Everybody wants to get on the internet and netbank, surf, mail, shop. Imho the idea that this ought to be simple and easy for everybody is false.
Time for a bad analogy.
If I want to drive a car on the highway, i first need to : - learn how to drive a car - learn how to behave in traffic Furthermore I need to have an understanding of what i'm doing in order to be able to predict the outcome of my actions.
Why is this accepted for driving a car, but not for computing and using internet? (It looks like a TV set, but it something entirely different. People watching TV don't risk identity theft, for one thing.) Internet can be a powerful tool... but powertools can cause accidents when not used properly.
Given the current situation, maybe some people are better off not owning a computer or connecting it to the net. Some elderly will do fine, some just can't wrap their head around it. (disclaimer : i some across computer-illiterates of all ages, not just elderly.)
Ok, i must have gotten about three bad analogies in there. Let's call it a night.
I actually read through the whole damn thing once, after finishing Hobbit and the Ring trilogy. *shudder* I guess there are worse ways to spend your time, but i just can't think of any right now.
As a former (European) scoutmaster who read some of the BSA books, this doesn't really surprise me. BSA has strayed far from the original intents of the Scouting movement. (Independent thought - you said it) I will probably bleed karma for posting this, but there it is.
Major kudos to any small independent scouting troops out there.
If foreign manufacturers want to sell it on the EU market, they have to accept the EU rules of business. (You can substitute "EU" with "US" or "South Africa" or any other nation.) They could always choose to not do business... but that's unlikely:-)
There already *are* regulations for that.... like WEEE and ROHS. Did you RTFA ? These regulations provides exceptions for appliances that need parts that can only be built with toxic material for which there is no functional substitute; but there is a clear incentive to use non-toxic materials whenever possible.
What, you mean like killing animals for food ? (Don't get me wrong - I like dead animal chunks for diner.) Or having wild animals evolve into domesticated shadows of their former selves just to cater to our emotional needs ? Or breeding/engineering tomatoes/cows/dolphins that are bigger/juicier/smarter ? IMO nothing new, really. It's basically just a matter of disccusing which methods of "improvement" are ethically acceptable. (And even this is circumstantial. In times of crisis, ethics == luxury.)
I'm more concerned about developing self-replicating hybrid tech (the whole mutation/evolution meme). The thing is, that's exactly where money is to be made. So I guess it will happen eventually. And at some point it will go horribly wrong. And no lessons will be learned.
Don't forget about Apple. A lot of win98 users were supported by the family nerd who got fed up with playing support. *cough*
Pushing Apple/MiniMac/... as a solution is very tempting. It's mostly hassle free and self-updating (without unwanted features -- unlike the Windows update & WGA crap we endured the past months), and the UI is less cryptic than W98.
User support and maintenance are limited to learning folks about what and how they can visit/search on the internet and basic activities like emailing and word/image/sound/... processing. Compared to the neverending stream of shit generated by maintaining a family pc with w98 on it, it's support heaven. </biased>
If your husband acted like MS, you'd want a divorce. (Lie, cheat, screw everything in sight, stomp on any competition that stumbles out of its nest,... you know, typical uninhibited male animal behaviour.)
Yes, that would be correct. In Belgium it's around 7$ per gallon for unleaded. There was some governement-backed incentive here, where you could recoup a portion (i believe the taxes) when buying a hybrid vehicle. Too bad the infrastructure isn't here (yet). I'm sure that the oilcos don't really want to invest in hydogen/electric rechargers in their pumpstations as long as they can sell oil at insane prices, because it would benefit the market to their disadvantage and open the door for more hybrids/hydrocars to be sold.
This may be self-evident for most slashdotters, but I found that when I get the time to think about whatever it is I am supposed to accomplish, and plan it out ahead into simpler tasks, for example in a tree structure according to scope / dependence (eg. for software : Project plan + requirements doc -> use cases doc -> functional specs ) :
- I get things done in time, and because I can finish-and-forget small bits, I get the warm fuzzy feeling inside of getting yet another thing done/leaping another hurdle. This also helps staying motivated, not in the least because you can track your progress.
- The completion time of a given project decreases (as opposed to just starting and see where you wind up) because everything was planned out in advance : every task corresponds to a given sub-problem/use case/functionality/... and going back and fixing issues becomes that much easier because you can place everything in its proper context.
Proper preparation may not be the proverbial holy grail, but it helps a LOT. Also, this is useful for reporting to your clients and discussing matters with them.
Other notes :
- You will have to maintain your documentation/planning for larger projects in addition to implementing your solution, but for non-trivial projects your docs become the spine of your project, and they assure you when things go pear-shaped : if you have a rough time with a specific problem, you can isolate it from the rest of your project and dedicate the necessary resources to it (if the cost doesn't run too high).
- If you are unable to properly plan your project ahead you are probably not the right person to do the job, you will get stuck or lose a lot of time in research. This is of course interesting in situations where you are unexperienced, and a great learning experience when you can benefit from a bit of coaching from a more experienced peer. But it's not acceptable for a lone-wolf 'expert' contractor at a client site (unless your client is ok with this -- usually they aren't).
Thats a pretty subtle way to say I'm a paranoid basketcase.
Remember that power brings out the worst in people. Show me someone who wants to get on top of the pile and i'll show you someone who will go over corpses to achieve his goal. (If enough is at stake, literally.) This may be hyperbolic, but that's the way human society works. The egotistical/powerhungry maniacs that are smart enough to tell the right lies to woo everybody into believing they *need* them (eg. through fear for an external enemy --> "we will protect you. now fork over the cash.") will often outsmart the moderate idealists that want to do good for the people they represent. So go ahead and call me paranoid.
Actually I hope I am wrong. But it's historic fact that those in power lie to people to further their agenda. At work, at the governement, at shops, to their own kids,... A lot of people will lie to maintain an edge. The idea is that lies do no harm, but that's a misconception. Sometimes lies get other people killed.
One has to wonder if this is for real or if this is just another stab at fear-mongering so more propositions to cripple net neutrality / online privacy /... can be passed. If they really experienced that much security breaches I doubt CNN would be allowed to publicize this.
OTOH, TFA mentions a lot of scary evil things like North-Korean missiles and Chinese Hackers.
I'm not sure whether I prefer this article to be for real or propaganda, both possibilities imply information warfare on the US people.
I really wonder how many winshields will be trashed by flying gold plated cellophane insects... you know.. it's like a bullet... and if you're on the highway and hit one, they might think that it was a lost bullet... or a drive-by if there was a bunch of them
Well, it would explain how Kennedy and Connally were shot seven times with only one projectile. This must be old tech already ! *paranoia*
To quote Burroughs : Beware of whores who say they don't want money. The hell they don't. What they mean is that they want *more* money; much more, these are the most expensive whores what can be got.
EU bureaucracy isn't exactly squeaky clean. In the end it will have little to do with what MS's shenanigans, and more with the amount of lobbying.
Brussels is interesting because it concentrates one of the biggest bureaucratic centers of the EU, a NATO HQ (European HQ I believe), etc.
A lot of things get decided/lobbied in Brussels (most of which never sees the light of day). It's becoming the EU equivalent of Washington. Unfortunately.
Slashdot Mirror
I agree, except for the license bit :
Licenses = regulation.
That would be doubleplus not good for internet.
Imagine what bureaucrats would do to our precious internet.
The Horror, the horror.
Everybody wants to get on the internet and netbank, surf, mail, shop.
Imho the idea that this ought to be simple and easy for everybody is false.
Time for a bad analogy.
If I want to drive a car on the highway, i first need to :
- learn how to drive a car
- learn how to behave in traffic
Furthermore I need to have an understanding of what i'm doing in order to be able to predict the outcome of my actions.
Why is this accepted for driving a car, but not for computing and using internet? (It looks like a TV set, but it something entirely different. People watching TV don't risk identity theft, for one thing.) Internet can be a powerful tool... but powertools can cause accidents when not used properly.
Given the current situation, maybe some people are better off not owning a computer or connecting it to the net. Some elderly will do fine, some just can't wrap their head around it.
(disclaimer : i some across computer-illiterates of all ages, not just elderly.)
Ok, i must have gotten about three bad analogies in there. Let's call it a night.
Exactly :)
I actually read through the whole damn thing once, after finishing Hobbit and the Ring trilogy. *shudder*
I guess there are worse ways to spend your time, but i just can't think of any right now.
>Or is this an allusion to The Silmarillion?
Making a movie out of the Silmarillion would be like making a cartoon adaptation of a Fiscal Accounting handbook.
"Ooooooooh, I'll be using Windows 3.1 FOREEEEEEVVVVEEEEERRR!!!"
"We do all our accounting software in COBOL!!!!"
Tsk tsk ! Displaying such heinous crimes against humanity in a game is not done !
That's what staplers are for.
As a former (European) scoutmaster who read some of the BSA books, this doesn't really surprise me.
BSA has strayed far from the original intents of the Scouting movement. (Independent thought - you said it)
I will probably bleed karma for posting this, but there it is.
Major kudos to any small independent scouting troops out there.
Inspector Colombo says 'follow the money.'
Hmm... suspicious behaviour.
If foreign manufacturers want to sell it on the EU market, they have to accept the EU rules of business. :-)
(You can substitute "EU" with "US" or "South Africa" or any other nation.)
They could always choose to not do business... but that's unlikely
There already *are* regulations for that.... like WEEE and ROHS.
Did you RTFA ?
These regulations provides exceptions for appliances that need parts that can only be built with toxic material for which there is no functional substitute; but there is a clear incentive to use non-toxic materials whenever possible.
Imagine a beohurl cluster of these.
AFAIK intel+windows replaces the mainframe in business environments.
Mac+BSD is the new consumer hawtness, while business lingers in old proven tech.
What, you mean like killing animals for food ? (Don't get me wrong - I like dead animal chunks for diner.)
Or having wild animals evolve into domesticated shadows of their former selves just to cater to our emotional needs ?
Or breeding/engineering tomatoes/cows/dolphins that are bigger/juicier/smarter ?
IMO nothing new, really. It's basically just a matter of disccusing which methods of "improvement" are ethically acceptable.
(And even this is circumstantial. In times of crisis, ethics == luxury.)
I'm more concerned about developing self-replicating hybrid tech (the whole mutation/evolution meme).
The thing is, that's exactly where money is to be made. So I guess it will happen eventually. And at some point it will go horribly wrong. And no lessons will be learned.
Don't forget about Apple.
A lot of win98 users were supported by the family nerd who got fed up with playing support. *cough*
Pushing Apple/MiniMac/... as a solution is very tempting. It's mostly hassle free and self-updating (without unwanted features -- unlike the Windows update & WGA crap we endured the past months), and the UI is less cryptic than W98.
User support and maintenance are limited to learning folks about what and how they can visit/search on the internet and basic activities like emailing and word/image/sound/... processing. Compared to the neverending stream of shit generated by maintaining a family pc with w98 on it, it's support heaven.
</biased>
If your husband acted like MS, you'd want a divorce. ... you know, typical uninhibited male animal behaviour.)
(Lie, cheat, screw everything in sight, stomp on any competition that stumbles out of its nest,
Yes, that would be correct.
In Belgium it's around 7$ per gallon for unleaded.
There was some governement-backed incentive here, where you could recoup a portion (i believe the taxes) when buying a hybrid vehicle.
Too bad the infrastructure isn't here (yet).
I'm sure that the oilcos don't really want to invest in hydogen/electric rechargers in their pumpstations as long as they can sell oil at insane prices, because it would benefit the market to their disadvantage and open the door for more hybrids/hydrocars to be sold.
This may be self-evident for most slashdotters, but I found that when I get the time to think about whatever it is I am supposed to accomplish, and plan it out ahead into simpler tasks, for example in a tree structure according to scope / dependence (eg. for software : Project plan + requirements doc -> use cases doc -> functional specs ) :
- I get things done in time, and because I can finish-and-forget small bits, I get the warm fuzzy feeling inside of getting yet another thing done/leaping another hurdle. This also helps staying motivated, not in the least because you can track your progress.
- The completion time of a given project decreases (as opposed to just starting and see where you wind up) because everything was planned out in advance : every task corresponds to a given sub-problem/use case/functionality/... and going back and fixing issues becomes that much easier because you can place everything in its proper context.
Proper preparation may not be the proverbial holy grail, but it helps a LOT.
Also, this is useful for reporting to your clients and discussing matters with them.
Other notes :
- You will have to maintain your documentation/planning for larger projects in addition to implementing your solution, but for non-trivial projects your docs become the spine of your project, and they assure you when things go pear-shaped : if you have a rough time with a specific problem, you can isolate it from the rest of your project and dedicate the necessary resources to it (if the cost doesn't run too high).
- If you are unable to properly plan your project ahead you are probably not the right person to do the job, you will get stuck or lose a lot of time in research. This is of course interesting in situations where you are unexperienced, and a great learning experience when you can benefit from a bit of coaching from a more experienced peer. But it's not acceptable for a lone-wolf 'expert' contractor at a client site (unless your client is ok with this -- usually they aren't).
Thats a pretty subtle way to say I'm a paranoid basketcase.
...
Remember that power brings out the worst in people. Show me someone who wants to get on top of the pile and i'll show you someone who will go over corpses to achieve his goal. (If enough is at stake, literally.)
This may be hyperbolic, but that's the way human society works. The egotistical/powerhungry maniacs that are smart enough to tell the right lies to woo everybody into believing they *need* them (eg. through fear for an external enemy --> "we will protect you. now fork over the cash.") will often outsmart the moderate idealists that want to do good for the people they represent.
So go ahead and call me paranoid.
Actually I hope I am wrong. But it's historic fact that those in power lie to people to further their agenda.
At work, at the governement, at shops, to their own kids,
A lot of people will lie to maintain an edge.
The idea is that lies do no harm, but that's a misconception. Sometimes lies get other people killed.
One has to wonder if this is for real or if this is just another stab at fear-mongering so more propositions to cripple net neutrality / online privacy / ... can be passed.
If they really experienced that much security breaches I doubt CNN would be allowed to publicize this.
OTOH, TFA mentions a lot of scary evil things like North-Korean missiles and Chinese Hackers.
I'm not sure whether I prefer this article to be for real or propaganda, both possibilities imply information warfare on the US people.
... in Spain too ?
I really wonder how many winshields will be trashed by flying gold plated cellophane insects... you know.. it's like a bullet... and if you're on the highway and hit one, they might think that it was a lost bullet... or a drive-by if there was a bunch of them
Well, it would explain how Kennedy and Connally were shot seven times with only one projectile. This must be old tech already ! *paranoia*
> I thought IT communities were meant to be filled with rational people?
The real question is whether Microsoft is filled with enough rational people to understand how incredibly stupid this would be.
To quote Burroughs :
Beware of whores who say they don't want money. The hell they don't. What they mean is that they want *more* money; much more, these are the most expensive whores what can be got.
EU bureaucracy isn't exactly squeaky clean.
In the end it will have little to do with what MS's shenanigans, and more with the amount of lobbying.
Brussels is interesting because it concentrates one of the biggest bureaucratic centers of the EU, a NATO HQ (European HQ I believe), etc. A lot of things get decided/lobbied in Brussels (most of which never sees the light of day). It's becoming the EU equivalent of Washington. Unfortunately.