Actually, the Net is just there to send packets around. It's not "for the Web" any more than it's for VoIP or IPTV. That's the marvel of the Internet: it isn't supposed to be anything which means that it can be anything. In fact, when you get right down to it, the World Wide Web (which is nothing more than a bunch of added protocols thrown on top of the underlying Internet) isn't even the most important aspect of the global network. But you're right, trying to force the greatest invention since fire, the wheel and air conditioning to be nothing more than a form of wired television is just heinous. The people in charge of the phone companies (Edward Whitacre... are you listening?) are perilously close to treason. They, along with their kindred souls at the media companies, are damaging the fabric of our society in ways that will be felt for years to come. Someone should stop them.
There was an earlier case where a researcher was exposed to excessive levels of gamma-frequency radiation for an extended period. He suffered severe anger-management issues after the exposure, massive hypertrophy of his musculature, and an odd discoloration that gave sort of a greenish cast to his skin. I don't remember if he was ever successfully treated or not, although there were several reports of domestic violence.
Hey, the Founding Fathers did their part for our Republic, I don't think it's fair to ask them to provide for our power needs as well. A much more appropriate way of generating "free" energy would be to mount an MHD generator to the side of the Congressional building, indeed any structure where politicians regularly congregrate. The sheer quantity of plasma, I mean, hot air flowing from such a gathering could easily supply light and heat for several small villages.
Apparently there is no such law in Western countries.
For good reason, but there's a lot of interest here in the U.S. to try and end that immunity. Of course, if they do succeed in making engines responsible for linked content it will simply end search engines, which wouldn't bother some people one bit. China's government is in the unenviable position of wanting all the benefits of free flow of information provided by search without the perceived liabilities. What's unfortunate is that their perceptions of what is acceptable and what is not are being colored by groups whose interests are not aligned with what is best for China, the United States, or any other forward-looking industrial power.
True enough, and when you try to market to a country like the U.S. that has multiple standards with which you must comply for even a simple electronic device, the requisite testing and verification can get very expensive and time-consuming. And if you fail testing, you have to go back to your production line and fix the problem. Domestic manufacturers are, presumably, less likely to cheat because if they get caught they are immediately subject to prosecution, but if you're a vendor in China or Malaysia or wherever, whose products are remarketed and repackaged and sold under multiple brand names... well. Odds are you aren't all that concerned about standards compliance from the get-go, because you'll never be held accountable anyway.
This is a bit off-topic, but if you're into Duke Nukem 3D as I am, you might want to check out Jonof's JFDuke3D port. It's a remarkable Windows port of Duke... you need access to the original game data but if you have that it works great, adds a lot of visual enhancements using modern video cards. Even supports multiplayer, and the game plays just like the original.
I agree, and embedded systems running some variant of DOS are very common. I've delivered more than a few of those myself. Claims that "DOS is dead" aren't really accurate, and won't be for some time to come. Speaking of DOS games, would you happen to know if Build Engine games such as Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, Blood and so forth work under FreeDOS?
Kinda a sad abuse of the legal system, but in the end even if they lose they may win.
Not really... Pageranks are a dynamic phenomenon, and while the notoriety they're generating may give them
a bunch more hits, if they don't actually have anything people are interested in, nobody will return and the
rankings will drop again. Which is pretty much what already happened, and because they've discovered that
there are just not enough people legitimately interested in what they have to offer, they've resorted to
legal shenanigans.
Yes, but in this case he is his own grandfather, which complicates matters somewhat. I'm not sure how that would really be possible, since it would be a temporal paradox in its own right. He would have had to already exist in order to go back and impregnate his grandmother so that his father would be born, so as to be born himself in order to go back and...
Yes and no. Freedom of speech largely does free us from responsibility, at least in terms of retribution from the Federal Government: that's the whole point of "Freedom of Speech". The Government can't tell you what you can and cannot say, because if they can, then speech isn't free anymore. On the other hand, the Constitution says nothing that I am aware about not being held accountable by other entities, which I guess is why we have laws against libel and slander. You are correct that truly anonymous speech can have negative consequences in and of itself (some people will abuse anything), but the reality is that not having the ability to say what needs to be said, anonymously or otherwise, would be much worse. It's a matter of the greater good: the Founders did their own cost/benefit analysis and decided that it was best if citizens could speak their mind without fear of the government clamping down on them. And, as usual, they were right. Really, we should listen to them more often. They were a lot sharper, with a much better understanding of history and human nature, than any crop of politicians before or since.
As an aside, I would love to have a time machine and go back to the Colonial times, and witness some of the roundtable discussions between the likes of Jefferson and Franklin and the rest of the Founding Fathers. I'm sure they would be fascinating.
3. Stand-in for Peter Boyle on Everybody Loves Raymond
Face it, Steve Ballmer is Peter Boyle's evil twin. Nobody could tell the difference... although they'd probably have to script in a few flying chairs, just to keep Steve happy.
It seems that the performance artist can still bring something to a performance, which [ a CG ] artist cannot.
Yet. The state of this particular art is nowhere near its peak. And there are things that an animated character (CG or otherwise) can bring to a performance that a live actor never could. Unless you're Jim Carrey, and while I'm not suggesting that he's computer-generated, he's definitely animatronic at the very least.
It does too require a product key, it just doesn't require activation. Microsoft has been known to deactivate specific keys from the Corporate Edition on occasion, if it has been found to have been leaked and is commonly used for illegal installations.
Trust in the company isn't the problem, people expect Microsoft to pull shady stuff, illegal monopolism and all. What Microsoft wants is for legitimate users to feel smug because they shelled out hard-earned cash for their XP disc, and likewise wants the people that have illegal copies to think twice about not paying for it. I mean, it might get turned off and God knows what would happen to their data then. In effect, this is a form of psychological warfare, with the enemy being people that Microsoft would most like to have buy Windows. Impressive, really, and similar in nature to the RIAA's legal campaign against filesharers: both are trying to induce fear of a remote possibility in order to encourage desirable behavior.
Given what's happening in Spain right now copyrightwise, I'd say another order is sent to the Spanish Inquisition (because nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!)
Is anonymous blogging and publication a brief fad, or a serious, growing trend?
IF people have anything worthwhile to say, and IF our Constitutionally-protected freedom of speech actually means anything to us, then yes, it is here to stay.
I don't know much about rogue hamsters, African or otherwise, but I do remember an episode of "Seinfeld" that discussed a mysterious shrinking process in some detail. As I recall, George was afflicted immediately upon leaving a swimming pool.
I think the GP was trying to point out that if you are building your business by capitalizing on the success of another, similar business, expect that to be a very short ride. In this case, however, I find it hard to believe that anyone at Google was even aware of KinderStart until the legal summons was served. It's not like an outfit like KinderStart is even going to be on Google's threat radar, much less worth the risk of an antitrust lawsuit.
Slashdot Mirror
Actually, the Net is just there to send packets around. It's not "for the Web" any more than it's for VoIP or IPTV. That's the marvel of the Internet: it isn't supposed to be anything which means that it can be anything. In fact, when you get right down to it, the World Wide Web (which is nothing more than a bunch of added protocols thrown on top of the underlying Internet) isn't even the most important aspect of the global network. But you're right, trying to force the greatest invention since fire, the wheel and air conditioning to be nothing more than a form of wired television is just heinous. The people in charge of the phone companies (Edward Whitacre ... are you listening?) are perilously close to treason. They, along with their kindred souls at the media companies, are damaging the fabric of our society in ways that will be felt for years to come. Someone should stop them.
There was an earlier case where a researcher was exposed to excessive levels of gamma-frequency radiation for an extended period. He suffered severe anger-management issues after the exposure, massive hypertrophy of his musculature, and an odd discoloration that gave sort of a greenish cast to his skin. I don't remember if he was ever successfully treated or not, although there were several reports of domestic violence.
Hey, the Founding Fathers did their part for our Republic, I don't think it's fair to ask them to provide for our power needs as well. A much more appropriate way of generating "free" energy would be to mount an MHD generator to the side of the Congressional building, indeed any structure where politicians regularly congregrate. The sheer quantity of plasma, I mean, hot air flowing from such a gathering could easily supply light and heat for several small villages.
Apparently there is no such law in Western countries.
For good reason, but there's a lot of interest here in the U.S. to try and end that immunity. Of course, if they do succeed in making engines responsible for linked content it will simply end search engines, which wouldn't bother some people one bit. China's government is in the unenviable position of wanting all the benefits of free flow of information provided by search without the perceived liabilities. What's unfortunate is that their perceptions of what is acceptable and what is not are being colored by groups whose interests are not aligned with what is best for China, the United States, or any other forward-looking industrial power.
Fortunately for Wal-Mart, there are still plenty of youth left in Asia
True enough, and when you try to market to a country like the U.S. that has multiple standards with which you must comply for even a simple electronic device, the requisite testing and verification can get very expensive and time-consuming. And if you fail testing, you have to go back to your production line and fix the problem. Domestic manufacturers are, presumably, less likely to cheat because if they get caught they are immediately subject to prosecution, but if you're a vendor in China or Malaysia or wherever, whose products are remarketed and repackaged and sold under multiple brand names ... well. Odds are you aren't all that concerned about standards compliance from the get-go, because you'll never be held accountable anyway.
Mines that move? That is goddamn frightening.
This is a bit off-topic, but if you're into Duke Nukem 3D as I am, you might want to check out Jonof's JFDuke3D port. It's a remarkable Windows port of Duke ... you need access to the original game data but if you have that it works great, adds a lot of visual enhancements using modern video cards. Even supports multiplayer, and the game plays just like the original.
jonof.edgenetwork.org
I agree, and embedded systems running some variant of DOS are very common. I've delivered more than a few of those myself. Claims that "DOS is dead" aren't really accurate, and won't be for some time to come. Speaking of DOS games, would you happen to know if Build Engine games such as Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, Blood and so forth work under FreeDOS?
Kinda a sad abuse of the legal system, but in the end even if they lose they may win.
... Pageranks are a dynamic phenomenon, and while the notoriety they're generating may give them
a bunch more hits, if they don't actually have anything people are interested in, nobody will return and the
rankings will drop again. Which is pretty much what already happened, and because they've discovered that
there are just not enough people legitimately interested in what they have to offer, they've resorted to
legal shenanigans.
Not really
Yes, but in this case he is his own grandfather, which complicates matters somewhat. I'm not sure how that would really be possible, since it would be a temporal paradox in its own right. He would have had to already exist in order to go back and impregnate his grandmother so that his father would be born, so as to be born himself in order to go back and ...
I need another beer.
Yes and no. Freedom of speech largely does free us from responsibility, at least in terms of retribution from the Federal Government: that's the whole point of "Freedom of Speech". The Government can't tell you what you can and cannot say, because if they can, then speech isn't free anymore. On the other hand, the Constitution says nothing that I am aware about not being held accountable by other entities, which I guess is why we have laws against libel and slander. You are correct that truly anonymous speech can have negative consequences in and of itself (some people will abuse anything), but the reality is that not having the ability to say what needs to be said, anonymously or otherwise, would be much worse. It's a matter of the greater good: the Founders did their own cost/benefit analysis and decided that it was best if citizens could speak their mind without fear of the government clamping down on them. And, as usual, they were right. Really, we should listen to them more often. They were a lot sharper, with a much better understanding of history and human nature, than any crop of politicians before or since.
As an aside, I would love to have a time machine and go back to the Colonial times, and witness some of the roundtable discussions between the likes of Jefferson and Franklin and the rest of the Founding Fathers. I'm sure they would be fascinating.
I'm my own grandfather...
... what happens, exactly?
So, if I go back in time and shoot your grandfather before you were born
Indeed. This is the latest extension of the "Shrug and Pray" technology that we've all come to know and love.
3. Stand-in for Peter Boyle on Everybody Loves Raymond
... although they'd probably have to script in a few flying chairs, just to keep Steve happy.
Face it, Steve Ballmer is Peter Boyle's evil twin. Nobody could tell the difference
It seems that the performance artist can still bring something to a performance, which [ a CG ] artist cannot.
Yet. The state of this particular art is nowhere near its peak. And there are things that an animated character (CG or otherwise) can bring to a performance that a live actor never could. Unless you're Jim Carrey, and while I'm not suggesting that he's computer-generated, he's definitely animatronic at the very least.
Nerf Lazy Boys.
It does too require a product key, it just doesn't require activation. Microsoft has been known to deactivate specific keys from the Corporate Edition on occasion, if it has been found to have been leaked and is commonly used for illegal installations.
Trust in the company isn't the problem, people expect Microsoft to pull shady stuff, illegal monopolism and all. What Microsoft wants is for legitimate users to feel smug because they shelled out hard-earned cash for their XP disc, and likewise wants the people that have illegal copies to think twice about not paying for it. I mean, it might get turned off and God knows what would happen to their data then. In effect, this is a form of psychological warfare, with the enemy being people that Microsoft would most like to have buy Windows. Impressive, really, and similar in nature to the RIAA's legal campaign against filesharers: both are trying to induce fear of a remote possibility in order to encourage desirable behavior.
Given what's happening in Spain right now copyrightwise, I'd say another order is sent to the Spanish Inquisition (because nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!)
I haven't read that one ... is it worth a trip to Amazon?
Is anonymous blogging and publication a brief fad, or a serious, growing trend?
IF people have anything worthwhile to say, and IF our Constitutionally-protected freedom of speech actually means anything to us, then yes, it is here to stay.
I don't know much about rogue hamsters, African or otherwise, but I do remember an episode of "Seinfeld" that discussed a mysterious shrinking process in some detail. As I recall, George was afflicted immediately upon leaving a swimming pool.
I think the GP was trying to point out that if you are building your business by capitalizing on the success of another, similar business, expect that to be a very short ride. In this case, however, I find it hard to believe that anyone at Google was even aware of KinderStart until the legal summons was served. It's not like an outfit like KinderStart is even going to be on Google's threat radar, much less worth the risk of an antitrust lawsuit.
Let's hope a judge sees things the way you do. I'm getting pretty sick of litigiots misusing the law to redress imaginary wrongs.