Yes I do think we can do it better, because we made a business of it. Because we've poured hundreds of millions of dollars into research and because we've set the world standard for food production. Setting up a nice petting zoo where they can live neolithic subsistence lifestyles like their ancestors is a pipe dream. Like it or not the model has changed, and arrogant or not I believe its our way or bust. To address your subsidies argument, how would isolated small yield farmers stand up to Western agrocombines? By your own admission they can't and don't. But if those same farmers have a chance to pool their resources and they just might be able to do something about it. That's how the US got out from under the foot of the British. While it won't happen overnight it's got a hell of a better shot of working than armchair protestations.
There was an article a while back about how they're using radio signal to send really low bandwidth email in certain parts of Africa. This helps families and friends communicate. They don't need to have cisco routers and fully staffed 24/7 help desks for the technology to be of use to them. The West didn't have these kinds of technologies or even a close approximation available in their formative years. We really don't know how it could affect development. Yes there is precedent and cause for concern (the Rawanda radio shows et al) but I just believe that free information and communication wouldn't have a net positive on a society.
I don't pretend to be a world policy mover and shaker, but whenever we try to implement aid to 3rd world nations some self imposed autocrat always seems to get in the way of any real progress. The food is available its just not distributed. What they need is information, info on how to better maintain crops, where to locate agrarian equipment, and most importantly a collective voice. That is the seed of democracy. That's exactly why we see more and more countries like China trying futiliy to crack down on open internet projects. I'm not saying the model will work for Africa, but its a better bet than the sisyphean task of dumping food.
The ship is going down and everyone is going to drown but it's so damned important that he run around to kill one jerk. I guess in the end everyone just wants someone to blame. Posterity isn't quite that forgiving however.
SCO the seething pool of corrupt bastards doing anything for a buck, criticizing Linus for an MO which he promotes to maintain openess and fairness.
"Hey pot you also happen to be the kettle."
Clearly you've never seen A*P*E. It is so godawfully bad that I have no expectation of it ever being surpassed. I've attempted to watch it half a dozen times as a sort of endurance test. Despite copious quantities of alchohol and the company of good friends who share my predillection for painfully bad movies.
is the removal of the need for all human intervention. Every last job is on the line, it just depends on how far down the line. I think that's partly what is behind the article's mentions of social and ethical change. I suppose they expect that freedom from work as we currently understand it would free us for higher minded things, much like the Grecian philosophers, except that our slaves will be nanobots.
Don't presume that I have any love for the Israeli government. I just happen to take issue with Hamas being lauded. If hamas is brave then any self pitying drug addict who wants to off himself is a saint.
Brave Hamas fighters? Interesting bent. What you mean is "that bunch of assholes so jacked up on testosterone and glory that they couldn't possibly survive a transition into a peaceful state and who are perfectly willing to wreck any peace efforts since they contravene their supposed righteousness, and their families and people be damned" right?
"Read on for how we managed to make it work using Free Software: HTML or PDF."
I didn't realize that one could route wireless signals with nothing but HTML and PDF standards.
You hit the nail on the head. Bulk. I love my zaurus sl-5600 but even that is a little bulky to lug around when your running out for a burger. The same applies in spades for a laptop. In some climates a jacket is something you can wear all the time. If you had a lightweight jacket and a heavy duty one you could wear non-stop. THAT is portable computing. I think just about every item of convenience we have today was yesterdays "Do we really need it?" The answer is of course a definite no. But just having it will make tomorrows answer "Yes we sure as hell do"
I'm going to make a prediction and say that whoever gets L1 first is going to set the pace and possibly measure out the participation for the rest of us. The possibility that it could be China should be worrying to most reasonable people. Hardly an occasion for celebration.
Slashdot Mirror
Yes I do think we can do it better, because we made a business of it. Because we've poured hundreds of millions of dollars into research and because we've set the world standard for food production. Setting up a nice petting zoo where they can live neolithic subsistence lifestyles like their ancestors is a pipe dream. Like it or not the model has changed, and arrogant or not I believe its our way or bust. To address your subsidies argument, how would isolated small yield farmers stand up to Western agrocombines? By your own admission they can't and don't. But if those same farmers have a chance to pool their resources and they just might be able to do something about it. That's how the US got out from under the foot of the British. While it won't happen overnight it's got a hell of a better shot of working than armchair protestations.
There was an article a while back about how they're using radio signal to send really low bandwidth email in certain parts of Africa. This helps families and friends communicate. They don't need to have cisco routers and fully staffed 24/7 help desks for the technology to be of use to them. The West didn't have these kinds of technologies or even a close approximation available in their formative years. We really don't know how it could affect development. Yes there is precedent and cause for concern (the Rawanda radio shows et al) but I just believe that free information and communication wouldn't have a net positive on a society.
I don't pretend to be a world policy mover and shaker, but whenever we try to implement aid to 3rd world nations some self imposed autocrat always seems to get in the way of any real progress. The food is available its just not distributed. What they need is information, info on how to better maintain crops, where to locate agrarian equipment, and most importantly a collective voice. That is the seed of democracy. That's exactly why we see more and more countries like China trying futiliy to crack down on open internet projects. I'm not saying the model will work for Africa, but its a better bet than the sisyphean task of dumping food.
hey its cheaper and whats the value in actually being there?
Eh?
-Lothar of the Lake People
Actually McBride was hoping that his ancient address would leak. So that it could get entangled with IP issues.
The ship is going down and everyone is going to drown but it's so damned important that he run around to kill one jerk. I guess in the end everyone just wants someone to blame. Posterity isn't quite that forgiving however.
SCO the seething pool of corrupt bastards doing anything for a buck, criticizing Linus for an MO which he promotes to maintain openess and fairness. "Hey pot you also happen to be the kettle."
Clearly you've never seen A*P*E. It is so godawfully bad that I have no expectation of it ever being surpassed. I've attempted to watch it half a dozen times as a sort of endurance test. Despite copious quantities of alchohol and the company of good friends who share my predillection for painfully bad movies.
Sincerely, AC - ass clown
and trasmit the power to receiving stations via microwave. Yes yes I know, it sounds easier than it is.
The music she's bought is good stuff. I recommend you all check it out.
Yup they sure are. Try checking the page again. Some web server :P
How is the parent a troll?
then I don't see how open software on the closed platform receives much of a benefit
is the removal of the need for all human intervention. Every last job is on the line, it just depends on how far down the line. I think that's partly what is behind the article's mentions of social and ethical change. I suppose they expect that freedom from work as we currently understand it would free us for higher minded things, much like the Grecian philosophers, except that our slaves will be nanobots.
Don't presume that I have any love for the Israeli government. I just happen to take issue with Hamas being lauded. If hamas is brave then any self pitying drug addict who wants to off himself is a saint.
Brave Hamas fighters? Interesting bent. What you mean is "that bunch of assholes so jacked up on testosterone and glory that they couldn't possibly survive a transition into a peaceful state and who are perfectly willing to wreck any peace efforts since they contravene their supposed righteousness, and their families and people be damned" right?
"The problem lies with PKWare not giving information to WinZip, thus making WinZip to go it alone."
Compression employed on this sentence may cause incompatibility with standard English.
Hmm yeah, maybe we should think twice before buying into a closed hardware standard.
"Read on for how we managed to make it work using Free Software: HTML or PDF." I didn't realize that one could route wireless signals with nothing but HTML and PDF standards.
why they dont just get it over with and just use paperclips.
You hit the nail on the head. Bulk. I love my zaurus sl-5600 but even that is a little bulky to lug around when your running out for a burger. The same applies in spades for a laptop. In some climates a jacket is something you can wear all the time. If you had a lightweight jacket and a heavy duty one you could wear non-stop. THAT is portable computing. I think just about every item of convenience we have today was yesterdays "Do we really need it?" The answer is of course a definite no. But just having it will make tomorrows answer "Yes we sure as hell do"
I wish that were possible, but you'd need some business savvy guy who wants to make holocaust survival kits to pull the whole thing together.
I'm going to make a prediction and say that whoever gets L1 first is going to set the pace and possibly measure out the participation for the rest of us. The possibility that it could be China should be worrying to most reasonable people. Hardly an occasion for celebration.