I think the point is that some (many?) mods see something they don't agree with and mod it down, rather than actually CONTRIBUTING to the discussion. Usually I M2 half of the Offtopic/Trolls unfair.
The main point of moderation is to mark the good stuff up, so that more people see it. Not only are people who mod everything down (other than GNAA shit and the like) wasting their mod points, but they are detracting from what could be a good discussion.
From the FAQ:
Concentrate more on promoting than on demoting. The real goal here is to find the juicy good stuff and let others read it. Do not promote personal agendas. Do not let your opinions factor in. Try to be impartial about this. Simply disagreeing with a comment is not a valid reason to mark it down. Likewise, agreeing with a comment is not a valid reason to mark it up. The goal here is to share ideas. To sift through the haystack and find needles. And to keep the children who like to spam Slashdot in check.
I am currently working on restoring a piece of the ENIAC at the University of Michigan - I know that when the piece was prepared for display, they literally put the computer in the back of a pickup truck and took it to the local do-it-yourself high-pressure car wash. Can't exactly do that with today's computers, eh?
This is probably a stupid question, but just how versatile is a passport with a smart chip embedded in it going to be? I'm just thinking of the times I might shove my passport in my back pocket and then later on sit down... is this type of smart chip able to survive such a horrible fate?
In some cases this be because there are just a shitload of shopping sites out there? For example, do a search for 'credit'. You get page after page of various domains from the same companies offering credit reports. Keep in mind, search engines are nothing but algorithms. Furthermore, the pagerank system that google uses takes into account how 'helpful' users found various sites, the number of times a word appears on the site, etc.
...I don't think I could recommend it to Sally Secretary quite yet. Its still got a bit more polishing to do. In Gnome, for example, I occasionally get a dialog box that says " occurred. For more information, click on the help button." Naturally there is no help button.
You're implying that Sally Secretary would USE the help button if it was there, rather than calling the helpdesk saying "my computer is broken again"...
I agree, I should have said "IF your argument was valid..." - The thing that bothered me most about their page is that every other sentence on the SERVE site is "... any computer as long as it's running Windows..." - they are making it seem like Windows is more than an arbitrary requirement, but don't explain why.
I'm a member of the UM Solar Car Team - they sent the team members and sponsors this message a few hours ago:
Michigan will not be participating in the 2003 American Solar Challenge. While qualifying for the race in Wisconsin, the car suffered steering system failures which did not allow SpectruM to qualify for and enter the race.
Although not being able to compete in this summer's ASC was devastating to all those involved with the project, the team is committed to using this experience as a building block for future success.
This is not the end for SpectruM! According to ASC race officials, SpectruM is "one of the most advanced and innovative Solar Cars ever built."
During the next month, the team will be displaying SpectruM and the team's sponsors at the Concourse D'Elegance auto show in Cranbrook, the Woodward Dream Cruise and the Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City.
The team is also exploring the possibility of racing SpectruM this October in the World Solar Challenge in Australia, as well as participating in the inaugural 2004 Phaethon Hellas Solar Rally held in Greece before the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens.
I'm a member of the Michigan solar car team, and many, if not most, of the members on the non-engineering projects are from the business school or other academic units.
In fact, the team makes a huge effort to reach out to non-engineering students, and we usually have excellent turnout.
Do I need a special computer or software to use the SERVE system? No. If your computer, or the public computer you are using, meets the minimum computer requirements, you will be able to use the UOCAVA Voting System (UVS). The minimum computer requirements are:
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, NT or XP - Internet Browser: either Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and above or Netscape Navigator 6.x and above
What browsers are compatible with SERVE? For security reasons, SERVE is only compatible with browsers with SSL 3.0 capabilities, which are listed below: - Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and above - Netscape Navigator 6.x and above
They make mention of the fact that Windows must be used for voting, but they don't explain the requirement. As far as I know, Mac OS, *nix, and Mozilla all support SSL3.0, so why arn't they included?
This is somewhat unrelated, but still an interesting comment on their page:
Does SERVE use Microsoft's Palladium software architecture? No, the Palladium software is not sufficiently ubiquitous at this time for use in SERVE.
I thought a big part of the RIAA's argument is that the labels have to underwrite the promotion and some of the costs for the tours... If this is true, then shouldn't they have already been taking a cut from the tour profits? Maybe I'm wrong here. I'd check out the RIAA's site, but it appears to be down...
while(handSucks) { screen.displayPopupAdForPorn();// distract user hand.throwWorstCardUnderTable(); hand.pullAceFromSleeve(); }
Of course, the bot doesn't cheat:
"""Q: Why are the bots such filthy rotten cheaters?!?!
A: Poki does not cheat. Poki connects to the online server just like any other player, and does not have access to any other player's private cards. The server's random number generator is sound (although not as sophisticated as most online servers). Any weird or suspicious outcomes are simply the result of luck . This is a normal part of poker. If you believe otherwise, you are more than welcome to play somewhere else.""" (from the FAQ)
I see your point, but in this case, I think the public is MUCH more against the RIAA than they were against Microsoft. This might pursuade politicians to back the lawsuit.
Without a doubt... I am thrilled that this is happening - I was just wondering if anyone had info or suggestions to make this actually have some effect.
Hopefully, this will lead other states to regulate spam, and eventually even a national law regulating it.
I live in Michigan, and am quite pleased to hear this... but I do have to wonder about the effectiveness the bill will have.
1. Enforcement: How will they actually prosecute (or even find) spammers that violate the law? I'd say there's a pretty good chance that there will be quite a few complaints. Assuming they're even able to backtrack and find the spammers who violate the law, a large number of violations could render this law unenforceable. It takes a good amount of time to review the violation, try to track down where the e-mail came from, etc. If they can't effectivly track down violators, the law won't do much.
2. Interstate/International commerce: While this should affect spammers in all states (as explained in another post), how will this hold up with international companies? Does this stop a company in the US from sending it's spam through a Canadian e-mail advertising agency? Does it apply to non-US companies at all?
I'm far from a legal expert, so if you have any ideas please share them.
Slashdot Mirror
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Now I can play Giraffe with a controller!!
The main point of moderation is to mark the good stuff up, so that more people see it. Not only are people who mod everything down (other than GNAA shit and the like) wasting their mod points, but they are detracting from what could be a good discussion.
From the FAQ:
I am currently working on restoring a piece of the ENIAC at the University of Michigan - I know that when the piece was prepared for display, they literally put the computer in the back of a pickup truck and took it to the local do-it-yourself high-pressure car wash. Can't exactly do that with today's computers, eh?
This is probably a stupid question, but just how versatile is a passport with a smart chip embedded in it going to be? I'm just thinking of the times I might shove my passport in my back pocket and then later on sit down... is this type of smart chip able to survive such a horrible fate?
In some cases this be because there are just a shitload of shopping sites out there? For example, do a search for 'credit'. You get page after page of various domains from the same companies offering credit reports. Keep in mind, search engines are nothing but algorithms. Furthermore, the pagerank system that google uses takes into account how 'helpful' users found various sites, the number of times a word appears on the site, etc.
Isn't there some way to build this out of floppy disks?
I agree, I should have said "IF your argument was valid..." - The thing that bothered me most about their page is that every other sentence on the SERVE site is "... any computer as long as it's running Windows..." - they are making it seem like Windows is more than an arbitrary requirement, but don't explain why.
In fact, the team makes a huge effort to reach out to non-engineering students, and we usually have excellent turnout.
Secondly, (not that I'm advocating this) but isn't it easy to fake the http Browser/OS tag header?
This is somewhat unrelated, but still an interesting comment on their page:
*Phew*...I thought a big part of the RIAA's argument is that the labels have to underwrite the promotion and some of the costs for the tours... If this is true, then shouldn't they have already been taking a cut from the tour profits? Maybe I'm wrong here. I'd check out the RIAA's site, but it appears to be down...
Clippy: "It looks like you're writing a unethical confidential internal company memo. Would you like help with that?"
Of course, the bot doesn't cheat:
"""Q: Why are the bots such filthy rotten cheaters?!?!
A: Poki does not cheat. Poki connects to the online server just like any other player, and does not have access to any other player's private cards. The server's random number generator is sound (although not as sophisticated as most online servers). Any weird or suspicious outcomes are simply the result of luck . This is a normal part of poker. If you believe otherwise, you are more than welcome to play somewhere else.""" (from the FAQ)
I mean, come on - it's a normal part of poker :)
I see your point, but in this case, I think the public is MUCH more against the RIAA than they were against Microsoft. This might pursuade politicians to back the lawsuit.
Can the states get in on this, like they did in the Microsoft anti-trust case?
Perhaps with a good number of states backing it they could pull it off.
Hopefully, this will lead other states to regulate spam, and eventually even a national law regulating it.
This is the explanation I got when I asked the same question about a California law, regarding newspaper advertising.
1. Enforcement: How will they actually prosecute (or even find) spammers that violate the law? I'd say there's a pretty good chance that there will be quite a few complaints. Assuming they're even able to backtrack and find the spammers who violate the law, a large number of violations could render this law unenforceable. It takes a good amount of time to review the violation, try to track down where the e-mail came from, etc. If they can't effectivly track down violators, the law won't do much.
2. Interstate/International commerce: While this should affect spammers in all states (as explained in another post), how will this hold up with international companies? Does this stop a company in the US from sending it's spam through a Canadian e-mail advertising agency? Does it apply to non-US companies at all? I'm far from a legal expert, so if you have any ideas please share them.
Wouldn't that make it then become the "world's largest inkjet printer"?
[/. Editor's note: no it's not]
Oh no, they're gonna send us more junk snail mail?
Three words: RETURN TO SENDER.