David Boies, the best lawyer? Don't make me laugh. This is the guy who won the battle but lost the war against Microsoft, then lost Al Gore's case before the Supreme Court, and (to cap it off) lost Napster's case before the RIAA. No, SCO doesn't get it right no matter what they do: they can't even hire a good lawyer....
Oh, I see that "best" is in quotes. Well, the lawyer they hired is one reason I have no worries about the present legal shenanigans...
I pretty much like Heinlein's works, in spite of the admitted deficiencies mentioned here. But I Will Fear No Evil has got to be one of the most execrable pieces of writing I've ever had the misfortune to read. That's sad, because I remember being so excited when I first saw the book in a bookstore in Boise; I thought up till then that Heinlein was done writing, and I'd already read everything he was going to produce.
I've read IWFNE three times. The first time, I thought it was disappointing. Years later, I thought that I'd read it again, because I had come to think that, just possibly it couldn't be as bad as I remembered, and of course my experience has been that many books I had trouble with as a teenager became more comprehensible and enjoyable later into my adult years. So I tried it again, and, if anything, it was worse than I remembered.
Being a slow learner, I tried it again a few years later. And lo, and behold! It had not gotten any better in the intervening years. So I've finally learned that it blows chunks, and I won't ever read it again.
Next worst (in my opinion) is The Number of the Beast. But that one is at least possible for me to read without gagging.
My all-time favorite is Citizen of the Galaxy. The odyssey of Thorby is one of the most compelling stories I've ever read.
x and e^x are walking down the street. They encounter d/dx, who operates on them. x disappears. e^x survives, thanking the math gods that he is immune to differential operators. While walking on, he encounters another operator coming toward him. "Who are you?" he asks. "I'm d/dy," the operator answers.
Re:...awarded millions to some idiot who couldn't figure out that driving a car with hot coffee between her laps was a bad idea.
This one is actually not a good case to use. One version of the facts of this case includes the information that McDonalds in fact heated their coffee to 190 degrees or more, when the normal temperature is usually more like 120 degrees. And numerous people had been scalded and complained, and McDonald's refused to do anything about it or to change their process in any way. And that's why, even though it was dumb to drive with a coffee cup between her legs, the plaintiff was awarded a judgement: McDonald's knew their coffee was too hot and committed itself in writing to the effect they weren't going to change things. And any first year law student will tell you those are the elements for negligence.
By the way, the woman had to have some reconstructive surgery as a result, if I'm recalling this correctly.
yes, I certainly agree with your sentiments Re: Aragorn riding over a cliff and what follows. Huorns would have been much better use of the time wasted on that!
I too disliked the lack of the Huorns, but I understand why: it would have taken too long to explain what Huorns were and get them to the battle site. And probably too expensive in CG.
I actually was more unhappy about they way they changed the interaction of Merry and Pippin with Treebeard, and with the changes in Faramir's motivations.
They already are. I'm assuming that the current Apple vs. Apple lawsuit gets resolved in a way that allows Apple (the computer company) a bit more freedom.
Besides, not that Apple will "sign" artists. But artists might be able to make their work available (either non-exclusively, or exclusively for a short time, as is already happening) through ITMS.
While I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of the music biz, I would say that the music industry won't be able to stop online sales, and particularly won't be able to stop artists from signing directly with Apple or other online stores. The power of the music biz to control its market is already eroding, and will continue to do so. They will be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the Internet age. Apple is showing the way. As soon as they realize how profitable this distribution mechanism is, they'll be all to happy to fall in line. And as long as Apple sells the premium digital player, the music industry will have to continue to cut Apple concessions.
I'm really betting on this one. I think that this is the wave of the future (and the real reason that the RIAA is clamping down on internet file sharing).
Of course not. Spammers don't need to sell a single thing. All they need to do is convince the companies that they'll sell something.
Absolutely! Any effective anti-spam legislation or technique must target the companies who hire the spammers. So far, only the State of California appears to recognize this to any degree.
I think what Apple needs to do NOW is to do the port, sell the software, and see where the market goes
This ain't gonna happen. Period.
For the n+1st time: Apple is a hardware company that succeeds by providing an alternative to Dell, et al. Why would it suddenly start trying to compete with Dell on its own turf? Not to mention competing with Microsoft on its own turf...
The only way this would ever happen is if Apple's hardware biz collapsed completely, never to return. I don't think I see that happening any time soon, all the punditry to the contrary notwithstanding.
Needless to say I'm not holding my breath until Apple releases OSX for my PeeCees
"Everyone" wants this, apparently. You're wise not to hold your breath, though. This'll never happen, because it would be literal suicide for Apple to do this.
I've also got a 49, and it may not be crap, but I sure hate the feel of the keys. I very nearly always prefer to use one of the 48xx's laying around here (my wife and I collect calculators, what can I say?).
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I'm sure that SCO feels the same way about this....
Oh, I see that "best" is in quotes. Well, the lawyer they hired is one reason I have no worries about the present legal shenanigans...
I've read IWFNE three times. The first time, I thought it was disappointing. Years later, I thought that I'd read it again, because I had come to think that, just possibly it couldn't be as bad as I remembered, and of course my experience has been that many books I had trouble with as a teenager became more comprehensible and enjoyable later into my adult years. So I tried it again, and, if anything, it was worse than I remembered.
Being a slow learner, I tried it again a few years later. And lo, and behold! It had not gotten any better in the intervening years. So I've finally learned that it blows chunks, and I won't ever read it again.
Next worst (in my opinion) is The Number of the Beast. But that one is at least possible for me to read without gagging.
My all-time favorite is Citizen of the Galaxy. The odyssey of Thorby is one of the most compelling stories I've ever read.
x and e^x are walking down the street. They encounter d/dx, who operates on them. x disappears. e^x survives, thanking the math gods that he is immune to differential operators. While walking on, he encounters another operator coming toward him. "Who are you?" he asks. "I'm d/dy," the operator answers.
Well, I like it.
I think Erdos said this: A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.
Not quite on topic, but I've always liked this quote.
What is there about opt-in that Congress doesn't get?
This one is actually not a good case to use. One version of the facts of this case includes the information that McDonalds in fact heated their coffee to 190 degrees or more, when the normal temperature is usually more like 120 degrees. And numerous people had been scalded and complained, and McDonald's refused to do anything about it or to change their process in any way. And that's why, even though it was dumb to drive with a coffee cup between her legs, the plaintiff was awarded a judgement: McDonald's knew their coffee was too hot and committed itself in writing to the effect they weren't going to change things. And any first year law student will tell you those are the elements for negligence.
By the way, the woman had to have some reconstructive surgery as a result, if I'm recalling this correctly.
and no, IANAL.
yes, I certainly agree with your sentiments Re: Aragorn riding over a cliff and what follows. Huorns would have been much better use of the time wasted on that!
I actually was more unhappy about they way they changed the interaction of Merry and Pippin with Treebeard, and with the changes in Faramir's motivations.
Besides, not that Apple will "sign" artists. But artists might be able to make their work available (either non-exclusively, or exclusively for a short time, as is already happening) through ITMS.
Maybe wrong, but it's my opinion.
Yep, it is incorrect.
I'm really betting on this one. I think that this is the wave of the future (and the real reason that the RIAA is clamping down on internet file sharing).
It appears that McDonald's is denying the story. There may be nothing to it, after all.
Absolutely! Any effective anti-spam legislation or technique must target the companies who hire the spammers. So far, only the State of California appears to recognize this to any degree.
Or, how about Mike Langberg at the San Jose Mercury News?
Are they unbiased enough for you?
I'm curious which products you think are s__t? (That was a rather disgusting metaphor, by the way!)
The other 1/4: there/their, to/too, loose/lose.
"The court also agreed to hear that aspect [that is, the standing of the father to bring the original suit] of the case. "
This ain't gonna happen. Period.
For the n+1st time: Apple is a hardware company that succeeds by providing an alternative to Dell, et al. Why would it suddenly start trying to compete with Dell on its own turf? Not to mention competing with Microsoft on its own turf...
The only way this would ever happen is if Apple's hardware biz collapsed completely, never to return. I don't think I see that happening any time soon, all the punditry to the contrary notwithstanding.
I was responding to a comment about whether there was skip protection in an iPod. Read the parent (and the parent's parent) of my comment.
There's a 20-minute buffer. Skipping is not a problem.
I keep waiting to see what happens when the RIAA sues the child of a Congressperson.
"Everyone" wants this, apparently. You're wise not to hold your breath, though. This'll never happen, because it would be literal suicide for Apple to do this.
there already is one: remove.org
I've also got a 49, and it may not be crap, but I sure hate the feel of the keys. I very nearly always prefer to use one of the 48xx's laying around here (my wife and I collect calculators, what can I say?).