I think that Mr. Badnarik's agenda is not correct for this (or any) country.
Certainly there needs to be some sort of structure implemented by the people to govern themselves. While I do believe that both the Democrats and Republicans are (for the most part) greedy, corrupt and power-hungry, I don't think that a radical Libertarian agenda is correct. What we need is enlightened leadership, which acts in the interest of the people.
Let's face it; our society has many, many problems, not only with education, but with outsourcing, distribution of wealth, government invasions of privacy . . . anyone could go on for hours. The simple fact is that this country needs leadership which is interested in working hard to solve those problems.
The Democrats won't do it, neither will the Republicans, but I'd rather see a slightly stronger government that imposes some regulation and control over corporations, rather than a government that is so powerless that it cannot act in the public interest (which is what I believe would be the case under a Libertarian leadership.)
Next thing you know Microsoft will start asking Windows pirates to come forward on their own volition.
Um . ..
Microsoft 'has launched a pilot program in which some visitors to the main Windows download page are being asked to let the software maker check to see whether their copy of the operating system is licensed.'
All of the systems that John Deere sells under the "AutoTrac" flag require someone to be in the tractor. I don't remember the statistics off the top of my head, but I believe that, if you are out of your seat for more than six seconds, the auto-steer system will shut off. The system assists you; it doesn't do the job for you.
Now, a good question is . . . if you have a GPS receiver (which is essentially at a point, usually on the top of the tractor cab), how does one compensate for slopes, etc? If you're in fairly hilly territory, and your tractor is on an incline perpendicular to the direction of travel, your GPS coordinates may be shifted a foot or two to either side (depending on the direction of the incline.) Compensation for that really doesn't happen right now, but there are a number of companies (including John Deere) that will soon be releasing methods to correct for hilly terrain.
I currently work at John Deere, doing technical support for their "GreenStar" line of precision farming products that were briefly mentioned in that article. I had very little experience with agriculture before I started with John Deere, (I grew up in Iowa, but in Des Moines) but since starting there, I've actually gotten excited (if you can imagine that) about the things that they are doing with their Ag Management Solutions division (their precision farming group.)
It's important to note right now that there are a number of solutions offered by companies other than John Deere, but as I work for them, I am most familiar with their products.
Precision farming system serves three primary purposes:
Reduce costs - If you're overlapping when you're spraying a chemical to ensure that you have full field coverage, you're essentially wasting the amount of product which you're using to ensure overlap. Think about it . . . one additional foot of a chemical application, times one half of a mile per pass, times however many passes per field, times however many fields . . . you see how the cost-savings can add up. Chemicals aren't the only cost associated with doing operations in a field. When you're leasing a tractor for so many hours, paying by the hour for labor, and paying for fuel, eliminating one pass per field each time you perform an operation can mean huge cost savings.
Make intelligent decisions about where to irrigate, or how to change planting varieties - John Deere's GreenStar Yield Mapping system can tell a operator what values of yield and moisture were achieved at any point in a field, so he can alter his irrigation system, plant different varieties across a field or plant different rates
Variable Rate Seeding and Spraying - Almost impossible to do without a computer, a farmer can alter the rates at which he applies seed or a chemical throughout the field, based on GPS coordinate maps.
Obviously, these benefits will not outweigh the costs of precision farming systems during the short-run, or for the small farming operation . . . but for larger operations over the long run, the benefit can be huge. Ultimately it boils down to making farming more efficient and more profitable for the farmer (while providing additional revenue to Deere and Company, of course) and ultimately, this is a good thing.
In addition to John Deere's GreenStar product line, they also offer a product called JDLink, which allows owners to monitor usage of their equipment in the field. (This is really nice if you have a huge farming operation or are in the business of renting equipment.) It's not really precision farming, per se, but it's worth checking out. http://www.jdlink.com/
Of course, what people are doing today is only the beginning. I can't give too much detail, but there is a lot going on at Deere and Company in their precision farming group; it looks as though they believe precision farming in "the next big thing" in farming.
If you are interested in learning more about John Deere's flavor of precision farming, visit the AMS web site (http://www.deere.com/en_US/ag/servicesupport/ams/ index.html) or stop by your local John Deere dealer. While you're at your John Deere dealer, if you're interested in tinkering with some software, pick up a copy of the JDOffice desktop software. It's only about $5.00 and you may get to talk to me when you activate it.;-)
1. Work hard, because, while hard work may not always pay off, laziness will always catch up to you.
2. Don't be afraid to try something different.
3. Don't feel afraid to say "no" when asked to do something; don't put pleasing others above your needs.
4. Strive to find a common ground with your parents; they can be your most valuable allies.
5. Everything will one day become dust; permanence is a lie.
6. Distinguish yourself in school, as it will make you more successful later.
7. Develop intimate relationships with a few people, and casual friendships with everybody. Your intimate relationships will provide emotional support and your casual friendships will provide opportunities.
In my opinion, there are two ways that people will react to the problem of exploits in computer software:
In the short term, I expect that the most recent attack will provide a huge sales boost to pre-packaged "security solutions" like firewalls, virus protection, etc. and will probably be used as an extra card that the government can play when arguing for implementing a comprehensive Internet monitoring system. Of course, both of these things are unfortunate, as neither one promotes security and the latter gives the government way too much power . ..
Long term, the best protection against exploits in computer software is a shift in attitude about where software companies should place their priorities. At present, it is more lucrative for companies to push a piece of software out the door and sell upgrades than to spend extra time developing secure software. Only a strong fiscal mandate from corporate customers will change the way software companies do business . . . and I hope that mandate comes soon.
At first I though? What? Why are they testing this in Iowa? Then, I saw the light . ..
As a Des Moines native and a student at Iowa State University in Ames, I can see why they picked these roads. The sections of highway that were picked for this test have very predictable traffic patterns. One can always count on the Des Moines "rush-15-minutes" and the commute from surrounding small towns to Des Moines. By using roads in a smaller city, with very predictable traffic patterns, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Federal Highway Administration have eliminated many of the variables associated with larger cities.
Of course, this probably means that Iowa State University will be less likely to cancel classes due to poor road conditions . . . but I'm a Computer Engineer, so it's not like I have anything better to do than to go to class.:-)
"New security risks have emerged on a scale that few in our industry fully anticipated," Gates wrote in a 1,500-word e-mail distributed late Thursday to about 1 million people. (Full article at CNN.com)
Yes, $200 for a computer that does the things that most people need sounds great, and I'm excited to see it selling well. In fact, I am considering buying one to set up as a general purpose linux box.
One must remember, however, that Wal-Mart is a large corporation just like Microsoft . . . and it has a history of pouring money into stores and selling inventory at a loss to kill off competition. Though I doubt it may happen any time soon, if large numbers of users start flocking to the "Wal-Mart" PC, Microsoft may lose its footing in the operating system market, but would a market dominated by Wal-Mart be healthy?
As I see it, the biggest selling points for 3G data service are the availability and security associated with it. While one can never be completely secure over anything wireless, certainly, when coupled with stronger encryption, 3G can promise high speed security. Most people who need an internet connection for business purposes will likely pay a premium for always-available, secure data services.
For the casual user, I do see 802.11b as being "just fine." So what if someone is packet-sniffing my Yahoo.com mail account? I'm really not doing anything important. However, when data services become both ubiquitous and inexpensive, we may find users who cut the line on their cable modems and DSL connections and go wireless. (Kind of like we are seeing a transition from land-line phones to cellular.)
Of course, there are also issues such as network saturation, which I feel are being grossly overlooked. I mean, I regularly can't complete calls during the evening hours (when the other 26,000 people at my University are also using their free night and weekend minutes.) I can't imagine what it would be like with data services on top of that!
In short, I see the cellular phone as an application of a broader wireless platform. The platform is now beginning to be used to transmit data, which is a perfectly appropriate use of the technology. Over the next few years as 3G becomes more wire-spread, we'll see how things shape up. It will be interesting to watch.
Well, as I see it, the biggest selling points for 3G data service are the availability and security associated with it. While one can never be completely secure over anything wireless, certainly, when coupled with stronger encryption, 3G can promise high speed security. Most people who need an internet connection for business purposes will likely pay a premium for always-available, secure data services.
For the casual user, however, I see 802.11b as being "just fine." So what if someone is packet-sniffing my Yahoo.com mail account? I'm really not doing anything important. However, when data services become both ubiquitous and inexpensive, we may find users who cut the line on their cable modems and DSL connections and go wireless. (Kind of like we are seeing a transition from land-line phones to cellular.)
Of course, there are also issues such as network saturation, which I feel are being grossly overlooked. I mean, I regularly can't complete calls during the evening hours (when the other 26,000 people at my University are also using their free night and weekend minutes.) I can't imagine what it would be like with data services on top of that!
Answering your question directly . . I see the cellular phone as an application of a broader wireless platform. The platform is now being used to transmit data, which is a perfectly appropriate use of the technology. Over the next few years, we'll see how things shape up. It will be interesting to watch.
(Dang, I wish I had posted this earlier so it would stand a chance of getting modded up.)
Certainly the best approach would be like any other introductory computer class: Introduce the operating system as a client first, and allow them to learn the basic functions of the KDE or GNOME. Teach them how to set up TCP/IP, access applications, shutdown, restart. Introduce them to some popular open source applications like Star Office and Mozilla and show them the similarities and differences between the GUI of your choice and MacOS or Windows.
After they have learned how to be an effective user of linux (on a very basic level), only then should you step into the realm of linux system administration. Once they have a footing in the GUI, drop them into the console, teach them a few things.
Probably the most important thing to remember is that you shouldn't overwhelm them. Yes, they may be bright, but one can only handle so much.;-)
Third Generation networks will be adopted, no question, because the large mobile players have the financial ability to push it to their customers and customers have a willingness to try it.
The long-term profitability of 3G technology, however, depends on if it can drive new users to mobile technology and if it will inspire current users to spend more money using wireless service.
Right now, 3G is used for downloading ringtones, sending small pictures and faster mobile web. Great! . . . but I, as a mobile telephone user, could care less about those things. Mobile web . . . the killer app? Gag me. I got on the "mobile web" with Verizon, simply because it was included as a "bonus." After using it, I can definitely say that I'd never pay for it, because it provides no real value.
For 3G technology to be successful in the long run, wireless companies must provide a data service that compliments and adds real value to mobile telephone service.
This will definitely be interesting to see, but as always with governments releasing "secret files," I am skeptical. Certainly these files, if they are legitimate, are not the complete collection, but rather very carefully selected tidbits from the massive archives of British intelligence.
Slashdot Mirror
How to up your karma on Slashdot:
1. Post something insightful.
3. Wait for inevitable story repost.
4. Repost.
At least Google will never make you . . . give them half of all your assets. Hopefully.
So, what you're saying is that we should stay from MSN Search? ;-)
I think that Mr. Badnarik's agenda is not correct for this (or any) country.
Certainly there needs to be some sort of structure implemented by the people to govern themselves. While I do believe that both the Democrats and Republicans are (for the most part) greedy, corrupt and power-hungry, I don't think that a radical Libertarian agenda is correct. What we need is enlightened leadership, which acts in the interest of the people.
Let's face it; our society has many, many problems, not only with education, but with outsourcing, distribution of wealth, government invasions of privacy . . . anyone could go on for hours. The simple fact is that this country needs leadership which is interested in working hard to solve those problems.
The Democrats won't do it, neither will the Republicans, but I'd rather see a slightly stronger government that imposes some regulation and control over corporations, rather than a government that is so powerless that it cannot act in the public interest (which is what I believe would be the case under a Libertarian leadership.)
In the end, it's all about balance.
Next thing you know Microsoft will start asking Windows pirates to come forward on their own volition.
Um . . .
Microsoft 'has launched a pilot program in which some visitors to the main Windows download page are being asked to let the software maker check to see whether their copy of the operating system is licensed.'
http://slashdot.org/articles/04/09/17/2315203.shtm l?tid=196&tid=1
This is great . . . except that Dr. Jacobson, founder of Palisade Systems, is a professor at my school. Good bye file sharing on ISU's network. ;-)
All of the systems that John Deere sells under the "AutoTrac" flag require someone to be in the tractor. I don't remember the statistics off the top of my head, but I believe that, if you are out of your seat for more than six seconds, the auto-steer system will shut off. The system assists you; it doesn't do the job for you.
Now, a good question is . . . if you have a GPS receiver (which is essentially at a point, usually on the top of the tractor cab), how does one compensate for slopes, etc? If you're in fairly hilly territory, and your tractor is on an incline perpendicular to the direction of travel, your GPS coordinates may be shifted a foot or two to either side (depending on the direction of the incline.) Compensation for that really doesn't happen right now, but there are a number of companies (including John Deere) that will soon be releasing methods to correct for hilly terrain.
I currently work at John Deere, doing technical support for their "GreenStar" line of precision farming products that were briefly mentioned in that article. I had very little experience with agriculture before I started with John Deere, (I grew up in Iowa, but in Des Moines) but since starting there, I've actually gotten excited (if you can imagine that) about the things that they are doing with their Ag Management Solutions division (their precision farming group.)
It's important to note right now that there are a number of solutions offered by companies other than John Deere, but as I work for them, I am most familiar with their products.
Precision farming system serves three primary purposes:
Obviously, these benefits will not outweigh the costs of precision farming systems during the short-run, or for the small farming operation . . . but for larger operations over the long run, the benefit can be huge. Ultimately it boils down to making farming more efficient and more profitable for the farmer (while providing additional revenue to Deere and Company, of course) and ultimately, this is a good thing.
In addition to John Deere's GreenStar product line, they also offer a product called JDLink, which allows owners to monitor usage of their equipment in the field. (This is really nice if you have a huge farming operation or are in the business of renting equipment.) It's not really precision farming, per se, but it's worth checking out. http://www.jdlink.com/
Of course, what people are doing today is only the beginning. I can't give too much detail, but there is a lot going on at Deere and Company in their precision farming group; it looks as though they believe precision farming in "the next big thing" in farming.
If you are interested in learning more about John Deere's flavor of precision farming, visit the AMS web site (http://www.deere.com/en_US/ag/servicesupport/ams/ index.html) or stop by your local John Deere dealer. While you're at your John Deere dealer, if you're interested in tinkering with some software, pick up a copy of the JDOffice desktop software. It's only about $5.00 and you may get to talk to me when you activate it. ;-)
The advice I would give to myself:
1. Work hard, because, while hard work may not always pay off, laziness will always catch up to you.
2. Don't be afraid to try something different.
3. Don't feel afraid to say "no" when asked to do something; don't put pleasing others above your needs.
4. Strive to find a common ground with your parents; they can be your most valuable allies.
5. Everything will one day become dust; permanence is a lie.
6. Distinguish yourself in school, as it will make you more successful later.
7. Develop intimate relationships with a few people, and casual friendships with everybody. Your intimate relationships will provide emotional support and your casual friendships will provide opportunities.
In my opinion, there are two ways that people will react to the problem of exploits in computer software:
In the short term, I expect that the most recent attack will provide a huge sales boost to pre-packaged "security solutions" like firewalls, virus protection, etc. and will probably be used as an extra card that the government can play when arguing for implementing a comprehensive Internet monitoring system. Of course, both of these things are unfortunate, as neither one promotes security and the latter gives the government way too much power . . .
Long term, the best protection against exploits in computer software is a shift in attitude about where software companies should place their priorities. At present, it is more lucrative for companies to push a piece of software out the door and sell upgrades than to spend extra time developing secure software. Only a strong fiscal mandate from corporate customers will change the way software companies do business . . . and I hope that mandate comes soon.
At first I though? What? Why are they testing this in Iowa? Then, I saw the light . . .
As a Des Moines native and a student at Iowa State University in Ames, I can see why they picked these roads. The sections of highway that were picked for this test have very predictable traffic patterns. One can always count on the Des Moines "rush-15-minutes" and the commute from surrounding small towns to Des Moines. By using roads in a smaller city, with very predictable traffic patterns, the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the Federal Highway Administration have eliminated many of the variables associated with larger cities.
Of course, this probably means that Iowa State University will be less likely to cancel classes due to poor road conditions . . . but I'm a Computer Engineer, so it's not like I have anything better to do than to go to class. :-)
I guess even Gates saw this coming. ;-)
"New security risks have emerged on a scale that few in our industry fully anticipated," Gates wrote in a 1,500-word e-mail distributed late Thursday to about 1 million people. (Full article at CNN.com)
DOH!
Yes, $200 for a computer that does the things that most people need sounds great, and I'm excited to see it selling well. In fact, I am considering buying one to set up as a general purpose linux box.
One must remember, however, that Wal-Mart is a large corporation just like Microsoft . . . and it has a history of pouring money into stores and selling inventory at a loss to kill off competition. Though I doubt it may happen any time soon, if large numbers of users start flocking to the "Wal-Mart" PC, Microsoft may lose its footing in the operating system market, but would a market dominated by Wal-Mart be healthy?
Just something to think about.
As I see it, the biggest selling points for 3G data service are the availability and security associated with it. While one can never be completely secure over anything wireless, certainly, when coupled with stronger encryption, 3G can promise high speed security. Most people who need an internet connection for business purposes will likely pay a premium for always-available, secure data services.
For the casual user, I do see 802.11b as being "just fine." So what if someone is packet-sniffing my Yahoo.com mail account? I'm really not doing anything important. However, when data services become both ubiquitous and inexpensive, we may find users who cut the line on their cable modems and DSL connections and go wireless. (Kind of like we are seeing a transition from land-line phones to cellular.)
Of course, there are also issues such as network saturation, which I feel are being grossly overlooked. I mean, I regularly can't complete calls during the evening hours (when the other 26,000 people at my University are also using their free night and weekend minutes.) I can't imagine what it would be like with data services on top of that!
In short, I see the cellular phone as an application of a broader wireless platform. The platform is now beginning to be used to transmit data, which is a perfectly appropriate use of the technology. Over the next few years as 3G becomes more wire-spread, we'll see how things shape up. It will be interesting to watch.
Well, as I see it, the biggest selling points for 3G data service are the availability and security associated with it. While one can never be completely secure over anything wireless, certainly, when coupled with stronger encryption, 3G can promise high speed security. Most people who need an internet connection for business purposes will likely pay a premium for always-available, secure data services.
For the casual user, however, I see 802.11b as being "just fine." So what if someone is packet-sniffing my Yahoo.com mail account? I'm really not doing anything important. However, when data services become both ubiquitous and inexpensive, we may find users who cut the line on their cable modems and DSL connections and go wireless. (Kind of like we are seeing a transition from land-line phones to cellular.)
Of course, there are also issues such as network saturation, which I feel are being grossly overlooked. I mean, I regularly can't complete calls during the evening hours (when the other 26,000 people at my University are also using their free night and weekend minutes.) I can't imagine what it would be like with data services on top of that!
Answering your question directly . . I see the cellular phone as an application of a broader wireless platform. The platform is now being used to transmit data, which is a perfectly appropriate use of the technology. Over the next few years, we'll see how things shape up. It will be interesting to watch.
(Dang, I wish I had posted this earlier so it would stand a chance of getting modded up.)
Certainly the best approach would be like any other introductory computer class: Introduce the operating system as a client first, and allow them to learn the basic functions of the KDE or GNOME. Teach them how to set up TCP/IP, access applications, shutdown, restart. Introduce them to some popular open source applications like Star Office and Mozilla and show them the similarities and differences between the GUI of your choice and MacOS or Windows.
After they have learned how to be an effective user of linux (on a very basic level), only then should you step into the realm of linux system administration. Once they have a footing in the GUI, drop them into the console, teach them a few things.
Probably the most important thing to remember is that you shouldn't overwhelm them. Yes, they may be bright, but one can only handle so much. ;-)
Third Generation networks will be adopted, no question, because the large mobile players have the financial ability to push it to their customers and customers have a willingness to try it.
The long-term profitability of 3G technology, however, depends on if it can drive new users to mobile technology and if it will inspire current users to spend more money using wireless service.
Right now, 3G is used for downloading ringtones, sending small pictures and faster mobile web. Great! . . . but I, as a mobile telephone user, could care less about those things. Mobile web . . . the killer app? Gag me. I got on the "mobile web" with Verizon, simply because it was included as a "bonus." After using it, I can definitely say that I'd never pay for it, because it provides no real value.
For 3G technology to be successful in the long run, wireless companies must provide a data service that compliments and adds real value to mobile telephone service.
This will definitely be interesting to see, but as always with governments releasing "secret files," I am skeptical. Certainly these files, if they are legitimate, are not the complete collection, but rather very carefully selected tidbits from the massive archives of British intelligence.
The original story is here: http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/11/26/162622 5&mode=thread&tid=133