behavior. I bet video game sales are plummeting as you read this due to this activity.
Playing video games on the big screen must violate some law, act, or at least allegedly infringe on some intellectual property right. I wonder if anyone will sneak in a mini cam corder then record a game and make it available on P2P. I wonder if people take modded X-Boxes to the movie theatre? Imagine playing Halo on a modded X-box using the big screen (public display), while having someone record a video of the game, then posting it to a P2P network with a hacked 802.11 WEP key from the adjacent grocery store. This might be a new record for the amount of laws broken with a single activity!
Be warned! The black helicopters are probably assembling right now to go round these hoodlums up. I just wish the black helicopters would stop stealing my lawn furniture.
Photon's are massless. They only "appear" to be affected by gravity. What is really happening? We believe that the space that the photon is traveling through is curved or bent by the gravity field from a massive objects. The photon always travels in a straight line through space-time. Warping and bending space is how the warp-drive works on futuristic star ships as well :)
Here's an interesting question to think about. If there were no mass in the universe, would space-time exist? Is space time an extension of mass or is space-time independent of mass?
Things that make you go hmmm....
Hmmm... just about any worm can escalate priviledges and run as administrator. I wonder if Microsoft has patented buffer overflows as well.
I am glad the European's are harmonizing with our US Patent and Copyright systems. It's time to forget IT and go work on International Patent Law so I can get that house on the bay that I've always wanted.
Dude! SCO ROCKS!
I can't wait for the next version of their killer O/S. It's very similar to that crappy FREE version called Linux. I am going to buy SCO stock as soon as the markey opens on Monday., they product is so good that everyone in the world is going to be licensing it by the truckload.
I tried buying an older SCO product from CDW and it has been backorderd for over a month. Apparently, SCO is selling so much product that they can't even print the license keys fast enough.
I am really looking forward to the next version of UnixWare and all the innovative OpenSource products that it will include that have been cleaned up, secured, and neatly organized by SCO software engineers. Without SCO repackaging Open Source software, we'd have it get it from all those loose cannon, non-professional programmers. I for one want to thank SCO for adding professionalism to software engineering world. Let's face it, you can't trust just any programmer to do a good job.
Ok I can't take it anymore, I have to go throw up now......
It uses custom third party libraries for character based forms, reports, and input handling. Other than that, everything is in 'C' and Oracle Pro*C so it wouldn't be hard to port.
This isn't Unixware, it's Openserver. There were a few SCO to LINUX projects on out on Sourceforge, but if you give the developers a crutch, they will NEVER move and new wierd problems will occur. I'd rather just encapsulate the old SCO Openserver O/S's in VMWARE and then stick them on a Linux server. At least then I won't have to worry about aging hardware.
Believe it or not, we are still nursing a few old SCO Openserver 5.0.x boxes along. Recently, I tried to purchase a SCO 5.0.8 because, I believe SCO is going to go belly up soon, and I wanted any last drivers they may have compiled into their O/S... I had to order the media and license separately. The SCO 5.0.8 media showed up, but the license has been backordered for about a month. It's really wierd that a piece of paper containing a license key could ever be on backorder. Maybe SCO fired their printer after all their NEW Linux license keys didn't sell.
I just wondered if anyone else has experience has tried to purchase any SCO product lately and experienced anything similar. Also, if anyone has any unused SCO 5.0.8 licenses they want to sell, please let me know. We are going are best to move off of SCO, but unfortunately some of the old applications just won't DIE easily.
This is silly. First the Xbox gets hacked, they E-Voting gets hacked, and Progressive thinks they can stick a little black-box in your car that won't get hacked so that all the data can be fudged?
This is a great idea! I plan to save lots of money on car insurance! I will suddenly become the safest driver in the US (according to my little black box). Never mind all my tickets and accidents.
I knew my BS in CS would come in handy eventually. Maybe I should just outsource hacking the black-box to India. Any takers? Do Indians get to read slashdot?
I've been working with UNIX/Linux for 10 years and was recently sucked into a Windows 95 to Windows XP upgrade/deployment.
... Try to remove some of the newer Spyware from an XP box. You won't get a sense for how much you don't know and can't see on an XP box until you've tried to kill spyware. In most cases it's faster to reload XP than to try and track it down.
:) I can work anywhere and even have access to compilers, it's a beautiful thing :) However, for the population at large Windows XP in CLASSIC VIEW is still the way to go for the massess
In my opinion, Windows XP is a DISORGANIZED MESS! The XP software process works like this.... image a three sided hand-grendade. On one side you have DLL's, on another side you have Registry entries, and on another side you have executables and datafiles. Pull the pin and that is basic method of windows software installation. Also, there is no standard way to install software and people use everything from custom Java installers, Microsoft Installer, Install Shield which makes creating SILENT installations lots of fun. To get an MSCE you should have to package 20 different applications all using different installers to do silent installs under XP. If you still have your sanity at the end, you get the MSCE.
What if something doesn't work? What if the installer fails? What if you have a piece of software that no one can locate the media for, how can you move it from one XP box to another? What if you have old software the requires a CUSTOM environment that conflicts with newer software?
I imagine XP is a great product if you stick to using all brand new Microsoft products and don't try to run your business with older applications from 3rd parties.
Moving on to security.. policies are an overly complex joke. Anyone with even moderate technical skill and intelligence can defeat domain or group policies.
Now let's take UNIX/Linux. It definately has some sharp edges especially if you are trying to run with new or non-standard hardware. However, Linux has some great strengths...
1. I know what package installed what file. (rpm -qf
2. I can move applications EASILY from one system to another without going through the install process.
3. I can backup and restore a Linux/UNIX box from a centralized tape backup system MUCH easier than a Windows server with custom RAID. You haven't experienced IT to the fullest until you tried to recover an older server class Windows NT/2000 box.
4. I can run multiple version of the SAME software by creating custom environments. Trying installing two versions of an application like MS Office on the same Windows XP. The later install typically uninstalls the previous install. Running it under VMWARE doesn't count.
5. Remote adminstration can be done EASILY from the command line under Linux. In XP I've installed Cygwin SSH on XP and have written some VBS scripts. Windows is definately catching up in the area of remote administration, but is still hard to use and books are scarce.
6. Patching for security flaws is a breeze under Linux/UNIX. With Microsoft, install a SUS server and maybe, just maybe if the planets align the patch will saunter down to the PC. I had to write some scripts to slam patches in and reboot. Seems like every critical patch requires a reboot. 7. Figuring out what's going on under Linux/UNIX is pretty simple. You can clearly see what launches applications, what files they have open, what resources they are using etc
I've been using both Linux/XP Servers and Linux/XP Desktops. Handsdown, I prefer running Linux servers over XP or 2003. If I must run XP or 2003 servers, I feel it's best to stick them into VMWARE ESX or GSX so that they are neatly contained and can be easily recovered, moved, and backed up. I know you take a slight performance hit, but the ability to manage the server and keep it up far outweighs it.
For the desktop I prefer Knoppix and a thumbdrive.
Assuming Seagate has proprietary code or apparatus in it's harddrive, shouldn't Seagate have patents and copyrights that cover these inventions? If an ex-employee were to infringe on these patents and copyrights then Seagate could claim and injury and sue?
How much protection do large monolithic companies need? Usually corporations treat workers as-if they are insignificant, until they decide to leave. Not only do they want to own the thoughts of the employee, but also control where the employee works next. Somebody save us before we have to change our lastname to that of our employer as a condition of employment. Geeez.
I've often joked at work that we shouldn't fire our underperforming employees, but instead get them jobs with our competitors. This would be sort of a reverse HR/recruiting department.
Come on.. this is slashdot. Home of the geek! We don't buy PC's from Gateway, Dell, or IBM. We build them the old fashioned way by hand selecting our motherboard, harddrives, CPU, RAM, DVD-ROM, Case, Powersupply, and Videocard.
Unfortunately, I occasionally work on the Dell/Gateway value PC's and they are typically junk inside. Low end harddrives that die every year on the year. Monitors that snap, crackle, pop and die. CD roms that skip and don't even have audio cables for playing normal Audio CD's. I've have seen fixed and witnessed nearly every shortcut imaginable on their PC line. I would never trust these guys to build a killer PC. I wouldn't even buy one of their value PC's as a base for building a high-end killer PC.
My Advice: Do your research. Hand pick your components and build it yourself.
Is anyone else out there starting to get angry? How long until the Deparment of Homeland Security implants RFID chips in our necks? How long until employees are forced to get their employer's logo tattooed on their face after changing their last name and waiving all of their human rights in the employment contract.
Geeez..... what kind of America are we living in?
America, previously land of the free, now home of the Corporate controlled puppet government run by lawyers with the best healthcare taxpayer money can buy.