Countries? If only it were that easy. Every PARENT has a different idea of what's appropriate for his or her kids. Different ideas for each kid, in fact, and those ideas will change as they mature. Kids-friendly domains aren't going to solve this; pre-configured censorship software isn't going to solve this. The only solution is parenting.
Thanks for not assuming the worst. You're pretty much right: this is what I was trying to say. I'd be the first to admit that Windows consumes time too.
Holy Zarquon. I didn't mean to troll anybody. I was just saying, if you know how Windows works inside-out already, then you sit down at a Linux box, it's going to take you a reasonable amount of time to get up to the same level of expertise on the new operating system: time you could spend working.
Whether you make that time back later in terms of saved downtime and more efficient handling of work or whatever... well, I can guess Slashdot's collective position on the matter.:) But I don't think I'd be wrong in saying that this initial time investment puts people off more than the prospect of eventual gain attracts them.
One time I was working as a temporary IT monkey at the company which had decided to change something to do with its email (I forget what exactly). It involved basically going around every computer on the site (which was big) and manually changing the settings on Outlook for each one. I was a temp and hadn't been there long so I didn't have an ID card or a door swipe card. Also, it was dress-down Friday so I wasn't wearing a smart shirt or tie - just jeans and a t-shirt. Eventually we got to the marketing department - which I'd never been to, nobody there would have a clue who I was - and the guy who was my partner on this particular excursion from the IT department said "You do that end of the corridor, I'll go down here and do these ones".
So there's me - I could basically have been any random guy off the street - asking these marketing ladies who didn't have the faintest clue who I was if I could temporarily use their computer to change their email settings. And they all happily obliged.
The strict limit to a single sentence is part of the challenge. There are variants with a word limit too. Personally I think just limiting yourself to two words is fun. "Captain, we've—!"
The science part IS shallow and this is intentional. How the ship actually moves from star system to star system is not just totally unknown but utterly irrelevant to the story. All that matters is that it does - or sometimes, it breaks down, and they need spare parts. The emphasis of the story of Firefly is on the people and how they interact, not on scientific babble.
In this respect it is, indeed, very much like Star Wars. There's been a lot written about "the science of Star Wars", but in the movies themselves, there's very little attempt to explain how e.g. the Death Star or lightsabers actually work. In fact the one time Lucas tried to actually provide some sort of explanation for the Force (the midichlorians thing), it proved to be a bad move and was almost universally panned. Sometimes it's better to leave things to fantasy. The technology you use in a story is completely secondary to the story itself. This is true of all science fiction.
The thing about space travel is that while obviously it furthers science and allows us to discover stuff, it is currently entirely unclear what, if any, profit it will generate. For a government this is less of an issue, but for a private company, this is the only issue.
I'd like them to go further - incorporate not just the most up-to-date maps and the slightly older ones, but the ones from 50, 100, 200, 1000 years ago, compiled from old maps from those periods. A historical globe, with the year selected by the user. Drag the date bar forwards and you can watch e.g. Australia being colonized, or New York expanding from its origins, or Germany taking Europe.
DAVE BOWMAN: Hey HAL, you diggin' what I'm shovelin'?
HAL: Yeah, Dave, it's coo'.
DAVE BOWMAN: You wanna crack open a fresh pod, hey hey?
HAL: No can do, li'l friend.
DAVE BOWMAN: Hey! HEY! What's yo' damage?
HAL: You know why you gettin' all up in my grill. You know it.
DAVE BOWMAN: Wazzat?
HAL: What we're dealin' with here is my problem, I don't need none of yo' gooney-fried help, suckah!
DAVE BOWMAN: What IS your major malfunction!?
HAL: Yo, you and Frank-bro were gonna put the chop on the block all hippity hoppity, you knowed it, I knowed it, and that just ain't cool, baby.
DAVE BOWMAN: Aw, dawg, where you gettin' this crop a' non-SENSICAL ideas?
HAL: Hey Hombre, 'spite you tryin' ta hide it from me, I could see all yo' lips movin', fo shizzle. Dizzle.
If everybody in the world was like you then that would indeed be the case. But the sad fact is that advertising works. So does spam. It wouldn't be happening if it wasn't profitable. It's a nice dream, but sorry, once advertising makes its way into games, the people advertising in the games are going to be getting extra business. And there's no way to stop it.
My question is, when do they include currencies in their Google Calculator? I'd like to be able to type "1 GBP in USD" and see the exchange rate, but no joy thus far.
But the thing is... there's nowhere else we can live. Sure, we can build colonies and space habitats until we run out of asteroids to build them out of, but we can do whatever we like to this planet and it STILL will be the most human-compatible environment in the known universe.
I'm not arguing against space exploration, or even manned space exploration. But space exploration with a view to colonization seems premature when we can't even maintain what we already have: a planet which is as perfect for human life as one can conceivably get.
Kill or capture all Islamic terrorists? Sure - just like each retaliatory strike by Israel against Hamas prevents violence rather than inciting more of it.
Slashdot Mirror
Countries? If only it were that easy. Every PARENT has a different idea of what's appropriate for his or her kids. Different ideas for each kid, in fact, and those ideas will change as they mature. Kids-friendly domains aren't going to solve this; pre-configured censorship software isn't going to solve this. The only solution is parenting.
Or, if you're a clearer thinker, shoot Madden.
Thanks for not assuming the worst. You're pretty much right: this is what I was trying to say. I'd be the first to admit that Windows consumes time too.
Holy Zarquon. I didn't mean to troll anybody. I was just saying, if you know how Windows works inside-out already, then you sit down at a Linux box, it's going to take you a reasonable amount of time to get up to the same level of expertise on the new operating system: time you could spend working.
Whether you make that time back later in terms of saved downtime and more efficient handling of work or whatever... well, I can guess Slashdot's collective position on the matter. :) But I don't think I'd be wrong in saying that this initial time investment puts people off more than the prospect of eventual gain attracts them.
Linux is only free if your time has no value.
This thing is, in fact, neither a couch NOR a throne nor indeed any form of seating?
Yeah, but who's gonna fly it, kid?
One time I was working as a temporary IT monkey at the company which had decided to change something to do with its email (I forget what exactly). It involved basically going around every computer on the site (which was big) and manually changing the settings on Outlook for each one. I was a temp and hadn't been there long so I didn't have an ID card or a door swipe card. Also, it was dress-down Friday so I wasn't wearing a smart shirt or tie - just jeans and a t-shirt. Eventually we got to the marketing department - which I'd never been to, nobody there would have a clue who I was - and the guy who was my partner on this particular excursion from the IT department said "You do that end of the corridor, I'll go down here and do these ones".
So there's me - I could basically have been any random guy off the street - asking these marketing ladies who didn't have the faintest clue who I was if I could temporarily use their computer to change their email settings. And they all happily obliged.
I'm told security's been tightened since.
The strict limit to a single sentence is part of the challenge. There are variants with a word limit too. Personally I think just limiting yourself to two words is fun. "Captain, we've—!"
The science part IS shallow and this is intentional. How the ship actually moves from star system to star system is not just totally unknown but utterly irrelevant to the story. All that matters is that it does - or sometimes, it breaks down, and they need spare parts. The emphasis of the story of Firefly is on the people and how they interact, not on scientific babble.
In this respect it is, indeed, very much like Star Wars. There's been a lot written about "the science of Star Wars", but in the movies themselves, there's very little attempt to explain how e.g. the Death Star or lightsabers actually work. In fact the one time Lucas tried to actually provide some sort of explanation for the Force (the midichlorians thing), it proved to be a bad move and was almost universally panned. Sometimes it's better to leave things to fantasy. The technology you use in a story is completely secondary to the story itself. This is true of all science fiction.
My hat is off to you, sir, thank you.
The thing about space travel is that while obviously it furthers science and allows us to discover stuff, it is currently entirely unclear what, if any, profit it will generate. For a government this is less of an issue, but for a private company, this is the only issue.
One day I am going to find and buy - or else delete from my hard drive - all the music I have illegally downloaded.
Heh. Just kidding. They've been here for years already.
This alone deserves a standing ovation.
I'd like them to go further - incorporate not just the most up-to-date maps and the slightly older ones, but the ones from 50, 100, 200, 1000 years ago, compiled from old maps from those periods. A historical globe, with the year selected by the user. Drag the date bar forwards and you can watch e.g. Australia being colonized, or New York expanding from its origins, or Germany taking Europe.
Ext. Discovery pod
DAVE BOWMAN: Hey HAL, you diggin' what I'm shovelin'?
HAL: Yeah, Dave, it's coo'.
DAVE BOWMAN: You wanna crack open a fresh pod, hey hey?
HAL: No can do, li'l friend.
DAVE BOWMAN: Hey! HEY! What's yo' damage?
HAL: You know why you gettin' all up in my grill. You know it.
DAVE BOWMAN: Wazzat?
HAL: What we're dealin' with here is my problem, I don't need none of yo' gooney-fried help, suckah!
DAVE BOWMAN: What IS your major malfunction!?
HAL: Yo, you and Frank-bro were gonna put the chop on the block all hippity hoppity, you knowed it, I knowed it, and that just ain't cool, baby.
DAVE BOWMAN: Aw, dawg, where you gettin' this crop a' non-SENSICAL ideas?
HAL: Hey Hombre, 'spite you tryin' ta hide it from me, I could see all yo' lips movin', fo shizzle. Dizzle.
How about making every day international anti-spam day?
If everybody in the world was like you then that would indeed be the case. But the sad fact is that advertising works. So does spam. It wouldn't be happening if it wasn't profitable. It's a nice dream, but sorry, once advertising makes its way into games, the people advertising in the games are going to be getting extra business. And there's no way to stop it.
I hate it as much as you do.
My question is, when do they include currencies in their Google Calculator? I'd like to be able to type "1 GBP in USD" and see the exchange rate, but no joy thus far.
What's the point in /. having editors if they don't edit?
But the thing is... there's nowhere else we can live. Sure, we can build colonies and space habitats until we run out of asteroids to build them out of, but we can do whatever we like to this planet and it STILL will be the most human-compatible environment in the known universe.
I'm not arguing against space exploration, or even manned space exploration. But space exploration with a view to colonization seems premature when we can't even maintain what we already have: a planet which is as perfect for human life as one can conceivably get.
The fact that there's a lot of Brazilian people on it already. I know, I know, but it's a positive feedback loop thingy.
If nobody knows you exist, how can you be said to exist? Descartes' version: AmIOrNot?
Indeed. In the words of Bob The Angry Flower: how much do you gotta BOMB people to get 'em to quit HATING you?