I'm working with some dissidents who are looking for ways to use the Internet from within repressive regimes.
I think it's high time the Democrats stood up and spoke out openly. For every man who falls, two more will rise in his place. You can kill a man, but not an idea!
When Apple offered iMacs in five different color choices way back in 1999, some said that Microsoft, as usual, would copy the Macintosh and offer the Blue Screen of Death in five different shades.
Honestly, no kidding, I thought it was a joke. This arrives years later, and the feature set originally envisioned has been substantially scaled back, so I know this story is true.
The problem, very simply, is a president who doesn't read, and who listens only to his hand-picked yes-men.
(Yes, I do understand that this is over-simplification. But it is nonetheless an important issue. It explains more than this individual problem. The never-ending effort in this administration to stop the buck anywhere but at the president's desk makes me tired.)
The best book on the Apollo 13 mission is 13: The Flight That Failed by Henry S. F. Cooper. (The link is to Amazon.com.)
I first read it in 1972, when it was first released. If you're interested in understanding the Apollo program, this book may be the best place to start. Telling the story of Apollo 13, Cooper introduces the flight controllers and explains how they work together. He provides a foundation for understanding ANY Apollo mission.
The official NASA line was always that we had detailed plans ready for any possible contingency. It wasn't true. Cooper's book shows how mortal men, armed with a slide rules, sharp intellects, and a deep understanding of their machines, invented their way out of a series of completely unforeseen problem.
I've read the book about five times. It never takes me much more than a day to read it, because once I've started, I just can't put it down. Highly recommended.
If that were true, we'd sure have a heck of a lot better government than we've got now.
I've been in expensive houses. They are, almost without exception, much better than cheaper houses in the same area. I've been in expensive cars that run better than average-priced cars. I've watched expensive TVs and listened to expensive stereos. I've compared furniture, appliances, and computer equipment. Virtually without exception, I've found that those who can pay more get a better product.
This current government may be pricey, but the quality reeks.
My own testimonial: I struggled with regular expressions for a long time before I read Friedl's book. I could handle the basics, but I never felt entirely confident that my expressions would work as intended. Since reading Mastering Regular Expressions, I've used regular expressions effectively and with confidence. I still need to look things up from time to time, but what once seemed esoteric now seems familiar. I know where the dark corners are, and I know where to find the light to guide me in those corners.
Reading Mastering Regular Expressions was one of the most satisfactory computer learning investments I've made. Highly recommended.
Interesting. People thoughtful enough to select a browser rather than having a browser chosen for them also seem disinclined to click on anything that blinks.
The solution is obvious. Ban thinking now. Our economy depends on it.
For decades, I've been eager for more a more ambitious commitment to space exploration. But I'm convinced that the Bush program is a Trojan horse--a veiled attempt to eliminate NASA.
It shuts down current working programs in exchange for promises of distant future projects. Those future projects would require enormous levels of funding for decades to come, in spite of ruinous deficits, through good economic times and bad, through many presidential and congressional elections. I don't think any honest observer believes that that long-term financing will be delivered. Certainly the Bush Administration has done little so far to drum up public or political support for such a long-haul effort.
It's beyond Bush's power to deliver on his long-term promises, but it's within his power to destroy much of the useful work NASA is doing today. That's just what he's doing.
I used to think that this administration would fatally overreach eventually, and that the American people would clip their wings for that. Instead, they're rewarded for overreaching. There is nothing I would put beyond them.
Also confirmed today officially, a Star Wars television show coming in the future. -- I don't know if I should be happy or scared..."
Happy or scared? Let me see if I can help you out. I have here a very old VHS tape of a made-for-TV Star Wars program called The Ewok Adventure. Let me just load that up and take a look...
Copyright infringement is not a terrorist act. The USA PATRIOT Act wasn't designed to fight terrorism. It was just sold as a law to fight terrorism. (If I were the wild-eyed type, I'd say the PATRIOT Act is a terrorist act.)
Virtually every provision of the USA PATRIOT Act was on John Ashcroft's Police State Wish List well before the terrorist attacks of 9/11 ever happened. After the attacks, it didn't take long to wrap every rotten proposal up with a great big red-white-and-blue ribbon and ram it through Congress. Ashcroft demanded it be passed within three days with no amendments. In the heat of that moment, only a handful of legislators from either side of the aisle dared to suggest that we should be more careful with our liberty.
As much as I'm in favor of any "significant blow to Microsoft control", I won't support any attempt to replace Blue Book audio with any crippled format. I simply will not buy crippled "CDs"; I don't care how many different flavors of DRM are included for my convenience.
Oh yeah. How ever will he get along with only $10 million.
Money isn't the only thing a person can value. Money, regardless of the amount, is not an adequate substitute for some of the other valued things that might be missing.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm working with some dissidents who are looking for ways to use the Internet from within repressive regimes.
I think it's high time the Democrats stood up and spoke out openly. For every man who falls, two more will rise in his place. You can kill a man, but not an idea!
When Apple offered iMacs in five different color choices way back in 1999, some said that Microsoft, as usual, would copy the Macintosh and offer the Blue Screen of Death in five different shades.
Honestly, no kidding, I thought it was a joke. This arrives years later, and the feature set originally envisioned has been substantially scaled back, so I know this story is true.
The problem, very simply, is a president who doesn't read, and who listens only to his hand-picked yes-men.
(Yes, I do understand that this is over-simplification. But it is nonetheless an important issue. It explains more than this individual problem. The never-ending effort in this administration to stop the buck anywhere but at the president's desk makes me tired.)
The best book on the Apollo 13 mission is 13: The Flight That Failed by Henry S. F. Cooper. (The link is to Amazon.com.)
I first read it in 1972, when it was first released. If you're interested in understanding the Apollo program, this book may be the best place to start. Telling the story of Apollo 13, Cooper introduces the flight controllers and explains how they work together. He provides a foundation for understanding ANY Apollo mission.
The official NASA line was always that we had detailed plans ready for any possible contingency. It wasn't true. Cooper's book shows how mortal men, armed with a slide rules, sharp intellects, and a deep understanding of their machines, invented their way out of a series of completely unforeseen problem.
I've read the book about five times. It never takes me much more than a day to read it, because once I've started, I just can't put it down. Highly recommended.
We have the best government money can buy.
If that were true, we'd sure have a heck of a lot better government than we've got now.
I've been in expensive houses. They are, almost without exception, much better than cheaper houses in the same area. I've been in expensive cars that run better than average-priced cars. I've watched expensive TVs and listened to expensive stereos. I've compared furniture, appliances, and computer equipment. Virtually without exception, I've found that those who can pay more get a better product.
This current government may be pricey, but the quality reeks.
My own testimonial: I struggled with regular expressions for a long time before I read Friedl's book. I could handle the basics, but I never felt entirely confident that my expressions would work as intended. Since reading Mastering Regular Expressions, I've used regular expressions effectively and with confidence. I still need to look things up from time to time, but what once seemed esoteric now seems familiar. I know where the dark corners are, and I know where to find the light to guide me in those corners.
Reading Mastering Regular Expressions was one of the most satisfactory computer learning investments I've made. Highly recommended.
I'm a skeptic! Can I go? Please?
Read the fine print, or you might overlook a crucial fact about the "Proof" mission: it's a one-way ride.
The Moon is a fascinating place, but it gets progressively less interesting as your oxygen runs out.
Since when is a new Hubble telescope an IT-related topic? Am I alone in asking, "WTF??"
Hey, if an orbiting telescope is not Information Technology, then I don't know what is.
Interesting. People thoughtful enough to select a browser rather than having a browser chosen for them also seem disinclined to click on anything that blinks.
The solution is obvious. Ban thinking now. Our economy depends on it.
For decades, I've been eager for more a more ambitious commitment to space exploration. But I'm convinced that the Bush program is a Trojan horse--a veiled attempt to eliminate NASA.
It shuts down current working programs in exchange for promises of distant future projects. Those future projects would require enormous levels of funding for decades to come, in spite of ruinous deficits, through good economic times and bad, through many presidential and congressional elections. I don't think any honest observer believes that that long-term financing will be delivered. Certainly the Bush Administration has done little so far to drum up public or political support for such a long-haul effort.
It's beyond Bush's power to deliver on his long-term promises, but it's within his power to destroy much of the useful work NASA is doing today. That's just what he's doing.
You just pray that it's a joke.
I used to think that this administration would fatally overreach eventually, and that the American people would clip their wings for that. Instead, they're rewarded for overreaching. There is nothing I would put beyond them.
I feel sorry for President Bush, though. Now he's got to find someone even worse than Ashcroft for Attorney General.
"It's hard work. Hard work."
Also confirmed today officially, a Star Wars television show coming in the future. -- I don't know if I should be happy or scared..."
Happy or scared? Let me see if I can help you out. I have here a very old VHS tape of a made-for-TV Star Wars program called The Ewok Adventure. Let me just load that up and take a look...
. . .
Phew! Okay...
I would say, scared. Definitely scared.
Hard times indeed for Batman. From stately Wayne Manor to a trailer... what a pity.
If you look at it this way, then the true importance of folk music is to let ordinary folks change things.
Sounds like the folk process was a philosophical parent of the Open Source Software movement.
Copyright infringement is not a terrorist act. The USA PATRIOT Act wasn't designed to fight terrorism. It was just sold as a law to fight terrorism. (If I were the wild-eyed type, I'd say the PATRIOT Act is a terrorist act.)
Virtually every provision of the USA PATRIOT Act was on John Ashcroft's Police State Wish List well before the terrorist attacks of 9/11 ever happened. After the attacks, it didn't take long to wrap every rotten proposal up with a great big red-white-and-blue ribbon and ram it through Congress. Ashcroft demanded it be passed within three days with no amendments. In the heat of that moment, only a handful of legislators from either side of the aisle dared to suggest that we should be more careful with our liberty.
Easy come, easy go, I guess.
Baystar sics lawyers on SCO. It's only a matter of time before SCO sics lawyers on Baystar.
Please, oh, please, let there be no survivors.
Don't you mean Red Book?
I suppose I do.
Oh, I hate it when I pretend to know more than I do, and wind up making an even bigger fool of myself. Thanks for the informative clarification.
As much as I'm in favor of any "significant blow to Microsoft control", I won't support any attempt to replace Blue Book audio with any crippled format. I simply will not buy crippled "CDs"; I don't care how many different flavors of DRM are included for my convenience.
Shrewd marketing. Rendezvous always sounded kinda French to me.
Everybody knows us Amurricans in the red states don't like nothin' French. Suddenly I feel like goin' out and buyin' me a big bunch o' Apples!
Oh yeah. How ever will he get along with only $10 million.
Money isn't the only thing a person can value. Money, regardless of the amount, is not an adequate substitute for some of the other valued things that might be missing.
I thought the smart criminals became successful politicians. They may not get caught, but unfortunately I hear about 'em all the time.
The "Free the Code" animation is remarkably reminiscent of Apple's "1984" commercial introducing the Macintosh.
Back in those days, many of us thought the Big Brother figure represented IBM.
Does this version have product activation? Does it force you to register, and force you to sign up for a Passport account in order to register?
I use and like a number of Microsoft products. But there are some things I won't do. Activation and Passport are among them.
In this case, it's the other Golden Rule:
If you find a goose laying golden eggs, kill it!