"Why are the companies worth so much money? Why is MySpace worth over half a billion dollars without a proper revenue model? Why is Digg allegedly pitched at over $20m....?"
It's volume man volume you know what three percent of one hunderd and fity million is?
Yea it's four and one half million, but four and one half million what?
Yea, that varies with the marketing models, there are several in eval right now, one hundred and fifty million, don't you just love it?
Four and one half million what? can you show me some of these models?
Yea let me fire up excel here, here one, here another, and heres..
The models look mostly the same to me except for a few variables in R 21 and R34 and S37 on the last one, where did you get those variables?
The specifics are confidential, I was not supposed to show you this much, don't you get it? One hundred and fifty million...
If I place 0 here and a -.5 here and 2 and hit recalc.
Woah man don't muck up the sheet, what the hell did you do? -$7,500,000? Now you did it, what... where did you do that, man , man, your messed up man, you old school types just don't get it, one hundred and fifty million, sheez. Jusy forget it man, you blew your chance.
" - and most terrorists could easly commit crimes using low tech means (like, oh say, boxcutters, maybe?"
Actually most persons of normal physical conditioning and strength can be taught in a short period of time how to kill or maim rather effectively with only their hands, feet and the victims body mass. Then there are items like ball point pens, glass bottles, aluminum cans, shoelaces, house keys, plastic ID badges, personal care products and household chemicals. Almost anything can be used as an offensive weapon in a specific circumstance. It is all about intent and knowledge, resources are nearly inexhaustible and opportunity can be created.
"Have you read Patriot Act I and II? If you have, you'd know that the new definition of a 'domestic terrorism' is "any action that endangers human life that is a violation of any Federal or State law". You'd also know that anyone who fits this ridiculously broad definition of 'terrorism' can now be considred an 'enemy combatant' and stripped of their U.S. citizenship and rights. Under current legislation, a person could be legally held indefinitely without trial for something as innocuous as speeding."
Exactly! Many seem perplexed as to what is behind the obsessive interest the current "government" has with the communications and other private affairs of American citizens. The target is not pedophiles, Islamic terrorist groups or any real criminal activity at all. What this is all about is getting as much data as possible on domestic malcontents. These include some pretty radical but "well heeled" militia groups that operate far enough within the law to prevent court sanctioned monitoring.
What the "Patriot Act I and II" and these other anti-liberty ploys provide is a means to circumvent the public face of the judicial system. Of course there is also the advantage that via the same methods they could also quiet other domestic malcontents, including those unafraid to speak their mind, like you and I. These attempts to identify malcontents are bound to stir up the more radical, and usually well armed factions. I cannot not help to think that the current bunch of nitwits is trying to "stir the stink" and prove themselves "saviors" when they start to roundups following an event they brought on by these methods.
The big picture is rather chilling. This nation has had problems from the start like the slavery and segregation of blacks, genocide and apartheid of native peoples, bondage and serfdom of asian, irish and other later immigrants, and the more recent abuse of illegals. It has serious problems with wealth distribution and it is getting worse all the time. It has a judicial system that operates in relation to the $$ one has to spend on bribes, oops sorry "on qualified representation". The methods we have used over the years to elect representatives has always been far from perfect, but seems to be on the brink of collapse lately. The horrendous laws that have been passed in recent years, combined with the total lack of respect for that "god-damned piece of paper" by a bunch of nitwits, well I see a storm on the horizon or is it a bad moon risin'. Best of luck, see ya in camp malcontent.
At least they have the courage to call it as they see it. The current crop of political "leaders" holding the executive and majority control in both houses of the US legislature have not only damaged the nations economic stability and endangered the liberty of its people, they have also soiled its ethical standing. Not that it has not happened before, but it is really atrocious how the arrogantly self righteous this bunch is. Do YOU like the way things are being ran, or are you just afraid to say otherwise. At least AI is willing to stand up and declare the emperor naked. For my part, I will add not only is the emperor butt naked he's damn ugly as well.
I guess you think your Republicrat buddies are doing a "fine" job "fixing" things, huh? The only things I've seen them "fix" are energy prices, judicial decisions and elections. All in all though I think the experience could be good for the nation as it is exposing to the American people the true nature of these "fixers and deciders" as the deceitful, malicious, greedy incompetent fascist idiots that they are. That is except for a few nitwits like you, some cases are always hopeless.
Thats odd, the Google results I get require that I "do something" like click on the hyperlink before I am transported to the destination of said link. I just have never encountered any type of redirection script issues with Google, thats what your implying right? Is this a Windows IE thing? Linux or OS/2 and Mozilla, Opera or Firefox don't act that way here.
"newspaper texts make you go somewhere yourself"
Really? I'd quit reading that newspaper, soon. Well.. I have read a few with some good "go to sleep" articles. How about it you got one with a "go to Cancun" article, I could handle that. Maybe one with a good "go to hell" article, not for me but I could think of a few places to send it, naw, naw, look these people are heading that way anyway, just a thought about accelerating the process.:)
"Science wouldn't be where it is today if it weren't for the work of Christian/Creationist Scientists such as Copernicus, Kepler, Boyle, Newton, Gauss, Faraday, Maxwell, Lord Kelvin"
You think maybe these intelligent folks might not have any other motivations to avoid confrontations with rabid theists? Like their careers, or in some cases their lives, maybe they placed the value of continuing their work above the self gratification of dissent.
Take for instance your first example, Copernicus. The Austrian mathematician Georg Rheticus wrote a book Narratio prima in 1542 outlining the essence of Copernicus' theory. The generally positive reception among peers and failing health convinced Copernicus to allow Rheticus to undertake the publication of a second more extensive book. It is said the first printed copy of De revolutionibus - orbium coelestium was placed in Copernicus' hands on the very day he died in 1543.
He did not have to be concerned about encountering the same fate as some others that embraced his theories. Fifty seven years later Giordano Bruno was tried before the Inquisition, condemned and burned at the stake for such blasphemy. Galileo was charged in 1633, under the threat of torture and death, forced to renounce all belief in Copernican theories, and was thereafter sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his life. Georg Rheticus himself may have avoided persecution because he was under the protection of Duke Albrecht, Albert of Prussia, who consented the publication, for whom he had developed a day length calculating instrument.
Maybe these folks just did not wish to suffer the fate of Galileo or Giordano Bruno. That is, to lose their positions of influence, to starve , be imprisoned or even be burned as heretics? Even in their public writings they may have well have been simply patronizing those that might cause them trouble. I have found that you see more of who someone is through their acts than their words anyway. The acts these men performed are the very foundation of the science that the creationist's argument is positioned against.There is also the issue of your implication of their support for the modern creationist argument. Even when they accepted the general therom, todays form of dogmatic faith might might be a bad fit. There is no way you know what these people actually thought about such matters.
Please note that while not a theist, I consider atheism to be even less of a valid belief system. I guess if you had to have a label for me it would be an agnostic honestly invested in the search of gnosis. Most of what I have read and seen in the theisms of yesterday and today is far less than honest and all to often devoid of knowledge, so I search on. BTW, I was raised once upon a time as a Baptist, so there is hope even for the well indoctrinated. From my experience and observations I suspect the root of the noise with the theists' communities has more to do with control of women and children than any true search for gnosis.
We are as a species very young, our individual live experiences rank close to the mayfly when compared to the age or agelessness of the universe. What we do not know in the span of the only mortal life we have evidence of far outweighs what we do know and will for a very long time. Just because something does not fit your world view does not mean it is not true. Even if it does or does not, just because something is true here and now does not mean it will be true elsewhere or tommorrow. Please keep some humility about your assertations of knowledge.
Evolution is a theory and is taught as a theory with mostly well supported evidence. It is a complex endeavor and that some parts of the theory may be invalid is more likely that not. I have reservations about a lot of it myself. However I see very little in the way of supporting evidence for the Creationist's argument. Never the less it should be taught, in an comparitave and equitable manner along side other religious and philosophical topics, but not as a science.
"Case in point, my younger sibling has been nagging me for the last week for money to get a new graphics card.............. He listen patiently and then proceeded to nag me more for ~$250...."
Just what kind of dirt does little brother have on you anyway?:)
"Because Diebold is only interested in stealing elections, not your money. So rest easy."
Naw they still want your money, they just are not interested in the chump change in your account, when they can get serious $$$$$$$$ by stealing elections. Plus they are much less likely to get caught AND prosecuted by stealing an election. Or so it seems, so far anyway.
"I don't care how many people vote or who they are. All that matters is that I know who counts the votes." J.Stalin.....as best to my recollection anyway.
"How dare you question our leader in a time of war? Go to North Korea and see if you like it better!
This is exactly the kind of stuff that makes the terrorists more powerful. All they're looking for is weakness in our resolve and people like you make it easy for them. You should be ashamed to call yourself American."
Damn trolls, I can't seen to resist them lately. Look if this is meant sarcasticly, QUIT IT, it's not funny anymore, this is serious stuff. If this is what you really think, well Mr A.C. it looks to me like you are ashamed of your own thoughts and words, with good reason though. Dumbass as they are.
This is exactly the kind of mindless drivel that supports a facist state. All these 'leaders' require is a tipping point of weak minded people like yourself to make it easy for them. YOU are the one that should be ashamed to call yourself American. If people like yourself continue to support such ideas your decendants will curse you as the mindless cowards that selfishly pissed away thier liberty, hopes and dreams. Please try a little self evaluation and reflection, ask your self what is the "stuff that matters". Then try, just try thinking for yourself for a change.
This would require that our IP laws be rewritten to be understandable to the lowest common denominator of our "leaders" IQ. When this rises above 100 we might stand a chance, not much hope for many the current bunch.
Well stated! Jefferson had concerns about large enterprises, mostly banks and the trading companies they often owned. The argument could be made that they held the same positions of influence at the time as nearly all large corporate interests do today.
"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks will deprive the People of all property until their children will wake up homeless in the continent their fathers conquered." Thomas Jefferson
Add to this that many of the largest today exist as global entities and that the executives and controlling shareholders of these corporations can afford to live anywhere in the world they wish. The result is that these individuals and the enterprises they control have no allegiance to any culture, nation or its people. The only reasons the welfare and indeed the survival of the western nations are of any concern to these corporations is for the purchasing power of their marketplaces and for the military power enforced stability they provide. Should these marketplaces become broken or displaced by say... Asian nations, the ability to exert military power will follow the money, and the West will find itself the new third world, and quicker that you might think.
If the purchasing power of the West continues to decline among the masses of its population the system will break. Before you trickle down fans start yapping about increases in purchasing power for the western nations, let me remind you that these have NOT "trickled down" and increases in wealth have remained with the top five percent or so of the western population. The vast majority of the populations in western nations have seen purchasing power fall consistently over the last three or four decades.
As for the nitwits that trash Ralph Nader, I find that he is more in tune with what is actually happening than the corporate puppets you continue to support. For those who would accuse him of fostering class warfare, well you have it backwards. The original poster was correct there is a war, it could even be construed as a class war. However the executers of this war are the rich and powerful, and they are winning. The formation of a new breed of Facist society with its corosponding cultural values is well underway in many wertern nations. If this situation is not corrected soon our descendants will curse the selfishness, ignorance and cowardice of those that allowed the destruction of the greatest scientific, economic and culture power in history and allowed its children to be robbed of their hopes, dreams and liberty.
"The only generalization that I can make is that people who find a reason to disparage Windows in this column are a bunch of idiots, and I'm pretty sure that's not just a matter of opinion."
Of course I guess you are also pretty sure that just because many of the folks who buy a new computer do so because the old one is infested with malware and viruses it just cannot be Microsofts fault. I have to say that the idiots using Windows that allow it to become infested in the first place are complicite to some extent. However Microsoft with it's ill gotten monopoly shares some of the blame for the inferior products and services they sell in the marketplace they have manipulated for the dominance they enjoy. They have an ethical responsibility to provide a better product than they do. But then again like so many other corporate enities, responsible ethics are not exactly their most notable feature.
"There are a lot of people who run out for the latest and greatest Macs as soon as they're out."
Interestingly enough I have had several diehard Windows fans query me about Mac's lately. My advice is the same as it has been for a while now, buy the hardware and software you need for the task at hand, but if you do not REQUIRE either Microsoft or Apple specific or dependant wares, buy a NEW PC, on sale branded or white box, OS free if possible, preferably a few months to a year or so from the cutting edge speed. Buy live or installable versions of several $5.00 eBay listed beginner friendly Linux distro's like Suse, Mandrivia, Fedora, Ubutu or Xandros to find the one that fits. Once you settle one one you like you may, or may not, want to buy a supported boxed issue of the distro. The ratio of converts is actually pretty good. The few that have been able to try this and not have been convinced of the great deal that Linux is were hopelessly clueless anyway. I for one have pretty much stopped acting as a free cleanup service for friends who insist on repeatedly using and indeed often abusing Windows.
You may label me an idiot, maybe it makes you feel smarter, but I am pretty you will still be the same closed minded, tunnel visioned Anonymous Coward that posted the insulting drivel above in the first place.
As a former OS/2 user/developer I have a tip for you all. NEVER TRUST IBM! They do have excellent scientists, researchers, developers and technicians, sometimes even the marketing dept is pretty good, however the top level management cannot be trusted. I hope they don't manage to muckup the future of Linux. Apples 1984 commerical poking fun at them got it right.
All thoughts are "neurochemical phenomenon". But the cause and effect relationship gets a bit cloudy in these areas. Gross disturbances of chemical compounds are indeed responsible for nerological illnesses in many cases. But the statement "you are what you think" has some merit as well. Ones thoughts and patterns of thought also effect neurochemical changes and balances.
I believe one can think themselves into a destructive neurochemical state. In effect you can program your brain into producing disturbances of chemical compounds. It seems to me that such "programming" often includes a feedback loop that amplify the processes. I suspect many bad habits and addictions are supported this way even if some start from external electro/chemical or internal biological infulences.
So yea I think "p0rn" could and indeed does act as the raw data source such in some cases, but then so can and also do books, news, movies, games and religious "faith". As to if "p0rn" by its nature in some way contributes to the "program source" in an especially destructive way, I would say depends upon the specific nature "p0rn" and the individual, same as for news, movies, games and religious "faith". Both also depend on the amount of "processing time applied.
Whether it is reading Hemmingway, watching the idiotic demologues on Fox News, looking at naked butts, watching violent or sexual deviant behaviour, watching scientific documentaries, watching violent movies or sports, playing challenging games, playing gratitiously violent games, listening to Mozart or listening to a deranged mulla or evangelist, do it long enough and it will change your neurochemistry and thus your thoughts and maybe your actions as well. What goes in... well thats your choice, sometimes:). What comes out, thats pretty much always your choice.
"Or a company on its last legs can make a crazy last-ditch effort to sue themselves into profitability, like SCO. But what's Lucent really doing here?"
Isn't Lucent in the middle of a takeover or buyout attempt by a French firm? Maybe this relates to that deal. Possibly a shot at making it seem more of a player via it's IP rights and thus add to it's value. Maybe its a way to complicate or delay the takeover process. Maybe this is a move by both parties in the takeover to drag the issue into French courtrooms as well, or make an implied threat of such apparent to Microsoft.
"Isn't Microsoft going to turn around and use it's double-click patent to try to make Lucent stop selling everything they make that involves a GUI at any point?"
Apple or the folks they got the idea from http://www.parc.xerox.com/ PARC might have something to say about the GUI issue. From the PARC history page.
In 1973 the PARC "Alto personal computer becomes operational. As it evolves, the Alto will feature the world's first What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) editor, a commercial mouse for input, a graphical user interface (GUI), and bit-mapped display, and will offer menus and icons, link to a local area network and store files simultaneously."
In 1975 PARC "Engineers demonstrate a graphical user interface for a personal computer, including icons and the first use of pop-up menus. This interface will be incorporated in future Xerox workstations and greatly influence the development of Windows and Macintosh interfaces."
True the corporation belhemoths that own the media, for the most part do not care about truth or liberty, just money. It has always been this way to some extent but the trend toward such has turned nearly straight up in the last few decades due to the bean counter mentality, forced buy outs and such. There are a few exceptions still around like the NYTimes, the Sulzberger family that holds controlling interest in the company seem to still be trying to "hold the line" with mostly unbiased fact seeking journalism. A good read on the state of the American press can be found in "Read All About It" by James D. Squires. And I do believe there a still a lot of good journalists out there, it's just that there are also a lot of "yellow media whores", thankfully a lot of them seem to work for Fox News, so at least their concentrated well.
Hehehheh thats funny, I almost voted for the idiot myself in 2000 because I figured a lot of folks would end up feeling this way after a good taste of an all Republican goverment. I had became tired of the preponderance of "Republicrats infesting the "center" of our capital and mucking up my liberty. I figured a good dose of neo-facism might get the peoples bellies full. Couldn't make myself do though 'cause I was sure a lot of folks would pay with thier lives, bad karma and all. Seems four years were not quite enough anyway.
"Realize the other party aren't the only ones out to screw you over, but also the party you yourself belong to... Democrats and Republicans!"
Yea but the Republicans but be hung better because they sure leave my ass hurting a lot worse. There are a few good folks on both sides but they don't stand a chance at this time. BTW I have voted on presidential elections since 1976, thrice for a Democrat (Carter 1st time, Clinton 1st time and Kerry the last round), never for a Republican (well there was maybe one, the excommunicated Republican John Anderson as an Independant in 1980), the rest "wasted" on Libertarians or Independants like Ralph in 2000.
I still sleep pretty good though, how about you? Ever hear the cries of the tortured, maimed and dying in your dreams? Are you truly concerned about the idiotic reckless economic damage and dangerous international precidents set by these idiots? Or are you like so many other regretfull Bush supporters, just pissed off about the price of gasoline and 401K losses?
"I think it was in Hamlet the wife back then would have been 14 or something, I don't know enough about Shakespeare to be 100%, just something I remember my English teacher telling me"
Maybe your english teacher was dropping a hankie:)
"How would you like it if someone stole your work and flooded the market with copies of it so that you couldn't make money from it?"
Well if I had the inflated ego of most artists and authors I might be grateful for the fame and promotional publicity it created that would put me in high demand for lucrative live appearences. But I do not have that kind of ego and nor do all artists or authors. I have no wish to deprive the creators of content of whatever they and the marketplace decide their efforts are worth. I simply wish to be able to: A. protect my investment via archival B. to be able to transfer it to a alternative storage media for my personal use, without breaking the law!
As one old enough to have purchased the same titles on vinyl disc, 8track,cassette or video tape, now CD/DVD, I have hit a point where enough is enough. I refuse to buy the same content endlessly as the technology changes but the content doesn't improve in a substantial way. If in the future a new recording of a favorite old piece becomes availiable in a improved more true method of reproduction I might bite. In most cases it has not improved in quality, it has actually declined.
"It's the million people stealing a song or DVD that necessitates DRM b/c it's not worth it to the company to go through archaic enforcement procedures (filing lawsuits, etc.) to recover the $15"
Again, theft of copyright protected content via P2P and USENET or warez site type file sharing is and should be illegal. I also have a problem with the selling or pre-populated iPod type players with duplicated (read pirated) content. I don't doubt that napster and such took a bite out of the industrys pocket. I do suspect they are exagerating the extent of the damage. And by engaging in punitive tort litigation with sometimes equally clueless single parents and grandparents they are simply beating themselves in the face.
I think the losses claimed from file sharing are mostly a red herring anyway. Most of what I saw on the internet in mp3 format was rather poor quality low bitrate versions anyway. I believe that most people who would buy a CD/DVD would still buy it anyway. Even if they had to pay for content they did not want, I have, though I have about stopped. This issue of content is probably the biggest reason the sales fell for them. In far too many cases one would spend $15 for a CD with maybe one or two good selections and a dozen or so filler pieces of junk. This is a big reason why file sharing became so wide spread and services such as iTunes have done so well. One can build a collection of what they like without fishing through the trash. Which by the way is what was really behind the old mix tapes of yesteryear. The artist's and producers got lazy and greedy, and technology bit them in the ass, it has before, and it will again if they don't change thier ways. If they were not so clueless about things they could harness the power of digital technology and add to thier bottom line. Look at what Apple has done, with I have to add what seems to me a pretty draconian deal for the customer, forced by I suspect the RIAA legal whores. Such restrictions keep folks like myself from building the collection they have always wanted. If one accepted that they had no other motives it would seem they are just incapable of learning.
With the $6 a month service from Microsoft can you archive your collection when the $100 device becomes unreliable or obsolete? If your $100 device dies without being backed up will you need to download all the music again? I guess you have broadband, many of us still do not. What about services like Apples iTunes, from what I have heard if your iPod dies so do your rights to the music you purchased and downloaded onto it. The way I understand the DMCA it is illegal for one to circumvent Apples DRM to archive the collection, to anything but another iPod (or maybe a Mac) anyway. This seems like a pretty clear case of using the law to support unfair monopolistic practices to me.
"since there is clearly a demand for convenient and unrestrictive DRM, that will clearly be the future of DRM"
A demand? From whom? Not the customer. How can anything like DRM possibly be seen as "convenient and unrestrictive"? At best DRM would an annoyance to the customer who needs to preserve the collection they have paid for when the specific technology it was stored on becomes unreliable or obsolete. At its worst it is undermining the legal precident set with "fair use" laws. It is also a drag on the evolution of technology when it is used as a weapon against legitimate competition. The only "demand" for DRM is from what I see as an illegal collusion of a short sighted greedy media industry and clueless and/or purchased politicians. They never expected DRM technology would "stand on its own". DRM is simply a stalking horse that was deployed explicity to support the creation of the DMCA. Heck it doesn't even address the serious pirates, in most cases as they produce "bit level images", usually in the case of DVD and CD media, they produce stamped media. These are true "cloned" reproductions, including even the DRM elements.
Is is far easier to apply a critical dismissal that to provide a counter argument consisting of logical information. This is especially so if one is not that well informed themselves, which is usually the case of those who revert to this type of discourse.
Slashdot Mirror
"Why are the companies worth so much money? Why is MySpace worth over half a billion dollars without a proper revenue model? Why is Digg allegedly pitched at over $20m ....?"
It's volume man volume you know what three percent of one hunderd and fity million is?
Yea it's four and one half million, but four and one half million what?
Yea, that varies with the marketing models, there are several in eval right now, one hundred and fifty million, don't you just love it?
Four and one half million what? can you show me some of these models?
Yea let me fire up excel here, here one, here another, and heres..
The models look mostly the same to me except for a few variables in R 21 and R34 and S37 on the last one, where did you get those variables?
The specifics are confidential, I was not supposed to show you this much, don't you get it? One hundred and fifty million...
If I place 0 here and a -.5 here and 2 and hit recalc.
Woah man don't muck up the sheet, what the hell did you do? -$7,500,000? Now you did it, what... where did you do that, man , man, your messed up man, you old school types just don't get it, one hundred and fifty million, sheez. Jusy forget it man, you blew your chance.
Matthew
" - and most terrorists could easly commit crimes using low tech means (like, oh say, boxcutters, maybe?"
Actually most persons of normal physical conditioning and strength can be taught in a short period of time how to kill or maim rather effectively with only their hands, feet and the victims body mass. Then there are items like ball point pens, glass bottles, aluminum cans, shoelaces, house keys, plastic ID badges, personal care products and household chemicals. Almost anything can be used as an offensive weapon in a specific circumstance. It is all about intent and knowledge, resources are nearly inexhaustible and opportunity can be created.
Matthew
"Have you read Patriot Act I and II? If you have, you'd know that the new definition of a 'domestic terrorism' is "any action that endangers human life that is a violation of any Federal or State law". You'd also know that anyone who fits this ridiculously broad definition of 'terrorism' can now be considred an 'enemy combatant' and stripped of their U.S. citizenship and rights. Under current legislation, a person could be legally held indefinitely without trial for something as innocuous as speeding."
Exactly! Many seem perplexed as to what is behind the obsessive interest the current "government" has with the communications and other private affairs of American citizens. The target is not pedophiles, Islamic terrorist groups or any real criminal activity at all. What this is all about is getting as much data as possible on domestic malcontents. These include some pretty radical but "well heeled" militia groups that operate far enough within the law to prevent court sanctioned monitoring.
What the "Patriot Act I and II" and these other anti-liberty ploys provide is a means to circumvent the public face of the judicial system. Of course there is also the advantage that via the same methods they could also quiet other domestic malcontents, including those unafraid to speak their mind, like you and I. These attempts to identify malcontents are bound to stir up the more radical, and usually well armed factions. I cannot not help to think that the current bunch of nitwits is trying to "stir the stink" and prove themselves "saviors" when they start to roundups following an event they brought on by these methods.
The big picture is rather chilling. This nation has had problems from the start like the slavery and segregation of blacks, genocide and apartheid of native peoples, bondage and serfdom of asian, irish and other later immigrants, and the more recent abuse of illegals. It has serious problems with wealth distribution and it is getting worse all the time. It has a judicial system that operates in relation to the $$ one has to spend on bribes, oops sorry "on qualified representation". The methods we have used over the years to elect representatives has always been far from perfect, but seems to be on the brink of collapse lately. The horrendous laws that have been passed in recent years, combined with the total lack of respect for that "god-damned piece of paper" by a bunch of nitwits, well I see a storm on the horizon or is it a bad moon risin'. Best of luck, see ya in camp malcontent.
Matthew
At least they have the courage to call it as they see it. The current crop of political "leaders" holding the executive and majority control in both houses of the US legislature have not only damaged the nations economic stability and endangered the liberty of its people, they have also soiled its ethical standing. Not that it has not happened before, but it is really atrocious how the arrogantly self righteous this bunch is. Do YOU like the way things are being ran, or are you just afraid to say otherwise. At least AI is willing to stand up and declare the emperor naked. For my part, I will add not only is the emperor butt naked he's damn ugly as well.
Matthew
I guess you think your Republicrat buddies are doing a "fine" job "fixing" things, huh? The only things I've seen them "fix" are energy prices, judicial decisions and elections. All in all though I think the experience could be good for the nation as it is exposing to the American people the true nature of these "fixers and deciders" as the deceitful, malicious, greedy incompetent fascist idiots that they are. That is except for a few nitwits like you, some cases are always hopeless.
Matthew
The primus author of the Declaration Of Independence:
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Thomas Jefferson
Matthew
"Hyperlinks take you somewhere automatically"
:)
Thats odd, the Google results I get require that I "do something" like click on the hyperlink before I am transported to the destination of said link. I just have never encountered any type of redirection script issues with Google, thats what your implying right? Is this a Windows IE thing? Linux or OS/2 and Mozilla, Opera or Firefox don't act that way here.
"newspaper texts make you go somewhere yourself"
Really? I'd quit reading that newspaper, soon. Well.. I have read a few with some good "go to sleep" articles. How about it you got one with a "go to Cancun" article, I could handle that. Maybe one with a good "go to hell" article, not for me but I could think of a few places to send it, naw, naw, look these people are heading that way anyway, just a thought about accelerating the process.
Wabi-sabi
Matthew
"Science wouldn't be where it is today if it weren't for the work of Christian/Creationist Scientists such as Copernicus, Kepler, Boyle, Newton, Gauss, Faraday, Maxwell, Lord Kelvin"
You think maybe these intelligent folks might not have any other motivations to avoid confrontations with rabid theists? Like their careers, or in some cases their lives, maybe they placed the value of continuing their work above the self gratification of dissent.
Take for instance your first example, Copernicus. The Austrian mathematician Georg Rheticus wrote a book Narratio prima in 1542 outlining the essence of Copernicus' theory. The generally positive reception among peers and failing health convinced Copernicus to allow Rheticus to undertake the publication of a second more extensive book. It is said the first printed copy of De revolutionibus - orbium coelestium was placed in Copernicus' hands on the very day he died in 1543.
He did not have to be concerned about encountering the same fate as some others that embraced his theories. Fifty seven years later Giordano Bruno was tried before the Inquisition, condemned and burned at the stake for such blasphemy. Galileo was charged in 1633, under the threat of torture and death, forced to renounce all belief in Copernican theories, and was thereafter sentenced to imprisonment for the remainder of his life. Georg Rheticus himself may have avoided persecution because he was under the protection of Duke Albrecht, Albert of Prussia, who consented the publication, for whom he had developed a day length calculating instrument.
Maybe these folks just did not wish to suffer the fate of Galileo or Giordano Bruno. That is, to lose their positions of influence, to starve , be imprisoned or even be burned as heretics? Even in their public writings they may have well have been simply patronizing those that might cause them trouble. I have found that you see more of who someone is through their acts than their words anyway. The acts these men performed are the very foundation of the science that the creationist's argument is positioned against.There is also the issue of your implication of their support for the modern creationist argument. Even when they accepted the general therom, todays form of dogmatic faith might might be a bad fit. There is no way you know what these people actually thought about such matters.
Please note that while not a theist, I consider atheism to be even less of a valid belief system. I guess if you had to have a label for me it would be an agnostic honestly invested in the search of gnosis. Most of what I have read and seen in the theisms of yesterday and today is far less than honest and all to often devoid of knowledge, so I search on. BTW, I was raised once upon a time as a Baptist, so there is hope even for the well indoctrinated. From my experience and observations I suspect the root of the noise with the theists' communities has more to do with control of women and children than any true search for gnosis.
We are as a species very young, our individual live experiences rank close to the mayfly when compared to the age or agelessness of the universe. What we do not know in the span of the only mortal life we have evidence of far outweighs what we do know and will for a very long time. Just because something does not fit your world view does not mean it is not true. Even if it does or does not, just because something is true here and now does not mean it will be true elsewhere or tommorrow. Please keep some humility about your assertations of knowledge.
Evolution is a theory and is taught as a theory with mostly well supported evidence. It is a complex endeavor and that some parts of the theory may be invalid is more likely that not. I have reservations about a lot of it myself. However I see very little in the way of supporting evidence for the Creationist's argument. Never the less it should be taught, in an comparitave and equitable manner along side other religious and philosophical topics, but not as a science.
Wabi-sabi
Matthew
"Case in point, my younger sibling has been nagging me for the last week for money to get a new graphics card. ............. He listen patiently and then proceeded to nag me more for ~$250...."
:)
Just what kind of dirt does little brother have on you anyway?
Matthew
Sig: Naw, I'm tryin' to quit......
"Because Diebold is only interested in stealing elections, not your money. So rest easy."
Naw they still want your money, they just are not interested in the chump change in your account, when they can get serious $$$$$$$$ by stealing elections. Plus they are much less likely to get caught AND prosecuted by stealing an election. Or so it seems, so far anyway.
Matthew
"I don't care how many people vote or who they are. All that matters is that I know who counts the votes." J.Stalin .....as best to my recollection anyway.
Matthew
"How dare you question our leader in a time of war? Go to North Korea and see if you like it better!
This is exactly the kind of stuff that makes the terrorists more powerful. All they're looking for is weakness in our resolve and people like you make it easy for them. You should be ashamed to call yourself American."
Damn trolls, I can't seen to resist them lately. Look if this is meant sarcasticly, QUIT IT, it's not funny anymore, this is serious stuff. If this is what you really think, well Mr A.C. it looks to me like you are ashamed of your own thoughts and words, with good reason though. Dumbass as they are.
This is exactly the kind of mindless drivel that supports a facist state. All these 'leaders' require is a tipping point of weak minded people like yourself to make it easy for them. YOU are the one that should be ashamed to call yourself American. If people like yourself continue to support such ideas your decendants will curse you as the mindless cowards that selfishly pissed away thier liberty, hopes and dreams. Please try a little self evaluation and reflection, ask your self what is the "stuff that matters". Then try, just try thinking for yourself for a change.
Matthew
This would require that our IP laws be rewritten to be understandable to the lowest common denominator of our "leaders" IQ. When this rises above 100 we might stand a chance, not much hope for many the current bunch.
Matthew
Well stated! Jefferson had concerns about large enterprises, mostly banks and the trading companies they often owned. The argument could be made that they held the same positions of influence at the time as nearly all large corporate interests do today.
"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks will deprive the People of all property until their children will wake up homeless in the continent their fathers conquered." Thomas Jefferson
Add to this that many of the largest today exist as global entities and that the executives and controlling shareholders of these corporations can afford to live anywhere in the world they wish. The result is that these individuals and the enterprises they control have no allegiance to any culture, nation or its people. The only reasons the welfare and indeed the survival of the western nations are of any concern to these corporations is for the purchasing power of their marketplaces and for the military power enforced stability they provide. Should these marketplaces become broken or displaced by say... Asian nations, the ability to exert military power will follow the money, and the West will find itself the new third world, and quicker that you might think.
If the purchasing power of the West continues to decline among the masses of its population the system will break. Before you trickle down fans start yapping about increases in purchasing power for the western nations, let me remind you that these have NOT "trickled down" and increases in wealth have remained with the top five percent or so of the western population. The vast majority of the populations in western nations have seen purchasing power fall consistently over the last three or four decades.
As for the nitwits that trash Ralph Nader, I find that he is more in tune with what is actually happening than the corporate puppets you continue to support. For those who would accuse him of fostering class warfare, well you have it backwards. The original poster was correct there is a war, it could even be construed as a class war. However the executers of this war are the rich and powerful, and they are winning. The formation of a new breed of Facist society with its corosponding cultural values is well underway in many wertern nations. If this situation is not corrected soon our descendants will curse the selfishness, ignorance and cowardice of those that allowed the destruction of the greatest scientific, economic and culture power in history and allowed its children to be robbed of their hopes, dreams and liberty.
Matthew
"The only generalization that I can make is that people who find a reason to disparage Windows in this column are a bunch of idiots, and I'm pretty sure that's not just a matter of opinion."
Of course I guess you are also pretty sure that just because many of the folks who buy a new computer do so because the old one is infested with malware and viruses it just cannot be Microsofts fault. I have to say that the idiots using Windows that allow it to become infested in the first place are complicite to some extent. However Microsoft with it's ill gotten monopoly shares some of the blame for the inferior products and services they sell in the marketplace they have manipulated for the dominance they enjoy. They have an ethical responsibility to provide a better product than they do. But then again like so many other corporate enities, responsible ethics are not exactly their most notable feature.
"There are a lot of people who run out for the latest and greatest Macs as soon as they're out."
Interestingly enough I have had several diehard Windows fans query me about Mac's lately. My advice is the same as it has been for a while now, buy the hardware and software you need for the task at hand, but if you do not REQUIRE either Microsoft or Apple specific or dependant wares, buy a NEW PC, on sale branded or white box, OS free if possible, preferably a few months to a year or so from the cutting edge speed. Buy live or installable versions of several $5.00 eBay listed beginner friendly Linux distro's like Suse, Mandrivia, Fedora, Ubutu or Xandros to find the one that fits. Once you settle one one you like you may, or may not, want to buy a supported boxed issue of the distro. The ratio of converts is actually pretty good. The few that have been able to try this and not have been convinced of the great deal that Linux is were hopelessly clueless anyway. I for one have pretty much stopped acting as a free cleanup service for friends who insist on repeatedly using and indeed often abusing Windows.
You may label me an idiot, maybe it makes you feel smarter, but I am pretty you will still be the same closed minded, tunnel visioned Anonymous Coward that posted the insulting drivel above in the first place.
Matthew
As a former OS/2 user/developer I have a tip for you all. NEVER TRUST IBM! They do have excellent scientists, researchers, developers and technicians, sometimes even the marketing dept is pretty good, however the top level management cannot be trusted. I hope they don't manage to muckup the future of Linux. Apples 1984 commerical poking fun at them got it right.
Matthew
"It's a popular modern quirk to consider ones time so unique and so different from any other time"
..... , or is it a recursive antropic .... Oh just forget it, I'm going outside. :)
"That's not a modern quirk at all. To state this is to consider our time so unique and so different from any other time."
Thats an antropic, no its a recursive, no its a antropic recursive
Matthew
All thoughts are "neurochemical phenomenon". But the cause and effect relationship gets a bit cloudy in these areas. Gross disturbances of chemical compounds are indeed responsible for nerological illnesses in many cases. But the statement "you are what you think" has some merit as well. Ones thoughts and patterns of thought also effect neurochemical changes and balances.
I believe one can think themselves into a destructive neurochemical state. In effect you can program your brain into producing disturbances of chemical compounds. It seems to me that such "programming" often includes a feedback loop that amplify the processes. I suspect many bad habits and addictions are supported this way even if some start from external electro/chemical or internal biological infulences.
So yea I think "p0rn" could and indeed does act as the raw data source such in some cases, but then so can and also do books, news, movies, games and religious "faith". As to if "p0rn" by its nature in some way contributes to the "program source" in an especially destructive way, I would say depends upon the specific nature "p0rn" and the individual, same as for news, movies, games and religious "faith". Both also depend on the amount of "processing time applied.
Whether it is reading Hemmingway, watching the idiotic demologues on Fox News, looking at naked butts, watching violent or sexual deviant behaviour, watching scientific documentaries, watching violent movies or sports, playing challenging games, playing gratitiously violent games, listening to Mozart or listening to a deranged mulla or evangelist, do it long enough and it will change your neurochemistry and thus your thoughts and maybe your actions as well. What goes in... well thats your choice, sometimes:). What comes out, thats pretty much always your choice.
Matthew
"Or a company on its last legs can make a crazy last-ditch effort to sue themselves into profitability, like SCO. But what's Lucent really doing here?"
Isn't Lucent in the middle of a takeover or buyout attempt by a French firm? Maybe this relates to that deal. Possibly a shot at making it seem more of a player via it's IP rights and thus add to it's value. Maybe its a way to complicate or delay the takeover process. Maybe this is a move by both parties in the takeover to drag the issue into French courtrooms as well, or make an implied threat of such apparent to Microsoft.
"Isn't Microsoft going to turn around and use it's double-click patent to try to make Lucent stop selling everything they make that involves a GUI at any point?"
Apple or the folks they got the idea from http://www.parc.xerox.com/ PARC might have something to say about the GUI issue. From the PARC history page.
In 1973 the PARC "Alto personal computer becomes operational. As it evolves, the Alto will feature the world's first What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) editor, a commercial mouse for input, a graphical user interface (GUI), and bit-mapped display, and will offer menus and icons, link to a local area network and store files simultaneously."
In 1975 PARC "Engineers demonstrate a graphical user interface for a personal computer, including icons and the first use of pop-up menus. This interface will be incorporated in future Xerox workstations and greatly influence the development of Windows and Macintosh interfaces."
Matthew
True the corporation belhemoths that own the media, for the most part do not care about truth or liberty, just money. It has always been this way to some extent but the trend toward such has turned nearly straight up in the last few decades due to the bean counter mentality, forced buy outs and such. There are a few exceptions still around like the NYTimes, the Sulzberger family that holds controlling interest in the company seem to still be trying to "hold the line" with mostly unbiased fact seeking journalism. A good read on the state of the American press can be found in "Read All About It" by James D. Squires. And I do believe there a still a lot of good journalists out there, it's just that there are also a lot of "yellow media whores", thankfully a lot of them seem to work for Fox News, so at least their concentrated well.
Matthew
"I am literally ashamed I voted for Bush in 2000"
Hehehheh thats funny, I almost voted for the idiot myself in 2000 because I figured a lot of folks would end up feeling this way after a good taste of an all Republican goverment. I had became tired of the preponderance of "Republicrats infesting the "center" of our capital and mucking up my liberty. I figured a good dose of neo-facism might get the peoples bellies full. Couldn't make myself do though 'cause I was sure a lot of folks would pay with thier lives, bad karma and all. Seems four years were not quite enough anyway.
"Realize the other party aren't the only ones out to screw you over, but also the party you yourself belong to... Democrats and Republicans!"
Yea but the Republicans but be hung better because they sure leave my ass hurting a lot worse. There are a few good folks on both sides but they don't stand a chance at this time. BTW I have voted on presidential elections since 1976, thrice for a Democrat (Carter 1st time, Clinton 1st time and Kerry the last round), never for a Republican (well there was maybe one, the excommunicated Republican John Anderson as an Independant in 1980), the rest "wasted" on Libertarians or Independants like Ralph in 2000.
I still sleep pretty good though, how about you? Ever hear the cries of the tortured, maimed and dying in your dreams? Are you truly concerned about the idiotic reckless economic damage and dangerous international precidents set by these idiots? Or are you like so many other regretfull Bush supporters, just pissed off about the price of gasoline and 401K losses?
Matthew
"I think it was in Hamlet the wife back then would have been 14 or something, I don't know enough about Shakespeare to be 100%, just something I remember my English teacher telling me"
:)
Maybe your english teacher was dropping a hankie
Matthew
"How would you like it if someone stole your work and flooded the market with copies of it so that you couldn't make money from it?"
,cassette or video tape, now CD/DVD, I have hit a point where enough is enough. I refuse to buy the same content endlessly as the technology changes but the content doesn't improve in a substantial way. If in the future a new recording of a favorite old piece becomes availiable in a improved more true method of reproduction I might bite. In most cases it has not improved in quality, it has actually declined.
Well if I had the inflated ego of most artists and authors I might be grateful for the fame and promotional publicity it created that would put me in high demand for lucrative live appearences. But I do not have that kind of ego and nor do all artists or authors. I have no wish to deprive the creators of content of whatever they and the marketplace decide their efforts are worth. I simply wish to be able to: A. protect my investment via archival B. to be able to transfer it to a alternative storage media for my personal use, without breaking the law!
As one old enough to have purchased the same titles on vinyl disc, 8track
"It's the million people stealing a song or DVD that necessitates DRM b/c it's not worth it to the company to go through archaic enforcement procedures (filing lawsuits, etc.) to recover the $15"
Again, theft of copyright protected content via P2P and USENET or warez site type file sharing is and should be illegal. I also have a problem with the selling or pre-populated iPod type players with duplicated (read pirated) content. I don't doubt that napster and such took a bite out of the industrys pocket. I do suspect they are exagerating the extent of the damage. And by engaging in punitive tort litigation with sometimes equally clueless single parents and grandparents they are simply beating themselves in the face.
I think the losses claimed from file sharing are mostly a red herring anyway. Most of what I saw on the internet in mp3 format was rather poor quality low bitrate versions anyway. I believe that most people who would buy a CD/DVD would still buy it anyway. Even if they had to pay for content they did not want, I have, though I have about stopped. This issue of content is probably the biggest reason the sales fell for them. In far too many cases one would spend $15 for a CD with maybe one or two good selections and a dozen or so filler pieces of junk. This is a big reason why file sharing became so wide spread and services such as iTunes have done so well. One can build a collection of what they like without fishing through the trash. Which by the way is what was really behind the old mix tapes of yesteryear. The artist's and producers got lazy and greedy, and technology bit them in the ass, it has before, and it will again if they don't change thier ways. If they were not so clueless about things they could harness the power of digital technology and add to thier bottom line. Look at what Apple has done, with I have to add what seems to me a pretty draconian deal for the customer, forced by I suspect the RIAA legal whores. Such restrictions keep folks like myself from building the collection they have always wanted. If one accepted that they had no other motives it would seem they are just incapable of learning.
With the $6 a month service from Microsoft can you archive your collection when the $100 device becomes unreliable or obsolete? If your $100 device dies without being backed up will you need to download all the music again? I guess you have broadband, many of us still do not. What about services like Apples iTunes, from what I have heard if your iPod dies so do your rights to the music you purchased and downloaded onto it. The way I understand the DMCA it is illegal for one to circumvent Apples DRM to archive the collection, to anything but another iPod (or maybe a Mac) anyway. This seems like a pretty clear case of using the law to support unfair monopolistic practices to me.
"since there is clearly a demand for convenient and unrestrictive DRM, that will clearly be the future of DRM"
A demand? From whom? Not the customer. How can anything like DRM possibly be seen as "convenient and unrestrictive"? At best DRM would an annoyance to the customer who needs to preserve the collection they have paid for when the specific technology it was stored on becomes unreliable or obsolete. At its worst it is undermining the legal precident set with "fair use" laws. It is also a drag on the evolution of technology when it is used as a weapon against legitimate competition. The only "demand" for DRM is from what I see as an illegal collusion of a short sighted greedy media industry and clueless and/or purchased politicians. They never expected DRM technology would "stand on its own". DRM is simply a stalking horse that was deployed explicity to support the creation of the DMCA. Heck it doesn't even address the serious pirates, in most cases as they produce "bit level images", usually in the case of DVD and CD media, they produce stamped media. These are true "cloned" reproductions, including even the DRM elements.
Matthew
Is is far easier to apply a critical dismissal that to provide a counter argument consisting of logical information. This is especially so if one is not that well informed themselves, which is usually the case of those who revert to this type of discourse.
Matthew