I think I could handle the risking of the lives to attempt the rescue.
But sadly, and honestly, I would have disagreed with this approach due to the risk to the manned space program. Had both shuttles not returned (which was rather likely, I believe), I don't think we would have returned to space for at least a decade.
I guess that is a rather confusing/conflicting point of view.
In general, I'm still rather angry about things like the spy agencies not giving satellite time. This is where the root of the problem lies in our space program (by "our", I mean "man's", not the US's).
No. That is not the case. Diversification is a well regarded investment strategy regardless of how much of a sure thing something is. (disclaimer: I'm in no way implying that MSFT is a sure thing in any way, shape, or form).
It's the whole "don't put all your eggs in one basket" theory.
There is risk in everything. Even as a CEO, President, and director, you can only manage the risk, not completely avoid it.
His financial planner probably just got him to come to his senses in terms of his portfolio and his future. My guess is that we will see a new MS CEO in the next couple of years. Why? Just because that is what good companies do.
It warrants interest by the Financial Times. Not slashdot. Unless, of course, the implicit motives are not simply journalism or "geek interest". This is editorial flaming. Nothing more. Perhaps the slashdot editors can trot out the Ballmer monkey video again. That sells around here!
Steve Ballmer was not an "official" founder, but he was a buddy of Bill and Paul from pre-MS days. My guess is that they feel he should have been a founder.
Also, he's on the board of directors.
And as to your last troll of a question, they do it for the same reasons geeks stay up all night writing code for open source projects. It's not about the money for either Ballmer or Linus. But my guess is that my previous sentence will be enough to get me modded all the way down to hell. Make it so...
He had close to a half billion shares, and he sold 40 million of them.
It is a drop in the bucket of total MS shares, which yahoo shows as 9 billion shares (float).
Again, the entire story should be modded down as flamebait.
The next slashdot story on MS will be that someone got a bad piece of chicken at the MS employee cafeteria: "MS Attempts to Poison Employees to Avoid Layoffs"
Geez. The guy is just diversifying his portfolio. He is the least diverse of all the software billionaires or Buffett.
Unfricking believable that this is actually a slashdot story.
I mean, come one. Isn't it amazing enough that he mades $12 billion or whatever on MSFT? Now, the implication of this being on slashdot is that this smells of some sort of bad omen for MS. It's a little late for that given that HE HAS $12 BILLION WORTH OF STOCK!!! (insert Sam Kinison "oh! oh! OooooH!" here)
The "old Europe" is only beginning to feel the full weight of socialism. Getting yourself out of the problems of socialism is an almost impossible political mess. The economic disaster that awaits them is their only hope because only then will they take action to change.
France and Germany have 9%-11% unemployment. 50% to 80% higher than ours in teh US. Spinning it with prison stats (which are wrong to begin with) barely masks the real problem, which is that too many are working for the benefit of too many others instead of themselves. A system which eventually collapses on itself in a flurry of unemployment, broken social contracts, and economic suicide.
The EU nightmare (as exemplified by the headline of this story) only adds to the problem. I give the EU only another decade before it begins to deflate, punctured by its own incompetence, weight, and overzealous personal intrusion.
Germany and France have double-digit unemployment right now. Fewer and fewer people have the ability to spend money there every day. So, it may not be the management headache that you think.
Those countries sure have some screwed up priorities, even compared to us in the US.
"Our economy sucks, what should we do?"
"Let's track every piece of cash. That'll do it!"
"Sounds good! Werner! Quick, build a multi-billion dollar system to track every cash transaction in 30 countries!"
They can't track who is spending the money, only that it was spent somewhere on something. If you fear the bank is giving you cash from the ATM and then tracking how you spend it, just trade cash with other people.
I don't like this, but I don't think that it is as Orwellian as it sounds on the face.
I think the whole problem I have with the guy's question is his separation of "need" vs. "hobby". I actually think he's trying to create a sort of "hobby-envy" by saying that his hobbies are more redeeming than other hobbies.
This sort of Hobby-Relativism must be stopped in its tracks before it gets out of hand.
We have more problems than brewskies and a hot bath. You'd do much better stock piling guns and ammo right now rather than learning how to churn butter.
Also, you have to weigh the risk against the investment of time. That is my whole point. It's all about how you measure the risk in your own head. Those who happen to weigh the risk a bit more in their heads than me are called paranoid conspiracy theorists. I'm sure you feel the same way.
BTW, Tom Hanks wasn't REALLY stranded on an island. It was one of the movies I spoke about. Although the Fed-Ex crash may explain some of my missing packages.
The skills are not lost. They are well documented. They are unnecessary. You sound like you are pining for the "good ole days". Give me a break.
"Lost" implies that they need to be "found" for some compelling reason. They have been supplanted with skills necessary for the modern world, such as computing, engineering, math, making $100 million movies, watching TV, surfing pr0n, and building space shuttles.
Really, though, chill out. Go out and pick up a six pack of Bud and some Dove. Nobody's first batch of home brew ever turns out good anyway.
Just remember where the Unabomber went with this line of thinking...
Where is the Porn-Only device? Clearly, this is the next "killer app". Are these big companies just too embarassed to release it? Or, did all the beta testers never come out of the bathroom?
We may never know. Please suggest some features that you would need in a Porn-Only Device (or POD(tm)). From both a hardware and software point of view, we probably now have the technology to achieve such technology. (i.e. left-hand-only controls (or right), media player, kleenex dispenser...)
The MS "line" is not necessarily what Gates thinks. Harken back to the Xenix days. For you youngsters out there, yes, MS sold and supported Xenix and Xenix tools for years. SCO picked it all up as MS exited that realm. And don't forget some of the command line and file system features "stolen" from Unix in the dawning days of DOS.
As soon as it becomes advantageous for MS to be in *nix again, they will be all over it from angles you can only dream of. The MS strategy is simple: Long-term Profit. Don't confuse marketing-droid speak with the mindset of Mr. Gates and Mr. Ballmer.
Step 1: Profit. Step 2: Profit. Step 3: Profit.
MS is in business to make money, not to make wet dreams for technologists.
Re:Microsoft linkage
on
OSI vs SCO
·
· Score: 5, Funny
I agree with your paranoia comments. I'd mod me down if I could.
I'd still look for connections down the road. MS sure capitulated to SCO mighty fast. But, don't discount Gates' respect for Unix/Linux either.
But after doing a painfully difficult 1 minute search on Google, I'd say SCO is looking more and more like a Rambus. The lawyers are calling the shots. I see their gripes with MS.
I'll start working on an Illuminati and Free Masons angle. That will be much more diffiulct to call paranoia because we all know they run the world anyway.
Microsoft linkage
on
OSI vs SCO
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
Considering the history of SCO in the mid-late 80s, you have to wonder how closely MS and SCO remained linked at the executive levels. Gates really liked UNIX and MS had their hands in the mix in that time frame. Gates is technical and understands why Unix/Linux is powerful and he actually liked working with it. SCO took over all the MS aspects of their initiative (sort of) back in the 80s/early 90s.
I suspect that their is more here than meets the eye in terms of collusion between MS and SCO. I could see MS picking up SCO if they can damage Linux in the process.
To spell it out, here is what I'm suggesting (IMHO): I suspect MS and SCO execs are acquaintences. I suspect that MS execs tugged on the SCO execs to make some troubles for Linux (starting with the IBM thing whenever). I suspect that they have a big bag of such issues with which to harass Linux vendors. I suspect that MS will enter the Linux/Unix arena in the next 3 to 5 years, possibly through an aquisition of SCO.
Question: Was SCO part of the anti-trust suits and related suits against MS? If so to what degree?
The Furby was in interesting use of technology. Sort of. And I use the word "use" loosely.
Neat to look at. Cute. Interesting. Lots of "imagine the possibilities" karma around it. But, ultimately, all dressed up with nowhere to go. In other words, a lot like the Segway.
Not Gonna Work
on
Rent a Segway
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
It seems that they whole purpose of the Segway was to get rid of using cars, not get rid of walking. Seems that this rental thing is trying to supplant walking. It was supposed to be for inner-city commutes, not tourism.
The more this thing flops, the more I'm proven right that it was going to flop. It's the next Furby.
They will never be able to make enough money on this to cover their huge start up costs and ongoing fixed costs. Look for company announcements about restructuring or refocus in the next 12 months. Followed by discounts, chapter 7, and inevitable lawsuits about accidents.
Unless, of course, they start running them on hydrogen. Then, I'll buy 12 of them.
Again, a centralized list of these sorts of complaints would be priceless. I'm sure the state hired a company to manage this (maybe not), but at least the legislature would think twice about funding such a mistake-prone system.
Issuing tickets and enforcing the law is not a system that can be automated. It requires judgement and wiggle room. An automated system will never have that.
Fact is, I'm still amazed at all that reasonable, rationale men and women would allow the tollway to exist in the first place. What a fricking mess. Micropayments at 80 mph that we enforce with automatic cameras. What a brilliant plan.
Sounds like that system doesn't have a thing to worry about....
Someone needs to start a Web page with all the mistakes like the one you found. Then, when they send you one of those automated tickets saying that you didn't pay or whatever, you can download all the proven errors in the system to establish reasonable doubt.
I don't use the electronic thingy where I live. But, paying manually sucks because I rarely get the little happy green light popping on to let me know I can pass after paying. The light is usually broke and they don't bother having a gate here (thereby proving that they expect the system to be broken more often then not). But it ticks me off thinking that even though I paid, it is entirely possible that the little license-plate-cam is going to turn me in anyway. What proof do I had I paid? None. The camera only catches the license plate, not my hand tossing money followed by my middle finger.
Slashdot Mirror
I think I could handle the risking of the lives to attempt the rescue.
But sadly, and honestly, I would have disagreed with this approach due to the risk to the manned space program. Had both shuttles not returned (which was rather likely, I believe), I don't think we would have returned to space for at least a decade.
I guess that is a rather confusing/conflicting point of view.
In general, I'm still rather angry about things like the spy agencies not giving satellite time. This is where the root of the problem lies in our space program (by "our", I mean "man's", not the US's).
No. That is not the case. Diversification is a well regarded investment strategy regardless of how much of a sure thing something is. (disclaimer: I'm in no way implying that MSFT is a sure thing in any way, shape, or form).
It's the whole "don't put all your eggs in one basket" theory.
There is risk in everything. Even as a CEO, President, and director, you can only manage the risk, not completely avoid it.
His financial planner probably just got him to come to his senses in terms of his portfolio and his future. My guess is that we will see a new MS CEO in the next couple of years. Why? Just because that is what good companies do.
It warrants interest by the Financial Times. Not slashdot. Unless, of course, the implicit motives are not simply journalism or "geek interest". This is editorial flaming. Nothing more. Perhaps the slashdot editors can trot out the Ballmer monkey video again. That sells around here!
Steve Ballmer was not an "official" founder, but he was a buddy of Bill and Paul from pre-MS days. My guess is that they feel he should have been a founder.
Also, he's on the board of directors.
And as to your last troll of a question, they do it for the same reasons geeks stay up all night writing code for open source projects. It's not about the money for either Ballmer or Linus. But my guess is that my previous sentence will be enough to get me modded all the way down to hell. Make it so...
He had close to a half billion shares, and he sold 40 million of them.
It is a drop in the bucket of total MS shares, which yahoo shows as 9 billion shares (float).
Again, the entire story should be modded down as flamebait.
The next slashdot story on MS will be that someone got a bad piece of chicken at the MS employee cafeteria: "MS Attempts to Poison Employees to Avoid Layoffs"
Geez. The guy is just diversifying his portfolio. He is the least diverse of all the software billionaires or Buffett.
Unfricking believable that this is actually a slashdot story.
I mean, come one. Isn't it amazing enough that he mades $12 billion or whatever on MSFT? Now, the implication of this being on slashdot is that this smells of some sort of bad omen for MS. It's a little late for that given that HE HAS $12 BILLION WORTH OF STOCK!!! (insert Sam Kinison "oh! oh! OooooH!" here)
Of course Euros are more expensive! They have RFIDs in them. Sheesh. Some people need EVERYTHING explained to them.
Milton Friedman you ain't!
But really. No, really. Give me a call when their unemployment rate is in my neighborhood.
I hereby challege your statistics.
I declare you to be Full-Of-It(tm).
The "old Europe" is only beginning to feel the full weight of socialism. Getting yourself out of the problems of socialism is an almost impossible political mess. The economic disaster that awaits them is their only hope because only then will they take action to change.
France and Germany have 9%-11% unemployment. 50% to 80% higher than ours in teh US. Spinning it with prison stats (which are wrong to begin with) barely masks the real problem, which is that too many are working for the benefit of too many others instead of themselves. A system which eventually collapses on itself in a flurry of unemployment, broken social contracts, and economic suicide.
The EU nightmare (as exemplified by the headline of this story) only adds to the problem. I give the EU only another decade before it begins to deflate, punctured by its own incompetence, weight, and overzealous personal intrusion.
No. But it is Orwellian. Go figure.
Now you're in the socialism grove!!! Work it!
Germany and France have double-digit unemployment right now. Fewer and fewer people have the ability to spend money there every day. So, it may not be the management headache that you think.
Those countries sure have some screwed up priorities, even compared to us in the US.
"Our economy sucks, what should we do?"
"Let's track every piece of cash. That'll do it!"
"Sounds good! Werner! Quick, build a multi-billion dollar system to track every cash transaction in 30 countries!"
They can't track who is spending the money, only that it was spent somewhere on something. If you fear the bank is giving you cash from the ATM and then tracking how you spend it, just trade cash with other people.
I don't like this, but I don't think that it is as Orwellian as it sounds on the face.
Well, then say what you mean.
I think the whole problem I have with the guy's question is his separation of "need" vs. "hobby". I actually think he's trying to create a sort of "hobby-envy" by saying that his hobbies are more redeeming than other hobbies.
This sort of Hobby-Relativism must be stopped in its tracks before it gets out of hand.
We have more problems than brewskies and a hot bath. You'd do much better stock piling guns and ammo right now rather than learning how to churn butter.
Also, you have to weigh the risk against the investment of time. That is my whole point. It's all about how you measure the risk in your own head. Those who happen to weigh the risk a bit more in their heads than me are called paranoid conspiracy theorists. I'm sure you feel the same way.
BTW, Tom Hanks wasn't REALLY stranded on an island. It was one of the movies I spoke about. Although the Fed-Ex crash may explain some of my missing packages.
I've tasted plenty of home brew beer. Plenty.
90%+ is sewer water. Which is about as close in percentage as the homemade wine I have to force down at the holidays for some big wig.
The skills are not lost. They are well documented. They are unnecessary. You sound like you are pining for the "good ole days". Give me a break.
"Lost" implies that they need to be "found" for some compelling reason. They have been supplanted with skills necessary for the modern world, such as computing, engineering, math, making $100 million movies, watching TV, surfing pr0n, and building space shuttles.
Really, though, chill out. Go out and pick up a six pack of Bud and some Dove. Nobody's first batch of home brew ever turns out good anyway.
Just remember where the Unabomber went with this line of thinking...
Where is the Porn-Only device? Clearly, this is the next "killer app". Are these big companies just too embarassed to release it? Or, did all the beta testers never come out of the bathroom?
We may never know. Please suggest some features that you would need in a Porn-Only Device (or POD(tm)). From both a hardware and software point of view, we probably now have the technology to achieve such technology. (i.e. left-hand-only controls (or right), media player, kleenex dispenser...)
The MS "line" is not necessarily what Gates thinks. Harken back to the Xenix days. For you youngsters out there, yes, MS sold and supported Xenix and Xenix tools for years. SCO picked it all up as MS exited that realm. And don't forget some of the command line and file system features "stolen" from Unix in the dawning days of DOS.
As soon as it becomes advantageous for MS to be in *nix again, they will be all over it from angles you can only dream of. The MS strategy is simple: Long-term Profit. Don't confuse marketing-droid speak with the mindset of Mr. Gates and Mr. Ballmer.
Step 1: Profit.
Step 2: Profit.
Step 3: Profit.
MS is in business to make money, not to make wet dreams for technologists.
I agree with your paranoia comments. I'd mod me down if I could.
I'd still look for connections down the road. MS sure capitulated to SCO mighty fast. But, don't discount Gates' respect for Unix/Linux either.
But after doing a painfully difficult 1 minute search on Google, I'd say SCO is looking more and more like a Rambus. The lawyers are calling the shots. I see their gripes with MS.
I'll start working on an Illuminati and Free Masons angle. That will be much more diffiulct to call paranoia because we all know they run the world anyway.
Considering the history of SCO in the mid-late 80s, you have to wonder how closely MS and SCO remained linked at the executive levels. Gates really liked UNIX and MS had their hands in the mix in that time frame. Gates is technical and understands why Unix/Linux is powerful and he actually liked working with it. SCO took over all the MS aspects of their initiative (sort of) back in the 80s/early 90s.
I suspect that their is more here than meets the eye in terms of collusion between MS and SCO. I could see MS picking up SCO if they can damage Linux in the process.
To spell it out, here is what I'm suggesting (IMHO): I suspect MS and SCO execs are acquaintences. I suspect that MS execs tugged on the SCO execs to make some troubles for Linux (starting with the IBM thing whenever). I suspect that they have a big bag of such issues with which to harass Linux vendors. I suspect that MS will enter the Linux/Unix arena in the next 3 to 5 years, possibly through an aquisition of SCO.
Question: Was SCO part of the anti-trust suits and related suits against MS? If so to what degree?
Cheap zirconium.
Now, I can buy my wife even more "diamonds".
Oh, boy! I'm gonna get lucky!
The Furby was in interesting use of technology. Sort of. And I use the word "use" loosely.
Neat to look at. Cute. Interesting. Lots of "imagine the possibilities" karma around it. But, ultimately, all dressed up with nowhere to go. In other words, a lot like the Segway.
It seems that they whole purpose of the Segway was to get rid of using cars, not get rid of walking. Seems that this rental thing is trying to supplant walking. It was supposed to be for inner-city commutes, not tourism.
The more this thing flops, the more I'm proven right that it was going to flop. It's the next Furby.
They will never be able to make enough money on this to cover their huge start up costs and ongoing fixed costs. Look for company announcements about restructuring or refocus in the next 12 months. Followed by discounts, chapter 7, and inevitable lawsuits about accidents.
Unless, of course, they start running them on hydrogen. Then, I'll buy 12 of them.
Again, a centralized list of these sorts of complaints would be priceless. I'm sure the state hired a company to manage this (maybe not), but at least the legislature would think twice about funding such a mistake-prone system.
Issuing tickets and enforcing the law is not a system that can be automated. It requires judgement and wiggle room. An automated system will never have that.
Fact is, I'm still amazed at all that reasonable, rationale men and women would allow the tollway to exist in the first place. What a fricking mess. Micropayments at 80 mph that we enforce with automatic cameras. What a brilliant plan.
Sounds like that system doesn't have a thing to worry about....
Someone needs to start a Web page with all the mistakes like the one you found. Then, when they send you one of those automated tickets saying that you didn't pay or whatever, you can download all the proven errors in the system to establish reasonable doubt.
I don't use the electronic thingy where I live. But, paying manually sucks because I rarely get the little happy green light popping on to let me know I can pass after paying. The light is usually broke and they don't bother having a gate here (thereby proving that they expect the system to be broken more often then not). But it ticks me off thinking that even though I paid, it is entirely possible that the little license-plate-cam is going to turn me in anyway. What proof do I had I paid? None. The camera only catches the license plate, not my hand tossing money followed by my middle finger.