I understand what you mean, and don't entierly disagree with you either. I'm just asking: What's immoral about giving jobs to Indians? Some Americans lose their jobs, and that they go to people with lower living costs and lower demands.
If it happened to me, I would think it sucked. But I wouldn't go so far as to call it immoral. So many people are saying "No, we should give them decent jobs, not hand-outs". (India not the poorest country in the world, but still.)
Maybe I should take my advice and focus on the question:-)
The question was more specifically about the government being a large IT customer, to stimulate the Indian IT industry. Then how does the government come up with the money to spend on IT?
Government projects could be funded in the form of the fund that I suggested; but that would make no sense, because IT companies would be paying themselves to work for the government. That doesn't provide much stimulation.
Instead of taxating all IT, they could levvy it as an export duty on IT. Foreign companies could afford a small percentage less saved on outsourcing.
The industrialised countries that are losing the jobs might even contribute to such a scheeme: "Create demand in India, meaning more work for Indian IT guys, and maybe even more work for us (training, management, consulting). "
To do this, India must move fast before the jobs move to the Phillipines or Africa. Then such a levvy would drive many of the foreign customers and companies out of India. And the WTO rules must allow it.
Most people I talked to believe government is the only hope; that egovernment and other government projects are the only way to develop a sustainable local IT sector.
Next question (asked by Indians I spoke to): "Where is the government going to get the money?"
Getting out of the way is the politicians' first job;-) Once that's done there are lots of things to do:
The obvious answer would be to tax existing IT companies, or better yet require them to pay a percentage to a public trust. This money could be used to pay for education programmes, business plan competitions, research, startup subsidies and other things. This would benefit the companies themselves, except when it creates competitors.
Another thing to do might be asking wether India is aiming to be a world leader in IT, or should be content with servicing it's own population and neighbouring country. Maybe Indian companies can focus on a few specific niches? My country has bold plans to be a big tech nation. I have more faith in focusing on certain areas, like medical informatics, biotechnology, and marine technology, instead of being the master of everything. (That doesn't mean we kill all the other businesses, it means we give more to the focus areas.)
And the most important point last: Education. "Information" like in "IT", and "knowledge" as in "knowledge industry."
Betty's bunnies have fluffy fur today
on
Google's Bigger Index
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· Score: 0, Offtopic
Image search: What's your experiences?
on
Google's Bigger Index
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· Score: 4, Interesting
Both Google and Fast have image and picture search. They're all right. But I have had more luck with Lycos.
What are your experiences?
Of course, none of these services search in the image data itself. They search filenames, special features (like image size), and the content of the pages they are found in. What is the state of searching in images today? Facial recognition systems have existed for a while, but they are made for a specific purpose.
How long before we can take a picture of that piece of your IKEA furniture and find the same model in pictures of celebrity houses, Babylon 5 sets and crime scenes? Or taking a picture of that familiar-looking person walking down the street, searching for her, and remembering that she was in that "reality" series two years ago.
How could an analog phone get through to a GSM network?
We are not talking about cross-system compatability here. An old analog mobile phone or a CB radio can't get an emergency call through on the GSM network, of course. What we are discussiong here is the ability to place an emergency call wtih a GSM phone, on the GSM network of a different phone company and without having paid your subscription. Before you place your foot in your mouth again, this is different from roaming too.
Re:This would be in America. right?
on
Cell-Phone Wars
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· Score: 4, Interesting
I don't know about US networks, but in the GSM network, emergency calls (112) have to get through even if you are on a different network, or haven't paid your subscription.
find a stranger to help, find a payphone, run and get help. it's that simple.
Relying on payphones for assistance is folly! The only way to keep in contact with emergency services should be by horseback. The odd palantir could be used too, but ONLY FOR BACKUP.
On the serious side, regular radio networks are absolutely essential for the emergency services to operate. Cell phones are good for citizen contact during regular accidents and day-to-day contact between officers, but may break down during disasters like 9/11.
Or sco.com is down, and Google doesn't link to downed sites. Not much of a conspiracy here, I'm afraid.
ding! ding!
Of course! Why didn't I think of that? I sort of answered my own question, but I didn't understand it before you pointed it out to me. It seems so self-evident now. (I'm not being sarcastic either. I guess I was to tired to think of it.)
Google will try to index it, but it won't since it doesn't exist (?) Dumber spiders might index it though.
Seriously: Somebody might place a file in public_html by accident (a symbolic link gone awry, or dropping a file in the wrong folder icon); but basing your security on not being searched is retarded.
A military version is in development: Picture of this baby.
Type: Advanced Battle Tank Armament: Sonic Amplifier Speed: 44 km/h (tracked) Armor: Medium Crew: 2
Developed by Hailstop and General Motors, this enhanced tank utilizes sound waves technology to fire a powerful blast of sonic energy at its target. The high energy frequencies break down the molecular structure of affected victims.
I think I've been through the same argument on slashdot tree times during the year. It boils down to this: Some people think that a representative democracy is not a democracy..... (Meaning there's hardly any democracies in the entire world.)....While others think that democracy means that the power is vested in the people, and that the ruling body needs the people's approval. (Meaning that the Republic is a democracy)
This is a GOOD thing. Or is it?
on
Kazaa Offices Raided
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Since when can someone search another person's property? Who is to say they did not take data or information not related directly to finding violations of law? At least if it was the police searching, you could have a court determine what is related to the specific law, and what is not.
Next week: Sharman networks search the offices and homes of the MIPI, any nearby U.S. diplomat, and their lawyers. They find copies of Kazaa light, a program that exploits Sharman's IP and network infrastructure illegaly.
Week after that: Local slashdotters' homes and workplaces are searched by the BSA and MIPI, looking mp3 files, a format for illegal music sharing, and for clones of Klondike and Minesweeper, business software "borrowing" their look and feel from Microsoft products.
It could work, but I doubt sharing a full-contact mechanical bum washer would be the most sanitary solution. Some japanese toilets allready have water washing, air drying action.
Have you seen the Discovery documentary "Design on your Loo"? There you see some designers trying to redesign the shape of the toilet. They also go to Japan. The downshot was that the new model would cost too much to produce.
Oh, well if it was on TV, it must be true!:-):-D My usual reaction too. But this wasn't one of those Oscar winning documentaries; it was just a really good documentary made with cooperation and interviews with NASA engineers.
That's true, and FYI, they actually built three rovers, just in case there was an accident with one of them before launch.
Yes, but they didn't duplicate all of the most expensive equipment. I know this because I saw a TV program about the project, and there they worried about running a possibly destructive test on a camera they were sending to Mars. If they broke it they wouldn't have time to build a new one.
Sorry. I do know what they meant. It's just I got the image into my head of Peter Jackson speaking with a terribly high pitched voice. Now I'm getting the picture of all the actors doing the same. Saruman tries his evil laugh, but it comes out as a giggle.:-D
The director's setup was mirrored in New Zealand, and crew could step through shots with the help of their iPods, with Jackson's guidance piped in over a videoconferencing system.
I didnt know Jakcson had such a high, shrill, voice that him speaking could be described with that word. Maybe he just had a cold.
On seond thought, maybe they used flutes. Tobacco pipes? No? Ah. A virtual Internet pipe. Now I get it.
Say by having a character fall over a cliff and then magically survive, for example?
I thought that was hysterical. Just think about it: He's dreaming of Arwen, being kissed. We see that really, he is being kissed by his horse, Brego. I started laughing in the theatre, and I was not the only one.
I'm pissed off that RoTK didn't get nominated for Best Documentary. I mean, some of the scenes are re-enacted, but warning the audience about it would sort destroy the flow of it, wouldn't it? Maybe some of the stuff didn't really happen exactly like they portray it, but that's how documentaries are supposed to be. What, don't you think some of what they say on Faux News is made up too? The most important thing to realize about media is IT IS ALWAYS A FABRICATION OF REALITY. Everything short of actually witnessing an event in person is the act of viewing someone's interpretation of it.
Consider the fishing scene. You're arguing that Deagol cannot simply dive in and pick up the Ring. But does that change the fact that getting a ring is possible? Who cares if it's not the specific ring or whether he had to wait 4 weeks? The truth is that the ring is enticing people to serve by providing powers. Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater here!
The GSA specifically found that the "W" thing was a lie.
Really? The quote I've hear repeated from the GSA is:"the condition of the real property was consistent with what we would expect to encounter when tenants vacate office space after an extended occupancy."
That leaves little more than "inoperable keyboards"-- i.e.,
missing W's-- and handmade signs poking fun at Bush-- what Fleischer calls "graffiti." Those stories were long ago confirmed by Democrats and were never described as "vandalism" or "looting" in the media-- including on Fox. To portray them as some kind of retroactive corroboration for the fevered stories about "the trashing of the White House" stretches credulity.
I think I'll let this article stand as my last link on this matter.
"My sense is there probably was some phones pulled, or whatever; I don't have a way to determine that," Mr. Ungar said, referring to accounts that office lines had been cut. "But there wasn't indication of real, significant, widespread damage."
The white house staff left some pranks, mess and some things missing, but the pundits blew it out of proportion.
But I replied to this: The missing W key story is one of the best debunked lies of this administration. Which is an impressive feat. If this is the best debunked story, you Americans are pretty starved of debunkings.
P.S. I'm neither Democrat nor Republican. I don't like lying and spin; from either side.
Reply from one of the developers of Amiga OS 4.0
on
2003 Vaporware Awards
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· Score: 1
I think this is a debate about the amount of destruction.
The GSA didn't find much damage to the offices and utilities themselves. But did they fan through paper trays and listen to all the voicemail themselves? The Post says there was no "wholesale" destruction, that doesn't exclude some pranks.
It's not like they burned down the White House or caused millions of USD damage. From the BBC story, I think they could just put those W keys back in the keyboards. Office pranks. Actually quite funny.
Slashdot Mirror
take the higher moral road
I understand what you mean, and don't entierly disagree with you either. I'm just asking: What's immoral about giving jobs to Indians? Some Americans lose their jobs, and that they go to people with lower living costs and lower demands.
If it happened to me, I would think it sucked. But I wouldn't go so far as to call it immoral. So many people are saying "No, we should give them decent jobs, not hand-outs". (India not the poorest country in the world, but still.)
Maybe I should take my advice and focus on the question :-)
The question was more specifically about the government being a large IT customer, to stimulate the Indian IT industry. Then how does the government come up with the money to spend on IT?
Government projects could be funded in the form of the fund that I suggested; but that would make no sense, because IT companies would be paying themselves to work for the government. That doesn't provide much stimulation.
Instead of taxating all IT, they could levvy it as an export duty on IT. Foreign companies could afford a small percentage less saved on outsourcing.
The industrialised countries that are losing the jobs might even contribute to such a scheeme: "Create demand in India, meaning more work for Indian IT guys, and maybe even more work for us (training, management, consulting). "
To do this, India must move fast before the jobs move to the Phillipines or Africa. Then such a levvy would drive many of the foreign customers and companies out of India. And the WTO rules must allow it.
Most people I talked to believe government is the only hope; that egovernment and other government projects are the only way to develop a sustainable local IT sector.
;-) Once that's done there are lots of things to do:
Next question (asked by Indians I spoke to): "Where is the government going to get the money?"
Getting out of the way is the politicians' first job
The obvious answer would be to tax existing IT companies, or better yet require them to pay a percentage to a public trust. This money could be used to pay for education programmes, business plan competitions, research, startup subsidies and other things. This would benefit the companies themselves, except when it creates competitors.
Another thing to do might be asking wether India is aiming to be a world leader in IT, or should be content with servicing it's own population and neighbouring country. Maybe Indian companies can focus on a few specific niches?
My country has bold plans to be a big tech nation. I have more faith in focusing on certain areas, like medical informatics, biotechnology, and marine technology, instead of being the master of everything. (That doesn't mean we kill all the other businesses, it means we give more to the focus areas.)
And the most important point last: Education. "Information" like in "IT", and "knowledge" as in "knowledge industry."
Betty's bunnies have fluffy fur today
Both Google and Fast have image and picture search. They're all right. But I have had more luck with Lycos.
What are your experiences?
Of course, none of these services search in the image data itself. They search filenames, special features (like image size), and the content of the pages they are found in.
What is the state of searching in images today? Facial recognition systems have existed for a while, but they are made for a specific purpose.
How long before we can take a picture of that piece of your IKEA furniture and find the same model in pictures of celebrity houses, Babylon 5 sets and crime scenes? Or taking a picture of that familiar-looking person walking down the street, searching for her, and remembering that she was in that "reality" series two years ago.
How could an analog phone get through to a GSM network?
We are not talking about cross-system compatability here. An old analog mobile phone or a CB radio can't get an emergency call through on the GSM network, of course.
What we are discussiong here is the ability to place an emergency call wtih a GSM phone, on the GSM network of a different phone company and without having paid your subscription. Before you place your foot in your mouth again, this is different from roaming too.
I don't know about US networks, but in the GSM network, emergency calls (112) have to get through even if you are on a different network, or haven't paid your subscription.
find a stranger to help, find a payphone, run and get help. it's that simple.
Relying on payphones for assistance is folly! The only way to keep in contact with emergency services should be by horseback. The odd palantir could be used too, but ONLY FOR BACKUP.
On the serious side, regular radio networks are absolutely essential for the emergency services to operate. Cell phones are good for citizen contact during regular accidents and day-to-day contact between officers, but may break down during disasters like 9/11.
Sorry for remembering incorrectly.
The clue to your theory * was not in the post you replied to, but this post of mine from earlier.
With that sorted, I have to lie down for a while.
*: sco not being in the list for bastards because they were down at the time bastards was indexed by google
Or sco.com is down, and Google doesn't link to downed sites. Not much of a conspiracy here, I'm afraid.
ding! ding!
Of course! Why didn't I think of that?
I sort of answered my own question, but I didn't understand it before you pointed it out to me. It seems so self-evident now.
(I'm not being sarcastic either. I guess I was to tired to think of it.)
Could be wise if they want to avoid a lawsuit.
Wow. That means that either
* Michael Moore is now the top miserable failure. How long before they drop him off the list like they did SCO?
Will google find this?
The locations of all CIA agents in the world
Google will try to index it, but it won't since it doesn't exist (?) Dumber spiders might index it though.
Seriously: Somebody might place a file in public_html by accident (a symbolic link gone awry, or dropping a file in the wrong folder icon); but basing your security on not being searched is retarded.
A military version is in development:
;-)
Picture of this baby.
Type: Advanced Battle Tank
Armament: Sonic Amplifier
Speed: 44 km/h (tracked)
Armor: Medium
Crew: 2
Developed by Hailstop and General Motors, this enhanced tank utilizes sound waves technology to fire a powerful blast of sonic energy at its target. The high energy frequencies break down the molecular structure of affected victims.
--
Dune II
I think I've been through the same argument on slashdot tree times during the year.
It boils down to this: Some people think that a representative democracy is not a democracy..... (Meaning there's hardly any democracies in the entire world.)....While others think that democracy means that the power is vested in the people, and that the ruling body needs the people's approval. (Meaning that the Republic is a democracy)
Since when can someone search another person's property? Who is to say they did not take data or information not related directly to finding violations of law? At least if it was the police searching, you could have a court determine what is related to the specific law, and what is not.
Next week: Sharman networks search the offices and homes of the MIPI, any nearby U.S. diplomat, and their lawyers. They find copies of Kazaa light, a program that exploits Sharman's IP and network infrastructure illegaly.
Week after that: Local slashdotters' homes and workplaces are searched by the BSA and MIPI, looking mp3 files, a format for illegal music sharing, and for clones of Klondike and Minesweeper, business software "borrowing" their look and feel from Microsoft products.
Repeat untill infinity.
What do you think? Could it work?
As an S&M accessory, sure.
It could work, but I doubt sharing a full-contact mechanical bum washer would be the most sanitary solution.
Some japanese toilets allready have water washing, air drying action.
Have you seen the Discovery documentary "Design on your Loo"? There you see some designers trying to redesign the shape of the toilet. They also go to Japan. The downshot was that the new model would cost too much to produce.
Oh, well if it was on TV, it must be true! :-) :-D My usual reaction too.
But this wasn't one of those Oscar winning documentaries; it was just a really good documentary made with cooperation and interviews with NASA engineers.
That's true, and FYI, they actually built three rovers, just in case there was an accident with one of them before launch.
Yes, but they didn't duplicate all of the most expensive equipment. I know this because I saw a TV program about the project, and there they worried about running a possibly destructive test on a camera they were sending to Mars. If they broke it they wouldn't have time to build a new one.
Sorry. I do know what they meant. It's just I got the image into my head of Peter Jackson speaking with a terribly high pitched voice. :-D
Now I'm getting the picture of all the actors doing the same. Saruman tries his evil laugh, but it comes out as a giggle.
The director's setup was mirrored in New Zealand, and crew could step through shots with the help of their iPods, with Jackson's guidance piped in over a videoconferencing system.
I didnt know Jakcson had such a high, shrill, voice that him speaking could be described with that word. Maybe he just had a cold.
On seond thought, maybe they used flutes. Tobacco pipes? No? Ah. A virtual Internet pipe. Now I get it.
Say by having a character fall over a cliff and then magically survive, for example?
I thought that was hysterical. Just think about it: He's dreaming of Arwen, being kissed. We see that really, he is being kissed by his horse, Brego. I started laughing in the theatre, and I was not the only one.
11: Best documentary
I'm pissed off that RoTK didn't get nominated for Best Documentary.
I mean, some of the scenes are re-enacted, but warning the audience about it would sort destroy the flow of it, wouldn't it?
Maybe some of the stuff didn't really happen exactly like they portray it, but that's how documentaries are supposed to be. What, don't you think some of what they say on Faux News is made up too?
The most important thing to realize about media is IT IS ALWAYS A FABRICATION OF REALITY. Everything short of actually witnessing an event in person is the act of viewing someone's interpretation of it.
Consider the fishing scene. You're arguing that Deagol cannot simply dive in and pick up the Ring. But does that change the fact that getting a ring is possible? Who cares if it's not the specific ring or whether he had to wait 4 weeks? The truth is that the ring is enticing people to serve by providing powers. Let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater here!
Really? The quote I've hear repeated from the GSA is:"the condition of the real property was consistent with what we would expect to encounter when tenants vacate office space after an extended occupancy."
This this FAIR follow-up states:
I think I'll let this article stand as my last link on this matter. The white house staff left some pranks, mess and some things missing, but the pundits blew it out of proportion.
But I replied to this: The missing W key story is one of the best debunked lies of this administration. Which is an impressive feat.
If this is the best debunked story, you Americans are pretty starved of debunkings.
P.S. I'm neither Democrat nor Republican. I don't like lying and spin; from either side.
More information can be found in this post.
Best debunked? Really?
I think this is a debate about the amount of destruction.
The GSA didn't find much damage to the offices and utilities themselves.
But did they fan through paper trays and listen to all the voicemail themselves?
The Post says there was no "wholesale" destruction, that doesn't exclude some pranks.
It's not like they burned down the White House or caused millions of USD damage. From the BBC story, I think they could just put those W keys back in the keyboards.
Office pranks. Actually quite funny.