For how many decades have we all been doing things the old-fashioned way, using brick and mortar, mailing bills using the Postal Service, going to the bank when we need to do banking, etc..
Apple Computers are far from DIY enthusiast boxes. I suppose it's one thing to build your own Linux machine; someone who enjoys doing that may be in a minority of users simply becase not all users want to build their own computer from the ground up, but Apples are ready-to-go computers out of the box, more or less. They are not designed only for people who know a lot about computers.
The responsibility falls on the web sites themselves to support more browser options. There will always be those sites that only support MS products and protocols, but it's also important to realize that we have been living without those products for decades. I don't think that we will ever seriously get to the point where a person will be unable to function in society if they don't have a PC.
To say that someone who chooses and Apple computer is going to be missing out, in my opinion, is unrealistic. The responsibility does not fall with the end-user to buy PC architecture and run MS products, the responsibility is with the web designers to make sites that interact with a variety of platforms.
This Windows-only world is going to realize, sooner or later, that they can effectively generate additional revenue if they also cater to users of other platforms, and any investement they make to increase the diversity of user agents that their applications work with will more than pay for itself.
I would not give anyone a hard time for using any platform. Using Windows, that's great! Using Linux, that's great! Using OS X, great! Why would I want my website, or application, or service, to be available to only a certain user of a certain OS or OS/user agent combo?
I don't believe this study for a minute. First off, people's hands are different sizes; while people with smaller hands may feel comfortable on a regular keyboard, people with larger hands can use a split keyboard.
I think the best way to handle this situation is to allow employees to use whatever keyboard/trackball or mouse combo they like - even if they pay for it themselves.
Despite what this study says, using crappy keyboards can give you RSI. And it's not just the keyboard - the lack of a keyboard tray, a poor chair / seating posture, armrests that are missing, etc...
Of course it depends on how much you use the computer - couple hours a day probably won't hurt you even if you are in a worst-case scenario with poor seating, lighting, desks, etc... but any more than that and you could be running a risk.
There are also some genetic factors involved, too. Accessibility is important, so even if 80 or 90 percent of computer users don't get symptoms, those 10 or 20 percent who do should be accomodated so that they don't have to go through expensive surgery.
It's not the disability that I am personally worried about, it's staying off of disability that I am worried about. And people thinking you're wierd when you ask for a ergonomic keyboard and chair, etc...
I would rather work in a position where I didn't have to use a computer at all than use a standard keyboard. Thing is, these types of positions are harder and harder to find these days. And they don't pay as well.
RSI and computers are the next cigarettes. I predict some major class-action lawsuits in the next 25 years or so. How many billions of dollars are poured into R&D of newer and faster CPUs, hard drives, memory, etc... but we are still using what is essentially a $5 or $10 dollar keyboard technology - technology from the late 1800's.
One way would be to have a personal chording keyboard that can be carried everywhere. Get good at using one of those, and it might help. Getting creative, there are many ways around this problem, but the bottom line is that employers should allow employees to bring their own keyboards or other entry devices in to work, better yet, the employer should pay for a good chair (Herman Miller, at least) and a nice desk with a fully articulating keyboard tray. And a new monitior, not some old piece of crap.
Maybe not the keyboard so much, but it's the whole setup: the chair, the desk, the keyboard tray (or not having one available), the monitor, the distance the monitor is from the user, the abliity to adjust the chair and the monitor and the desk and the keyboard tray for users of different sizes, the lighting, the noise level, etc... It all works together. It's in everyone's best interests to make this environment as healthy as possible. Also, with better keyboards, people can type faster. If typing speed is important, keyboard technology is important.
Well, NetBSD installs on a huge variety of software.
Once that's been installed, you can proceed to install the apps that you need. I've installed on a 1 Gig disk before (with X), so 512 megs are not so bad, if you forget about X.
What would you need for work? Email, perhaps some sort of instant messaging capabilities, ability to take notes, etc... personally, I'd rather not be bothered all the time with pages and so forth, but if you have to do it, might as well make it easier on yourself.
Give up X Windows when you leave your big machine and work from the command line on the road (if you know how). It makes total sense to me.
Some people have to go to work to pay their bills. Some people can pay their bills without going to work. That's the way the world is. Bills are about money; not about work.
Similarly, when it comes to grasping concepts and developing an understanding of math and science, there are as many different ways of acquiring this knowledge as there are types of students, and the types of learning materials and aids that work best for them. Those with a passion for genius understand that sometimes it is beneficial to bend the educational experience to suit the individual. Sometimes this can be an expensive proposition, but often, having flexibility in how the knowledge is gained, and proven, can save students lots of time and money. More importantly, flexibility in educational settings can allow students, especially gifted students, to plow through the material at their own pace.
If a student knows as much as a student who successfully completes a similar course, at the same class level, that student should, at a minimum, be allowed to prove it.
Having a thorough understanding of your college professor is different from mastery of a particular subject at a particular class level. Having a thorough understanding of yourself, and your strengths and weaknesses as a student is unrelated to the mastery of a particular subject at a particular class level. Not that the teacher is not important. The teacher is very important, and the student needs to have a desire to learn. But the teacher is not the subject of the class, the teacher is not what we are supposed to be studying; the student is not the subject of the class, we are not supposed to be studying the student, we are supposed to be studying the class material.
The concept of equivalency is very important. Do we go to class for the purpose of going to class or do we go to class to learn about a particular subject at a particular level and complexity of knowledge? This applies to online or brick and mortar courses; they have these similarities.
I tried some; and it is strange that I find myself saying "who shall remain nameless" because I don't have anything that wonderful to say about them. (with one exception).
You can make anything work if you want to. In the case of online classes, you do have to sort of "make them work" for yourself, some are easier and some are harder to make work.
I had one course that had no textbook, but extensive lectures; I ended up reading over 500 pages of "optional" reading, but I did get an A. However, the teacher was very silent, I don't think there was any interaction whatsoever. Some of the stuff the course taught was seriously outdated already; I felt totally ripped off, as did the other students.
I had another course that had minimal lecture material, and extensive textbook reading. Many of the review questions required internet research, and could not be answered from the material learned in the textbook or the lectures. Many students who wanted a "quick" credit out of it complained about the review questions, but I was not in such a hurry - I loved it, and it had a written final, not a "supervised" final, which was wonderful. The course was from a real university, so no fees or any additional work were required to get college credit for it, it was totally online, and I posted the final in HTML in a password protected directory. Courses like that are hard to find. In this course, the teacher was excellent, and I definitely felt that there was a real presence there. Even though the course was an extension from a dot-edu, fully accredited university, the teacher worked in the telecommunications industry and was doing this part time. This particular setup worked out really great for me.
The way I see it, if there is a final involved, and I have to go somewhere to take it, and pay someone to administer it to me, I would be looking at CLEP tests and DANTES tests and Industry Certificiations, GRE subject exams, etc... for undergraduate credit. Master's Degrees are probably a slightly different situation.
I would say that if it comes from a dot-edu, a real university that will give you a transcript for free once you finish the course, go for it. I am avoiding anything else (for myself, personally) at this point in time. Look carefully at some of those certification test prep centers that give you college credit - it's often given out at college credit prices. It's almost possible to get an entire undergraduate degree for the amount of money you'll drop on a couple professional industry certification classes + the amount of money you'll pay to get the college credit for it. Better to make a note of how many credits it's worth and get in with a school that takes portfolio (prior learning assessement) credit, and just get a portfolio credit for what you have learned.
Linux is OK. Risk of violating IP rights is not a reason to avoid using Linux.
Linux is also a better operating system. That's an excellent reason to use it.
Actually, if an individual chooses to use Linux, and another hesitates because of the fear of violating (or being accused of violating) IP rights, then the individual who fearlessly and courageously moves ahead and uses Linux will be better off than the individual who does not. More importantly, if these two individuals are each other's competition, then the individual who chose to go ahead with Linux will be better off.
If some colleges are able to strike a deal with the music organizations, then it would probably be in the music industry's best interests to make identical programs available to colleges throughout the US.
Even if a school cannot strike a deal with the larger organizations, or simply chooses not to do so, they should still organize a way to make any school-specific media available. Recordings of the marching band, or if a college has its own orchestras, jazz ensembles, theatre performances, etc... Any media that can be shared over the network but is produced at the school itself, with permission of the students and teachers, should be made available. This could also be an excellent way to feature independent artists; the smaller labels could negotiate directly with the colleges. Maybe this could be organized around an artist's tours...new music being made available on the college network prior to an artist's appearance in town or at a university venue...
So now what's a company to do when they develop new code? Do you GPL it, or can you try to squirm your way out of the GPL claiming FUD?
And then what - 4 years later...
Take cardboard from all the UPS deliveries, internet orders and build CD cabinets using wood glue and staple gun. Once you get it down, takes a couple hours. Mine are about 21*21 inches and hold about 200 jewel cases. Probably $5 each, using the wood glue. Also, it would be fairly easy to take a larger piece of cardboard and make a lid for the box making it portable for when you have to move.
I tend to buy the spindles, but still had some of those 10-pack jewel case retail CD-R cardboard boxes lying around, I think they are getting harder to find now, but I just use those and put data CD's into high-quality sleeves and then pack the little cardboard boxes into another box.
I believe that article, and I believe that this guy is really having these problems. I guess I learned something today. I was always aware of drug testing, and it can be tricky getting a job where you don't have to pee in cup; but it's certainly possible. Depends on if you are determined enough to find that kind of job and how important it is to you.
So now these NCAs are also similar. WHY do employers require NCAs? WHY do employers require drug testing? Is it because they have to, or is it because they think they are doing what is best for the company? Or are they just trying to be politically correct? Personally, I have never had any interest in working for any large commercial companies; I have always worked for smaller companies, have never been asked for a drug test or a NCA, and have still managed to keep my financial situation under control by being a little careful here and there.
It's unfortunate to hear about this kind of thing, the businesses should really offer employees full salary for the duration of the NCA; either that, or just get rid of the NCAs completely. I doubt that it's doing anyone any good
Sorry, didn't mean to confuse anyone. Maybe a better way to explain it:
Is staying healthy and living a long life without the help of the latest cutting edge medical technology a lost skill / art? We seem to have a pill for everything, surgery for what pills can't fix, weight loss diets that promise what most other weight loss diets don't deliver, this ab machine, that ab machine....It hasn't always been this way.
Tai chi doesn't require any machines; chi kung doesn't require any machines (maybe a nice mat to practice on). Walking, gardening - these require a few minimal resources to do properly - five element diets, macrobiotic diets, these don't require any "high tech" ingredients or manufacturing processes, almost everything you need you can grow in your back yard, pickle in your root cellar, or ferment (brew) yourself!
Brewing your own beer, growing your own veggies, building your own house, etc... I think it's really great to get into that kind of thing; but you can't forget about staying healthy, because without health none of that stuff matters.
...being your own doctor..
But most important of all is to remember that beer is good for your health!
Health and longevity; immortality; heavenly ascension - these are probably some of the oldest "hacks" there are... there has been lots of freshly translated material coming out of China in the past few decades, and maybe it's a rare thing to like computers and Taoism or Zen, but I think there is definitely a connection. I saw Red Hat's website advertising "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" as a good "summer read" - that was last year, I think.
Maybe it's about doing things which on the surface appear to be difficult because they are unfamiliar, but are actually easier to do once you understand them. Things that encourage you to reevaluate the way you look at things.
Learning how to set up and administer a Linux system, building it from parts, the user gains a broader view of what a computer is and what it can be used for. Using a proprietary OS, the user believes the functionality of the computer to be limited by the size of his or her bank account.
Learning how to stay healthy without interference from the religion of modern medicine also expands your horizons; you realize how degenerative disease and unnecessary surgery can be prevented by a healthy dose of skepticism combined making intelligent choices about what you eat and how you exercise.
And then you realize that it's not the CPU, or the amount of RAM, but the quality of the keyboard, and the trackball that can keep you from getting carpal tunnel. It's so hard to understand how an organization can expect 70 wpm, yet still use those $5 keyboards they get with the computers they order. $700 for a keyboard? Are you out of your mind? Hey, if that keeps me away from disability, if that keeps me away from a judge telling me that I HAVE to have surgery to keep recieving disability, hey... no problem. A good keyboard, chair, and desk with an adjustable keyboard tray can keep you employed, healthy and away from the Carpal Tunnel.
Geeks are probably into this kind of stuff, but then again geeks are probably not into this kind of stuff, because "geeks" is just a word, and fails to completely describe the reality of the situation...
I would imagine that Microsoft, and others, might try to get around the GPL by basing their decision on SCO's claims - in other words - if SCO claims a certain part of Linux violates their IP rights, then that would be a part that Microsoft (and others that license the UNIX code) could use without having to GPL it. So even if IBM wins the court case, now it would be the GPL vs Microsoft (and the others who might be into this kind of thing); if the court case drags on long enough before any decision is reached, those large corporations that are licensing UNIX from SCO might incorporate those parts of Linux that are in question without the GPL in an effort to "comply with the IP rights". This whole thing is bad for GPL.
I had a thought earlier today that maybe we will have two Linuxes - just like there is UNIX and BSD - I wonder if it would evolve to a point where there would be the UNIX Linux and then the GPL Linux. No doubt there are people that like Linux but hate the GPL. I am beginning to wonder if this is what this whole thing is about.
If you look at what happened with UNIX, and how the original AT&T UNIX source code has evolved in the hands of the various corporations that license it, then maybe Microsoft is hoping to do similar things to any (formerly?) GPL code that they themselves would like to use.
Perhaps Microsoft wants to use the license to try to find any potential code that might be GPL now but will not be in the future so they can include it in their own OS and do work on it.. It may represent a way around GPL for Microsoft; it has publically stated its dislike of GPL, and now here is Microsoft's chance to be able to get at that code under a more preferable situation (UNIX license). It would not be surprising if Microsoft had its eyes on some GPL code but has not used it due to its GPL-ness, and now they are investigating what the possibilities are of them getting at that code minus the GPL.
It's possible to commit a crime and not get caught; it's also possible, but less likely, to commit a crime and get caught and get arrested and go to trial and walk out a free person.
The consensus appears to be that SCO is full of it; even if they do have some sort of legitimate claim, the offending code would probably be replaced already if they had been willing to explain exactly where the violation was. Getting rid of the offending code, if that code is there, and if it is in violation, could more than likely be taken care of without going to court. Simply removing the code ASAP and solving the problem does not appear to be the purpose of these legal actions; informing the community that there is a violation would most likely solve that problem - at least it's worth a shot - legal action should be a last resort. SCO's actions are controversial, quite possibly unsubstantiated, and more than likely unnecessary.
In any case, faith or lack of faith in our justice system is the root cause of the FUD, not Linux or the GPL.
I figured out that Microsoft won't buy SCO for the UNIX license. At first, it seems that it might be good idea, especially if all of the UNIX flavors would have to pay license fees to Microsoft. It looks like SCO is EITHER trying to get bought OR trying to assert their IP rights. Is it possible they are doing both?
Is it possible that 1)SCO is right about IP rights concerning Linux AND 2)SCO will continue to collect on UNIX licenses AND 3)If they sell out, that whoever buys them will benefit from UNIX and Linux IP rights?
Microsoft Windows was sort of designed from the ground up; it does not have as rich of a history as UNIX - Microsoft feels strongly (or at least they claim) that their OS's are superior to UNIX.
The AT&T v Berkeley case stands as a precedent; and no one is going to feel sorry (poor baby) about Microsoft when similar challenges occur. Given those facts, it seems very likely to me that Microsoft will not buy SCO. If Microsoft buys SCO, it might end up making things harder for itself in the long run. Besides, if SCO does have a case, Linux should be able to break free by changing the code (if that's the case).
I have a feeling that IBM will prevail. Maybe IBM should consider buying the UNIX rights from SCO, but not the company? That would be interesting.
There is, obviously, lots of "spin" put on this story. I did not know that the farmer was producing Roundup ready canola. I think this is where the problem starts. It's not an organic crop, it's not a biodynamic crop, it's a Roundup ready crop. Making the farmer look like a saint or something, if it's true he was trying to produce a Roundup ready crop, is telling a half-truth.
If he was in the business of producing organically grown seed, we would be looking at a different situation. Looks like the characteristic of being resistant to Roundup was something the farmer was looking for; and this is a characteristic that was engineered into Monsanto's crop. So in this case, the contamination produced a desirable effect, not an undesirable effect, as far as that farmer was concerned.
But the thought of Monsanto suing someone whose crop they contaminate with undesirable characteristics is awful, and a complete injustice. Besides, if a crop was compromised in this way, with undesirable characteristcs, this would result in a financial loss to the farmer whose crop was contaminated, and the financial situation would be reversed, so it seems unlikely this would occur. Probably the greatest threat would be contamination with the "killer gene", that doesn't allow seeds to reproduce. Regardless, the most important thing is for people who care about the quality of their food to keep pumping out quality food.
While it is important to fight against injustice, if you want to be healthy, you have to chill out. Being relaxed is very important for your health. I sincerely doubt that Monsanto is going to go after individuals growing food in their back yards as a hobby. This type of contamination will present a financial problem for larger conventional farmers who are looking for the same characteristics in their crops that Monsanto engineers into its crops, it is a good question if this will happen with larger organic farmers who dread the thought of contamination with genetically modified genes.
One of the best ways for any community to become self-reliant, something that is especially important in lower-income areas of the world, is for that community to grow its own crops, providing itself with the food it needs to survive. It has been shown that a family of four can fulfill all of its nutritional needs throughout the year in an area of land that is approximately 1000 square feet. Successful gardening a skill, much like working with Linux, or UNIX is. If you don't know what you are doing, and just go along with what the people at the garden store tell you, you too, will have weeds and poor growth that will support the market for fertilizers and pesticides and all kinds of things. If you know what you are doing, compost is all you need.
I once heard someone say that these people who support, eat, and argue for the proliferation of genetically engineered foods will all just die off anyway - they are stupid, and they don't realize that they are full of manure. So the best way to get around that is to "grow your own". Yes, it takes skill to grow your own, but it's worth it in the end. Like a $600 refund check from the IRS? You can save at least that much money from 5-15 minutes a day gardening in your back yard, community garden, apartment balcony/roof, etc... I figured it out one day - if you are gardening to maximize yield, it works out to at least $25 per hour or so. Think of it like getting paid $25 per hour, or more, depending on what crops you decide to grow, to go to the gym or something. That's even a better deal than working for a company that has free exercise rooms! Shiitake mushrooms, for instance, grown on logs, fetch $12 a pound; leeks are about $2.00 per pound; organic winter squash is 80-90 cents per pound - one squash can be $10 - squash is extremely care-free; just plant the seeds in a tight pattern so the sun don't shine where the weeds would otherwise grow, come back 3 months later, and you will have a couple hundred dollars of squash on your hands.
I upgraded a 750mhz Duron to a XP 1700+ ; same everything, just a different jumper for the front side bus.
I could tell the difference, but mainly in things like how fast it does a seti work unit; with browsing and word processing, I agree, it's a little more difficult to tell. Big software applications open up a little faster, things compile faster, but web surfing and word processing, yes, it is hard to notice an obvious difference. It's nice to have a little extra power if you need it, though.
I was reading in the USC Title 17 that it's $1000 in a 180 day period. So you would have to prove that it happened in a 180 day period, or you may just have to be infringing on over $1000 worth of files at once, or something like that.
I think that there are probably quite a few students that have over $1000 worth of albums in mp3 format, don't you think it would be less stress-inducing to specify that it's actually "within 180 days?". Or is the whole point to shock people and freak people out?
People don't take these half-truths seriously, so isn't the college really saying that they don't care, they are just being required to say it? There comes a point where you have to disobey orders, though. Is that the direction we are headed? I think we will all learn something from this. These "pirates" will be our future leaders, they will remember what goes on here. Tax our tea, and we dump it in the sea.
The work environment, and how well it suits who you are as a person is pretty much all that matters... Well, maybe not the only thing that matters, but it's extremely important. Age is not as important as appropriate work habits, the ability to conform (or think outside the box), and the ability to get along with management. The amount of creative thinking required, how strict the bureaucratic structure is, and the corporate culture will determine whether or not an employee will do well; in fact, it may very well determine whether or not they keep that job for any appreciable length of time.
The ability to code, the ability to lead and organize, and the understanding of technical details are all very important; but when a liberally-minded individual finds a conservatively-minded work environment and stuffcoat corporate culture abrasive, or when the policies and procedures of the workplace interfere with a creative and independent-thinking individual's ability to think creatively and independently, no amount of experience or ability will save that employee from having an awful short-lived experience. When a HR department does a poor job of employee selection and job assignment, it usually leads to increased turnover and lowered job satisfaction.
Turnover and low job satisfaction leads to crappy customer service; these are all warning signs that should tell the job-seeker - "Stay Away". If you feel uncomfortable because of your age when you go to a job interview, the smartest thing to do is to not take the job, even if it gets offered to you. Finding a job where you feel comfortable, a job that you love and will keep for a period of time ultimately determined by YOU is worth moving half-way around the world for; it is worth working hard for; it is worth learning new things and getting up early in the morning for. It's probably also worth learning some basic ESP techniques for. Your degree of success is ultimately determined by your own set of beliefs; but how well you fit in with your environment is dependent not only on your mental and physical health, but also on your physical surroundings and the people with whom you share that particular set of physical surroundings. An individual's proper place in his or her surroundings is extremely important, much more important than many of us realize. So be careful in choosing your work environment; it will affect your life more than you might think.
I think this is a great idea; the G4 is an awesome processor. I have my doubts that this is going to work out, but I think it's a great idea, and I wish the company all the best. It's certainly cool to see it done.
I thought about this a little, and it's nice to be able to get away from the PC architecture and move over to some other hardware once in a while. Maybe one option that can compete with this in coolness is the FreeBSD 5.0 on UltraSparc - I haven't tried it yet, but it's something to consider, as far as upgrading systems, reusing old hardware, and it's probably within a similar price range with what is being done here with the Mac.
Yes, there are less Linux distributions for the Apple hardware, but it would be interesting to try and build one yourself. I think this is a great idea.
The thing I don't like about KDE is similar to the thing I don't like about Solaris. In Solaris, all your applications are "dt" something or "SUNW" something. But of course, it's proprietary. You expect that.
In KDE, to a lesser extent, it's "k" this, or "k" that. KDE is not so much an environment that allows you to organize and integrate, it is a complete environment that kind of works straight out the box.
On my second-hand Solaris box, it is significantly slower than CDE. But it is a complete environment.
GNOME is a more perfect union, in my opinion. It's more of a "roll your own" concept than KDE, which is just ready to go the minute you install it with everything you need.
I don't mind using KDE, but I like GNOME a lot better. The best thing to do is to keep it simple, and really question why it is that you use a computer, and what is it that you really want to use that computer for. I can totally understand why some people would prefer KDE. It depends on what you want.
Besides, the article is just an opinion. I would hesitate to listen to any individual who thinks that their opinion is so important that the world should view it as fact.
It's nice to have the power of being able to write articles for well-known websites, but I think that there are better uses for the written word than what we have witnessed here. GNOME is an excellent environment, and you can choose how much GNOME you want, a little, or a lot. KDE gets sort of pointless unless you are wrapped up inside its' holodeck.
I, for one stick with GNOME. But of course, that's just me. KDE might be right for you, and that's just the way it is. Try 'em both. Or perhaps you would prefer OS X?
I had a computer with a Cyrix once; it was really slow. The Cyrix processors are cheap, but AMD is really a much better processor and they are relatively inexpensive as processors go.
I would go with an AMD instead; and Lindows is also much more expensive - some say a ripoff - than something like Debian or FreeBSD.
And how come the Lindows machines are being presented as low-priced options to Windows? I think it makes absolutely no sense to compare Linux to a "lesser" Windows. It's definitely at least the other way around and then some.
College is a way of life. IT (computer science) is definitely one of the numerous skills you can become proficient at in a college environment, but there is also much more to college, academically speaking, than just computer science.
In the process of obtaining a BS, you may even discover that there is something that you are much more passionate about than what you originally went to college for.
It's not really about proving yourself, it's more about discovering the truth about the universe that we live in. I suppose you could look at college, and tests, as a competition, or 'hell week', or whatever, but it's usually those types of situations and people who pride themselves on those types of situations that leave a bad taste in others' mouths when it comes to being a scholar. I suppose that is where the word 'erudite' comes from. Notice the root word 'rude' in the word 'erudite'. Some people get off on being 'erudite'. I don't like those kinds of people because I think they miss the point. But hey, to each their own, whatever floats your boat, etc... Actually, 'erudite' boils down to "being free from rudeness", in the sense that uneducated people are "rude", or something along those lines. But anyway, there is a difference between being intelligent and having an attitude about being intelligent.
Don't get me wrong, mathematics (especially), physics, chemistry, biology and so on, are very very valid things and I have a large amount of respect for them. But they do not necessarily need to be associated with lack of sleep and 'hell week'. They are actually very interesting and thought provoking subjects. And if you start learning about them from a level where you are comfortable at, and advance at your own pace, I think that's a great thing. The fun part is the pace - there are some people, when allowed to advance at their own pace, advance at mind-boggling speeds. It's just like that. So the key to human advancement lies in allowing people to advance at their own pace (I think).
I have been thinking about this: just because an organization turns you down for one reason or another does not mean that you can't put your knowledge and skills to good use.
Within the open source community, there are lots of opportunities for volunteers. The true test of your skills is whether or not you are competent enough to volunteer your skills and your time, not whether or not you are capable of hanging with an often times incompetent HR department.
I think a good strategy is to get good at what you want to do, and then volunteer; this gives you direct experience, and it is something you can also put on your resume. And of course, the open source community benefits from your input and hard work, gets stronger, and encourages more individuals like yourself to hone their skills by volunteering their time and hard work. It's not exactly a bad idea.
And the one thing that some certifications, and many college campuses, in my opinion, misrepresent about the real situation in the world, is the 'open book' aspect of reality.
Look at OpenVMS - the documentation is over 15,000 pages. There is no way you can memorize all that stuff. I suppose you could, but what the hell is documentation for anyway?
As long as you are familiar enough with the general concepts, and competent enough to get things done, you're heading in the right direction. The key to success in life is learning how to find just the right piece of information from a voluminous stack of documentation; finding the right job from the thousands of open positions out there; finding that one company that will hire you out of the thousands that won't. That's what it's all about - a sort of sixth sense thing. If you asked me, anyway.
Look at how many IT companies have gone under. It would only make sense that a company that doesn't know how to stay afloat also doesn't know how to hire people who care about what they do.
And an individual that cares enough about their career to ask others about their opinions and suggestions in a public forum probably cares a lot more about their future responsibilites than 99% of the people that will get hired.
It's obvious that the organizations behind the 'crackdown' do not have the best interests of the consumer or the citizen on their agenda. It bothers me that many pop stars and movie stars don't appear to have the best interests of the consumer or the citizen on their agenda.
"I want to thank the fans", "I couldn't have done it without the fans" - think about these types of statements for a minute - what do they really mean? 'fan' stands for 'fanatic'; or has it gotten to the point that we don't mean it literally? Then what DO you mean? Thank those that like the music? What are you thanking them for? Why is an individual who has the power of the media, who has the power to make changes in the world, who has the power to move people towards peace, brother and sisterhood need emotional support from fans?
I have become convinced that a large percentage of the current crop of popular artists are attempting to look out for themselves more than they are trying to use the good things they have because of their position in society to help others. I belive that helping others, if you CAN, is the best way to look out for yourself. And that's hard to do if you can't get a grip on your own self.
Dropping out of our current pop life, which, it seems, is becoming more and more acceptable, is becoming a viable option. It may be the only way to get peace of mind.
I spent many years without TV, I have one now, but I try not to watch it too much. It is not bad if you don't have TV, it's just fine. I have become very interested in Indian Classical music and Jazz. I find that I really don't need TV, and that it is difficult to get the 'real deal' when it comes to TV.
I think the best thing for people all over the world, when it comes to multimedia entertainment, is diversity. Diversity is one thing that has not been, and probably will not be addressed by these organizations we are talking about here.
And as technology becomes more readily available and less expensive (which is how I see the nuclear weapon thing, and it is kinda scary), we should be able to have a much larger diversity of entertainment available to us.
And while I may not find the best solution to be a complete withdrawal from any multimedia of any kind, I think a valid option is to develop a closer relationship with independent labels and distributions, and independent filmmakers. Even if it is SVCD or VHS, that's still OK... It's really the thought that counts, it's the ideas that count. I remember Sean Penn being interviewed on TV and he expressed that multimedia has become synonymous with entertainment, but perhaps we should not define a movie, or a record, as being solely entertainment. "Entertainment is two hookers and an 8-ball," he said. I think what Sean was trying to get across was that it is OK for a movie or a record album to make you think, or to express a political or philosopic viewpoint. To relegate expression via multmedia to 'entertainment' is a disservice to the media format. What has been done with the country coding and CSS on DVD is a disservice to the media format. What is happening with CD copy protection and this, this infecting of files with viruses, is a disservice to the media format. The Motion Picture Experts Group (mpeg) and lots of other good developers and programmers have spent a lot of time developing compression formats so that we as human beings can improve our quality of life. If these rumours about the 'entertainment' industry infecting.mp3's with worms are true, then it is a total disservice to human evolution and progress. How low can you go? It really leaves an intelligent thinking human being with a very bad impression.
People can and do get away with awful things. When you combine technological advancements, decreasing prices of technology, and a lack of respect for one another as human beings (and I think infecting mp3 files with a worm is a basic lack of respect), you have a recipe for disaster.
We all need to come together and be more tolerant of one another, because after all, being tolerant of a human being is not that hard, if they are being tolerant back. It's as easy as both parties agreeing to have a basic human decency towards one another, to avoid 'unconventional warfare', and to work through and develop a system, or use an existing system, instead of always trying to take the law into your own hands.
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For how many decades have we all been doing things the old-fashioned way, using brick and mortar, mailing bills using the Postal Service, going to the bank when we need to do banking, etc..
Apple Computers are far from DIY enthusiast boxes. I suppose it's one thing to build your own Linux machine; someone who enjoys doing that may be in a minority of users simply becase not all users want to build their own computer from the ground up, but Apples are ready-to-go computers out of the box, more or less. They are not designed only for people who know a lot about computers.
The responsibility falls on the web sites themselves to support more browser options. There will always be those sites that only support MS products and protocols, but it's also important to realize that we have been living without those products for decades. I don't think that we will ever seriously get to the point where a person will be unable to function in society if they don't have a PC.
To say that someone who chooses and Apple computer is going to be missing out, in my opinion, is unrealistic. The responsibility does not fall with the end-user to buy PC architecture and run MS products, the responsibility is with the web designers to make sites that interact with a variety of platforms.
This Windows-only world is going to realize, sooner or later, that they can effectively generate additional revenue if they also cater to users of other platforms, and any investement they make to increase the diversity of user agents that their applications work with will more than pay for itself.
I would not give anyone a hard time for using any platform. Using Windows, that's great! Using Linux, that's great! Using OS X, great! Why would I want my website, or application, or service, to be available to only a certain user of a certain OS or OS/user agent combo?
I don't believe this study for a minute. First off, people's hands are different sizes; while people with smaller hands may feel comfortable on a regular keyboard, people with larger hands can use a split keyboard.
I think the best way to handle this situation is to allow employees to use whatever keyboard/trackball or mouse combo they like - even if they pay for it themselves.
Despite what this study says, using crappy keyboards can give you RSI. And it's not just the keyboard - the lack of a keyboard tray, a poor chair / seating posture, armrests that are missing, etc...
Of course it depends on how much you use the computer - couple hours a day probably won't hurt you even if you are in a worst-case scenario with poor seating, lighting, desks, etc... but any more than that and you could be running a risk.
There are also some genetic factors involved, too. Accessibility is important, so even if 80 or 90 percent of computer users don't get symptoms, those 10 or 20 percent who do should be accomodated so that they don't have to go through expensive surgery.
It's not the disability that I am personally worried about, it's staying off of disability that I am worried about. And people thinking you're wierd when you ask for a ergonomic keyboard and chair, etc...
I would rather work in a position where I didn't have to use a computer at all than use a standard keyboard. Thing is, these types of positions are harder and harder to find these days. And they don't pay as well.
RSI and computers are the next cigarettes. I predict some major class-action lawsuits in the next 25 years or so. How many billions of dollars are poured into R&D of newer and faster CPUs, hard drives, memory, etc... but we are still using what is essentially a $5 or $10 dollar keyboard technology - technology from the late 1800's.
One way would be to have a personal chording keyboard that can be carried everywhere. Get good at using one of those, and it might help. Getting creative, there are many ways around this problem, but the bottom line is that employers should allow employees to bring their own keyboards or other entry devices in to work, better yet, the employer should pay for a good chair (Herman Miller, at least) and a nice desk with a fully articulating keyboard tray. And a new monitior, not some old piece of crap.
Maybe not the keyboard so much, but it's the whole setup: the chair, the desk, the keyboard tray (or not having one available), the monitor, the distance the monitor is from the user, the abliity to adjust the chair and the monitor and the desk and the keyboard tray for users of different sizes, the lighting, the noise level, etc... It all works together. It's in everyone's best interests to make this environment as healthy as possible. Also, with better keyboards, people can type faster. If typing speed is important, keyboard technology is important.
Well, NetBSD installs on a huge variety of software. Once that's been installed, you can proceed to install the apps that you need. I've installed on a 1 Gig disk before (with X), so 512 megs are not so bad, if you forget about X. What would you need for work? Email, perhaps some sort of instant messaging capabilities, ability to take notes, etc... personally, I'd rather not be bothered all the time with pages and so forth, but if you have to do it, might as well make it easier on yourself. Give up X Windows when you leave your big machine and work from the command line on the road (if you know how). It makes total sense to me.
Some people have to go to work to pay their bills. Some people can pay their bills without going to work. That's the way the world is. Bills are about money; not about work.
Similarly, when it comes to grasping concepts and developing an understanding of math and science, there are as many different ways of acquiring this knowledge as there are types of students, and the types of learning materials and aids that work best for them. Those with a passion for genius understand that sometimes it is beneficial to bend the educational experience to suit the individual. Sometimes this can be an expensive proposition, but often, having flexibility in how the knowledge is gained, and proven, can save students lots of time and money. More importantly, flexibility in educational settings can allow students, especially gifted students, to plow through the material at their own pace.
If a student knows as much as a student who successfully completes a similar course, at the same class level, that student should, at a minimum, be allowed to prove it.
Having a thorough understanding of your college professor is different from mastery of a particular subject at a particular class level. Having a thorough understanding of yourself, and your strengths and weaknesses as a student is unrelated to the mastery of a particular subject at a particular class level. Not that the teacher is not important. The teacher is very important, and the student needs to have a desire to learn. But the teacher is not the subject of the class, the teacher is not what we are supposed to be studying; the student is not the subject of the class, we are not supposed to be studying the student, we are supposed to be studying the class material.
The concept of equivalency is very important. Do we go to class for the purpose of going to class or do we go to class to learn about a particular subject at a particular level and complexity of knowledge? This applies to online or brick and mortar courses; they have these similarities.
I had one course that had no textbook, but extensive lectures; I ended up reading over 500 pages of "optional" reading, but I did get an A. However, the teacher was very silent, I don't think there was any interaction whatsoever. Some of the stuff the course taught was seriously outdated already; I felt totally ripped off, as did the other students.
I had another course that had minimal lecture material, and extensive textbook reading. Many of the review questions required internet research, and could not be answered from the material learned in the textbook or the lectures. Many students who wanted a "quick" credit out of it complained about the review questions, but I was not in such a hurry - I loved it, and it had a written final, not a "supervised" final, which was wonderful. The course was from a real university, so no fees or any additional work were required to get college credit for it, it was totally online, and I posted the final in HTML in a password protected directory. Courses like that are hard to find. In this course, the teacher was excellent, and I definitely felt that there was a real presence there. Even though the course was an extension from a dot-edu, fully accredited university, the teacher worked in the telecommunications industry and was doing this part time. This particular setup worked out really great for me.
The way I see it, if there is a final involved, and I have to go somewhere to take it, and pay someone to administer it to me, I would be looking at CLEP tests and DANTES tests and Industry Certificiations, GRE subject exams, etc... for undergraduate credit. Master's Degrees are probably a slightly different situation.
I would say that if it comes from a dot-edu, a real university that will give you a transcript for free once you finish the course, go for it. I am avoiding anything else (for myself, personally) at this point in time. Look carefully at some of those certification test prep centers that give you college credit - it's often given out at college credit prices. It's almost possible to get an entire undergraduate degree for the amount of money you'll drop on a couple professional industry certification classes + the amount of money you'll pay to get the college credit for it. Better to make a note of how many credits it's worth and get in with a school that takes portfolio (prior learning assessement) credit, and just get a portfolio credit for what you have learned.
Linux is OK. Risk of violating IP rights is not a reason to avoid using Linux.
Linux is also a better operating system. That's an excellent reason to use it.
Actually, if an individual chooses to use Linux, and another hesitates because of the fear of violating (or being accused of violating) IP rights, then the individual who fearlessly and courageously moves ahead and uses Linux will be better off than the individual who does not. More importantly, if these two individuals are each other's competition, then the individual who chose to go ahead with Linux will be better off.
If some colleges are able to strike a deal with the music organizations, then it would probably be in the music industry's best interests to make identical programs available to colleges throughout the US.
Even if a school cannot strike a deal with the larger organizations, or simply chooses not to do so, they should still organize a way to make any school-specific media available. Recordings of the marching band, or if a college has its own orchestras, jazz ensembles, theatre performances, etc... Any media that can be shared over the network but is produced at the school itself, with permission of the students and teachers, should be made available. This could also be an excellent way to feature independent artists; the smaller labels could negotiate directly with the colleges. Maybe this could be organized around an artist's tours...new music being made available on the college network prior to an artist's appearance in town or at a university venue...
So now what's a company to do when they develop new code? Do you GPL it, or can you try to squirm your way out of the GPL claiming FUD? And then what - 4 years later...
Take cardboard from all the UPS deliveries, internet orders and build CD cabinets using wood glue and staple gun. Once you get it down, takes a couple hours. Mine are about 21*21 inches and hold about 200 jewel cases. Probably $5 each, using the wood glue. Also, it would be fairly easy to take a larger piece of cardboard and make a lid for the box making it portable for when you have to move.
I tend to buy the spindles, but still had some of those 10-pack jewel case retail CD-R cardboard boxes lying around, I think they are getting harder to find now, but I just use those and put data CD's into high-quality sleeves and then pack the little cardboard boxes into another box.
I believe that article, and I believe that this guy is really having these problems. I guess I learned something today. I was always aware of drug testing, and it can be tricky getting a job where you don't have to pee in cup; but it's certainly possible. Depends on if you are determined enough to find that kind of job and how important it is to you.
So now these NCAs are also similar. WHY do employers require NCAs? WHY do employers require drug testing? Is it because they have to, or is it because they think they are doing what is best for the company? Or are they just trying to be politically correct? Personally, I have never had any interest in working for any large commercial companies; I have always worked for smaller companies, have never been asked for a drug test or a NCA, and have still managed to keep my financial situation under control by being a little careful here and there.
It's unfortunate to hear about this kind of thing, the businesses should really offer employees full salary for the duration of the NCA; either that, or just get rid of the NCAs completely. I doubt that it's doing anyone any good
Sorry, didn't mean to confuse anyone. Maybe a better way to explain it:
Is staying healthy and living a long life without the help of the latest cutting edge medical technology a lost skill / art? We seem to have a pill for everything, surgery for what pills can't fix, weight loss diets that promise what most other weight loss diets don't deliver, this ab machine, that ab machine....It hasn't always been this way.
Tai chi doesn't require any machines; chi kung doesn't require any machines (maybe a nice mat to practice on). Walking, gardening - these require a few minimal resources to do properly - five element diets, macrobiotic diets, these don't require any "high tech" ingredients or manufacturing processes, almost everything you need you can grow in your back yard, pickle in your root cellar, or ferment (brew) yourself!
Brewing your own beer, growing your own veggies, building your own house, etc... I think it's really great to get into that kind of thing; but you can't forget about staying healthy, because without health none of that stuff matters.
...being your own doctor..
But most important of all is to remember that beer is good for your health!
Cheers!
Health and longevity; immortality; heavenly ascension - these are probably some of the oldest "hacks" there are... there has been lots of freshly translated material coming out of China in the past few decades, and maybe it's a rare thing to like computers and Taoism or Zen, but I think there is definitely a connection. I saw Red Hat's website advertising "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" as a good "summer read" - that was last year, I think.
Maybe it's about doing things which on the surface appear to be difficult because they are unfamiliar, but are actually easier to do once you understand them. Things that encourage you to reevaluate the way you look at things.
Learning how to set up and administer a Linux system, building it from parts, the user gains a broader view of what a computer is and what it can be used for. Using a proprietary OS, the user believes the functionality of the computer to be limited by the size of his or her bank account.
Learning how to stay healthy without interference from the religion of modern medicine also expands your horizons; you realize how degenerative disease and unnecessary surgery can be prevented by a healthy dose of skepticism combined making intelligent choices about what you eat and how you exercise.
And then you realize that it's not the CPU, or the amount of RAM, but the quality of the keyboard, and the trackball that can keep you from getting carpal tunnel. It's so hard to understand how an organization can expect 70 wpm, yet still use those $5 keyboards they get with the computers they order. $700 for a keyboard? Are you out of your mind? Hey, if that keeps me away from disability, if that keeps me away from a judge telling me that I HAVE to have surgery to keep recieving disability, hey... no problem. A good keyboard, chair, and desk with an adjustable keyboard tray can keep you employed, healthy and away from the Carpal Tunnel.
Geeks are probably into this kind of stuff, but then again geeks are probably not into this kind of stuff, because "geeks" is just a word, and fails to completely describe the reality of the situation...
I would imagine that Microsoft, and others, might try to get around the GPL by basing their decision on SCO's claims - in other words - if SCO claims a certain part of Linux violates their IP rights, then that would be a part that Microsoft (and others that license the UNIX code) could use without having to GPL it. So even if IBM wins the court case, now it would be the GPL vs Microsoft (and the others who might be into this kind of thing); if the court case drags on long enough before any decision is reached, those large corporations that are licensing UNIX from SCO might incorporate those parts of Linux that are in question without the GPL in an effort to "comply with the IP rights". This whole thing is bad for GPL.
I had a thought earlier today that maybe we will have two Linuxes - just like there is UNIX and BSD - I wonder if it would evolve to a point where there would be the UNIX Linux and then the GPL Linux. No doubt there are people that like Linux but hate the GPL. I am beginning to wonder if this is what this whole thing is about.
If you look at what happened with UNIX, and how the original AT&T UNIX source code has evolved in the hands of the various corporations that license it, then maybe Microsoft is hoping to do similar things to any (formerly?) GPL code that they themselves would like to use.
Perhaps Microsoft wants to use the license to try to find any potential code that might be GPL now but will not be in the future so they can include it in their own OS and do work on it.. It may represent a way around GPL for Microsoft; it has publically stated its dislike of GPL, and now here is Microsoft's chance to be able to get at that code under a more preferable situation (UNIX license). It would not be surprising if Microsoft had its eyes on some GPL code but has not used it due to its GPL-ness, and now they are investigating what the possibilities are of them getting at that code minus the GPL.
It's possible to commit a crime and not get caught; it's also possible, but less likely, to commit a crime and get caught and get arrested and go to trial and walk out a free person.
The consensus appears to be that SCO is full of it; even if they do have some sort of legitimate claim, the offending code would probably be replaced already if they had been willing to explain exactly where the violation was. Getting rid of the offending code, if that code is there, and if it is in violation, could more than likely be taken care of without going to court. Simply removing the code ASAP and solving the problem does not appear to be the purpose of these legal actions; informing the community that there is a violation would most likely solve that problem - at least it's worth a shot - legal action should be a last resort. SCO's actions are controversial, quite possibly unsubstantiated, and more than likely unnecessary.
In any case, faith or lack of faith in our justice system is the root cause of the FUD, not Linux or the GPL.
I figured out that Microsoft won't buy SCO for the UNIX license. At first, it seems that it might be good idea, especially if all of the UNIX flavors would have to pay license fees to Microsoft. It looks like SCO is EITHER trying to get bought OR trying to assert their IP rights. Is it possible they are doing both?
Is it possible that 1)SCO is right about IP rights concerning Linux AND 2)SCO will continue to collect on UNIX licenses AND 3)If they sell out, that whoever buys them will benefit from UNIX and Linux IP rights?
Microsoft Windows was sort of designed from the ground up; it does not have as rich of a history as UNIX - Microsoft feels strongly (or at least they claim) that their OS's are superior to UNIX.
The AT&T v Berkeley case stands as a precedent; and no one is going to feel sorry (poor baby) about Microsoft when similar challenges occur. Given those facts, it seems very likely to me that Microsoft will not buy SCO. If Microsoft buys SCO, it might end up making things harder for itself in the long run. Besides, if SCO does have a case, Linux should be able to break free by changing the code (if that's the case).
I have a feeling that IBM will prevail. Maybe IBM should consider buying the UNIX rights from SCO, but not the company? That would be interesting.
There is, obviously, lots of "spin" put on this story. I did not know that the farmer was producing Roundup ready canola. I think this is where the problem starts. It's not an organic crop, it's not a biodynamic crop, it's a Roundup ready crop. Making the farmer look like a saint or something, if it's true he was trying to produce a Roundup ready crop, is telling a half-truth.
If he was in the business of producing organically grown seed, we would be looking at a different situation. Looks like the characteristic of being resistant to Roundup was something the farmer was looking for; and this is a characteristic that was engineered into Monsanto's crop. So in this case, the contamination produced a desirable effect, not an undesirable effect, as far as that farmer was concerned.
But the thought of Monsanto suing someone whose crop they contaminate with undesirable characteristics is awful, and a complete injustice. Besides, if a crop was compromised in this way, with undesirable characteristcs, this would result in a financial loss to the farmer whose crop was contaminated, and the financial situation would be reversed, so it seems unlikely this would occur. Probably the greatest threat would be contamination with the "killer gene", that doesn't allow seeds to reproduce. Regardless, the most important thing is for people who care about the quality of their food to keep pumping out quality food.
While it is important to fight against injustice, if you want to be healthy, you have to chill out. Being relaxed is very important for your health. I sincerely doubt that Monsanto is going to go after individuals growing food in their back yards as a hobby. This type of contamination will present a financial problem for larger conventional farmers who are looking for the same characteristics in their crops that Monsanto engineers into its crops, it is a good question if this will happen with larger organic farmers who dread the thought of contamination with genetically modified genes.
One of the best ways for any community to become self-reliant, something that is especially important in lower-income areas of the world, is for that community to grow its own crops, providing itself with the food it needs to survive. It has been shown that a family of four can fulfill all of its nutritional needs throughout the year in an area of land that is approximately 1000 square feet. Successful gardening a skill, much like working with Linux, or UNIX is. If you don't know what you are doing, and just go along with what the people at the garden store tell you, you too, will have weeds and poor growth that will support the market for fertilizers and pesticides and all kinds of things. If you know what you are doing, compost is all you need.
I once heard someone say that these people who support, eat, and argue for the proliferation of genetically engineered foods will all just die off anyway - they are stupid, and they don't realize that they are full of manure. So the best way to get around that is to "grow your own". Yes, it takes skill to grow your own, but it's worth it in the end. Like a $600 refund check from the IRS? You can save at least that much money from 5-15 minutes a day gardening in your back yard, community garden, apartment balcony/roof, etc... I figured it out one day - if you are gardening to maximize yield, it works out to at least $25 per hour or so. Think of it like getting paid $25 per hour, or more, depending on what crops you decide to grow, to go to the gym or something. That's even a better deal than working for a company that has free exercise rooms! Shiitake mushrooms, for instance, grown on logs, fetch $12 a pound; leeks are about $2.00 per pound; organic winter squash is 80-90 cents per pound - one squash can be $10 - squash is extremely care-free; just plant the seeds in a tight pattern so the sun don't shine where the weeds would otherwise grow, come back 3 months later, and you will have a couple hundred dollars of squash on your hands.
I upgraded a 750mhz Duron to a XP 1700+ ; same everything, just a different jumper for the front side bus.
I could tell the difference, but mainly in things like how fast it does a seti work unit; with browsing and word processing, I agree, it's a little more difficult to tell. Big software applications open up a little faster, things compile faster, but web surfing and word processing, yes, it is hard to notice an obvious difference. It's nice to have a little extra power if you need it, though.
I was reading in the USC Title 17 that it's $1000 in a 180 day period. So you would have to prove that it happened in a 180 day period, or you may just have to be infringing on over $1000 worth of files at once, or something like that.
I think that there are probably quite a few students that have over $1000 worth of albums in mp3 format, don't you think it would be less stress-inducing to specify that it's actually "within 180 days?". Or is the whole point to shock people and freak people out?
People don't take these half-truths seriously, so isn't the college really saying that they don't care, they are just being required to say it? There comes a point where you have to disobey orders, though. Is that the direction we are headed? I think we will all learn something from this. These "pirates" will be our future leaders, they will remember what goes on here. Tax our tea, and we dump it in the sea.
The work environment, and how well it suits who you are as a person is pretty much all that matters... Well, maybe not the only thing that matters, but it's extremely important. Age is not as important as appropriate work habits, the ability to conform (or think outside the box), and the ability to get along with management. The amount of creative thinking required, how strict the bureaucratic structure is, and the corporate culture will determine whether or not an employee will do well; in fact, it may very well determine whether or not they keep that job for any appreciable length of time.
The ability to code, the ability to lead and organize, and the understanding of technical details are all very important; but when a liberally-minded individual finds a conservatively-minded work environment and stuffcoat corporate culture abrasive, or when the policies and procedures of the workplace interfere with a creative and independent-thinking individual's ability to think creatively and independently, no amount of experience or ability will save that employee from having an awful short-lived experience. When a HR department does a poor job of employee selection and job assignment, it usually leads to increased turnover and lowered job satisfaction.
Turnover and low job satisfaction leads to crappy customer service; these are all warning signs that should tell the job-seeker - "Stay Away". If you feel uncomfortable because of your age when you go to a job interview, the smartest thing to do is to not take the job, even if it gets offered to you. Finding a job where you feel comfortable, a job that you love and will keep for a period of time ultimately determined by YOU is worth moving half-way around the world for; it is worth working hard for; it is worth learning new things and getting up early in the morning for. It's probably also worth learning some basic ESP techniques for. Your degree of success is ultimately determined by your own set of beliefs; but how well you fit in with your environment is dependent not only on your mental and physical health, but also on your physical surroundings and the people with whom you share that particular set of physical surroundings. An individual's proper place in his or her surroundings is extremely important, much more important than many of us realize. So be careful in choosing your work environment; it will affect your life more than you might think.
I think this is a great idea; the G4 is an awesome processor. I have my doubts that this is going to work out, but I think it's a great idea, and I wish the company all the best. It's certainly cool to see it done. I thought about this a little, and it's nice to be able to get away from the PC architecture and move over to some other hardware once in a while. Maybe one option that can compete with this in coolness is the FreeBSD 5.0 on UltraSparc - I haven't tried it yet, but it's something to consider, as far as upgrading systems, reusing old hardware, and it's probably within a similar price range with what is being done here with the Mac. Yes, there are less Linux distributions for the Apple hardware, but it would be interesting to try and build one yourself. I think this is a great idea.
I have both KDE and GNOME.
The thing I don't like about KDE is similar to the thing I don't like about Solaris. In Solaris, all your applications are "dt" something or "SUNW" something. But of course, it's proprietary. You expect that.
In KDE, to a lesser extent, it's "k" this, or "k" that. KDE is not so much an environment that allows you to organize and integrate, it is a complete environment that kind of works straight out the box.
On my second-hand Solaris box, it is significantly slower than CDE. But it is a complete environment.
GNOME is a more perfect union, in my opinion. It's more of a "roll your own" concept than KDE, which is just ready to go the minute you install it with everything you need.
I don't mind using KDE, but I like GNOME a lot better. The best thing to do is to keep it simple, and really question why it is that you use a computer, and what is it that you really want to use that computer for. I can totally understand why some people would prefer KDE. It depends on what you want.
Besides, the article is just an opinion. I would hesitate to listen to any individual who thinks that their opinion is so important that the world should view it as fact.
It's nice to have the power of being able to write articles for well-known websites, but I think that there are better uses for the written word than what we have witnessed here. GNOME is an excellent environment, and you can choose how much GNOME you want, a little, or a lot. KDE gets sort of pointless unless you are wrapped up inside its' holodeck.
I, for one stick with GNOME. But of course, that's just me. KDE might be right for you, and that's just the way it is. Try 'em both. Or perhaps you would prefer OS X?
I had a computer with a Cyrix once; it was really slow. The Cyrix processors are cheap, but AMD is really a much better processor and they are relatively inexpensive as processors go.
I would go with an AMD instead; and Lindows is also much more expensive - some say a ripoff - than something like Debian or FreeBSD.
And how come the Lindows machines are being presented as low-priced options to Windows? I think it makes absolutely no sense to compare Linux to a "lesser" Windows. It's definitely at least the other way around and then some.
I think it gives Linux a bad reputation, this.
College is a way of life. IT (computer science) is definitely one of the numerous skills you can become proficient at in a college environment, but there is also much more to college, academically speaking, than just computer science.
In the process of obtaining a BS, you may even discover that there is something that you are much more passionate about than what you originally went to college for.
It's not really about proving yourself, it's more about discovering the truth about the universe that we live in. I suppose you could look at college, and tests, as a competition, or 'hell week', or whatever, but it's usually those types of situations and people who pride themselves on those types of situations that leave a bad taste in others' mouths when it comes to being a scholar. I suppose that is where the word 'erudite' comes from. Notice the root word 'rude' in the word 'erudite'. Some people get off on being 'erudite'. I don't like those kinds of people because I think they miss the point. But hey, to each their own, whatever floats your boat, etc... Actually, 'erudite' boils down to "being free from rudeness", in the sense that uneducated people are "rude", or something along those lines. But anyway, there is a difference between being intelligent and having an attitude about being intelligent.
Don't get me wrong, mathematics (especially), physics, chemistry, biology and so on, are very very valid things and I have a large amount of respect for them. But they do not necessarily need to be associated with lack of sleep and 'hell week'. They are actually very interesting and thought provoking subjects. And if you start learning about them from a level where you are comfortable at, and advance at your own pace, I think that's a great thing. The fun part is the pace - there are some people, when allowed to advance at their own pace, advance at mind-boggling speeds. It's just like that. So the key to human advancement lies in allowing people to advance at their own pace (I think).
I have been thinking about this: just because an organization turns you down for one reason or another does not mean that you can't put your knowledge and skills to good use.
Within the open source community, there are lots of opportunities for volunteers. The true test of your skills is whether or not you are competent enough to volunteer your skills and your time, not whether or not you are capable of hanging with an often times incompetent HR department.
I think a good strategy is to get good at what you want to do, and then volunteer; this gives you direct experience, and it is something you can also put on your resume. And of course, the open source community benefits from your input and hard work, gets stronger, and encourages more individuals like yourself to hone their skills by volunteering their time and hard work. It's not exactly a bad idea.
And the one thing that some certifications, and many college campuses, in my opinion, misrepresent about the real situation in the world, is the 'open book' aspect of reality.
Look at OpenVMS - the documentation is over 15,000 pages. There is no way you can memorize all that stuff. I suppose you could, but what the hell is documentation for anyway?
As long as you are familiar enough with the general concepts, and competent enough to get things done, you're heading in the right direction. The key to success in life is learning how to find just the right piece of information from a voluminous stack of documentation; finding the right job from the thousands of open positions out there; finding that one company that will hire you out of the thousands that won't. That's what it's all about - a sort of sixth sense thing. If you asked me, anyway.
Look at how many IT companies have gone under. It would only make sense that a company that doesn't know how to stay afloat also doesn't know how to hire people who care about what they do.
And an individual that cares enough about their career to ask others about their opinions and suggestions in a public forum probably cares a lot more about their future responsibilites than 99% of the people that will get hired.
It's obvious that the organizations behind the 'crackdown' do not have the best interests of the consumer or the citizen on their agenda. It bothers me that many pop stars and movie stars don't appear to have the best interests of the consumer or the citizen on their agenda.
"I want to thank the fans", "I couldn't have done it without the fans" - think about these types of statements for a minute - what do they really mean? 'fan' stands for 'fanatic'; or has it gotten to the point that we don't mean it literally? Then what DO you mean? Thank those that like the music? What are you thanking them for? Why is an individual who has the power of the media, who has the power to make changes in the world, who has the power to move people towards peace, brother and sisterhood need emotional support from fans?
I have become convinced that a large percentage of the current crop of popular artists are attempting to look out for themselves more than they are trying to use the good things they have because of their position in society to help others. I belive that helping others, if you CAN, is the best way to look out for yourself. And that's hard to do if you can't get a grip on your own self.
Dropping out of our current pop life, which, it seems, is becoming more and more acceptable, is becoming a viable option. It may be the only way to get peace of mind.
I spent many years without TV, I have one now, but I try not to watch it too much. It is not bad if you don't have TV, it's just fine. I have become very interested in Indian Classical music and Jazz. I find that I really don't need TV, and that it is difficult to get the 'real deal' when it comes to TV.
I think the best thing for people all over the world, when it comes to multimedia entertainment, is diversity. Diversity is one thing that has not been, and probably will not be addressed by these organizations we are talking about here.
And as technology becomes more readily available and less expensive (which is how I see the nuclear weapon thing, and it is kinda scary), we should be able to have a much larger diversity of entertainment available to us.
And while I may not find the best solution to be a complete withdrawal from any multimedia of any kind, I think a valid option is to develop a closer relationship with independent labels and distributions, and independent filmmakers. Even if it is SVCD or VHS, that's still OK... It's really the thought that counts, it's the ideas that count. I remember Sean Penn being interviewed on TV and he expressed that multimedia has become synonymous with entertainment, but perhaps we should not define a movie, or a record, as being solely entertainment. "Entertainment is two hookers and an 8-ball," he said. I think what Sean was trying to get across was that it is OK for a movie or a record album to make you think, or to express a political or philosopic viewpoint. To relegate expression via multmedia to 'entertainment' is a disservice to the media format. What has been done with the country coding and CSS on DVD is a disservice to the media format. What is happening with CD copy protection and this, this infecting of files with viruses, is a disservice to the media format. The Motion Picture Experts Group (mpeg) and lots of other good developers and programmers have spent a lot of time developing compression formats so that we as human beings can improve our quality of life. If these rumours about the 'entertainment' industry infecting .mp3's with worms are true, then it is a total disservice to human evolution and progress. How low can you go? It really leaves an intelligent thinking human being with a very bad impression.
People can and do get away with awful things. When you combine technological advancements, decreasing prices of technology, and a lack of respect for one another as human beings (and I think infecting mp3 files with a worm is a basic lack of respect), you have a recipe for disaster.
We all need to come together and be more tolerant of one another, because after all, being tolerant of a human being is not that hard, if they are being tolerant back. It's as easy as both parties agreeing to have a basic human decency towards one another, to avoid 'unconventional warfare', and to work through and develop a system, or use an existing system, instead of always trying to take the law into your own hands.