In an ideal world, yes. Also in an ideal (educational) world, all the students would dress in the same uniform, which would be quite modest. And there would be no windows, and cellphones would be banned, and room temperature would be set at a permanent level, say a bracing 45-50 degrees F. Or a comfortable 72, I dunno, do some research, figure out which is most conducive to an educational environment...
Of course, the kind of classical education process to which these conditions are conducive runs 180 degrees counter to the popular perspective that "college is supposed to prepare me to get a job / help me find a spouse."
Obviously, the constant barrage of stories linking back to InfoWorld here, posted always by the same employees at InfoWorld, is the result of money changing hands between InfoWorld and Slashdot. This is a slow week for news, so the story is even more tedious than normal. Still, they've already pad for the linkage, so they gotta fill it with something...
I've always wondered what the point in learning Klingon is
When you die and get your wings (a la Clarence, keeping the whole Christmas motif going), you can trade in the geek points you get for learning Klingon to upgrade to a jet pack.
The consoles have been the Trojan Horse for getting Internet video into the living room and onto the TV for years. I "cut the cord" to my cable a while back, and get all video on my TV screen via the 360. MS (and Sony) won this battle without even firing a shot, as best as I can see.
You're being a pedantic nerd -- and I use that term with affection.
Apple -- it should come as no surprise -- concerns itself mightily with appearances. An app called "The Guardian Newspaper" in their app store does not scream "WikiLeaks" like an app that's called, well, "WikiLeaks." It's not about which app is more functional, better coded, or whatever. It's about appearance and marketing, what someone sees as they browse the Apple's virtual store aisles.
As many have pointed out, if Apple really wanted to censor, they'd have to build a block into Safari. What Apple wants to do is sell a lot of stuff, with very little controversy.
Is "business" a bad term? Perhaps. Substitute "public company."
The public company has an obligation to generate a profit. The public company also has an obligation to abide by the laws of the country in which is has incorporated. Why should a public company be under any obligation to offer a WikiLeaks app? The public company can choose to be controversial ("edgy," the suits call it), if they so choose, and they'll choose to if they think it'll make them some money. You'd like Apple to support WikiLeaks, and are disappointed they will not. I am gratified they are dumping the app, and feel better about them as company -- a feeling certain to motivate future purchases.
Jobs, for all you know, may think Assange is a criminal (certainly his barber is...) The Chairman of the Board of Apple may also be on the board of one of the banks Assange is threatening to "out." There's a hundred obvious, and a thousand not so obvious reasons, why Apple would jettison a WikiLeaks app.
Their company, their call. Despite what the fanboiz say, they have no monopoly on shiny, so be encouraged to take your gadget purchases elsewhere.
Because pulling a newspaper app that happens to be running a troublesome story is different from pulling an app whose raison d'etre is that troublesome story.
Apple's a business. They haven't made their billions by marketing to transparency-obsessed hippies.
Not that there is anything wrong with transparency-obsessed hippies, I'm just sayin'...
There is zero-value to Jobs distributing any app having anything to do with Mr. Kryptonite, Julian Assange. Risks far outweigh rewards. Open-source ideologues that don't grasp this concept AND have the cash to contemplate an Apple-gadget purchase AND are willing to overlook Google's routine co-opting of personal privacy will, I'm sure, all run out to buy an Android now. But somehow I don't think those numbers will affect the Apple stock price all that much...
There is absolutely a difference. The MPAA knows it, Comic Book publishers know it, Young Adult fiction publishers know it, Apple knows it, Microsoft knows it, and parents know it.
You'll know it too, someday, perhaps when you're older.
I'll raise my children how I wish, and there's really nothing on that topic that a self-righteous preachy hipster like you can teach me.
Microsoft knows what it needs to do to keep profitable and competitive in the face of rising family game competition....or it can tap into that famously lucrative sex-oriented game market. Yeah, that's the ticket...
Credibility. Wikipedia does not have much, unless you're looking for a good overview of the 5th season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or some computer scripting language. It was an interesting idea when it began, but the whole house of cards is toppling even as I write this. You can't sustain an encyclopedia -- or any product of value, really -- in a culture of agenda-driven elites with no fear of losing their jobs if they err.
It's not about correlation, causation, polls, or journalism. It's about shameless, mindless, easy click-whoring. Slashdot pageviews must be running a bit off-pace here at the mid-month mark, so Taco's decided to set that right with a quick snark-fest. Slashdot may make the Leftie noises tech-hipsters crave, but they gotta make a payroll just like any other right-wing capitalist organization.
Slashdot Mirror
You assume that all geeks are automatically outraged by Amazon's decision not to distribute the books in question.
You assume a lot.
In an ideal world, yes. Also in an ideal (educational) world, all the students would dress in the same uniform, which would be quite modest. And there would be no windows, and cellphones would be banned, and room temperature would be set at a permanent level, say a bracing 45-50 degrees F. Or a comfortable 72, I dunno, do some research, figure out which is most conducive to an educational environment...
Of course, the kind of classical education process to which these conditions are conducive runs 180 degrees counter to the popular perspective that "college is supposed to prepare me to get a job / help me find a spouse."
Obviously, the constant barrage of stories linking back to InfoWorld here, posted always by the same employees at InfoWorld, is the result of money changing hands between InfoWorld and Slashdot. This is a slow week for news, so the story is even more tedious than normal. Still, they've already pad for the linkage, so they gotta fill it with something...
>>Why is this [sports] allowed?
Because 20,000 people won't buy tickets to watch a meeting of the Princeton Math Club.
Because CBS isn't interested in buying the broadcast rights for the Dartmouth Glee Club's next season.
Because rich alumni don't donate millions to keep their alma mater's Medieval History curriculum competitive.
No reason to hate the puppets. But this does give some indication as to why Nancy Pelosi makes so many people uneasy...
I've always wondered what the point in learning Klingon is
When you die and get your wings (a la Clarence, keeping the whole Christmas motif going), you can trade in the geek points you get for learning Klingon to upgrade to a jet pack.
The consoles have been the Trojan Horse for getting Internet video into the living room and onto the TV for years. I "cut the cord" to my cable a while back, and get all video on my TV screen via the 360. MS (and Sony) won this battle without even firing a shot, as best as I can see.
You're being a pedantic nerd -- and I use that term with affection.
Apple -- it should come as no surprise -- concerns itself mightily with appearances. An app called "The Guardian Newspaper" in their app store does not scream "WikiLeaks" like an app that's called, well, "WikiLeaks." It's not about which app is more functional, better coded, or whatever. It's about appearance and marketing, what someone sees as they browse the Apple's virtual store aisles.
As many have pointed out, if Apple really wanted to censor, they'd have to build a block into Safari. What Apple wants to do is sell a lot of stuff, with very little controversy.
Is "business" a bad term? Perhaps. Substitute "public company."
The public company has an obligation to generate a profit. The public company also has an obligation to abide by the laws of the country in which is has incorporated. Why should a public company be under any obligation to offer a WikiLeaks app? The public company can choose to be controversial ("edgy," the suits call it), if they so choose, and they'll choose to if they think it'll make them some money. You'd like Apple to support WikiLeaks, and are disappointed they will not. I am gratified they are dumping the app, and feel better about them as company -- a feeling certain to motivate future purchases.
Jobs, for all you know, may think Assange is a criminal (certainly his barber is...) The Chairman of the Board of Apple may also be on the board of one of the banks Assange is threatening to "out." There's a hundred obvious, and a thousand not so obvious reasons, why Apple would jettison a WikiLeaks app.
Their company, their call. Despite what the fanboiz say, they have no monopoly on shiny, so be encouraged to take your gadget purchases elsewhere.
I would, but it doesn't look you've got much candle left and the cave you've been living in seems like it will get pretty darn dark and cold soon...
Because pulling a newspaper app that happens to be running a troublesome story is different from pulling an app whose raison d'etre is that troublesome story.
Guys, wait... WAIT! the chick's a ROBOT! Hold On!! Didja hear me?? THE CHICK'S A ROBOT!!!
Apple's a business. They haven't made their billions by marketing to transparency-obsessed hippies.
Not that there is anything wrong with transparency-obsessed hippies, I'm just sayin'...
There is zero-value to Jobs distributing any app having anything to do with Mr. Kryptonite, Julian Assange. Risks far outweigh rewards. Open-source ideologues that don't grasp this concept AND have the cash to contemplate an Apple-gadget purchase AND are willing to overlook Google's routine co-opting of personal privacy will, I'm sure, all run out to buy an Android now. But somehow I don't think those numbers will affect the Apple stock price all that much...
There is absolutely a difference. The MPAA knows it, Comic Book publishers know it, Young Adult fiction publishers know it, Apple knows it, Microsoft knows it, and parents know it.
You'll know it too, someday, perhaps when you're older.
I'll raise my children how I wish, and there's really nothing on that topic that a self-righteous preachy hipster like you can teach me.
Microsoft knows what it needs to do to keep profitable and competitive in the face of rising family game competition. ...or it can tap into that famously lucrative sex-oriented game market. Yeah, that's the ticket...
Play a "gun" game alongside your 10 year old daughter.
Now play a "sex" game with her.
No difference, right?
So what makes a reference acceptable?
Credibility. Wikipedia does not have much, unless you're looking for a good overview of the 5th season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer or some computer scripting language. It was an interesting idea when it began, but the whole house of cards is toppling even as I write this. You can't sustain an encyclopedia -- or any product of value, really -- in a culture of agenda-driven elites with no fear of losing their jobs if they err.
It's not about correlation, causation, polls, or journalism. It's about shameless, mindless, easy click-whoring. Slashdot pageviews must be running a bit off-pace here at the mid-month mark, so Taco's decided to set that right with a quick snark-fest. Slashdot may make the Leftie noises tech-hipsters crave, but they gotta make a payroll just like any other right-wing capitalist organization.
1. Take ads. Lots of ads.
2. Hire real experts, real writers, professional editors. Toss the agenda-driven wankers and college kids.
3. Regain Credibility.
4. Profit!
>He's a douche.
>>Why?
Because he uses an online dating service and styles his hair like the guy from Flock of Seagulls?
...on that stupid word, "Hacktivism?"
...was their oldest member. They're like a bunch of chipmunks without an Alvin.
Why do all the neat opportunities always go to the lads with the fewest clues?
This is Slashdot:
Walmart = Bad.
Japan = Good.
Don't make us have to think...
Now instead of the mice in my house just eating my cheese, I have to worry about them reupholstering my furniture.