"It is a very powerful machine. It could run into something and do serious damage."
And the SUV that nearly killed me this morning isn't?
The real reason it isn't on the road is government regulation. There needs to be a 10-year rigorous testing project to make sure it meets federal emmission standards.
They did show how Pike got into that predicament. He was the Captain of the Enterprise for the pilot, which was only later cut into "The Cage" where he has the blinkenlights.
Ahhh... the blinkenlights. The pretty, pretty blinkenlights.
It's not exactly a fair comparison between CD-R and analog tape for audio. The audio tape isn't "more reliable." It just degrades differently.
As the tape ages, the quality of the audio signal degrades dramatically, but because it is an analogue signal, it can still be deciphered by or ears.
With digital medium, the audio never gets worse. As the media degrades, it just reaches a point where it isn't able to be deciphered as audio data.
If you want to compare the mediums (magnetic tape vs. CR-R), data is probably a better place to do so. You can easily measure the amount of readable/unreadable data in bytes and make a fair, quantifiable comparison.
A bigger question for Framemaker user currently on Mac is do they qualify for the next upgrade version, transitioning from Mac to Windows?
Macromedia has done a great thing in packaging MX2004 with both Mac and Windows versions in the same box -- I can upgrade any of my systems -- mac, or windows -- and use the software on the fastest box in my studio.
Software makers have been telling us for decades that hardware is a commodity and software is what's important. It's about time that the liscensing model changes to reflect that.
This is a great chance for Adobe to do just that. I hope they do.
You couldn't GIVE a Caddy away in a lot of places. The same cannot be said for PowerMac G5s.
I would disagree. There are a lot of loyal Microsoft fans out there too. Not to mention gamers. Hand a gamer a G5 and tell them it had to be their primary system and they'd kick you in the shins.
The argument that Microsoft is making here is that the software is secure so long as the "evildoers" have no insight into how the software works. When the patch is released, they can compare patched vs. unpatched systems and gain that insight.
This sounds like a cloaked attack on the security of OSS. If you follow the argument M$ is making, publishing the source code to an operating system should make it more vulnerable to attack, not less.
Certifications aren't completely obsolete as long as one has realistic expectations. Tech is like any other industry -- certification/education gets you an entry-level job with an entry-level salary. To advance past that, it's based on your experience and accomplishments.
Enforcement of any SPAM (or other e-crime) laws is hampered by one big problem. The Internet doesn't fall into the jurisdiction of any single legislative or law enforcement agency.
Passing US anti-SPAM legislation is rather like passing laws that prohibit the importation of Cuban cigars into Canada. We'd love to have that sort of control, and we're capable of throwing a lot of political/economic weight around to try and force compliance.
But if a foreign power doesn't feel cooperative(or lacks enforcement resources), Capitol Hill is just plain out of luck.
1.) The problem there isn't the company. If they are a publically traded company, they are required by law to do everything possible to maximize shareholder value. If they don't, shareholders can sue them for failing in this duty. If we're worried as a country about labor outsourcing, we should look into this type of regulation.
2.) Yes, these jobs are going to continue to be outsourced. If you're like me, a commodity-level geek, then your job is in danger and there's nothing you can do about it (I'm working short-term contracts at the moment, some of it is to ease the transition to out-sourcing).
If you're unhappy with that situation, then you need to do everything in your power to increase your skills and experience beyond the commodity level. Maybe that means working your way into architecture-type positions. Maybe it means going back and getting an MBA and looking at the business side of IT. But if you're planning on doing hardware support over the phone for the rest of your carrer, you're pretty much screwed.
The old classic games are still a great investment for small establishments. In Seattle, at least, old pinball, Pac-Man, Tetris, etc., games are popping up all over in coffeeshops and bars. And they're doing great.
In places where they sit alongside the latest 3D subwoofer-enhanced consoles, I see them occupied a lot more often.
Is it because they're not $1.00 to play? Or is it because there's something intrinsically more entertaining about playing the older games in public spaces.
One has to wonder, is the home console market (where complex 3d graphics reign supreme) fundamentally different from the arcade market? Or is what I'm noticing just nostalgia?
As far as I can tell, all Mandrake would need to do is include the new text in with the rest of the copyright/liscense info and they'd be in compliance? Why is this a big deal? Or is there some subtle legal thing at work?
What value did Ballard's discovery of the Titanic and Bismark have? They wouldn't have been nearly as important if they had been some anonymous freighter that sank during a storm, even though the technological achievement would have been identical.
These are ships with history -- with stories that we deem important, interesting, or compelling. The stories that we value as a culture (species?) are part of what define who and what we are.
The value of the Beagle's discovery is purely historic. And in defining it as important or unimportant, we define something about ourselves as individuals and a society.
Sure, outsourcing tech support to India is cheaper, but since when is cost the only market force. God forbid the anyone actually need tech support.
Manny people I know are can't use tech support when they need it because they can't understand the accents on the other end of the phone. If hardware vendors want repeat customers, they're eventually going to have to bring it back stateside.
Quality used to be a market force. Perhaps it will be again.
Slashdot Mirror
It's all good until somebody writes a worm that orders pizzas for the Whitehouse. Denial of service for the rest of DC ...
Power Pellets sold by shady characters in dark alleys?
And the SUV that nearly killed me this morning isn't?
The real reason it isn't on the road is government regulation. There needs to be a 10-year rigorous testing project to make sure it meets federal emmission standards.
They did show how Pike got into that predicament. He was the Captain of the Enterprise for the pilot, which was only later cut into "The Cage" where he has the blinkenlights. Ahhh... the blinkenlights. The pretty, pretty blinkenlights.
It's not exactly a fair comparison between CD-R and analog tape for audio. The audio tape isn't "more reliable." It just degrades differently.
As the tape ages, the quality of the audio signal degrades dramatically, but because it is an analogue signal, it can still be deciphered by or ears.
With digital medium, the audio never gets worse. As the media degrades, it just reaches a point where it isn't able to be deciphered as audio data.
If you want to compare the mediums (magnetic tape vs. CR-R), data is probably a better place to do so. You can easily measure the amount of readable/unreadable data in bytes and make a fair, quantifiable comparison.
Bill aside, many of the charities/non-profits that work in the third world have offices in the west. Many of them are probably branches of the UN.
And many of the large ones have assets worth going after for liscense violations.
A bigger question for Framemaker user currently on Mac is do they qualify for the next upgrade version, transitioning from Mac to Windows?
Macromedia has done a great thing in packaging MX2004 with both Mac and Windows versions in the same box -- I can upgrade any of my systems -- mac, or windows -- and use the software on the fastest box in my studio.
Software makers have been telling us for decades that hardware is a commodity and software is what's important. It's about time that the liscensing model changes to reflect that.
This is a great chance for Adobe to do just that. I hope they do.
I would disagree. There are a lot of loyal Microsoft fans out there too. Not to mention gamers. Hand a gamer a G5 and tell them it had to be their primary system and they'd kick you in the shins.
Got news for you -- even if you toss the rest of it, the PDA still isn't cool in a bar.
No worries about slashdotters getting drafted. We'd still have to pass the physical ...
Insightful criticism from someone who can't keep a sentence in one tense.
About time a religion outside of Catholicism got it's own state.
Does that mean that Mormons qualify for diplomatic immunity?
The argument that Microsoft is making here is that the software is secure so long as the "evildoers" have no insight into how the software works. When the patch is released, they can compare patched vs. unpatched systems and gain that insight.
This sounds like a cloaked attack on the security of OSS. If you follow the argument M$ is making, publishing the source code to an operating system should make it more vulnerable to attack, not less.
If you buy M$'s argument.
Prepare for another round of anti-trust litigation. It's interesting timing, though, right before the final European settlement.
You think if US courts did more than slapped M$ on the wrist this would be starting all over?
Who needs standards when one can take a good idea and change it just a little so that everyone has to buy your version of it?
I thought that was supposed to go "if you aren't a conservative when you are old, you have no money."
Certifications aren't completely obsolete as long as one has realistic expectations. Tech is like any other industry -- certification/education gets you an entry-level job with an entry-level salary. To advance past that, it's based on your experience and accomplishments.
If he did, he was quoting Mozart (just about the least avant-garde guy around).
Enforcement of any SPAM (or other e-crime) laws is hampered by one big problem. The Internet doesn't fall into the jurisdiction of any single legislative or law enforcement agency.
Passing US anti-SPAM legislation is rather like passing laws that prohibit the importation of Cuban cigars into Canada. We'd love to have that sort of control, and we're capable of throwing a lot of political/economic weight around to try and force compliance.
But if a foreign power doesn't feel cooperative(or lacks enforcement resources), Capitol Hill is just plain out of luck.
I have two immediate thoughts about this post:
1.) The problem there isn't the company. If they are a publically traded company, they are required by law to do everything possible to maximize shareholder value. If they don't, shareholders can sue them for failing in this duty. If we're worried as a country about labor outsourcing, we should look into this type of regulation.
2.) Yes, these jobs are going to continue to be outsourced. If you're like me, a commodity-level geek, then your job is in danger and there's nothing you can do about it (I'm working short-term contracts at the moment, some of it is to ease the transition to out-sourcing).
If you're unhappy with that situation, then you need to do everything in your power to increase your skills and experience beyond the commodity level. Maybe that means working your way into architecture-type positions. Maybe it means going back and getting an MBA and looking at the business side of IT. But if you're planning on doing hardware support over the phone for the rest of your carrer, you're pretty much screwed.
The old classic games are still a great investment for small establishments. In Seattle, at least, old pinball, Pac-Man, Tetris, etc., games are popping up all over in coffeeshops and bars. And they're doing great. In places where they sit alongside the latest 3D subwoofer-enhanced consoles, I see them occupied a lot more often. Is it because they're not $1.00 to play? Or is it because there's something intrinsically more entertaining about playing the older games in public spaces. One has to wonder, is the home console market (where complex 3d graphics reign supreme) fundamentally different from the arcade market? Or is what I'm noticing just nostalgia?
Have you checked eBay?
As far as I can tell, all Mandrake would need to do is include the new text in with the rest of the copyright/liscense info and they'd be in compliance? Why is this a big deal? Or is there some subtle legal thing at work?
Let's not undervalue history.
What value did Ballard's discovery of the Titanic and Bismark have? They wouldn't have been nearly as important if they had been some anonymous freighter that sank during a storm, even though the technological achievement would have been identical.
These are ships with history -- with stories that we deem important, interesting, or compelling. The stories that we value as a culture (species?) are part of what define who and what we are.
The value of the Beagle's discovery is purely historic. And in defining it as important or unimportant, we define something about ourselves as individuals and a society.
Sure, outsourcing tech support to India is cheaper, but since when is cost the only market force. God forbid the anyone actually need tech support. Manny people I know are can't use tech support when they need it because they can't understand the accents on the other end of the phone. If hardware vendors want repeat customers, they're eventually going to have to bring it back stateside. Quality used to be a market force. Perhaps it will be again.