Yet again M$ is releasing another upgrade with incompatible file formats to earlier versions of office tools with the expectations that millions of users will be forced to pay yet another M$ tax to exchange documents with fellow business associates. I'm so glad we've converted over to OpenOffice.
I can see no good reason to migrate to Vista, and the compatibility and re-training issues are strong reasons not to. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
There is no necessity for this bill at all. FISA was flexible enough to allow for emergency wiretaps when needed without first obtaining a warrant. The paperwork just had to be filed within 3 days after taps were applied. The warrants were issued by a special court which kept the proceedings secret in order to protect national security interests. The system wasn't broken as BushCo insists. Yet BushCo complained that this requirement was 'inconvenient'.
The whole purpose behind warrantless wiretapping is the ability to conduct the taps without a paper trail or any oversight. This is a dramatic power grab by the executive branch and opens the door for massive abuses.
I seem to remember, not so long ago, the we fought an extensive and sometimes scary cold war to fight this sort of thing. We mocked and ridiculed communist block countries for their intrusive governments and their lack of civil rights. We're becoming the thing we once despised.
Funny how an administration who prides itself in defending freedom is the greatest threat to freedom. Illegal wiretaps, torture, suspension of habeous corpus, secret prisons, and kangeroo courts are the markings of tyranny --- not freedom.
The networks were able to make profits 10+ years ago when a 60 minute show typically had only 10 minutes of commercials. Now it's 22 minutes of ads in a 60 minute show. I'm sorry, but that's just plain greed talking. Nobody is denying that a non-subscription network needs ad revenue to survive, but there is such a thing as going too far.
Subscription TV has now become worse than network TV in terms of ad saturation. The end result is that I watch very little TV at all anymore. There are so many ads that most TV shows no longer have any continuity to them because of all the interruptions.
Saturating the broadcast full of ads does three things: Increases revenue, decreases programming cost because the shows are much shorter as a result of all the ads, and it pisses off the viewers which lowers the ratings of the show which in turn forces the broadcaster to add more advertisement to make up the difference in lost revenue which pisses of the viewers still further.
You just have to wonder just how dense the network executives really are. I wonder when it will finally sink in that saturating your programming with advertising to the point that the viewing audience revolts is ultimately counter-productive. They should take it as a clue that if viewers are willing to spend several hundred dollars to avoid ads using specialized hardware, there is something seriously wrong with your marketing plan.
My simple fix for the security problems associated with Flash is to not install flash. Let's face it, 99.9% of flash is just obnoxious ads anyway. Who needs it.
It's for this reason that any webmaster who insists on using 100% flash to view their site deserves a swift kick to the nutsack.
If M$ wants to appease the OSS group, they need to open the windows API spec. They don't need to publish any source code. Just the specs. The old DOS api is fully spec'd, so why not windows? After all, competition is good for the consumer and promotes innovation. Isn't that what M$ claims it's trying to promote?
This violates the first admendment. If the govt is allowed to track and scrutinize all your reading and web searching habits, then the 1st admendment is dead. The reason is that people will no longer be able to read about controversial subjects for fear that the some gov agent will decide that he/she is a subversive/pervert/terrorist/Bush-basher. This program is nothing but a form of intimidation and is yet another example of Dumbya's disregard for the liberties and freedoms of the citizens of this country. The irony is that his supporters claim he is defending the very same liberties he is actively eroding. I really wish Dumbya would stop "defending" my liberties. I think I would be much better off.
It seems everytime you turn around to view someone's video, there's a requirement for yet another proprietary codec. If Yahoo would allow the videos to be uploaded/downloaded in a standard format (like mpeg4 or quicktime) rather than yet another oddball format (yahoo video? WTF?), then they might have something.
No more oddball codecs for me. No WMP either. M$ can keep their DRM and stick it. And I have banned Flash from my system as well.
Computers are all too easy now. My first programming language was assembly on an 8080 processor. It wasn't because I had any burning desire to learn assembly. Rather it was because assembly was all that was available. There were no programming suites available in the late 70's for the hobbyist. (In fact, I did hand compiles of my assembly code.) Nor was there an operating system, or a boxed computer for that matter. You did everything from scratch; the hardware, the OS, and any software you wanted.
Now I see kids who brag about 'building' their computer. Hah. I'm sorry but building a computer doesn't mean going to the store and stuffing a prefab case with a ready-to-run motherboard and video card. Geez, I hand built everything with a wirewrap gun and soldering iron. I even had to make my own monitor by using an old TV set.
I'm not trying to brag here. I'm actually trying to make a point that kids today just don't get the same training that the old timers got. You learned a lot by designing and building a system from scratch. That's something that 99.9% of the kids now will never do and for that they're short-changing themselves out of a wonderful learning experience and the insight on how a computer really works on the inside. It's unfortunate, but today's computer training seems to stop at the windoze logo.
I was under the impression that patents were only supposed to be issued to innovative and original developments in technology. "Buy It Now" is not technology. It's a sales gimmick. Gimmicks should not be patentable. The patent system in the US is seriously broken. It seems that the patent office isn't even bothering to review patents anymore. They're just handing them out like tissues.
They really need to tighten the rules over what is patentable. Sales gimmicks, business plans, mother nature, etc. should not even be considered. There should also be a rule similar to trademark law for termination of patent rights for non-enforcement to prevent crap similar to the JPEG nonsense from popping up out of nowhere.
The reason that they want to re-classify stuff is simple. The US gov has a policy of 'plausible deniability' meaning that everything they say is considered true ("because we say so") until someone finds evidence to the contrary. Remove the evidence and you got a new 'truth'.
This is part of a larger trend that is developing at a rapid pace in the US which embraces secrecy in place of open government, and propaganda instead of news. To think we used to scold the old USSR for this very same bullshit. It's shameful that so many Americans are comfortable with this new form of 'freedom'. It really is true: You don't really appreciate what you have until it's gone.
It seems that M$ is going out of their way to make the Vista release as unpalletable as possible. Between the endless delays and now what appears to be massive incompatibility problems, I suspect that Vista will fall flat on its face. The only way this is going to get wide spread adoptance is by force. M$ will likely pull one of their famous application "upgrades" forcing people to switch OS to continue to use their applications. I refuse to play that game any more. Thank God for open office. Screw M$.
It's well documented that Bush's anti-science stance is quite real. Bush has been critisized by virtually every scientific discipline for his interferrence with basic scientific research. Unlike those trained in the scientific method, Bush draws his conclusions first, then cherry picks or suppresses any research that supports/challenges his predrawn conclusions. Not only does this represent a poor understanding of the scientific method, it's any incredibly stupid way to form public policy.
I'm all for banning human-animal cloning. Take Bush for example: Here's what happens when you try to merge a human with a chimpanzee. You get a Homo Nesciens chimera as president. Lord knows, we don't need any more of those.
But Google does have choice. They can either choose to legitimize an oppressive governmental policy by submitting to it, or they can give the Chinese government the big finger and say "Fine! Be jerks. We don't want any part of it." The world isn't going to end just because Google (or any other internet entity) decides not to play by China's backwards and oppressive policies.
The sad thing is that any criminal/terrorist organization is going to encrypt any communication they want to keep secret. There are plenty of alternatives for passing secret messages such as posting coded messages in plain sight on public forums (even/.!). This is going to have more impact on Joe Citizen's privacy than on criminal behaviour.
So let me get this straight. The feds are going to develop a search engine that will search for "hidden information" from various websites scattered across the internet. So what happens when this program decides that a discussion board on someone's blog is a terrorist site because they had a thread about 9/11 or the US's anti-terror programs? Does Joe Blogger get sent to Gitmo without charges for supporting terrorism based on a computer-enhanced hallucination?
It's really sad that the feds are resorting to using computers in lieu of common sense.
The problem with the US now, is that we're exporting all of our technical and manufacturing capabilities overseas and shifting the US work force to lower skilled service positions. This has long range implications. Suppose that we enter a period like we did in WWII where we require an significant jump in our manufacturing and technical output. It won't be there. It will be in places like China. And building that capabability in the short-term won't be an option because we'd be lacking the necessary industrial expertise. (Where the jobs go, so does the skills to fill them.)
We're shooting ourselves in the foot by shifting our technical and industrial base out of the country. Those two areas are what have made the US the super power it is today.
I getting a little tired and quite frankly alarmed at how Bushy and his cronies are "protecting my freedoms". I'm not sure that we aren't better off with the terrorists. At least they make no bones about where they stand.
It's said that the devil won't appear carrying a pitch fork and sporting horns and a pointy tail. Instead he'll appear looking like you and me and claim to be your friend. Beware, GW is not your friend despite claims otherwise. He is the most injurious force this country has ever had to face.
*** Why do repubs hate America?
As much as I like anime, I don't think I can sit thru another mech vs. mech anime program. That particular genre has gotten very stale and repetitive. Ghost in the Shell, Big O, Cowboy Beebop, Full Metal Alchemist offer much better entertainment.
Some of the best anime CN had came from Pioneer, not Bandai. Programs like Tenchi Muyo and Pilot Candidate were cool. Unfortunately, CN and Pioneer parted company which is too bad, because Pioneer has a lot of good programs to offer.
BTW CN, If you're listening: TGTTM totally blows goat's balls. Bring back Space Ghost.
If they can dock hubble with a rocket to de-orbit it, why not point the rocket in the other direction to boost its orbit? Seems like a terrible waste to trash the hubble. Even if it's getting old, it's still way better than terrestrial telescopes.
I think exploding fuel tanks and foam insulation have done far more damage than any paint flecks. The biggest threat to the shuttle is management overriding safety concerns in favor of keeping schedules or to save money.
Personally, I don't trade mp3's. But considering the extremist and blatantly arrogant posture that the **AA has adopted leaves me feeling no pity for any losses (real or imagined) that they may have suffered. With this in mind, I refuse to purchase any music or videos anymore... not that anything that gets released is worth a shit (let alone $20) anyway.
If they want to assume an anti-consumer posture, then they can just all go out of business. Screw em.
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2.6.19 is a kernal upgrade and has little, if any effect on user applications, file formats, or the GUI.
Yet again M$ is releasing another upgrade with incompatible file formats to earlier versions of office tools with the expectations that millions of users will be forced to pay yet another M$ tax to exchange documents with fellow business associates. I'm so glad we've converted over to OpenOffice.
I can see no good reason to migrate to Vista, and the compatibility and re-training issues are strong reasons not to. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
The whole purpose behind warrantless wiretapping is the ability to conduct the taps without a paper trail or any oversight. This is a dramatic power grab by the executive branch and opens the door for massive abuses.
Funny how an administration who prides itself in defending freedom is the greatest threat to freedom. Illegal wiretaps, torture, suspension of habeous corpus, secret prisons, and kangeroo courts are the markings of tyranny --- not freedom.
The networks were able to make profits 10+ years ago when a 60 minute show typically had only 10 minutes of commercials. Now it's 22 minutes of ads in a 60 minute show. I'm sorry, but that's just plain greed talking. Nobody is denying that a non-subscription network needs ad revenue to survive, but there is such a thing as going too far.
Subscription TV has now become worse than network TV in terms of ad saturation. The end result is that I watch very little TV at all anymore. There are so many ads that most TV shows no longer have any continuity to them because of all the interruptions.
Saturating the broadcast full of ads does three things: Increases revenue, decreases programming cost because the shows are much shorter as a result of all the ads, and it pisses off the viewers which lowers the ratings of the show which in turn forces the broadcaster to add more advertisement to make up the difference in lost revenue which pisses of the viewers still further.
You just have to wonder just how dense the network executives really are. I wonder when it will finally sink in that saturating your programming with advertising to the point that the viewing audience revolts is ultimately counter-productive. They should take it as a clue that if viewers are willing to spend several hundred dollars to avoid ads using specialized hardware, there is something seriously wrong with your marketing plan.
It's for this reason that any webmaster who insists on using 100% flash to view their site deserves a swift kick to the nutsack.
If M$ wants to appease the OSS group, they need to open the windows API spec. They don't need to publish any source code. Just the specs. The old DOS api is fully spec'd, so why not windows? After all, competition is good for the consumer and promotes innovation. Isn't that what M$ claims it's trying to promote?
This violates the first admendment. If the govt is allowed to track and scrutinize all your reading and web searching habits, then the 1st admendment is dead. The reason is that people will no longer be able to read about controversial subjects for fear that the some gov agent will decide that he/she is a subversive/pervert/terrorist/Bush-basher. This program is nothing but a form of intimidation and is yet another example of Dumbya's disregard for the liberties and freedoms of the citizens of this country. The irony is that his supporters claim he is defending the very same liberties he is actively eroding. I really wish Dumbya would stop "defending" my liberties. I think I would be much better off.
It seems everytime you turn around to view someone's video, there's a requirement for yet another proprietary codec. If Yahoo would allow the videos to be uploaded/downloaded in a standard format (like mpeg4 or quicktime) rather than yet another oddball format (yahoo video? WTF?), then they might have something.
No more oddball codecs for me. No WMP either. M$ can keep their DRM and stick it. And I have banned Flash from my system as well.
Computers are all too easy now. My first programming language was assembly on an 8080 processor. It wasn't because I had any burning desire to learn assembly. Rather it was because assembly was all that was available. There were no programming suites available in the late 70's for the hobbyist. (In fact, I did hand compiles of my assembly code.) Nor was there an operating system, or a boxed computer for that matter. You did everything from scratch; the hardware, the OS, and any software you wanted.
Now I see kids who brag about 'building' their computer. Hah. I'm sorry but building a computer doesn't mean going to the store and stuffing a prefab case with a ready-to-run motherboard and video card. Geez, I hand built everything with a wirewrap gun and soldering iron. I even had to make my own monitor by using an old TV set.
I'm not trying to brag here. I'm actually trying to make a point that kids today just don't get the same training that the old timers got. You learned a lot by designing and building a system from scratch. That's something that 99.9% of the kids now will never do and for that they're short-changing themselves out of a wonderful learning experience and the insight on how a computer really works on the inside. It's unfortunate, but today's computer training seems to stop at the windoze logo.
I was under the impression that patents were only supposed to be issued to innovative and original developments in technology. "Buy It Now" is not technology. It's a sales gimmick. Gimmicks should not be patentable. The patent system in the US is seriously broken. It seems that the patent office isn't even bothering to review patents anymore. They're just handing them out like tissues.
They really need to tighten the rules over what is patentable. Sales gimmicks, business plans, mother nature, etc. should not even be considered. There should also be a rule similar to trademark law for termination of patent rights for non-enforcement to prevent crap similar to the JPEG nonsense from popping up out of nowhere.
The reason that they want to re-classify stuff is simple. The US gov has a policy of 'plausible deniability' meaning that everything they say is considered true ("because we say so") until someone finds evidence to the contrary. Remove the evidence and you got a new 'truth'.
This is part of a larger trend that is developing at a rapid pace in the US which embraces secrecy in place of open government, and propaganda instead of news. To think we used to scold the old USSR for this very same bullshit. It's shameful that so many Americans are comfortable with this new form of 'freedom'. It really is true: You don't really appreciate what you have until it's gone.
It seems that M$ is going out of their way to make the Vista release as unpalletable as possible. Between the endless delays and now what appears to be massive incompatibility problems, I suspect that Vista will fall flat on its face. The only way this is going to get wide spread adoptance is by force. M$ will likely pull one of their famous application "upgrades" forcing people to switch OS to continue to use their applications. I refuse to play that game any more. Thank God for open office. Screw M$.
It's well documented that Bush's anti-science stance is quite real. Bush has been critisized by virtually every scientific discipline for his interferrence with basic scientific research. Unlike those trained in the scientific method, Bush draws his conclusions first, then cherry picks or suppresses any research that supports/challenges his predrawn conclusions. Not only does this represent a poor understanding of the scientific method, it's any incredibly stupid way to form public policy.
I'm all for banning human-animal cloning. Take Bush for example: Here's what happens when you try to merge a human with a chimpanzee. You get a Homo Nesciens chimera as president. Lord knows, we don't need any more of those.
But Google does have choice. They can either choose to legitimize an oppressive governmental policy by submitting to it, or they can give the Chinese government the big finger and say "Fine! Be jerks. We don't want any part of it." The world isn't going to end just because Google (or any other internet entity) decides not to play by China's backwards and oppressive policies.
The sad thing is that any criminal/terrorist organization is going to encrypt any communication they want to keep secret. There are plenty of alternatives for passing secret messages such as posting coded messages in plain sight on public forums (even /.!). This is going to have more impact on Joe Citizen's privacy than on criminal behaviour.
So let me get this straight. The feds are going to develop a search engine that will search for "hidden information" from various websites scattered across the internet. So what happens when this program decides that a discussion board on someone's blog is a terrorist site because they had a thread about 9/11 or the US's anti-terror programs? Does Joe Blogger get sent to Gitmo without charges for supporting terrorism based on a computer-enhanced hallucination?
It's really sad that the feds are resorting to using computers in lieu of common sense.
The problem with the US now, is that we're exporting all of our technical and manufacturing capabilities overseas and shifting the US work force to lower skilled service positions. This has long range implications. Suppose that we enter a period like we did in WWII where we require an significant jump in our manufacturing and technical output. It won't be there. It will be in places like China. And building that capabability in the short-term won't be an option because we'd be lacking the necessary industrial expertise. (Where the jobs go, so does the skills to fill them.)
We're shooting ourselves in the foot by shifting our technical and industrial base out of the country. Those two areas are what have made the US the super power it is today.
I getting a little tired and quite frankly alarmed at how Bushy and his cronies are "protecting my freedoms". I'm not sure that we aren't better off with the terrorists. At least they make no bones about where they stand.
It's said that the devil won't appear carrying a pitch fork and sporting horns and a pointy tail. Instead he'll appear looking like you and me and claim to be your friend. Beware, GW is not your friend despite claims otherwise. He is the most injurious force this country has ever had to face. *** Why do repubs hate America?
As much as I like anime, I don't think I can sit thru another mech vs. mech anime program. That particular genre has gotten very stale and repetitive. Ghost in the Shell, Big O, Cowboy Beebop, Full Metal Alchemist offer much better entertainment.
Some of the best anime CN had came from Pioneer, not Bandai. Programs like Tenchi Muyo and Pilot Candidate were cool. Unfortunately, CN and Pioneer parted company which is too bad, because Pioneer has a lot of good programs to offer.
BTW CN, If you're listening: TGTTM totally blows goat's balls. Bring back Space Ghost.
If they can dock hubble with a rocket to de-orbit it, why not point the rocket in the other direction to boost its orbit? Seems like a terrible waste to trash the hubble. Even if it's getting old, it's still way better than terrestrial telescopes.
I think exploding fuel tanks and foam insulation have done far more damage than any paint flecks. The biggest threat to the shuttle is management overriding safety concerns in favor of keeping schedules or to save money.
Personally, I don't trade mp3's. But considering the extremist and blatantly arrogant posture that the **AA has adopted leaves me feeling no pity for any losses (real or imagined) that they may have suffered. With this in mind, I refuse to purchase any music or videos anymore... not that anything that gets released is worth a shit (let alone $20) anyway.
If they want to assume an anti-consumer posture, then they can just all go out of business. Screw em.