It's not like we don't have alternatives. If you like music, listen to the radio. In the car, you have the stereo, and Z-100 (in New York, anyway). At work, and at home, you have WinAmp, or XMMS for the Linux crowd. You don't have to own ANY music. Just listen to whatever's on.
'Course... This may save you from Baby Boomer Disease (that's the sickness some of the older guys in my office have, where they fanatically assert that no good music has been produced since the early eighties). The poor bastards have been holed up, Unabomber style, with their LP collection for twenty years now. Pity the poor Baby Boomer; he swore he wouldn't turn into his father in the sixties, and in '03, he's turned into his GRANDFATHER ("You kids today!!! When I was a kid, we had REAL music...").
If I hear ONE MORE OLD FART telling me that the Beatles are "real music" and Techno is "bubblegum" I'm going to start throwing Molitov Cocktails.
I think these are very good points. The people in Egypt who decided not to permit the showing of this movie obviously know a great deal more than anyone else in the world how their people are going to react to it. They're insiders; they've lived there all their lives. If they reasonably think the movie is going to upset and disturb people, and possibly cause all kinds of problems, then they're probably absolutely right and their decision makes a lot of sense.
I suspect that many of the people here on Slashdot who are annoyed about this issue suffer from a common Western ailment: they believe that other people think and feel exactly the way they do. They can't imagine a person from another culture having completely different reactions to things.
Even something as simple as a hand gesture is often wildly different between cultures. I've read that the common American "thumbs up" gesture is a gross insult in parts of the middle East and Africa. The New-Yorkish "Fuck off" gesture, brushing your fingers past your chin and outward, means "I don't understand" in other parts of the world. Everyone reacts differently to *everything*. How can we Westerners get annoyed when someone in the middle East doesn't like one of our movies, and bans it? It's life; be sensible.
Interestingly enough, the middle finger seems to mean the same thing everywhere, and has meant exactly the same thing for the past two thousand years. Isn't that amazing? The ancient Romans called it "the infamous finger". Even when everything else is different everywhere, we all have one thing in common.:)
Well, it's perfectly fine that not everyone agrees with me; I don't expect them to (how boring would life be if everyone agreed on everything? It would destroy Slashdot...). But, in all fairness, let me clarify my position slightly:
I don't mind changes that don't alter the content of a game significantly -- for instance, they've *got* to translate the game into my language, or I won't be able to use it. All I ask is that they try to be accurate in their translation.
I don't like changes that radically alter the content of a game (replacing red blood with green, for instance, seems a little strange). I wouldn't buy such a game; I'd seek out the original. HOWEVER, this is just MY position on it. I fully understand and respect that other people around the world will have other points of view, and they may want to use the altered games instead. That's fine! What I'm saying is, I wouldn't want them, I wouldn't buy them, and I would actively seek out the originals if the buggered versions were the only ones available to me in my country.
It's just an expression of my point of view, I'm not trying to say everyone has to feel the same way. Also I'm not saying that game makers are *wrong* for producing hobbled versions of their games, although I'm really not crazy about the practice. I understand *why* they might want to do it. I *am* saying, though, that I wouldn't touch a hobbled version with a ten foot pole.
So, that's my position, ok? If you like the games with green blood, more power to you. But I don't see the appeal.
BY THE WAY: on re-reading this thread, I think maybe it isn't clear that my post saying "at least they bootlegged the Japanese version" was meant HUMOROUSLY. So, no hard feelings? Just kidding, ok? I keep forgetting that plain text is a tricky medium...
Well, I checked out the FAQ, and although it's still not definite in my opinion, you do seem to present a strong argument. If it is bootleg, I really am surprised; it looks amazingly official. In my own defense, the person who sold it to me told me it was a "real" copy, so I bought it thinking it was the real deal. FWIW.
I'm getting a sense that I've at least somewhat irritated you by suggesting people use Ebay. Hopefully, you'll understand that out of all the anime DVDs I've bought, I only got the one on ebay -- all the rest came from Borders Books and Music, Amazon.com, and Blockbuster Video, so I'm pretty sure the rest of my collection is absolutely genuine. I bought the one in question because I didn't get a chance to see the movie in theaters and was seriously bummed -- a friend suggested ebay. Again, I really did think it was genuine. And, I'm quite surprised if you're right, and it's not. It sure LOOKS genuine, except for the slightly strange English subtitles.
So, maybe we can say this: IF you can verify that a DVD is the real thing, then it's a great idea to get the foreign version on Ebay. And, the FAQ you listed offers some good pointers on this very subject. How's that?
BTW: I still think it's a good idea to get the pure foreign version when you can. But I agree with you that it's ALSO good to avoid knockoffs.
I, for one, can't take it anymore. Is there anyone NOT suing anyone these days? If they'd just get back to programming, maybe we'd make some progress on some of the REAL problems with current O/S'es (like security, and hardware detection, and driver support, and so on). If this crap keeps up, pretty soon companies will be composed of a CEO and a legal department.
I used to work with Digital Unix a while back, and I think it's mostly System V based, with ideas pulled from other areas. Our system had CDE, too. I seem to remember it being pretty cool. Boy, I can't believe it's been five years already... Oh, well, time flies when you're having fun. One of the engineers building our system said EasyPass was based on Digital Unix, FWIW. He made some pretty far out claims about what EasyPass could do...:)
Hang on, you missed my point. I don't want to make anyone lose money; I just want an uncut version of an anime I like. I'm not going out and looking for a hong-kong bootleg; I'm just looking for the most authentic copy I can find. Maybe it's a bootleg and maybe it's not (how could I tell?). But, if it's from over there, it's probably a whole lot closer to the source, you know?
Having said that, my copy looks pretty good; if it's a bootleg, it's a surprisingly well-manufactured one. I'd really be surprised if it was. I think it's an original Japanese copy (of course I could be wrong).
Well, either way. I don't mean to suggest promoting anything that would cause the original maker of the anime to lose money. I'm just promoting buying original, overseas copies of things you like, instead of the watered-down import versions.
(Of course... When I really like something, like, for instance, Cowboy Bebop, I'll get both copies, the overseas and the import one and I'll spend WAY too much time comparing the two, but then... at least my vices aren't dangerous).
All the more reason to be in a union. With my pension, I don't have to sweat social security. I *KNOW* I'm going to be taken care of. As should we all.
I wouldn't want to work for a company that didn't repay my loyalty with security in my old age... Of course, most non-union shops barely give their workers a 401K nowadays, and it's become "common knowledge" that most companies would rather a worker stay only three to five years at most. I've heard that recruiters are suspicious of anyone staying at a company longer than 3 years. I'll be at MINE for thirty (God willing).
But, you probably don't like unions. That's ok. I mentioned guys like you in my original post. No hard feelings! I can see you nodding and saying, "yeaaah, right" in my mind's eye.
Well... I don't think that's the norm. At different times, I've been in three fairly large unions myself, two of which were high-tech related (generally government tech workers get added to an existing technical union, representing medical staff or teachers). Also, my father was in the HVAC international union, and my mother was in CSEA. These are all really huge, with tens of thousands of members in the U.S. alone. For example, my current union has over 50,000 members, and we're affiliated with several larger unions like AFL-CIO. NONE of the shops I've been in were run the way you describe. Even my father's experiences, and the HVAC and Steamfitter unions are strict, don't line up with what you're describing. I think your experience derived from poor local union management, and trust me, it doesn't represent the norm.
I'm not saying there aren't some annoyances in union shops, but they're minor compared with what non-union guys have to put up with. These days, being in a union is pretty much your only shot at enjoying a reasonable working lifestyle. And, if some unions, far and few between, are mismanaged, well, isn't it that way with all human organizations?
I'm with you. Games are an art form, and shouldn't be tampered with so some overzealous parent or government authority can feel warm and fuzzy about it. I generally just buy the authentic foreign stuff, though, if I think something's been done to a game or anime. Go to the source, you know?
'Course, they don't *always* tamper with games. So this isn't always necessary.
All true, but those of us who want the real stuff can always buy foreign copies on Ebay, brought back from Japan by people "vacationing" there!:)
I just got a copy of the japanese edition of the Cowboy Bebop movie... The subtitles were a little weird, but I saw that as more of a feature than a bug. Some were very entertaining, like Jet Black asking a cop whether his department was going to "energetically investigate" the terrorism case. It sounded like someone just typed in the translation straight from the dictionary, and in the context it was in, I found it really funny.
Yes, but that assumes the browser is still open at that point (otherwise, the javascript engine will have shut down with the browser). If so, it'll still be pointed at *some* website... Even if not, the browser is still the security context. the only problem here is, not all JVMs are created equal. I seem to remember that Microsoft's JVM at some point had a problem with context, didn't it?
It's true; most of the IT people I know (who are still in private industry -- I work for the government and we're ALL unionized, thank GOD) are vaguely horrified by the idea of unionization. I think it derives mostly from the following misconceptions fuelled by industry propaganda:
1. Many in IT have an elevated sense of their skill's value -- they've been conditioned by society to believe in the "rich geek" myth, despite the fact that only a small fraction of the real geeks out there make more than 100K (and most are way, way down in the 30-50K range these days, if they even make that). So they have a sort of weird, "industry player" mentality, despite the fact that they're actually besieged by a crummy economy and lousy employer practices, and have no power whatsoever.
2. Many of the IT staff I've met don't like unions because it reminds them of their father's "day jobs" and the idea of turning out like their fathers (30 years at the same shop, standard work week, etc) horrifies them on at least a subconscious level. This is an ego thing. They want to be hip, trendy, capitalists, and talk about money. It's all go, go, go. They don't want to be hippie socialists! They're professionals! Meanwhile, all us hippie socialists are on vacation or working our humane, 40-hour work-weeks, spending time with our kids (who actually recognize us and don't call the nanny "mommy"), and wondering why the non-union guys have such a stick up their butts. Then, we live to a ripe old age, retired and fishing, long after all the stress-freaks have died from heart attacks, cancer, and aneurisms in their '50s after a joyless life of overwork. It boggles the mind -- but I'm getting sidetracked.;)
3. Many of the people in IT tend to think that they're going to be denied raises and perks because a union is seniority-based. But they don't factor in the fact that they're not getting raises and perks these days anyway. At least in a union, they'd have a standard yearly raise, but they don't see it. And, how are they going to get raises and perks when their position is outsourced? If they were in a union, it'd be really hard for the company to get away with that.
Add it all together, and IT staff are just basically hobbling themselves because of myths and nonsense. Their lives would be SO much BETTER if they were unionized. Their quality of life would improve by leaps and bounds. It's frustrating, because even when you tell them what they could have, they just shake their heads, squint their eyes, and say, "yeaaaaaah... whatever". Oh, well, what can you do?
It's pointless, because hardly anyone will listen, but here's another try:
IF YOU UNIONIZE, YOU'LL USUALLY GET:
1. A 40-hour work week, with time and a half for overtime, double time on sundays and holidays, and the potential for even MORE when holidays and weekends and overtime converge.
2. Full medical, dental, vision, and mental health benefits.
3. A REAL retirement plan -- a full pension, not some wussy 401(k) that'll be plundered by the CEO at first opportunity.
4. Enough sick days and personal days during the year to keep you out of trouble if you get put on your back by the flu.
5. Regular raises to match the inflation rate (at least), so you're not losing money over time due to the economy.
6. Most important of all -- a grievance procedure for those times when a manager forgets himself and tries to step over the line. When you're in a union, they HAVE to treat you with respect, or it's their ass. This alone is worth unionization. It also means you can't be fired unless you actually do something to deserve it, and layoffs can't be handed down without the company going through a whole negotiation process.
Being in a union means you're treated fairly, whether the company or your manager likes it or not.
Being in a union means that you're not alone against management -- you're shoulder to shoulder with all your coworkers (and, of course, the tens of thousands of p
That's an interesting idea, but how would you reach a system context from within a web browser? No matter where you click, you're still in a web site, right? Besides, java applications and java applets work differently, don't they?
Too bad you can't learn how to spell, or write using correct grammar. Or post to slashdot without trolling.
If I had a nickel for every time some crazy Russian started spouting his fantasy wish-fulfillment stories about being smarter than Americans, I'd be rich. Pah. Just out of curiosity, can you tell me where Unix was invented? Or the modern automobile? Or the nuclear submarine? Or the programming languages you're probably fond of? Or any one of a zillion other products people all over the world take for granted every day? Or the INTERNET ITSELF? Or even electrical power and the light bulb? America. By the Americans you insult so cravenly.
I used to do some of this stuff; you actually can get around the problem you listed by offering public functions in your applet, and having your javascript check an applet function periodically (or when something happens). So, the java applet can return a value like "it's time for X to happen" and the javascript can do X. This way, you're still only calling from javascript to java, but you can set off some javascript code on some schedule you pick (like when something is finished in the applet, like a database search).
It looks to me that it isn't Java itself that is vulnerable, but rather, just JavaScript. When you make a Java method public, you can call it from Javascript. So what I think is going on is, the previous page had a Java applet in it, and javascript that could access the java applet. Because of the vuln, the previous page could be loaded again, and the javascript run in the context of the new page -- so it's possible to run parts of the applet again. It isn't a java failure, just javascript.;)
I can see why you would buy into that, but when you consider the massive scope of the other things the government has been caught doing, and the incredible fallout that happened as a result of that, AND the fact that, for example, some of our current government were actually convicted in Iran-Contra, but are now in positions of significant power... You have to wonder whether any "potentially major PR disaster" would even be a consideration for them. If CONGRESS doesn't scare 'em, no pissed off parent will (and, really, that's about all they'd have to worry about - pissed off parents hiring a local lawyer and maybe getting a little newspaper buzz - and that's if any of what they're doing ever even comes to light).
An A/C said: "I work in an outsourcing operation in india. The basic pay is around 6000 Rs a month, if you do really well it comes to around 15000 a month. That is around 300 dollars a month. That is for an Engg. Graduate and if you are willing to work in shifts (need to work in US or UK timings) People are willing to work for cheaper salary? Man they must be poor."
Exactly. See, companies decided to get rid of all of us pesky American programmers because due to our cost of living, they had to pay us a reasonable salary (or we wouldn't work for them). On average, that was around 65,000.00 a year, or about 3700.00 a month after taxes. Companies HATED this. So, they went with India, reasoning that 300.00 a month is less than 3700.00 a month. So far so good, right?
So, now, things are moving along in India, and companies are starting to think, "Well, 300.00 a month seems kind of expensive. Aren't there cheaper programmers in the world?" And, they start looking at countries like Russia, Romania, Vietnam, and so on. Maybe they can get their cost down to 100.00 a month in some of these places. So they do it, and India is SOL just like American programmers were when India ate THEIR lunch.
This process will continue as long as there are countries where people are desperate enough to work for less than whatever wage is being paid right now. Eventually, wages will fall so far that no one will be willing to program for a living, and that will be the end of that. We'll all work as low-paid hourly-wage laborers, and work on open source software in our free time. Or maybe an equilibrium point will be reached. Maybe some new paradigm will arise, like the whole "rent a coder" thing, where people just do little freelance jobs from time to time for a fixed rate, and keep a "joe" job to pay their bills. Who knows?
So, yeah, basically, as long as there are people poorer than you, eventually companies will hire them and fire you. Sucks, doesn't it?
It's not just the quality of their technical support that's going to fall. They're also outsourcing their development efforts, and they're trying to outsource some business functions. I said, months ago, that this would happen. In the future, non-open-source software is going to get worse and worse as companies hire cheaper and cheaper programmers to work on it.
What worries ME is that it's not just software development firms that are outsourcing -- it's everyone. Banks, manufacturing firms, you name it. So what happens when all that cheap, bottom-dollar software starts screwing up? What happens when an engineer (also probably overseas) uses some buggy software to design the rear differential of a car, and it locks up at seventy miles an hour? What is the real cost of all this?
Most companies are run by fools who think that a creative and technical endeavour like software development is a commotity like janitorial services. They're so greedy and cheap that they're ignoring quality for cost issues. And, sooner or later, we're all going to pay for it.
Since when did the illegality of a thing stop the feds from giving it a try? Remember Watergate? Cointelpro? Iran-Contra? Compared to stuff like that, bending the rules to get a list of young hackers seems like child's play. At least the CIA doesn't have to send over some spooks to snuff anyone, right?
Well, as I've said to a couple of other guys here, I'm starting to warm to the idea. I think I can see the utility in performing a penetration test (besides, it's SO much fun saying that -- "Penetration test" -- it's hard to do it without smiling) on a new server. Also, one of the people involved with the program said that really, over half of the material is about defence, not hacking (the kids apparently play capture the flag, sometimes attacking, sometimes defending). So a lot of my misgivings are settling down.
That's a pretty solid point. As I've said, I'm really warming to this idea fast. And, I am paranoid sometimes... I might be way off base there. It's starting to look like a better program the longer I consider it.
Still... I'd be nervous about the whole "now I'm on a list" thing. Maybe not nervous enough to skip the program, which would probably be worth the risk, but still -- nervous.;)
Slashdot Mirror
It's not like we don't have alternatives. If you like music, listen to the radio. In the car, you have the stereo, and Z-100 (in New York, anyway). At work, and at home, you have WinAmp, or XMMS for the Linux crowd. You don't have to own ANY music. Just listen to whatever's on.
'Course... This may save you from Baby Boomer Disease (that's the sickness some of the older guys in my office have, where they fanatically assert that no good music has been produced since the early eighties). The poor bastards have been holed up, Unabomber style, with their LP collection for twenty years now. Pity the poor Baby Boomer; he swore he wouldn't turn into his father in the sixties, and in '03, he's turned into his GRANDFATHER ("You kids today!!! When I was a kid, we had REAL music...").
If I hear ONE MORE OLD FART telling me that the Beatles are "real music" and Techno is "bubblegum" I'm going to start throwing Molitov Cocktails.
I think these are very good points. The people in Egypt who decided not to permit the showing of this movie obviously know a great deal more than anyone else in the world how their people are going to react to it. They're insiders; they've lived there all their lives. If they reasonably think the movie is going to upset and disturb people, and possibly cause all kinds of problems, then they're probably absolutely right and their decision makes a lot of sense.
:)
I suspect that many of the people here on Slashdot who are annoyed about this issue suffer from a common Western ailment: they believe that other people think and feel exactly the way they do. They can't imagine a person from another culture having completely different reactions to things.
Even something as simple as a hand gesture is often wildly different between cultures. I've read that the common American "thumbs up" gesture is a gross insult in parts of the middle East and Africa. The New-Yorkish "Fuck off" gesture, brushing your fingers past your chin and outward, means "I don't understand" in other parts of the world. Everyone reacts differently to *everything*. How can we Westerners get annoyed when someone in the middle East doesn't like one of our movies, and bans it? It's life; be sensible.
Interestingly enough, the middle finger seems to mean the same thing everywhere, and has meant exactly the same thing for the past two thousand years. Isn't that amazing? The ancient Romans called it "the infamous finger". Even when everything else is different everywhere, we all have one thing in common.
Well, it's perfectly fine that not everyone agrees with me; I don't expect them to (how boring would life be if everyone agreed on everything? It would destroy Slashdot...). But, in all fairness, let me clarify my position slightly:
I don't mind changes that don't alter the content of a game significantly -- for instance, they've *got* to translate the game into my language, or I won't be able to use it. All I ask is that they try to be accurate in their translation.
I don't like changes that radically alter the content of a game (replacing red blood with green, for instance, seems a little strange). I wouldn't buy such a game; I'd seek out the original. HOWEVER, this is just MY position on it. I fully understand and respect that other people around the world will have other points of view, and they may want to use the altered games instead. That's fine! What I'm saying is, I wouldn't want them, I wouldn't buy them, and I would actively seek out the originals if the buggered versions were the only ones available to me in my country.
It's just an expression of my point of view, I'm not trying to say everyone has to feel the same way. Also I'm not saying that game makers are *wrong* for producing hobbled versions of their games, although I'm really not crazy about the practice. I understand *why* they might want to do it. I *am* saying, though, that I wouldn't touch a hobbled version with a ten foot pole.
So, that's my position, ok? If you like the games with green blood, more power to you. But I don't see the appeal.
BY THE WAY: on re-reading this thread, I think maybe it isn't clear that my post saying "at least they bootlegged the Japanese version" was meant HUMOROUSLY. So, no hard feelings? Just kidding, ok? I keep forgetting that plain text is a tricky medium...
Well, I checked out the FAQ, and although it's still not definite in my opinion, you do seem to present a strong argument. If it is bootleg, I really am surprised; it looks amazingly official. In my own defense, the person who sold it to me told me it was a "real" copy, so I bought it thinking it was the real deal. FWIW.
I'm getting a sense that I've at least somewhat irritated you by suggesting people use Ebay. Hopefully, you'll understand that out of all the anime DVDs I've bought, I only got the one on ebay -- all the rest came from Borders Books and Music, Amazon.com, and Blockbuster Video, so I'm pretty sure the rest of my collection is absolutely genuine. I bought the one in question because I didn't get a chance to see the movie in theaters and was seriously bummed -- a friend suggested ebay. Again, I really did think it was genuine. And, I'm quite surprised if you're right, and it's not. It sure LOOKS genuine, except for the slightly strange English subtitles.
So, maybe we can say this: IF you can verify that a DVD is the real thing, then it's a great idea to get the foreign version on Ebay. And, the FAQ you listed offers some good pointers on this very subject. How's that?
BTW: I still think it's a good idea to get the pure foreign version when you can. But I agree with you that it's ALSO good to avoid knockoffs.
Phil
I, for one, can't take it anymore. Is there anyone NOT suing anyone these days? If they'd just get back to programming, maybe we'd make some progress on some of the REAL problems with current O/S'es (like security, and hardware detection, and driver support, and so on). If this crap keeps up, pretty soon companies will be composed of a CEO and a legal department.
I used to work with Digital Unix a while back, and I think it's mostly System V based, with ideas pulled from other areas. Our system had CDE, too. I seem to remember it being pretty cool. Boy, I can't believe it's been five years already... Oh, well, time flies when you're having fun. One of the engineers building our system said EasyPass was based on Digital Unix, FWIW. He made some pretty far out claims about what EasyPass could do... :)
Hang on, you missed my point. I don't want to make anyone lose money; I just want an uncut version of an anime I like. I'm not going out and looking for a hong-kong bootleg; I'm just looking for the most authentic copy I can find. Maybe it's a bootleg and maybe it's not (how could I tell?). But, if it's from over there, it's probably a whole lot closer to the source, you know?
Having said that, my copy looks pretty good; if it's a bootleg, it's a surprisingly well-manufactured one. I'd really be surprised if it was. I think it's an original Japanese copy (of course I could be wrong).
Well, either way. I don't mean to suggest promoting anything that would cause the original maker of the anime to lose money. I'm just promoting buying original, overseas copies of things you like, instead of the watered-down import versions.
(Of course... When I really like something, like, for instance, Cowboy Bebop, I'll get both copies, the overseas and the import one and I'll spend WAY too much time comparing the two, but then... at least my vices aren't dangerous).
All the more reason to be in a union. With my pension, I don't have to sweat social security. I *KNOW* I'm going to be taken care of. As should we all.
I wouldn't want to work for a company that didn't repay my loyalty with security in my old age... Of course, most non-union shops barely give their workers a 401K nowadays, and it's become "common knowledge" that most companies would rather a worker stay only three to five years at most. I've heard that recruiters are suspicious of anyone staying at a company longer than 3 years. I'll be at MINE for thirty (God willing).
But, you probably don't like unions. That's ok. I mentioned guys like you in my original post. No hard feelings! I can see you nodding and saying, "yeaaah, right" in my mind's eye.
Well... I don't think that's the norm. At different times, I've been in three fairly large unions myself, two of which were high-tech related (generally government tech workers get added to an existing technical union, representing medical staff or teachers). Also, my father was in the HVAC international union, and my mother was in CSEA. These are all really huge, with tens of thousands of members in the U.S. alone. For example, my current union has over 50,000 members, and we're affiliated with several larger unions like AFL-CIO. NONE of the shops I've been in were run the way you describe. Even my father's experiences, and the HVAC and Steamfitter unions are strict, don't line up with what you're describing. I think your experience derived from poor local union management, and trust me, it doesn't represent the norm.
I'm not saying there aren't some annoyances in union shops, but they're minor compared with what non-union guys have to put up with. These days, being in a union is pretty much your only shot at enjoying a reasonable working lifestyle. And, if some unions, far and few between, are mismanaged, well, isn't it that way with all human organizations?
I'm with you. Games are an art form, and shouldn't be tampered with so some overzealous parent or government authority can feel warm and fuzzy about it. I generally just buy the authentic foreign stuff, though, if I think something's been done to a game or anime. Go to the source, you know?
'Course, they don't *always* tamper with games. So this isn't always necessary.
Ah, but are they bootlegs of the pure and true Japanese versions? Or of the crippled, sad American imports? I'm guessing they're the good stuff. :)
All true, but those of us who want the real stuff can always buy foreign copies on Ebay, brought back from Japan by people "vacationing" there! :)
I just got a copy of the japanese edition of the Cowboy Bebop movie... The subtitles were a little weird, but I saw that as more of a feature than a bug. Some were very entertaining, like Jet Black asking a cop whether his department was going to "energetically investigate" the terrorism case. It sounded like someone just typed in the translation straight from the dictionary, and in the context it was in, I found it really funny.
Ebay, boys -- the anime purist's best friend.
Yes, but that assumes the browser is still open at that point (otherwise, the javascript engine will have shut down with the browser). If so, it'll still be pointed at *some* website... Even if not, the browser is still the security context. the only problem here is, not all JVMs are created equal. I seem to remember that Microsoft's JVM at some point had a problem with context, didn't it?
It's true; most of the IT people I know (who are still in private industry -- I work for the government and we're ALL unionized, thank GOD) are vaguely horrified by the idea of unionization. I think it derives mostly from the following misconceptions fuelled by industry propaganda:
;)
1. Many in IT have an elevated sense of their skill's value -- they've been conditioned by society to believe in the "rich geek" myth, despite the fact that only a small fraction of the real geeks out there make more than 100K (and most are way, way down in the 30-50K range these days, if they even make that). So they have a sort of weird, "industry player" mentality, despite the fact that they're actually besieged by a crummy economy and lousy employer practices, and have no power whatsoever.
2. Many of the IT staff I've met don't like unions because it reminds them of their father's "day jobs" and the idea of turning out like their fathers (30 years at the same shop, standard work week, etc) horrifies them on at least a subconscious level. This is an ego thing. They want to be hip, trendy, capitalists, and talk about money. It's all go, go, go. They don't want to be hippie socialists! They're professionals! Meanwhile, all us hippie socialists are on vacation or working our humane, 40-hour work-weeks, spending time with our kids (who actually recognize us and don't call the nanny "mommy"), and wondering why the non-union guys have such a stick up their butts. Then, we live to a ripe old age, retired and fishing, long after all the stress-freaks have died from heart attacks, cancer, and aneurisms in their '50s after a joyless life of overwork. It boggles the mind -- but I'm getting sidetracked.
3. Many of the people in IT tend to think that they're going to be denied raises and perks because a union is seniority-based. But they don't factor in the fact that they're not getting raises and perks these days anyway. At least in a union, they'd have a standard yearly raise, but they don't see it. And, how are they going to get raises and perks when their position is outsourced? If they were in a union, it'd be really hard for the company to get away with that.
Add it all together, and IT staff are just basically hobbling themselves because of myths and nonsense. Their lives would be SO much BETTER if they were unionized. Their quality of life would improve by leaps and bounds. It's frustrating, because even when you tell them what they could have, they just shake their heads, squint their eyes, and say, "yeaaaaaah... whatever". Oh, well, what can you do?
It's pointless, because hardly anyone will listen, but here's another try:
IF YOU UNIONIZE, YOU'LL USUALLY GET:
1. A 40-hour work week, with time and a half for overtime, double time on sundays and holidays, and the potential for even MORE when holidays and weekends and overtime converge.
2. Full medical, dental, vision, and mental health benefits.
3. A REAL retirement plan -- a full pension, not some wussy 401(k) that'll be plundered by the CEO at first opportunity.
4. Enough sick days and personal days during the year to keep you out of trouble if you get put on your back by the flu.
5. Regular raises to match the inflation rate (at least), so you're not losing money over time due to the economy.
6. Most important of all -- a grievance procedure for those times when a manager forgets himself and tries to step over the line. When you're in a union, they HAVE to treat you with respect, or it's their ass. This alone is worth unionization. It also means you can't be fired unless you actually do something to deserve it, and layoffs can't be handed down without the company going through a whole negotiation process.
Being in a union means you're treated fairly, whether the company or your manager likes it or not.
Being in a union means that you're not alone against management -- you're shoulder to shoulder with all your coworkers (and, of course, the tens of thousands of p
That's an interesting idea, but how would you reach a system context from within a web browser? No matter where you click, you're still in a web site, right? Besides, java applications and java applets work differently, don't they?
Too bad you can't learn how to spell, or write using correct grammar. Or post to slashdot without trolling.
If I had a nickel for every time some crazy Russian started spouting his fantasy wish-fulfillment stories about being smarter than Americans, I'd be rich. Pah. Just out of curiosity, can you tell me where Unix was invented? Or the modern automobile? Or the nuclear submarine? Or the programming languages you're probably fond of? Or any one of a zillion other products people all over the world take for granted every day? Or the INTERNET ITSELF? Or even electrical power and the light bulb? America. By the Americans you insult so cravenly.
You're delusional. Better lay off the vodka.
I used to do some of this stuff; you actually can get around the problem you listed by offering public functions in your applet, and having your javascript check an applet function periodically (or when something happens). So, the java applet can return a value like "it's time for X to happen" and the javascript can do X. This way, you're still only calling from javascript to java, but you can set off some javascript code on some schedule you pick (like when something is finished in the applet, like a database search).
It looks to me that it isn't Java itself that is vulnerable, but rather, just JavaScript. When you make a Java method public, you can call it from Javascript. So what I think is going on is, the previous page had a Java applet in it, and javascript that could access the java applet. Because of the vuln, the previous page could be loaded again, and the javascript run in the context of the new page -- so it's possible to run parts of the applet again. It isn't a java failure, just javascript. ;)
I can see why you would buy into that, but when you consider the massive scope of the other things the government has been caught doing, and the incredible fallout that happened as a result of that, AND the fact that, for example, some of our current government were actually convicted in Iran-Contra, but are now in positions of significant power... You have to wonder whether any "potentially major PR disaster" would even be a consideration for them. If CONGRESS doesn't scare 'em, no pissed off parent will (and, really, that's about all they'd have to worry about - pissed off parents hiring a local lawyer and maybe getting a little newspaper buzz - and that's if any of what they're doing ever even comes to light).
Just a thought...
An A/C said: "I work in an outsourcing operation in india. The basic pay is around 6000 Rs a month, if you do really well it comes to around 15000 a month. That is around 300 dollars a month. That is for an Engg. Graduate and if you are willing to work in shifts (need to work in US or UK timings)
People are willing to work for cheaper salary? Man they must be poor."
Exactly. See, companies decided to get rid of all of us pesky American programmers because due to our cost of living, they had to pay us a reasonable salary (or we wouldn't work for them). On average, that was around 65,000.00 a year, or about 3700.00 a month after taxes. Companies HATED this. So, they went with India, reasoning that 300.00 a month is less than 3700.00 a month. So far so good, right?
So, now, things are moving along in India, and companies are starting to think, "Well, 300.00 a month seems kind of expensive. Aren't there cheaper programmers in the world?" And, they start looking at countries like Russia, Romania, Vietnam, and so on. Maybe they can get their cost down to 100.00 a month in some of these places. So they do it, and India is SOL just like American programmers were when India ate THEIR lunch.
This process will continue as long as there are countries where people are desperate enough to work for less than whatever wage is being paid right now. Eventually, wages will fall so far that no one will be willing to program for a living, and that will be the end of that. We'll all work as low-paid hourly-wage laborers, and work on open source software in our free time. Or maybe an equilibrium point will be reached. Maybe some new paradigm will arise, like the whole "rent a coder" thing, where people just do little freelance jobs from time to time for a fixed rate, and keep a "joe" job to pay their bills. Who knows?
So, yeah, basically, as long as there are people poorer than you, eventually companies will hire them and fire you. Sucks, doesn't it?
It's not just the quality of their technical support that's going to fall. They're also outsourcing their development efforts, and they're trying to outsource some business functions. I said, months ago, that this would happen. In the future, non-open-source software is going to get worse and worse as companies hire cheaper and cheaper programmers to work on it.
What worries ME is that it's not just software development firms that are outsourcing -- it's everyone. Banks, manufacturing firms, you name it. So what happens when all that cheap, bottom-dollar software starts screwing up? What happens when an engineer (also probably overseas) uses some buggy software to design the rear differential of a car, and it locks up at seventy miles an hour? What is the real cost of all this?
Most companies are run by fools who think that a creative and technical endeavour like software development is a commotity like janitorial services. They're so greedy and cheap that they're ignoring quality for cost issues. And, sooner or later, we're all going to pay for it.
Since when did the illegality of a thing stop the feds from giving it a try? Remember Watergate? Cointelpro? Iran-Contra? Compared to stuff like that, bending the rules to get a list of young hackers seems like child's play. At least the CIA doesn't have to send over some spooks to snuff anyone, right?
(BRRRRRRING!)
Hang on -- there's someone at the door.
Doh!!!
Well, as I've said to a couple of other guys here, I'm starting to warm to the idea. I think I can see the utility in performing a penetration test (besides, it's SO much fun saying that -- "Penetration test" -- it's hard to do it without smiling) on a new server. Also, one of the people involved with the program said that really, over half of the material is about defence, not hacking (the kids apparently play capture the flag, sometimes attacking, sometimes defending). So a lot of my misgivings are settling down.
;)
So, let's say I'm starting to see the light.
That's a pretty solid point. As I've said, I'm really warming to this idea fast. And, I am paranoid sometimes... I might be way off base there. It's starting to look like a better program the longer I consider it.
;)
Still... I'd be nervous about the whole "now I'm on a list" thing. Maybe not nervous enough to skip the program, which would probably be worth the risk, but still -- nervous.