The building in questions aren't exactly the type that can be hidden underground. The buildings they want obscured include residences of the Prime Minister, the President, as well as various nuclear and military facilities. The concern is, among other things, that the satellite images will reveal the location and nature of the defences around these buildings.
Similar blocking is done for the White House and the Capitol building in the US (at least for Google Maps, I haven't checked Google Earth).
According to this page on the Gaim site, he's been working at google for a month and a half now:
Working at Google
I (Sean) have been hired by Google, moved to Seattle, and have been working on the Google Talk team for about a month and a half. The goal of Google Talk is to make real-time communication as open as possible, and in that regard, I've been working to offer all of Google Talk's features into other clients. Currently, I'm working on making it as easy as possible for other clients to use Google Talk's voice features. You can expect Gaim and other clients to be interoperable with Google Talk's voice features in the near future.
As others have pointed out, the Europeans got the formal mathematical concept of zero via the Arabs (who got it via the Persians, who in turn got it from the Hindus). Why do you think those numeric symbols are known as "Arabic numerals" in the west? Hence, at some point of time it was the Muslim Arabs who were wondering if the Europeans had understood the concept of zero as yet.
Therefore it's particularly ironic that you chose this subject for your troll, given that the the word "zero" itself derives from the Arabic word sifr (see the etymology).
Of course, there's always the possibility that you were aware of this irony, but that looks somewhat unlikely to me.
Region coding on DVDs has caused enough headaches for people. The idea of having DVD audio disks that don't allow ripping to your computer is idiotic.
CSS for DVDs didn't stop ripped DVD movies being downloaded by millions. Why does the recording industry think that some new encryption scheme will stop music pirates? All such encryption does is make the lives of legitimate users hard.
I've had the same problem in the past. Make sure you are allowing scripts to change images.
In your Options/Preferences dialog, go to Web Features and click the Advanced button next to Enable Javascript. In that dialog, make sure Change Images is selected. That worked for me.
Heh, interesting, I think I might know one of the guys.
I think the Harsh Azad on the list is the Harsh Azad who was in the same school as mine. He was a few years older than me, but I know that he was one of the l33t programmers at that time.
To unleash the true power of your web browser, press Ctrl-W on your keyboard right now! If you're using Firefox, ideally hold down Ctrl-W.
. .
(Disclaimer: No true power will actually be unleashed. But if you're stupid enough to try any keyboard shortcut any random person suggests, please disregard this disclaimer. Thank you.)
Also of interest is the software these NASA people use. Most of the stuff seems to be done on Macs, but it's nice to see the one Windows machine (this) using Firefox and Thunderbird (the latter visible in the taskbar area).
I think that's missing the point a bit (both parent and GP). What RMS is saying is not that Linux development got hurt. What he is saying is that mixing free and non-free software is a bad idea in general.
While using a non-free app to manage source code of a free app can't do to much harm, it is a dangerous step in the wrong direction.
In other words, using a non-free app for source code management sets a dangerous precedent. One day it's the source code manager, the next day your app depends on a non-free library, or a non-free platform (like OO.o 2.0 with Java). That is what RMS is concerned about.
He probably wasn't worried about such a thing happening with the Linux kernel, but that it set a bad example for other free software developers.
Richard Stallman had explained this very nicely in a speech against software patents:
Let me tell the message in the myth of the starving genius. If somebody who's been working in isolation for years and starving and he has a brilliant new idea for how to do something or other. And so, now, he's starting a company and he is afraid some big companies like IBM will compete with him and so he gets a patent and this patent will "protect him". Well, of course, this is not the way of things work out in fields. People won't make this kind of progress in isolation is where you working with other people and talking with other people and developing software usually. And so the whole scenario doesn't make sense and besides, if there's such a good computer scientist there is no need for him to starve. He could have got a job at any time if he wanted.
But let's suppose this happened, and suppose he has this patent, and he says "IBM, you can't compete with me because I have got this patent ". But here is what IBM says: "well, gee, let's look at your product, hmm, I have this patent, this patent and this patent and this patent and this patent that your patent is violating. So how about a quick cross-licence?". And the starving genius says "hmm, I haven't had enough food in my belly to fight these things, so I better give in" and so they sign a cross-licence and now guess what.
IBM can compete with him - he wasn't protected at all. Now IBM can do this because they have a lot of patents. They have patents pointing here, here, here, everywhere. So that anybody from almost anywhere that attacks IBM is facing a stand-off. A small company can't do it but a big company can.
In other words, software patents today mostly protect big companies, so it's no surprise that they are the ones who support them the most.
But seriously, does this mean that Encarta users contribute additional content and then give rights over to Microsoft? Microsoft controls contributed content, and then sells it to others for money? Nice.
I remember Microsoft, a few years ago called Encyclopedia Britannica a "relic" for not having enough multimedia content. Now, this move by Microsoft makes Encarta look like a relic compared to Wikipedia.
It's bad enough that Slashdot's front page is dominated by April fool's day jokes on this day of the year, but the least they can do is to try to put GOOD ones. Ones that actually make you laugh, for instance.
Yeah right. This is all just a silly april fool's day prank. Here is a REAL mirror of the page:
WordPress
Error establishing a database connection
This either means that the username and password information in your wp-config.php file is incorrect or we can't contact the database server at localhost.
* Are you sure you have the correct username and password?
* Are you sure that you have typed the correct hostname?
* Are you sure that the database server is running?
If you're unsure what these terms mean you should probably contact your host. If you still need help you can always visit the WordPress Support Forums.
Talking of usability, that's one area where Google News scores well over Yahoo for me. I've tried My Yahoo, but I prefer Google News for it's simple and clear layout.
Observe how it neatly colour codes the different sections, gives a photo for most stores, and is generally pleasing to the eye. They make it very easy for you to quickly skim over the headlines to look for something you're interested in.
There is still plenty of room for improvement, but I hope they focus on making it easier for users to get news quickly, rather than add useless features that have nothing to do with news.
That said, it does seem that Slashdot is completely in love with Google these days. Sure, Google may be good, but I don't feel that warrants having a story everytime they update a service or product.
I'm another person who reads news from more than one region.
But there's one feature I could really do with in Google News: the ability to customise news sources. Currently they link to stories from all sorts of new sources, and some of them I prefer not to use for one of various reasons (sites that always require registration are annoying). It would be great if they allowed users to create a whitelist or blacklist of news sources they want stories from.
He (assuming it is a he) obviously means Free as in freedom, not as in price. He also made sure he capitalised the 'F' in that 'Free'.
For instance, the Free Software Foundation doesn't develop and distribute software at zero cost. On the contrary, they develop software and give their users certain freedoms when it comes to use and redistribution.
By saying 'Free software is free', what he means is that for most purposes, people don't pay anything for copies of Free software.
It is unfortunate that 'free' means two different things in English, but many other languages don't have that ambiguity.
*sigh* I would have thought slashdotters would have figured out the difference by now.
According to the BBC article, he will be getting next to no sleep.
Apparently he's pretty used to feats of endurance, and he holds records in aviation and sailing. Due to the nature of the aircraft and the flying conditions, he will constantly have to be at the controls. The only sleep he expects is in the form of 5 minute naps, for which an autopilot backup and countdown alarm will be available.
His voyage will only take around 80 hours. The first around the world flight of this sort (in 1986) took about 9 days. The two pilots had to work in short shifts, but were severely fatigued at the end of the journey. This solo journey is possible for Steve Fossett because he is using a jet engine.
Sounds good, and it's surprising that such a system hasn't been implemented yet. One problem though: It often won't work for news article dupes because different story submitters may submit links to different news sources reporting the same story. Similar case with many different types of articles.
However, the point remains the same -- we would see far fewer dupes if our dear editors showed a little more enterprise. There are plenty of ways in which they can reduce dupes. (Actually reading Slashdot once in a while might help too).
And I certainly hope those who say dupes are a cheap tactic to gain more page views are wrong.
Slashdot Mirror
The building in questions aren't exactly the type that can be hidden underground. The buildings they want obscured include residences of the Prime Minister, the President, as well as various nuclear and military facilities. The concern is, among other things, that the satellite images will reveal the location and nature of the defences around these buildings.
Similar blocking is done for the White House and the Capitol building in the US (at least for Google Maps, I haven't checked Google Earth).
So if you take the bible literally, then you must believe in a flat earth.
It seem that's what these people believe. I wish this was another joke site, but they appear to be dead serious.
Just check out the forums.
It's probably worth pointing out Google Reader. It's not final and is still in Google Labs. I'm not sure if Slashdot has mentioned this before.
As others have pointed out, the Europeans got the formal mathematical concept of zero via the Arabs (who got it via the Persians, who in turn got it from the Hindus). Why do you think those numeric symbols are known as "Arabic numerals" in the west? Hence, at some point of time it was the Muslim Arabs who were wondering if the Europeans had understood the concept of zero as yet.
Therefore it's particularly ironic that you chose this subject for your troll, given that the the word "zero" itself derives from the Arabic word sifr (see the etymology).
Of course, there's always the possibility that you were aware of this irony, but that looks somewhat unlikely to me.
He obviously meant Autorickshaw, which are motorised rickshaws.
The manual rickshaws remain powered by food, which is converted to energy in a long complicated chemical process.
Region coding on DVDs has caused enough headaches for people. The idea of having DVD audio disks that don't allow ripping to your computer is idiotic.
CSS for DVDs didn't stop ripped DVD movies being downloaded by millions. Why does the recording industry think that some new encryption scheme will stop music pirates? All such encryption does is make the lives of legitimate users hard.
I've had the same problem in the past. Make sure you are allowing scripts to change images.
In your Options/Preferences dialog, go to Web Features and click the Advanced button next to Enable Javascript. In that dialog, make sure Change Images is selected. That worked for me.
Heh, interesting, I think I might know one of the guys.
I think the Harsh Azad on the list is the Harsh Azad who was in the same school as mine. He was a few years older than me, but I know that he was one of the l33t programmers at that time.
Hmmmm..... back to writing.
Same place where Windows 4 to 94, 96 and 97, and 99 to 1999 are. Dunno where. :(
:(. I mean, Windows 2001 to ......
And this Windows 2000 to Windows XP thing is just too confusing
--Segmentation Fault. Core Dumped--
To unleash the true power of your web browser, press Ctrl-W on your keyboard right now! If you're using Firefox, ideally hold down Ctrl-W.
.
.
(Disclaimer: No true power will actually be unleashed. But if you're stupid enough to try any keyboard shortcut any random person suggests, please disregard this disclaimer. Thank you.)
Screenshots (sort of) can be found here: here.
Also of interest is the software these NASA people use. Most of the stuff seems to be done on Macs, but it's nice to see the one Windows machine (this) using Firefox and Thunderbird (the latter visible in the taskbar area).
I think that's missing the point a bit (both parent and GP). What RMS is saying is not that Linux development got hurt. What he is saying is that mixing free and non-free software is a bad idea in general.
While using a non-free app to manage source code of a free app can't do to much harm, it is a dangerous step in the wrong direction.
In other words, using a non-free app for source code management sets a dangerous precedent. One day it's the source code manager, the next day your app depends on a non-free library, or a non-free platform (like OO.o 2.0 with Java). That is what RMS is concerned about.
He probably wasn't worried about such a thing happening with the Linux kernel, but that it set a bad example for other free software developers.
Richard Stallman had explained this very nicely in a speech against software patents:
In other words, software patents today mostly protect big companies, so it's no surprise that they are the ones who support them the most.
The transcript of the speech can be found here. Despite the odd transcription error, it's a great read.
Coverage from CNET news.com.com, from Reuters.
I had the same idea, except that I've made mine a hyperlink.
/. as Actuator Man.
I wonder how long it'll be before someone signs up in
Actuuuaaatorrr Maaaan!!!
But seriously, does this mean that Encarta users contribute additional content and then give rights over to Microsoft? Microsoft controls contributed content, and then sells it to others for money? Nice.
I remember Microsoft, a few years ago called Encyclopedia Britannica a "relic" for not having enough multimedia content. Now, this move by Microsoft makes Encarta look like a relic compared to Wikipedia.
It's bad enough that Slashdot's front page is dominated by April fool's day jokes on this day of the year, but the least they can do is to try to put GOOD ones. Ones that actually make you laugh, for instance.
Coral cache of the linked image here.
Talking of usability, that's one area where Google News scores well over Yahoo for me. I've tried My Yahoo, but I prefer Google News for it's simple and clear layout.
Observe how it neatly colour codes the different sections, gives a photo for most stores, and is generally pleasing to the eye. They make it very easy for you to quickly skim over the headlines to look for something you're interested in.
There is still plenty of room for improvement, but I hope they focus on making it easier for users to get news quickly, rather than add useless features that have nothing to do with news.
That said, it does seem that Slashdot is completely in love with Google these days. Sure, Google may be good, but I don't feel that warrants having a story everytime they update a service or product.
I'm another person who reads news from more than one region.
But there's one feature I could really do with in Google News: the ability to customise news sources. Currently they link to stories from all sorts of new sources, and some of them I prefer not to use for one of various reasons (sites that always require registration are annoying). It would be great if they allowed users to create a whitelist or blacklist of news sources they want stories from.
No.
He (assuming it is a he) obviously means Free as in freedom, not as in price. He also made sure he capitalised the 'F' in that 'Free'.
For instance, the Free Software Foundation doesn't develop and distribute software at zero cost. On the contrary, they develop software and give their users certain freedoms when it comes to use and redistribution.
By saying 'Free software is free', what he means is that for most purposes, people don't pay anything for copies of Free software.
It is unfortunate that 'free' means two different things in English, but many other languages don't have that ambiguity.
*sigh* I would have thought slashdotters would have figured out the difference by now.
According to the BBC article, he will be getting next to no sleep.
Apparently he's pretty used to feats of endurance, and he holds records in aviation and sailing. Due to the nature of the aircraft and the flying conditions, he will constantly have to be at the controls. The only sleep he expects is in the form of 5 minute naps, for which an autopilot backup and countdown alarm will be available.
His voyage will only take around 80 hours. The first around the world flight of this sort (in 1986) took about 9 days. The two pilots had to work in short shifts, but were severely fatigued at the end of the journey. This solo journey is possible for Steve Fossett because he is using a jet engine.
Sounds good, and it's surprising that such a system hasn't been implemented yet. One problem though: It often won't work for news article dupes because different story submitters may submit links to different news sources reporting the same story. Similar case with many different types of articles.
However, the point remains the same -- we would see far fewer dupes if our dear editors showed a little more enterprise. There are plenty of ways in which they can reduce dupes. (Actually reading Slashdot once in a while might help too).
And I certainly hope those who say dupes are a cheap tactic to gain more page views are wrong.