I don't write techincal papers for a living (or technical papers, for that matter),
but even this short Slashdot post presents severe difficulties.
I count five blatant mis-spelled words, one grammatical error, and a severely awkward phrasing. Your sentences run on a bit, and the entire passage reads with tedium.
As someone who reads technical papers for a living, I'm afraid I share more sympathy with your users than your self.
I can only hope you make use of a program of sufficient capability to render your own language into intelligable technical English.
Will the next article with similar/same subject be a dupe?
Will all the comments posted be virtual dupes from the previous dupe article?
Will it really make any difference to the editors/posters on this site whether the next election is actually hacked or not? (Will the same people debate the same moot points endlessly regardless?)
Me, I'm just hoping to win the next Lottery they run for the good proles of Air Strip One.
Most of Gibson is crap. If you want interesting, *thoughtful* computer-related SF, read Vinge.
Thoughtful characterizes the man indeed- in his writing and his person. I've had the fortune to meet Vinge, and a dozen or so other prominent writers, at conventions and other events, and Vinge stands out in his demeanor and presence. When not speaking, or being spoken to, he rarely seems to make eye contact, but scribbles and scratches in his notes, furitively glancing around him. His voice is soft and tentative, almost every statement he makes is qualified by "I'm not sure, but this is what I see happening..."
From a casual meeting, you wouldn't think of him as authoritative, for lack of self-aggrandisment.
I've met several of his former students in the area, who've gushed about how difficult, but rewarding it was to work with him- they're surprised to hear he's a SF writer.
It will be interesting to see where his fiction goes, now that he's moved on from the churn of Academic computer science. Will he continue to be "ahead of just about everyone else"? Perhaps. I suspect that he will continue to be *thoughtful*.
Stone- non-portable. Heavy, awkward
Clay- lighter than stone, but bulky and fragile
Parchment/vellum- lightweight but bulky and difficult to mass-produce
Papyrus/rag- lighter than vellum, easier to store, easier to produce
Acid paper- lighter than Papyrus/rag, less bulky, even easier to produce
seems to me, that portability and useability have been the driving factors; throughout the ages.
Few scribes, historically, have kept the
Ozymandian
standard, but in the end, even stone withers.
yet again, taking a decisive stand against the forces of tyrrany, the courageous Poles take arm against an implacable foe... leading the way to Victory over software patents.
Any technology for modifying identity can and will be subverted and perverted, and put to uses unanticipated by its makers
This story, particularly, sounds like the setup for a cyberpunk remake of "The Invisible Man", though lots of older, pre-punk cyberfiction investigate these premises, too.
<pinky@EU-commision.org.pl> Gee, what do you want to do this week, Brain? <brain@software-patents.com> Same thing we do every week, Pinky. <brain@software-patents.com> Try to take over the world!
The MPAA said the information detected by the free program would not be shared with it or any other body, but could be used to remove any 'infringing movies or music files' and remove file sharing programs.
Wow. Yet another definition of "freedom" in software.
I once bought the Zaurus in the hopes of having a PDA-sized Linux computer, but without a harddisk and without the possibility of connecting an external keyboard, it wasn't worth using and collects dust as one of the most expensive toys I ever bought.
May I ask which Zaurus you bought?
The older, international Zauruses (SL-5000D, SL5500, SL5600) were a difficult ergonomic pickle, being rather larger and heavier than any other PDA on the market, having the advantage of a tiny keyboard and awkward, fairly dim display.
The Zaurus C-series are actually a bit smaller than the 5x00, but have *much* larger keyboard and bigger, brighter screen. The keys are less responsive (membrane) but it's large enough that small (read: Japanese) fingers are able to touch-type.
IR-based external keyboards (for other PDAs) work fine for both models, and with large enough CF and SD media, you can have a few gb of storage space (smaller than a HD, but much less fragile).
The ability to keep my [portable] in my pocket does *wonders* for having it always-available, and I find that I use it more frequently than any laptop or larger device I've had before on account of that ubiquity.
It seems as though you and I may be on the cusp of Zaurus useability; myself not far removed, but enough that I find the Z actually works for me. It's a full "laptop replacement" for what I use a laptop for-
network terminal
development scratchpad
text editor
game box
music box
video (though with only a few GB on CF, there's only enough space for an hour or two of)
I get about 4-5 hours of battery life with the latter three tasks, maybe 5-8 hours for the first few.
The Zaurus C-series are only available in Japan, or from importers-
I'd probably welcome an x86-based handheld, but not if it were any larger, or runtime shorter.
I've heard this one before; almost word-for-word. When Joe came to visit $MYSCHOOL several months ago,
he gave us a little talk about the wonders of modern technology. Sadly though, he didn't seem to have a very firm grasp on the essentials of the processes occurring- he threw out a lot of vague buzzwords (including, repeatedly, the dreaded innovation.
Of course, not all technology is benevolent, so eventally Joe started up with his harangue about the resplendent evils of video games.
"You ought to see one called Grand Theft Auto."
at that moment I turned around to glance at the hordes of assembled students filling the auditorium- all of them slack jawed in horror and amazement, surely. What struck me most resoundingly, was just how poorly Mr. Lieberman knew the folks he was speaking to; I'd reckon that most of the audience that day were familiar with the game, perhaps half had actually played it, and doubtless had a higher opinion than he'd have expected.
There was a minor security "incident" toward the tail end of the talk that left me even more troubled; not because of any threat to our Senator [very little], but for his response to it, which
a) showed him truly frightened
and
b) did nothing to mitigate the threat
He may be an adequate or even competent legislator, but didn't earn much of my confidence. I'm grateful that he's representing someone else's state.
Slashdot Mirror
I can only hope you make use of a program of sufficient capability to render your own language into intelligable technical English.
Will all the comments posted be virtual dupes from the previous dupe article?
Will it really make any difference to the editors/posters on this site whether the next election is actually hacked or not? (Will the same people debate the same moot points endlessly regardless?)
Me, I'm just hoping to win the next Lottery they run for the good proles of Air Strip One.
OTOH, one for one plus five's not such a bad deal...
I don't care how well/badly Doom 3 is faring in the stores... I think you can afford a measely $150.
Yeah, a pure F/OSS Mars trajectory solution would be nice, but once in awhile you have to bite the bullet, and splurge a little.
OTOH, you could probably justify a Phobos shot as R&D for Id,
if you can just keep those engines from burning out...
Thoughtful characterizes the man indeed- in his writing and his person. I've had the fortune to meet Vinge, and a dozen or so other prominent writers, at conventions and other events, and Vinge stands out in his demeanor and presence. When not speaking, or being spoken to, he rarely seems to make eye contact, but scribbles and scratches in his notes, furitively glancing around him. His voice is soft and tentative, almost every statement he makes is qualified by "I'm not sure, but this is what I see happening..."
From a casual meeting, you wouldn't think of him as authoritative, for lack of self-aggrandisment. I've met several of his former students in the area, who've gushed about how difficult, but rewarding it was to work with him- they're surprised to hear he's a SF writer.
It will be interesting to see where his fiction goes, now that he's moved on from the churn of Academic computer science. Will he continue to be "ahead of just about everyone else"? Perhaps. I suspect that he will continue to be *thoughtful*.
Clay- lighter than stone, but bulky and fragile
Parchment/vellum- lightweight but bulky and difficult to mass-produce
Papyrus/rag- lighter than vellum, easier to store, easier to produce
Acid paper- lighter than Papyrus/rag, less bulky, even easier to produce
seems to me, that portability and useability have been the driving factors; throughout the ages.
Few scribes, historically, have kept the Ozymandian standard,
but in the end, even stone withers.
Imagine...
a Beowulf cluster, in your ps3...
yet again, taking a decisive stand against the forces of tyrrany, the courageous Poles take arm against an implacable foe... leading the way to Victory over software patents.
Oh freddled gruntbuggly
Thy micturations are to me
As plurdled gabbleblotchits on a lurgid bee.
This story, particularly, sounds like the setup for a cyberpunk remake of "The Invisible Man", though lots of older, pre-punk cyberfiction investigate these premises, too.
software patents YOU
The Boy Who Waterskied to Forever (1982)
Bravo! and how quite unlike the Microsoft model:
- WinXP based on Win2K
- Win2K derived from WinNT + Win98
- Win98 based on Win95
- Win95 based on Win3.1
- Win3.1 based on [various older Windows]
- [various older Windows] gui shell on top of MSDOS
- MSDOS derived from CPM
- CPM is a microcomputer shell based on Bourne Shell
- Bourne shell ripped from UNIX(tm)
wow. That's a lot of innovation there, buddy!Glad to see that Free Software devs aren't the only ones with a creative block...
hands down: the kiss
Free as in [freedom|beer] now:
freedom as in slavery!
Nor are slashdotters, apparently...
Er. I resen^Hmble that :/
Former United States President John F. Kennedy!
Thanks Messrs magenbrot and jafiwam! [mod them up plz!!]
May I ask which Zaurus you bought?
The older, international Zauruses (SL-5000D, SL5500, SL5600) were a difficult ergonomic pickle, being rather larger and heavier than any other PDA on the market, having the advantage of a tiny keyboard and awkward, fairly dim display. The Zaurus C-series are actually a bit smaller than the 5x00, but have *much* larger keyboard and bigger, brighter screen. The keys are less responsive (membrane) but it's large enough that small (read: Japanese) fingers are able to touch-type.
IR-based external keyboards (for other PDAs) work fine for both models, and with large enough CF and SD media, you can have a few gb of storage space (smaller than a HD, but much less fragile).
The ability to keep my [portable] in my pocket does *wonders* for having it always-available, and I find that I use it more frequently than any laptop or larger device I've had before on account of that ubiquity.
It seems as though you and I may be on the cusp of Zaurus useability; myself not far removed, but enough that I find the Z actually works for me. It's a full "laptop replacement" for what I use a laptop for-
- network terminal
- development scratchpad
- text editor
- game box
- music box
- video (though with only a few GB on CF, there's only enough space for an hour or two of)
I get about 4-5 hours of battery life with the latter three tasks, maybe 5-8 hours for the first few. The Zaurus C-series are only available in Japan, or from importers-I'd probably welcome an x86-based handheld, but not if it were any larger, or runtime shorter.
Of course, not all technology is benevolent, so eventally Joe started up with his harangue about the resplendent evils of video games.
at that moment I turned around to glance at the hordes of assembled students filling the auditorium- all of them slack jawed in horror and amazement, surely. What struck me most resoundingly, was just how poorly Mr. Lieberman knew the folks he was speaking to; I'd reckon that most of the audience that day were familiar with the game, perhaps half had actually played it, and doubtless had a higher opinion than he'd have expected.There was a minor security "incident" toward the tail end of the talk that left me even more troubled; not because of any threat to our Senator [very little], but for his response to it, which
and He may be an adequate or even competent legislator, but didn't earn much of my confidence. I'm grateful that he's representing someone else's state.In Soviet America, Pontus contacts YOU.
Here is the memo you missed: