The truth is that, while there are some very caring customer service reps out there who do a bag-up job, too many of them don't give a damn and just want to follow the check list and never admit their company messed up. If that screws you, well that's just too bad. Two examples from my personal experience:
I had only 300 minutes of my cellular plan with Sprint. I had never gone over my minutes and I had always paid my bill early. My grandmother had a stroke and was in the hospital while I was on a business trip. I spent a lot of time on the phone getting filled in; obviously I went over my minutes. Did Sprint decide to bill me extra like it says they will in my contract? No they waited until I was 100 minutes over and cut my service off in the middle of a call. Then they refused to put my service back on unless I paid the next three months in advance. The claimed that they had only extended me 100 minutes of "credit" and that beyond that they reserved the right to terminate my service (but not my billing) until I agreed to paid the next three months upfront (to get re-extended "credit"). I pointed out this this violated the terms of service in their contract and that I would be happy to finish my contract under the terms I agreed to, but that if they were not going to uphold their end of the bargin I wanted my account canceled. I was told that if I did not pay upfront they would report me to a credit agency for the full amount plus a $250 cancelation fee, and that to clear it up I would have to sue them! I was then told how stressful, difficult, and expensive this would be and that I'd be better off paying them so that I could go find out how my grandmother was doing.
I don't care how bad of a job it is, committing extortion for you employer is still a crime! I reported them the the BBB and canceled my account the minute the contract was up.
When the contract was over, I accidently paid them $.01 cent too much on the last bill. Their system sent me angry notices for -$.01 and then finally reported me to a credit agency. Customer service at both Sprint and the agency refused to do anything and to get my credit straight I had to hire a lawyer.
I had Comcast cable set up at an appartment I was using for 3 months. Because of delays, the cable was not set up until half-way through the first month and they counted the pro-rate as part of the next month (so I had two bills for the three month period). At the end of my stay, when I returned my cable box, I got a receipt that showed my account closed and Comcast owning me $17.32 (because they bill you at the beginning of the month and I was leaving part way through). For some odd reason I got a bill the next month. Customer service assured me it was a glitch and it would be taken care of. The following month I got another bill, this one with a late fee. I called again, this time I recorded the conversation. The customer service rep, admitted immediately it was their mistake and promissed to fix it. A few weeks latter I got a letter from a credit agency that said they would sue me if I did not pay up. I called them, explained what had happended and they told me I would have to resolve the problem with Comcast.
When I called Comcast the rep refused to examine the account history and kept repeating that if the computer had billed me I must be reading the bill wrong. I faxed him the reciept and played the recorded conversation and he instisted that the previous three people had been mistaken. I pointed out that I had only had the service for three months and that the total payments for those three months was about $17 more then the rate I had been charged. Still he refused to beleive me and said that there was nothing he could do. I asked to speak with someone who could. He told me that was impossible. When I told him that if he hung up I was going to call my lawyer, he told me he'd get a supervisor. The supervisor cleared my account but wouldn't pay me my $17. It was so stressful however I was just glad to be done with it. This attitude that if we treat you like an idiot, push you around, and waste your time, you'll just give up is disgraceful and anyone who goes along with it should be ashamed.
A long time ago. The game source was released so that modders could use it to make mods. What they are compilling doesn't have the engine (it's part of a separate library).
See the group's policy.
Also see the ISC licenseused by OpenBSD (I'd paste it here but the lameness filter catches it).
The ISC liscense is a permisive license with no strings attached and covers both patents and copyrights (because you grant permission to DO THINGS, not a grant of a limited license).
The origial Apache liscense was very similar but added some advertising and attribution restrictions that generally have little or no cost. There are numerous problems with the new license including:
The new apache license removes the implict grant of multiple permissions and replaces it with the explicit grant of just a copyright license and a patent license for specific uses(i.e. it gives you theoretically fewer rights).
The patent liscense has a nasty termination clause that while well intentioned could cause all sorts of problems.
It wastes hot air reminding people of things required under copyright law and granting permisions of things allowed by copyright law.
It requires that changes made from the original be prominantly noted. This is espeicially obsurd as almost every Linux vendor has their own patch set for the server.
The indemnification clause though well intentioned also has especially nasty consquences.
I could go on, but it's not needed. While you may not have a problem with these changes, they do clearly violate the stated policy of OpenBSD. I see nothing wrong with not updating the version of Apache they use to one with the new license. They will continue to provide and support the older version and hopefully the Apache foundation will change it's mind before they are forced to find a more permanant solution.
how well does it handle dynamic content (like using php and perl)? Obviously it can't use mod*; so is it restriced to CGI? Wouldn't CGI be a step back as far as speed and security go?
I disagree, one of OpenBSD's goals has always been to provide a base system that is as unrestricted as possible. It sounds to me like they are just taking steps to ensure they don't introduce a more restrictive license to the base system.
While I agree with you, it is entirely possible that someone could take the OpenBSD version of Apache (which has a ton of security patches that never got added back to the main tree) and use it to make OpenHTTPD. If enough people and vendors were concerned about the license change, it could even become the new standard.
As an interesting side note: the knealing, the solitary, etc. are all allowed under the geneva convention. Some countries, like France, have interogation laws that push the border. Other's like Israel have such practices banned. (yes you heard that right, if they catch a terrorist who planted a bomb in Tel Aviv, and the soldiers make him sit in an uncomfortable position to get him to tell them where the bomb is; wham! that's a court martial, forget how many people you saved.)
My personaly opinion is that US policy is about right.
Twirlip's posts above and below have a few good points you might want to look at BTW.
> According to all the reports i've seen that and every other chemical weapon you mentioned was identified by the military as being forgotten leftovers from before the first Gulf War, ie over a decade old. There's been no evidence to show that Saddam was manufacturing or stockpiling any WMDs since then.
US intellegence actually made two claims (that then got blown WAY out of proportion by the media):
Sadam hadn't gotten rid of his old WMD.
Sadam had programs that researched WMD and had the capability to rapidly produce it, when and if he wanted to.
Both of these have very convincing cases behind them now; check google.
Futhermore, the reason cited for going to war was that Sadam was an evil SoB who was going to become a major threat to the US and that we were better off dealing with him now instead of later (after an incident).
> What evidence is that?
More evidence in addition to that listed by Twirlip:
The Al-queada terrorist who killed the US ambasador to Jordan was in Iraq and being paid by Sadam.
Osama's right hand man (who is seen in a recent video cutting the head off of an American) was living in Iraq. Sadam insisted bebore the war he was not; Iraqi Documentation shows Sadam knew he was there. This guy has made several attempts to use WMDs on innocents, the most recent being the failed attack in Jordan. Are we to honestly beleive that his secretly living (on Sadam's payroll) in Iraq and aquiring WMDs that Sadam had the know how to make is somehow a coincidence?
> You can only "liberate" a country if there is a vast majority of the population that supports you, and no minority that will forcibly oppose you other than those in power. We seem to have miscalculated for Iraq on at least one of those.
I call BS. See Germany and Japan post-WWII. (Interestingly it looks as if some major papers are simply re-running old headlines...)
> if Saddam had any deployable WMDs (which is unlikely)
WMD? Like the Vx rockets found by the Brits?
The mustard gas bomb used on U.S. troops a few days back?
The (probable) Serin bomb that went off yesterday?
The Vx gas they tried to use in Jordan a few weeks ago? British, Israeli, and Jordanian intellegence all point to the stuff comming from Iraq via Seria. The Al-Qaeda member behind it was in Iraq at the time we invaded and is probably still there (he is on tape cutting off some poor guy's head...).
There is plenty of evidence that Sadam had WMD programs and could make batches of the stuff at whim. There is strong evidence that shows he was at least harboring Al-Qaeda members if not providing training and support. The media just doesn't like reporting it and the public doesn't want to hear it.
Furthermore Sadam's desire to control the oil in the entire region was a clear threat to the U.S. that would have had to have been delt with eventually. In addition, the US put Sadam in power and is morally responsible for what he did. The US inflicted the SoB on the world and now they are paying the price to get rid of him. What goes around, comes around.
> The handling of Iraq since the invasion has been a complete disaster, mostly due to an (apparhent) complete failure to anticipate anything but the most rosy of post war senarios.
No, the handling of the war has been REPORTED as a complete disaster because the media ignore success and focus on failure. There are a FEW problems, but when you stop and realize that Iraq is the size of California, that Iran and Seria are actively working against the US, and that there are a bunch of arm chair generals who will bitch about every little thing that happens claiming they would have had perfect foresite and done the "correct thing", the U.S. is doing a damn good job and the people over there are a hell of a lot better off.
Interesting, this all brings up the long term implications for the U.S. Long term, I think the U.S. will be better off too. A free, democratic, arabic country will drastiacally help the region stabilize. It will also provide a ready source of oil that Americans can be reasonably sure isn't funding terrorists. Furthermore, there arn't and won't be any U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, a major agravating factor. I think if the American people realize that war isn't all rosy, and tough out the hard part, the world will be better for it.
Yes, what this small group of soldiers did was inexcusable. The fact that the chain of command failed is inexcusable. That's why the general incharge was removed and the soldiers (and probably the general) will be court marshaled.
In the same vein as above, you cannot justify cutting the head of a civilian off by pointing to what was done at Abu Ghraib. We should actively try to bring these monsters to justice.
None of this changes the grandparent's point: We arn't dealing with absolutes, there are shades of gray. What happened at Abu Ghraib was bad. What happened on the video was worse. What Sadam did to his own people was worse still. While you can't use one to excuse the other, you can make a moral comparison.
Guys, in case you didn't realize, he's not talking about any game; he's making a political statement. I did find the satire and the backdrop of a video game a very interesting way for the author to express his opinion.
As I said above serious investors look for descrepencies between what a stock is worth and what it costs (usually by looking at the balance sheet). Speculators treat prices as if they have nothing to do with the value of the company and attempt to make money by trading on the stock.
They are two compleatly different ball games played on the same field. It leads to some very interesting occurances.
The stock market isn't about investing in companies. It's not about investing in the futures of companies. It's about investing in futures of stocks, guessing which one will be favoured and which not.
What you are talking about here refers to stock SPECULATION.
The PR mess is light on information and I don't have flash to view their site. Can someone give some technical information? e.g. How does this work? What does it really do? What can a typical gamer actually expect (surely it doesn't just double your power by sending every other frame to each card)?
A quick googling shows that FIPS 140-2 validation refers to the government certification that encryption modules have adequate security to be used by the the Federal (e.g. US) government. If OpenSSL gets fully validated this will be a huge win for open source software.
I for one LIKED the old MacOS interface and am happy with the new nautilus behavior. It's much more intuitive to an new user and makes graphically managing files easier, at least IMNSHO.
One problem, if I have two consoles, they can both sit by my TV. If I have two handhelds, I have to carry them both with me. Call me lazy, but I'm not toting around two (hell carrying around one is enough of a hassle).
Here! Here! Eternal Darkness was one of the best games I'd played in a very long time. And unlike resident evil, the game controls were intuitive and easy to learn.
The PSP is going to have to have some damn good games for it to get me to switch.
Unlike a console set up where I can have them both and play games on both, it's a real bitch to take two handheld systems with me. I'll have to pick. Given that I've got a GBA and over 50 GB, GBC, and GBA games, the PSP is going to need a ton of omph for me to even consider getting one. Once my overall disapointment with the PS2 is added in, I'm not seeing myself buying one.
I learned PASCAL first and LISP second. PASCAL is an OK language but I think some parts of it lead to brain rot.
Call me old fashioned (and probably biased; I've said on/. before that I HATE java...), but I like the idea of teaching SCHEME as a first language because the syntax of the language doesn't get in the way and lets you focus on the important stuff you should be focusing on in a first CS course, logic, program flow, and basic design concepts.
MIT has a course and book available online but I don't have time to look up the URL.
That's why smart kids go to schools like Kettering where you get to actually work for (and get paid by) a real company in your field from the start (not just an internship; you have to get so much work experience and finish a major project for your company to graduate) and build up your resume while you get the technical background and mathmatic knowledge.
disclaimer: I am a Kettering grad. There are other schools with co-op programs but Kettering is the largest, the oldest, and the most prestigious. It's also the only place where it's required (at most other's it's an option).
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I don't care how bad of a job it is, committing extortion for you employer is still a crime! I reported them the the BBB and canceled my account the minute the contract was up.
When the contract was over, I accidently paid them $.01 cent too much on the last bill. Their system sent me angry notices for -$.01 and then finally reported me to a credit agency. Customer service at both Sprint and the agency refused to do anything and to get my credit straight I had to hire a lawyer.
When I called Comcast the rep refused to examine the account history and kept repeating that if the computer had billed me I must be reading the bill wrong. I faxed him the reciept and played the recorded conversation and he instisted that the previous three people had been mistaken. I pointed out that I had only had the service for three months and that the total payments for those three months was about $17 more then the rate I had been charged. Still he refused to beleive me and said that there was nothing he could do. I asked to speak with someone who could. He told me that was impossible. When I told him that if he hung up I was going to call my lawyer, he told me he'd get a supervisor. The supervisor cleared my account but wouldn't pay me my $17. It was so stressful however I was just glad to be done with it. This attitude that if we treat you like an idiot, push you around, and waste your time, you'll just give up is disgraceful and anyone who goes along with it should be ashamed.
A long time ago. The game source was released so that modders could use it to make mods. What they are compilling doesn't have the engine (it's part of a separate library).
The ISC liscense is a permisive license with no strings attached and covers both patents and copyrights (because you grant permission to DO THINGS, not a grant of a limited license).
The origial Apache liscense was very similar but added some advertising and attribution restrictions that generally have little or no cost. There are numerous problems with the new license including:
I could go on, but it's not needed. While you may not have a problem with these changes, they do clearly violate the stated policy of OpenBSD. I see nothing wrong with not updating the version of Apache they use to one with the new license. They will continue to provide and support the older version and hopefully the Apache foundation will change it's mind before they are forced to find a more permanant solution.
how well does it handle dynamic content (like using php and perl)? Obviously it can't use mod*; so is it restriced to CGI? Wouldn't CGI be a step back as far as speed and security go?
I disagree, one of OpenBSD's goals has always been to provide a base system that is as unrestricted as possible. It sounds to me like they are just taking steps to ensure they don't introduce a more restrictive license to the base system.
While I agree with you, it is entirely possible that someone could take the OpenBSD version of Apache (which has a ton of security patches that never got added back to the main tree) and use it to make OpenHTTPD. If enough people and vendors were concerned about the license change, it could even become the new standard.
Class2 on older american cars; CAN on newer ones (expect to spend $500-1000 for a card); don't know what older Japaneese cars use.
My personaly opinion is that US policy is about right.
> According to all the reports i've seen that and every other chemical weapon you mentioned was identified by the military as being forgotten leftovers from before the first Gulf War, ie over a decade old. There's been no evidence to show that Saddam was manufacturing or stockpiling any WMDs since then.
US intellegence actually made two claims (that then got blown WAY out of proportion by the media):
Both of these have very convincing cases behind them now; check google.
Futhermore, the reason cited for going to war was that Sadam was an evil SoB who was going to become a major threat to the US and that we were better off dealing with him now instead of later (after an incident).
> What evidence is that?
More evidence in addition to that listed by Twirlip:
The Al-queada terrorist who killed the US ambasador to Jordan was in Iraq and being paid by Sadam.
Osama's right hand man (who is seen in a recent video cutting the head off of an American) was living in Iraq. Sadam insisted bebore the war he was not; Iraqi Documentation shows Sadam knew he was there. This guy has made several attempts to use WMDs on innocents, the most recent being the failed attack in Jordan. Are we to honestly beleive that his secretly living (on Sadam's payroll) in Iraq and aquiring WMDs that Sadam had the know how to make is somehow a coincidence?
> You can only "liberate" a country if there is a vast majority of the population that supports you, and no minority that will forcibly oppose you other than those in power. We seem to have miscalculated for Iraq on at least one of those.
I call BS. See Germany and Japan post-WWII. (Interestingly it looks as if some major papers are simply re-running old headlines...)
WMD? Like the Vx rockets found by the Brits?
The mustard gas bomb used on U.S. troops a few days back?
The (probable) Serin bomb that went off yesterday?
The Vx gas they tried to use in Jordan a few weeks ago? British, Israeli, and Jordanian intellegence all point to the stuff comming from Iraq via Seria. The Al-Qaeda member behind it was in Iraq at the time we invaded and is probably still there (he is on tape cutting off some poor guy's head...).
There is plenty of evidence that Sadam had WMD programs and could make batches of the stuff at whim. There is strong evidence that shows he was at least harboring Al-Qaeda members if not providing training and support. The media just doesn't like reporting it and the public doesn't want to hear it.
Furthermore Sadam's desire to control the oil in the entire region was a clear threat to the U.S. that would have had to have been delt with eventually. In addition, the US put Sadam in power and is morally responsible for what he did. The US inflicted the SoB on the world and now they are paying the price to get rid of him. What goes around, comes around.
> The handling of Iraq since the invasion has been a complete disaster, mostly due to an (apparhent) complete failure to anticipate anything but the most rosy of post war senarios.
No, the handling of the war has been REPORTED as a complete disaster because the media ignore success and focus on failure. There are a FEW problems, but when you stop and realize that Iraq is the size of California, that Iran and Seria are actively working against the US, and that there are a bunch of arm chair generals who will bitch about every little thing that happens claiming they would have had perfect foresite and done the "correct thing", the U.S. is doing a damn good job and the people over there are a hell of a lot better off.
Interesting, this all brings up the long term implications for the U.S. Long term, I think the U.S. will be better off too. A free, democratic, arabic country will drastiacally help the region stabilize. It will also provide a ready source of oil that Americans can be reasonably sure isn't funding terrorists. Furthermore, there arn't and won't be any U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, a major agravating factor. I think if the American people realize that war isn't all rosy, and tough out the hard part, the world will be better for it.
In the same vein as above, you cannot justify cutting the head of a civilian off by pointing to what was done at Abu Ghraib. We should actively try to bring these monsters to justice.
None of this changes the grandparent's point: We arn't dealing with absolutes, there are shades of gray. What happened at Abu Ghraib was bad. What happened on the video was worse. What Sadam did to his own people was worse still. While you can't use one to excuse the other, you can make a moral comparison.
Guys, in case you didn't realize, he's not talking about any game; he's making a political statement. I did find the satire and the backdrop of a video game a very interesting way for the author to express his opinion.
They are two compleatly different ball games played on the same field. It leads to some very interesting occurances.
What you are talking about here refers to stock SPECULATION.
The PR mess is light on information and I don't have flash to view their site. Can someone give some technical information? e.g. How does this work? What does it really do? What can a typical gamer actually expect (surely it doesn't just double your power by sending every other frame to each card)?
A quick googling shows that FIPS 140-2 validation refers to the government certification that encryption modules have adequate security to be used by the the Federal (e.g. US) government. If OpenSSL gets fully validated this will be a huge win for open source software.
I for one LIKED the old MacOS interface and am happy with the new nautilus behavior. It's much more intuitive to an new user and makes graphically managing files easier, at least IMNSHO.
The OpenBSD guys claim they have had something better for a long time and have asked the IETF to use it instead. I wouldn't hold your breath though.
That is the best idea I have heard in very long time. I'd go for it.
One problem, if I have two consoles, they can both sit by my TV. If I have two handhelds, I have to carry them both with me. Call me lazy, but I'm not toting around two (hell carrying around one is enough of a hassle).
Here! Here! Eternal Darkness was one of the best games I'd played in a very long time. And unlike resident evil, the game controls were intuitive and easy to learn.
Unlike a console set up where I can have them both and play games on both, it's a real bitch to take two handheld systems with me. I'll have to pick. Given that I've got a GBA and over 50 GB, GBC, and GBA games, the PSP is going to need a ton of omph for me to even consider getting one. Once my overall disapointment with the PS2 is added in, I'm not seeing myself buying one.
Actually I was thinking of The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs although the book you linked to seems very interesting as well. Has anyone read them both?
Call me old fashioned (and probably biased; I've said on /. before that I HATE java...), but I like the idea of teaching SCHEME as a first language because the syntax of the language doesn't get in the way and lets you focus on the important stuff you should be focusing on in a first CS course, logic, program flow, and basic design concepts.
MIT has a course and book available online but I don't have time to look up the URL.
disclaimer: I am a Kettering grad. There are other schools with co-op programs but Kettering is the largest, the oldest, and the most prestigious. It's also the only place where it's required (at most other's it's an option).