First, every time we buy a blank CD, DVD, VHS, or even audio cassette tape we are helping them out. There is a tax which we, in the US, pay every time we purchase any of the above. We also pay it every time we buy a radio, TV, or even a computer. So - we lose.
Should we buy a book, a script, magazine, newspaper, or the like we are probably still paying this tax. So we've lost again.
Finally, even if everyone in the US refused to have anything else to do with the RIAA or MPAA they are still powerful enough to have new laws passed. As in "Atlas Shrugged," by Ayn Rand, if they can not take our money legally - then the thing to do is to change the laws so they can take it legally. After all - laws are nothing more than rules by which we play and those who have the money usually get to make the rules.
Sorry if this shocks anyone but the truth is that it is only because we respected each other, had a unified common sense approach to things, a scrupulous populus, and the knowledge that if you did wrong you would be held accountable for it - that we have made it this far. The "Anything goes" way of looking at things, not holding people's feet to the fire for doing something wrong, and (as bad as it might seem) not being willing to put to death those who really are doing terrible things to others (like Enron's execs who have ruined hundreds if not thousands of people's lives) that has caused us to come to this. What these people are doing is, IMHO, treasonous. Look it up. The act of "Treason" is where two or more groups (whether they be people, organizations, corporations, or whatever) attempt to remove the rights of their fellow citizens. According to the texts it is their "intentions" which merit this stamp So ask yourself this - what are their intentions when they attempt to force upon you their yoke of slavery? What are their "intentions" when they try to sneak, like theives, laws into Congress which remove our rights and preserve or expand upon their rights. What are their intentions? Those intentions are to take away your rights.
Now, someone will probably say "You don't go around killing people just because they are trying to get laws passed." That's true. You don't. Normally. But this is different. It is different because they are not trying to get laws passed for the betterment of mankind or to right an injustice. No. They are trying to twist the laws and our country (Heck! The world even!) to their needs. To enslave it. To enshackle it to their beliefs. Just like some religious cults have tried to enslave others to their will. It is an evil thing to do and it will have terrible consequences if it is allowed to endure.
Even if they were only brought up on charges it would shake up the corporate world enough that many things companies are beginning to attempt to do through the rewriting of our laws would be stopped. Companies would think twice about trying to change laws so they benefit only them and remove our rights. Which brings up - why do groups think they can get away with this? The answer is - they have in the past. The difference is the internet. Whereas before there was this huge time lag between when something happened and when we knew about it - now it only takes hours or minutes for word to be sent and a transgression found out. The problem is still though the complancey of many of the people in our country. "Oh! I might get involved." some whine. "I don't have the time." another chats. "It's not my place." a third comments. If you don't stand up and write your congressmen/women then you are already shackled. You already bear their mark. You already curl up at their feet, lick their hands, and eat the crumbs they throw to you.
So as always the question is - what are you going to do about it? Wallow in the filth on the floor or write and demand that these groups stop trying to infringe on your god given rights!
This is what(?) the five or six hundreth company this has happened to? Remember Excel? Internet Explorer? Think it can't happen to your business? Think again. Even IBM is scared of Microsoft.
How long before the rest of the business world goes "Thanks - but no thanks" and jumps on the Linux bandwagon? How many times do you think other companies can continue to be burned like this?
Heh. Sort of like how Enron went about their business. It may take a while but eventually the same thing will happen. As they say in business - someone will blink and then the excrement will hit the rotational blade.:-)
I would like to echo the "This is not a good idea." Here is why:
1. Older houses used to have shredded newspaper put between the walls and/or floors. The newspaper was sprayed with a flame retardent chemical. Only the chemical breaks down after ten years or so and the newspaper breaks down to paper dust. Ever seen what paper dust does if you throw it up and light a match?
2. Fiberglass insulation is better except it is usually sold with - guess what - a paper exterior which, like #1 above, has the same problems.
3. Our house had something called Mo-Hair. Sounds like a bad afro campaign to me, but this stuff was just terrible. After our house flooded we decided to remove all of the old insulation and put brand new R-13 insulation into place. The new insulation is protected by a microthin plastic sheath. Better than paper that's for sure. The Mo-Hair though - we took a piece out and tried burning it. It burned really well. Nice stuff.
If you really want to do this you should at least talk to an electrician and possibly a plumber. They probably will suggest that you create a vent pipe leading to the outside of the house. Something along the lines of what is used for a dryer. If you go to Home Depot (or Lowe's or whereever) you can get pre-made parts for installing an exit vent for a dryer. Some of the things even come with a little trap door you can open and close so the heat recycles back into the room or to the outside of the house. Nice for those really cold days. Then you just get an appropriately sized fan, bolt it to the vent box, (be sure to get a fan with a standard ac plug) and let her rip. The fan will suck the air out of the house, and the fan on the computer will blow the air directly into the vent pipe. Sort of like below:
+---+
|...|
I hope this posts correctly - the preview cuts some of it off!
I searched for (but did not find) the original quote before I posted again. I will have to go back and try finding it yet again at the NY Times. I did find the statement on one other location but they also left out he was talking about the 1980s.
Yes, that is true. Windows has (at last count) fourteen layers you have to go through to execute one command. (This was at a Windows internals class I went to about five years ago.) Still, even in the internals class I took they separated out Windows from the hardware interface, the OS level, the X Windows interface (which is why I took the course - third party software add-ons), and the user's program.
Usually though, DOS refers to those interfaces which deal with hardware and the handling of software. Windows (or just the GUI) is simply a graphical overlay which makes it a lot easier for someone to manipulate both DOS as well as graphical items (such as scroll bars et al). Thus the term. A user's program interacts with both DOS and Windows to manipulate everything so a desired end is reached (like making your modem dial or connecting to DSL).
So you can see that Windows can act as if it were an OS but the underlying OS is still being called. If Windows were to assume the full burden of handling all hardware as well as the scheduling of the software to execute then it probably could be called an OS - but why? By keeping the OS separate you actually have a better product. Because then, once the OS is stable, you do not have to bother with it again until you find a bug. If the OS were mixed with the GUI then you wouldn't know if it was the OS or the GUI which was causing you problem. Better to keep the two separate than to mix them together and open an even larger Pandora's Box of problems.
I can see it now: "You see that one pixel in the upper right hand corner of the screen? If you click the mouse on it the entire system will crash. We don't know why - we just don't tell anyone and hope for the best."
I noticed that they got two separate returns on their investigations. It got me to thinking....
Maybe someone in the early 1900s got hold of some parchment from the 1400s and inked the map using ink from the 1900s. It would explain the two contradictory reports and would, as the article states - be one heck of a forgery.
Makes me wonder if they could lift fingerprints off of the map and try matching them to those of known forgers. Probably wouldn't make a lot of difference since fingerprinting wasn't always done in forgery cases until after the great depression (when forgery really took off as a method to make money) but you never know. They might actually get the original artist's fingerprints. Which would be neat if nothing else.
Actually, just go to Google and do a search on this. According to Mr.G his testimony says that you can not separate Windows from the OS and that is why MS could not allow third party software to have a way to change things. Now (remember the current testimony is from last week and not several years ago) that Windows is separate from the OS which is why it should have unique standing for trademark purposes. This contradicts his earlier testimony and makes this testimony perjury. Because he is changing his story on what Windows really is. Which is to say it is nothing more than a glorified GUI stuck on top of an OS just like X Windows is to Unix.
The truth is - you can't have it both ways. It either is or it is not an integral part of the OS. So Lindows should pick this up and run with it. Just like the remaining states should pick this up and run with it. It is the proof they both need that MS is willing to say (and probably do) whatever it takes in order to win a court battle.
Sounds a lot like an idea I had a few months back. (Not that it is the same - just that it sounds a lot like it.)
Basically, I thought that it would be a simple thing to put LEDs into a frosted case and then have the computer control the light emitted so the case would change color. Here's hoping they do it. It would be nice to be able to change the color of your case to fit your mood.
...that Bill Gates purjured himself? The quote on page 2:
"In written testimony last month, Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman asserted that...Windows is a layer of software between an operating system and an application...."
In the antitrust testimony Bill Gates was very emphatic that Windows and the OS were the same thing and could not be separated. Maybe someone should pass this along to those states which are still in litigation. Be interesting to see the response Mr. Gates has on this.:-)
There was a lot of good stuff in this post. I only want to add this:
I have bought (and still play) Heros of Might and Magic III Complete. I have a friend who could not stand real time games until he got into EQ. Now he gets up, plays EQ, goes to work, comes home, and plays EQ until 2-3-4:00am. It is killing him. Tried talking to him about it - but it doesn't seem to do any good. I think he needs help.
Meanwhile - I still play HoM&M. I just recently bought all of the older Forgotten Realms games. The graphics are cheezie but I'm laughing my way through the games. At $9.00 for fourteen games I can't complain - but it is still hysterical to see the old methods and grahics. Even if I get killed in the game it's still funny.:-)
Also, I do still have Pac-Man, Ms Pac-Man, centipede, and many others of the older games. I do still play them as well. So far - no EQ for me. Don't need it, don't want it.:-)
Later!
My $0.02 worth
on
Complications
·
· Score: 3, Insightful
Ok, here is how I feel on this subject. These are true facts from my own life.
1. My father was killed by a doctor. He had an aneurism behind his right knee he did not know about. He went to change a tire on my mom's car and when he squatted down his entire leg from the knee down turned white. He stood back up immediate, went inside, got my mom, and they went to the hospital. The surgeon on duty said he knew exactly where the problem was, didn't wait for x-rays, and operated in the groin section. First indication of a bad doctor. My mom, like my dad, believed doctors were gods. When the aneurism was not found they put my dad in Intensive Care (IC or ICU) and did the x-rays. Then the doctor botched the job by sewing my dad's main artery almost shut. He got gangrene and a blood clot detached. He had a stroke and died. My mom never sued. This is why I do not trust doctors and I always get three or four opinions. It is expensive but it is worth it. I don't want to wind up like my dad.
2. I have phlebitis. Major phlebitis. I, luckily, found a competent doctor who put me in the hospital. My blood was so thick they couldn't get any out to test how quickly it would coagulate. They thought I was going to die but I didn't. This was after seeing three other doctors.
3. A while later I was put on something called hydrochlorothiazide or HCT. It is a diuretic and has some other side effects. If you go to the Food and Drug Administration's website you can read up on just how bad this drug is if you get on it's bad side. One of those is that it makes you a bit dizzy as well as complacent. My great doctor I'd found turned out to like to fondle his male patients. I found another doctor.
4. The new doctor decided that since I am fairly well read and can think for myself that she would rather I just died - and told me to my face. She is no longer with the clinic I go to.
5. The next doctor I had I'd gone to twice when my leg with the phlebitis swelled back up. This was great cause for alarm with me. The doctor sent me to get a Venogram (sp?) done. The tests were inconclusive so he said "Take two aspirin and call me in the morning." (Honest to god! He actually said this to me!) I reminded him that I could not take aspirin since I am on Coumadin (a blood thinner) and I would die of internal bleeding (which he should have known about). He changed it to Tylenol. He's not working at the clinic any longer either.
My current doctor has been my doctor for the past two years and we have gotten along well.
Enough stories - here are my thoughts:
1. Doctors should have access to several databases. These should have diseases, muscle, nerve, bone, viruses, medicines, and other categories which I am probably leaving out.
1a. The databases should have symptoms, causes, effects, treatments, and most importantly, side effects, problems, reactions, and any other bad things that can happen from doing whatever it takes to fix the problem.
2. A drug interaction database. So doctors can know exactly what might interact with what and how to treat the problems that occur. (With hyperlinks to relevant information so they can verify the information for themselves if they need to do so.)
3. A database with methodologies on how to improve the human body so they don't have to just push pills on everyone. This should be open to the public as well (readonly status of course) so people can get on-line and find out how to keep themselves healthy.
4. Now, the important part: Make this available via wireless PDA to the doctor no matter where he is. So they can just plug in what is wrong and the AI breaks things down into percent chances (%c) of what is the matter. The reason this is so important is because I have seen (and I am sure so many others have) that your doctor only kind of knows you. If they are seeing over a hundred people a month they can not keep straight who's problems belong to whom. But a computer can. And it can recall that information and it can help the doctor to make the decisions he/she needs to make in order to help you out.
And that is the real problem here. Doctors become overwhelmed. Open your eyes and look at them. They are still doing everything with paper and pencil. Many times they can't even read their own writing. And charts? Do they have a nice bar chart that shows them how you are improving? No. They have to look at a bunch of separate papers, correlate all of that information into something useful, and then make a decision based on that information. If you think that's easy to do then have someone take twenty sheets of paper, write random numbers on them, shuffle them together, read each sheet of paper and add the numbers together in your head as you are going from one page to the next. Guaranteed that around pages eleven or twelve you will begin loosing what the number was because you also have to turn the pages, do the math, and continue going. But a PDA could do it in a few milli-seconds. Now try doing it with blood pressure, chloresterol, and other vital statistics. It's not possible. So they generalize. So long as you are up and breathing then you must be doing well. Here's a few pills, talk to you later.
It needs to stop. People cry "No! No! No! I don't want my personal information in a database!" Too bad - it already is there. What you should be crying about is the lack of proper security. We have credit cards - why not medical cards which have all of your information on the card? Can someone say flexible-CDs? Even if the card is only used as a key so only you can unlock the information - that would still be a great leap forwards for everyone. You go in, give them your card, your information is downloaded to their system, and your current information is available to the doctor. No more paying $50.00 or more to have your records transferred from place to place. Just so long as it is secure I'm all for it. Or put my information on a CD, have a good container for it (aluminum maybe?) and allow me to carry it from one place to the other. Or maybe we could go to memory sticks? These 256mb or more secure digital cards may just be the answer. Again - you carry it with you and the label says it all. "Medical Information"
First - how else could they make the movies? Eh? Eh?;-)
Really though, if you go back to the original StarTrek there is a trial where they actually show what everyone did. Obviously they have some kind of way to observe what everyone does (with nice camera angles and the ability to wipe out morning face!). Actually, to expand upon this a bit - StarTrek is the total abdication of your right to privacy if you are a part of the federation. The computers keep total watch over what you do, when you do it, and how many times you do it. No wonder no one brags about what they do on the ship or where. Makes you wonder where Captain Kirk got his reputation from. Of course, he did rig the Kobayashi test so he could win it so he could also have rigged the computer to lie about how many times, where, and with whom he did it too!:-P
Although companies "own" the right to use certain spectrums of the airwaves. I feel that it should simply be returned to the public domain/commons. After all, it is a resource which is truly owned by the people of the country even though the government seems to think otherwise. Further, these companies have had the use of the airwaves for almost a century. They have made billions (if not trillions) of dollars using them as is. It is time for them to give back what they have been using at our leave.
Notes: You know, if the government was smart (sorry - I know that is an oxymoronic statement) it would lease the airwaves to radio and tv stations (instead of selling them) and use this as a way to reduce income taxes (and possibly eliminate the need for them altogether - although that is probably a pretty far reach given the present way in which things are going). It is like copyrights. I don't mind every fourteen years having to refile for my copyrights. If you haven't made $10.00 in fourteen years - then the item isn't worth copyrighting again. But the important part is - it is a way to collect taxes without bothering the individual. Even if they went by the "one generation (ie: twenty years)" method (instead of the fourteen year method, and allowing one additional filing after someone has died) the government would have quite a bit of money coming in each year just from people/corporations refiling their copyrights. But I'm digressing.
It doesn't (as far as I could see) mention DRM. It only talks about being able to follow who did what with the information.
However, even the system of encryption, et al which is being proposed doesn't really do much. First, is the machine picking the randomly generated password or the person picking an easily recognizable password as in this problem.
Second, the machine (whether it be a camera, computer, or nightstick) doesn't have intelligence built into it. Thus, it would allow anyone who knew how to work the machine (and could guess the passwords) to alter the information. Even the fact that the computer is smart enough to make a copy of the original doesn't mean anything. If someone knew how the program worked - they could (and would) alter the original as well as the copy.
Until machines become self-aware or at least are aware of what someone is trying to do to them - we will not have a "good" way to stop fraud. (I say "good" because even then we will probably have some way to circumvent/unplug the smarts from a machine which puts us back where we are currently.)
Thoughts:
If the police want a more fullproof method of maintaining equilibrium in the establishment of, and verification of proof. Then they will need to greatly improve how that information is handled. A network (probably made up of Linux boxes) which are attached to a central repository and to which they can send information but not retrieve information (ie: a blind send) would be a step in the right direction. Information would only be retrievable from the main console connected directly to the centralized hardware. Also, files can not be deleted from the main system until the files have been backed up to a reliable medium (such as CDs/DVDs/tape). Otherwise, the system simply allows a user to register updates and nothing else.
Why not have the scripts which allow the post in the first place to scan the last X number of articles? Like 100 or so. If the old post contains a link to the same place as the current post, it notifies the poster before allowing them to post (ie: both the preview and submit buttons do this). The poster could be allowed to override the computer for whatever reason - but at least the notice (and appropriate HTTP URL) would be available to the user.
Also, it would be useful for posting follow-ups as well since the poster would not have to spend time searching for the original post. It would just be presented to them.
I see two ways to set up such a database.
1. Post -> URL
and
2. URL -> Post
#2 would be better since then the URL is only used once. Since record IDs are only 4 bytes (SlashDot hasn't gone past 2 Billion messages yet has it?) this method takes up less space than #1 and provides a complete list of where the URL was used. #2 could actually be URL->Post#1,Post#2,Post#3,etc....
It is my understanding that, due to the nature of computers (ie: thousands of motherboards, thousands of video cards, lots of different cpus, cpu speeds, available ram, etc....) you can not depend upon a piece of software to work on a given system.
WalMart's policy is "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back" - the same as Sears. If you aren't satisfied - then you should be allowed to get your money back. However, I also have worked the other side of things. People tend to abuse stores a lot. In my case, I took the software home, tried it, it did not work well on my system (and yes - my system was within the parameters printed on the box), I did not like it, and wanted my money back. Even if it is store policy to say "No money back on opened software" they still have to give it back. After all, how many times have you bought a pair of shoes, worn them, they hurt, and you took them back? How many times has someone given you a Christmas present and you've taken it back? How many times have you bought anything or received anything and taken it back? You have to have that ability because sometimes you get something you just don't want or can't use. The problem is - is that we don't have an automatic lie detector stuck on our foreheads (or noses like Pinochio). So stores can't tell who is doing it to steal from them and who is truly just wanting to take something back. Or is there?
Stores collect a lot of information about you and your buying habits. In order to return anything you have to give them your name, address, etc.... Stores should allow returns based on this information. You buy one piece of software and return it, then another, then another, and pretty soon they can say no. Some people will cry foul at this and complain about the lack of privacy, anonymity, or whatever. Ok - then tell us how they should go about doing it? This is the least intrusive method I can think of and it is not a bad way of monitoring people. It isn't infallible. Nothing is. It can be misused. But it can, if dealt with openly and honestly by the stores, provide a means for talks between someone who is buying and returning a lot of things and the stores they are doing it to. It also might help those stores to lower their prices a bit. I'm not saying it is an end-all to what is going on - but it is a start.
1. Ask to talk to the manager of the store. Explain the CD won't play. Get another one to replace it. If it will not play, ask for another one. Continue until either they give you your money back or you get one which will play.
2. If the manager won't do #1, then call the district office. Nothing makes a manager more willing to bend over backwards than to have someone higher up telling him to kiss your...er...feet.
3. If #2 doesn't work, then call the state office.
4. If #3 doesn't work, call the regional office.
5. If #4 doesn't work, call the national office.
6. By this time you should already either have your money back or five or six CDs as they try to appease you.
7. If #6 hasn't happened, then write a letter to the president of the corporation care of their national office. Presidents do NOT like to be disturbed by peasants....er customers and, truth to tell, I've never had to go past this point.
8. However! IANAL says: "Because CDs are sold shrinkwrapped they can not be listened to (in most major stores) before they are purchased and thus fall under the auspices of state and federal laws which guarantee that, if you are not satisfied with your purchase, you may return it." This is where the big controversy comes from. People are buying CDs and games, copying them, and then returning them for a refund. That isn't right. Either buy it and live with the outrageous costs or boycott it and live without the CD/game. Anything else is illegal. (And yeah - I know - second hand games, CDs, etc....blah blah blah. I'm talking about first time purchases at a store. Not over the internet, from your neighbor's dog, or whatever.)
There is no such thing as "You can't have your money back" in retail. My mom used to work for Montgomery Wards - ladies underwear. People would bring back underwear they'd worn for the past ten years and ask for brand new replacements! One lady only had the elastic left. The cloth had rotted away. Doesn't that strike you as going a bit overboard on the "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back?" I do and I've never worked for Montgomery Wards.
I went to WalMart the other day and was told by the manager that it was against the DMCA to allow returns or refunds of computer software and/or CDs.
It took a while (and I had to go pretty far up the chain of command) to assure them that Congress never wrote "All businesses have to give refunds/returns except WalMart" in the DMCA.
1. Just because NASA is making plans for something doesn't mean it is going to do that. Believe me - they make a lot of plans.
2. The Space Shuttle is very inefficient. Basically a rock thrown into space. We need a better rock. That's a given. But who can do the cutting? That's the question.
Me.
(Have I ever told you about the time the Russian's poked a hole in the MIR with a drill? They used chewing gum to seal it (along with a clipboard) until special silicon sealant could be sent up on board the US Space Shuttle. The Russian's flew one of their jets (forget which one) over to Florida. One of the few times they've ever done that.)
Known about this for the last four billion years.;-)
Truthfully, this isn't new. There was a study done several years ago where a tank full of water and chemicals was treated to several large zaps of electricity (sorry - can't find a link to it). The results were the basic building blocks of life. So this isn't something new. It's already been proven.:-/
This reminds me of the monkey brain experiments. It's no wonder there are so many porno sites! They've already done these experiments and already found out what sells the best!
Damn! I wonder if it's too late to buy stock in this!;-)
Slashdot Mirror
First, every time we buy a blank CD, DVD, VHS, or even audio cassette tape we are helping them out. There is a tax which we, in the US, pay every time we purchase any of the above. We also pay it every time we buy a radio, TV, or even a computer. So - we lose.
Every time we rent a CD, DVD, VHS, or even game cartridge - we are (again) paying this tax. So we lose there also.
Should we buy a book, a script, magazine, newspaper, or the like we are probably still paying this tax. So we've lost again.
Finally, even if everyone in the US refused to have anything else to do with the RIAA or MPAA they are still powerful enough to have new laws passed. As in "Atlas Shrugged," by Ayn Rand, if they can not take our money legally - then the thing to do is to change the laws so they can take it legally. After all - laws are nothing more than rules by which we play and those who have the money usually get to make the rules.
Sorry if this shocks anyone but the truth is that it is only because we respected each other, had a unified common sense approach to things, a scrupulous populus, and the knowledge that if you did wrong you would be held accountable for it - that we have made it this far. The "Anything goes" way of looking at things, not holding people's feet to the fire for doing something wrong, and (as bad as it might seem) not being willing to put to death those who really are doing terrible things to others (like Enron's execs who have ruined hundreds if not thousands of people's lives) that has caused us to come to this. What these people are doing is, IMHO, treasonous. Look it up. The act of "Treason" is where two or more groups (whether they be people, organizations, corporations, or whatever) attempt to remove the rights of their fellow citizens. According to the texts it is their "intentions" which merit this stamp So ask yourself this - what are their intentions when they attempt to force upon you their yoke of slavery? What are their "intentions" when they try to sneak, like theives, laws into Congress which remove our rights and preserve or expand upon their rights. What are their intentions? Those intentions are to take away your rights.
Now, someone will probably say "You don't go around killing people just because they are trying to get laws passed." That's true. You don't. Normally. But this is different. It is different because they are not trying to get laws passed for the betterment of mankind or to right an injustice. No. They are trying to twist the laws and our country (Heck! The world even!) to their needs. To enslave it. To enshackle it to their beliefs. Just like some religious cults have tried to enslave others to their will. It is an evil thing to do and it will have terrible consequences if it is allowed to endure.
Even if they were only brought up on charges it would shake up the corporate world enough that many things companies are beginning to attempt to do through the rewriting of our laws would be stopped. Companies would think twice about trying to change laws so they benefit only them and remove our rights. Which brings up - why do groups think they can get away with this? The answer is - they have in the past. The difference is the internet. Whereas before there was this huge time lag between when something happened and when we knew about it - now it only takes hours or minutes for word to be sent and a transgression found out. The problem is still though the complancey of many of the people in our country. "Oh! I might get involved." some whine. "I don't have the time." another chats. "It's not my place." a third comments. If you don't stand up and write your congressmen/women then you are already shackled. You already bear their mark. You already curl up at their feet, lick their hands, and eat the crumbs they throw to you.
So as always the question is - what are you going to do about it? Wallow in the filth on the floor or write and demand that these groups stop trying to infringe on your god given rights!
I just want to know what scent it comes in. If it's one of those really heavy scents like Magnolia's I'll pass on going to see the launch. ;-)
;-P
Rose would be good, especially if it got off of the ground.
This is what(?) the five or six hundreth company this has happened to? Remember Excel? Internet Explorer? Think it can't happen to your business? Think again. Even IBM is scared of Microsoft.
:-)
How long before the rest of the business world goes "Thanks - but no thanks" and jumps on the Linux bandwagon? How many times do you think other companies can continue to be burned like this?
Heh. Sort of like how Enron went about their business. It may take a while but eventually the same thing will happen. As they say in business - someone will blink and then the excrement will hit the rotational blade.
I would like to echo the "This is not a good idea." Here is why:
1. Older houses used to have shredded newspaper put between the walls and/or floors. The newspaper was sprayed with a flame retardent chemical. Only the chemical breaks down after ten years or so and the newspaper breaks down to paper dust. Ever seen what paper dust does if you throw it up and light a match?
2. Fiberglass insulation is better except it is usually sold with - guess what - a paper exterior which, like #1 above, has the same problems.
3. Our house had something called Mo-Hair. Sounds like a bad afro campaign to me, but this stuff was just terrible. After our house flooded we decided to remove all of the old insulation and put brand new R-13 insulation into place. The new insulation is protected by a microthin plastic sheath. Better than paper that's for sure. The Mo-Hair though - we took a piece out and tried burning it. It burned really well. Nice stuff.
If you really want to do this you should at least talk to an electrician and possibly a plumber. They probably will suggest that you create a vent pipe leading to the outside of the house. Something along the lines of what is used for a dryer. If you go to Home Depot (or Lowe's or whereever) you can get pre-made parts for installing an exit vent for a dryer. Some of the things even come with a little trap door you can open and close so the heat recycles back into the room or to the outside of the house. Nice for those really cold days. Then you just get an appropriately sized fan, bolt it to the vent box, (be sure to get a fan with a standard ac plug) and let her rip. The fan will suck the air out of the house, and the fan on the computer will blow the air directly into the vent pipe. Sort of like below:
+---+
|...|
I hope this posts correctly - the preview cuts some of it off!
I searched for (but did not find) the original quote before I posted again. I will have to go back and try finding it yet again at the NY Times. I did find the statement on one other location but they also left out he was talking about the 1980s.
Later!
Yes, that is true. Windows has (at last count) fourteen layers you have to go through to execute one command. (This was at a Windows internals class I went to about five years ago.) Still, even in the internals class I took they separated out Windows from the hardware interface, the OS level, the X Windows interface (which is why I took the course - third party software add-ons), and the user's program.
Usually though, DOS refers to those interfaces which deal with hardware and the handling of software. Windows (or just the GUI) is simply a graphical overlay which makes it a lot easier for someone to manipulate both DOS as well as graphical items (such as scroll bars et al). Thus the term. A user's program interacts with both DOS and Windows to manipulate everything so a desired end is reached (like making your modem dial or connecting to DSL).
So you can see that Windows can act as if it were an OS but the underlying OS is still being called. If Windows were to assume the full burden of handling all hardware as well as the scheduling of the software to execute then it probably could be called an OS - but why? By keeping the OS separate you actually have a better product. Because then, once the OS is stable, you do not have to bother with it again until you find a bug. If the OS were mixed with the GUI then you wouldn't know if it was the OS or the GUI which was causing you problem. Better to keep the two separate than to mix them together and open an even larger Pandora's Box of problems.
I can see it now: "You see that one pixel in the upper right hand corner of the screen? If you click the mouse on it the entire system will crash. We don't know why - we just don't tell anyone and hope for the best."
I noticed that they got two separate returns on their investigations. It got me to thinking....
Maybe someone in the early 1900s got hold of some parchment from the 1400s and inked the map using ink from the 1900s. It would explain the two contradictory reports and would, as the article states - be one heck of a forgery.
Makes me wonder if they could lift fingerprints off of the map and try matching them to those of known forgers. Probably wouldn't make a lot of difference since fingerprinting wasn't always done in forgery cases until after the great depression (when forgery really took off as a method to make money) but you never know. They might actually get the original artist's fingerprints. Which would be neat if nothing else.
(Sorry for the mistype before. :-) )
Here are some references:
NewsFactor Network
PC World
Actually, just go to Google and do a search on this. According to Mr.G his testimony says that you can not separate Windows from the OS and that is why MS could not allow third party software to have a way to change things. Now (remember the current testimony is from last week and not several years ago) that Windows is separate from the OS which is why it should have unique standing for trademark purposes. This contradicts his earlier testimony and makes this testimony perjury. Because he is changing his story on what Windows really is. Which is to say it is nothing more than a glorified GUI stuck on top of an OS just like X Windows is to Unix.
The truth is - you can't have it both ways. It either is or it is not an integral part of the OS. So Lindows should pick this up and run with it. Just like the remaining states should pick this up and run with it. It is the proof they both need that MS is willing to say (and probably do) whatever it takes in order to win a court battle.
Sounds a lot like an idea I had a few months back. (Not that it is the same - just that it sounds a lot like it.)
Basically, I thought that it would be a simple thing to put LEDs into a frosted case and then have the computer control the light emitted so the case would change color. Here's hoping they do it. It would be nice to be able to change the color of your case to fit your mood.
...that Bill Gates purjured himself? The quote on page 2:
:-)
"In written testimony last month, Bill Gates, Microsoft's chairman asserted that...Windows is a layer of software between an operating system and an application...."
In the antitrust testimony Bill Gates was very emphatic that Windows and the OS were the same thing and could not be separated. Maybe someone should pass this along to those states which are still in litigation. Be interesting to see the response Mr. Gates has on this.
There was a lot of good stuff in this post. I only want to add this:
:-)
:-)
I have bought (and still play) Heros of Might and Magic III Complete. I have a friend who could not stand real time games until he got into EQ. Now he gets up, plays EQ, goes to work, comes home, and plays EQ until 2-3-4:00am. It is killing him. Tried talking to him about it - but it doesn't seem to do any good. I think he needs help.
Meanwhile - I still play HoM&M. I just recently bought all of the older Forgotten Realms games. The graphics are cheezie but I'm laughing my way through the games. At $9.00 for fourteen games I can't complain - but it is still hysterical to see the old methods and grahics. Even if I get killed in the game it's still funny.
Also, I do still have Pac-Man, Ms Pac-Man, centipede, and many others of the older games. I do still play them as well. So far - no EQ for me. Don't need it, don't want it.
Later!
Ok, here is how I feel on this subject. These are true facts from my own life.
:-)
1. My father was killed by a doctor. He had an aneurism behind his right knee he did not know about. He went to change a tire on my mom's car and when he squatted down his entire leg from the knee down turned white. He stood back up immediate, went inside, got my mom, and they went to the hospital. The surgeon on duty said he knew exactly where the problem was, didn't wait for x-rays, and operated in the groin section. First indication of a bad doctor. My mom, like my dad, believed doctors were gods. When the aneurism was not found they put my dad in Intensive Care (IC or ICU) and did the x-rays. Then the doctor botched the job by sewing my dad's main artery almost shut. He got gangrene and a blood clot detached. He had a stroke and died. My mom never sued. This is why I do not trust doctors and I always get three or four opinions. It is expensive but it is worth it. I don't want to wind up like my dad.
2. I have phlebitis. Major phlebitis. I, luckily, found a competent doctor who put me in the hospital. My blood was so thick they couldn't get any out to test how quickly it would coagulate. They thought I was going to die but I didn't. This was after seeing three other doctors.
3. A while later I was put on something called hydrochlorothiazide or HCT. It is a diuretic and has some other side effects. If you go to the Food and Drug Administration's website you can read up on just how bad this drug is if you get on it's bad side. One of those is that it makes you a bit dizzy as well as complacent. My great doctor I'd found turned out to like to fondle his male patients. I found another doctor.
4. The new doctor decided that since I am fairly well read and can think for myself that she would rather I just died - and told me to my face. She is no longer with the clinic I go to.
5. The next doctor I had I'd gone to twice when my leg with the phlebitis swelled back up. This was great cause for alarm with me. The doctor sent me to get a Venogram (sp?) done. The tests were inconclusive so he said "Take two aspirin and call me in the morning." (Honest to god! He actually said this to me!) I reminded him that I could not take aspirin since I am on Coumadin (a blood thinner) and I would die of internal bleeding (which he should have known about). He changed it to Tylenol. He's not working at the clinic any longer either.
My current doctor has been my doctor for the past two years and we have gotten along well.
Enough stories - here are my thoughts:
1. Doctors should have access to several databases. These should have diseases, muscle, nerve, bone, viruses, medicines, and other categories which I am probably leaving out.
1a. The databases should have symptoms, causes, effects, treatments, and most importantly, side effects, problems, reactions, and any other bad things that can happen from doing whatever it takes to fix the problem.
2. A drug interaction database. So doctors can know exactly what might interact with what and how to treat the problems that occur. (With hyperlinks to relevant information so they can verify the information for themselves if they need to do so.)
3. A database with methodologies on how to improve the human body so they don't have to just push pills on everyone. This should be open to the public as well (readonly status of course) so people can get on-line and find out how to keep themselves healthy.
4. Now, the important part: Make this available via wireless PDA to the doctor no matter where he is. So they can just plug in what is wrong and the AI breaks things down into percent chances (%c) of what is the matter. The reason this is so important is because I have seen (and I am sure so many others have) that your doctor only kind of knows you. If they are seeing over a hundred people a month they can not keep straight who's problems belong to whom. But a computer can. And it can recall that information and it can help the doctor to make the decisions he/she needs to make in order to help you out.
And that is the real problem here. Doctors become overwhelmed. Open your eyes and look at them. They are still doing everything with paper and pencil. Many times they can't even read their own writing. And charts? Do they have a nice bar chart that shows them how you are improving? No. They have to look at a bunch of separate papers, correlate all of that information into something useful, and then make a decision based on that information. If you think that's easy to do then have someone take twenty sheets of paper, write random numbers on them, shuffle them together, read each sheet of paper and add the numbers together in your head as you are going from one page to the next. Guaranteed that around pages eleven or twelve you will begin loosing what the number was because you also have to turn the pages, do the math, and continue going. But a PDA could do it in a few milli-seconds. Now try doing it with blood pressure, chloresterol, and other vital statistics. It's not possible. So they generalize. So long as you are up and breathing then you must be doing well. Here's a few pills, talk to you later.
It needs to stop. People cry "No! No! No! I don't want my personal information in a database!" Too bad - it already is there. What you should be crying about is the lack of proper security. We have credit cards - why not medical cards which have all of your information on the card? Can someone say flexible-CDs? Even if the card is only used as a key so only you can unlock the information - that would still be a great leap forwards for everyone. You go in, give them your card, your information is downloaded to their system, and your current information is available to the doctor. No more paying $50.00 or more to have your records transferred from place to place. Just so long as it is secure I'm all for it. Or put my information on a CD, have a good container for it (aluminum maybe?) and allow me to carry it from one place to the other. Or maybe we could go to memory sticks? These 256mb or more secure digital cards may just be the answer. Again - you carry it with you and the label says it all. "Medical Information"
Something to think about.
First - how else could they make the movies? Eh? Eh? ;-)
:-P
Really though, if you go back to the original StarTrek there is a trial where they actually show what everyone did. Obviously they have some kind of way to observe what everyone does (with nice camera angles and the ability to wipe out morning face!). Actually, to expand upon this a bit - StarTrek is the total abdication of your right to privacy if you are a part of the federation. The computers keep total watch over what you do, when you do it, and how many times you do it. No wonder no one brags about what they do on the ship or where. Makes you wonder where Captain Kirk got his reputation from. Of course, he did rig the Kobayashi test so he could win it so he could also have rigged the computer to lie about how many times, where, and with whom he did it too!
Although companies "own" the right to use certain spectrums of the airwaves. I feel that it should simply be returned to the public domain/commons. After all, it is a resource which is truly owned by the people of the country even though the government seems to think otherwise. Further, these companies have had the use of the airwaves for almost a century. They have made billions (if not trillions) of dollars using them as is. It is time for them to give back what they have been using at our leave.
Notes: You know, if the government was smart (sorry - I know that is an oxymoronic statement) it would lease the airwaves to radio and tv stations (instead of selling them) and use this as a way to reduce income taxes (and possibly eliminate the need for them altogether - although that is probably a pretty far reach given the present way in which things are going). It is like copyrights. I don't mind every fourteen years having to refile for my copyrights. If you haven't made $10.00 in fourteen years - then the item isn't worth copyrighting again. But the important part is - it is a way to collect taxes without bothering the individual. Even if they went by the "one generation (ie: twenty years)" method (instead of the fourteen year method, and allowing one additional filing after someone has died) the government would have quite a bit of money coming in each year just from people/corporations refiling their copyrights. But I'm digressing.
It doesn't (as far as I could see) mention DRM. It only talks about being able to follow who did what with the information.
However, even the system of encryption, et al which is being proposed doesn't really do much. First, is the machine picking the randomly generated password or the person picking an easily recognizable password as in this problem.
Second, the machine (whether it be a camera, computer, or nightstick) doesn't have intelligence built into it. Thus, it would allow anyone who knew how to work the machine (and could guess the passwords) to alter the information. Even the fact that the computer is smart enough to make a copy of the original doesn't mean anything. If someone knew how the program worked - they could (and would) alter the original as well as the copy.
Until machines become self-aware or at least are aware of what someone is trying to do to them - we will not have a "good" way to stop fraud. (I say "good" because even then we will probably have some way to circumvent/unplug the smarts from a machine which puts us back where we are currently.)
Thoughts:
If the police want a more fullproof method of maintaining equilibrium in the establishment of, and verification of proof. Then they will need to greatly improve how that information is handled. A network (probably made up of Linux boxes) which are attached to a central repository and to which they can send information but not retrieve information (ie: a blind send) would be a step in the right direction. Information would only be retrievable from the main console connected directly to the centralized hardware. Also, files can not be deleted from the main system until the files have been backed up to a reliable medium (such as CDs/DVDs/tape). Otherwise, the system simply allows a user to register updates and nothing else.
Why not have the scripts which allow the post in the first place to scan the last X number of articles? Like 100 or so. If the old post contains a link to the same place as the current post, it notifies the poster before allowing them to post (ie: both the preview and submit buttons do this). The poster could be allowed to override the computer for whatever reason - but at least the notice (and appropriate HTTP URL) would be available to the user.
:-)
Also, it would be useful for posting follow-ups as well since the poster would not have to spend time searching for the original post. It would just be presented to them.
I see two ways to set up such a database.
1. Post -> URL
and
2. URL -> Post
#2 would be better since then the URL is only used once. Since record IDs are only 4 bytes (SlashDot hasn't gone past 2 Billion messages yet has it?) this method takes up less space than #1 and provides a complete list of where the URL was used. #2 could actually be URL->Post#1,Post#2,Post#3,etc....
Just a thought.
Why do you think they went out of business? ;-)
It is my understanding that, due to the nature of computers (ie: thousands of motherboards, thousands of video cards, lots of different cpus, cpu speeds, available ram, etc....) you can not depend upon a piece of software to work on a given system.
WalMart's policy is "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back" - the same as Sears. If you aren't satisfied - then you should be allowed to get your money back. However, I also have worked the other side of things. People tend to abuse stores a lot. In my case, I took the software home, tried it, it did not work well on my system (and yes - my system was within the parameters printed on the box), I did not like it, and wanted my money back. Even if it is store policy to say "No money back on opened software" they still have to give it back. After all, how many times have you bought a pair of shoes, worn them, they hurt, and you took them back? How many times has someone given you a Christmas present and you've taken it back? How many times have you bought anything or received anything and taken it back? You have to have that ability because sometimes you get something you just don't want or can't use. The problem is - is that we don't have an automatic lie detector stuck on our foreheads (or noses like Pinochio). So stores can't tell who is doing it to steal from them and who is truly just wanting to take something back. Or is there?
Stores collect a lot of information about you and your buying habits. In order to return anything you have to give them your name, address, etc.... Stores should allow returns based on this information. You buy one piece of software and return it, then another, then another, and pretty soon they can say no. Some people will cry foul at this and complain about the lack of privacy, anonymity, or whatever. Ok - then tell us how they should go about doing it? This is the least intrusive method I can think of and it is not a bad way of monitoring people. It isn't infallible. Nothing is. It can be misused. But it can, if dealt with openly and honestly by the stores, provide a means for talks between someone who is buying and returning a lot of things and the stores they are doing it to. It also might help those stores to lower their prices a bit. I'm not saying it is an end-all to what is going on - but it is a start.
Just a quick comment:
1. Ask to talk to the manager of the store. Explain the CD won't play. Get another one to replace it. If it will not play, ask for another one. Continue until either they give you your money back or you get one which will play.
2. If the manager won't do #1, then call the district office. Nothing makes a manager more willing to bend over backwards than to have someone higher up telling him to kiss your...er...feet.
3. If #2 doesn't work, then call the state office.
4. If #3 doesn't work, call the regional office.
5. If #4 doesn't work, call the national office.
6. By this time you should already either have your money back or five or six CDs as they try to appease you.
7. If #6 hasn't happened, then write a letter to the president of the corporation care of their national office. Presidents do NOT like to be disturbed by peasants....er customers and, truth to tell, I've never had to go past this point.
8. However! IANAL says: "Because CDs are sold shrinkwrapped they can not be listened to (in most major stores) before they are purchased and thus fall under the auspices of state and federal laws which guarantee that, if you are not satisfied with your purchase, you may return it." This is where the big controversy comes from. People are buying CDs and games, copying them, and then returning them for a refund. That isn't right. Either buy it and live with the outrageous costs or boycott it and live without the CD/game. Anything else is illegal. (And yeah - I know - second hand games, CDs, etc....blah blah blah. I'm talking about first time purchases at a store. Not over the internet, from your neighbor's dog, or whatever.)
There is no such thing as "You can't have your money back" in retail. My mom used to work for Montgomery Wards - ladies underwear. People would bring back underwear they'd worn for the past ten years and ask for brand new replacements! One lady only had the elastic left. The cloth had rotted away. Doesn't that strike you as going a bit overboard on the "Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back?" I do and I've never worked for Montgomery Wards.
I went to WalMart the other day and was told by the manager that it was against the DMCA to allow returns or refunds of computer software and/or CDs.
:-/
It took a while (and I had to go pretty far up the chain of command) to assure them that Congress never wrote "All businesses have to give refunds/returns except WalMart" in the DMCA.
Something to be on the look-out for.
1. Just because NASA is making plans for something doesn't mean it is going to do that. Believe me - they make a lot of plans.
2. The Space Shuttle is very inefficient. Basically a rock thrown into space. We need a better rock. That's a given. But who can do the cutting? That's the question.
Me.
(Have I ever told you about the time the Russian's poked a hole in the MIR with a drill? They used chewing gum to seal it (along with a clipboard) until special silicon sealant could be sent up on board the US Space Shuttle. The Russian's flew one of their jets (forget which one) over to Florida. One of the few times they've ever done that.)
The graph looks almost like a bad drawing of Dante's Inferno. Each twist is yet another level leading to hell.
Which, since Sunnyvale is where the hellmouth is - it sort of all works out. In a strange, sort of demented way.
(I think I'll go watch the Buffy musical again. It's got class. It's got style. And until you burn up - it sticks with you for a while.)
So THAT'S why the glaciers are melting! ;-)
Known about this for the last four billion years. ;-)
:-/
Truthfully, this isn't new. There was a study done several years ago where a tank full of water and chemicals was treated to several large zaps of electricity (sorry - can't find a link to it). The results were the basic building blocks of life. So this isn't something new. It's already been proven.
This reminds me of the monkey brain experiments. It's no wonder there are so many porno sites! They've already done these experiments and already found out what sells the best!
;-)
Damn! I wonder if it's too late to buy stock in this!