I don't think human nature changes overnight. In the case of communism, it was partly down to oil price drops in OPEC bankrupting the USSR. It took a number of years to happen, though. Maybe also, there was enough time since WW2 that the Russians had lost some of their paranoia about having states on their borders to protect them.
One thing is that people want to be free. Whether that is where they can buy DVDs from or what books they can read. History teaches us that any restriction will be worked around. Gambling used to be illegal in the UK, and people would just fly or take a boat to France.
Socialists with the idea that you can somehow create a wonderful society through central organisation are just wrong. The free market works best.
A lot of the sci-fi that I like is where it takes the idea of something happening and the effect on normal people.
I loved Contact for the same reason. It started out from the point of "what if aliens contacted us?".
I also like Alien for that reason. They aren't drinking earl grey tea, playing chess and pondering the questions of humanity. They are like factory workers - blue collar guys smoking and drinking beer, doing a job.
I think that the difference is that whilst Star Wars has elements of technology (death star/droids), they are largely not what the story is about. Sure, the death star is an awesome machine, but it's just another big gun.
You could, I imagine take the star wars plot and move it to the dark ages and throw a few wizards in.
I'd say that sci-fi is more about where the technology and its impact are central to the storyline.
That said, whether a film is or isn't sci-fi does mean it's good or bad. Star Wars is great fantasy/adventure.
We weren't talking about business, we were talking about people doing something for free, like public spirited or because they are interested in it.
Number 4 in my project queue of things is something I want to make for the Mozilla Calendar project. It's going to cost some of my time to build, but I'm glad to give something back. I am expecting $0 return on it. This thing can be replicated millions of times because there is no financial risk in the replication. Each copy of a building requires labour, where each copy of software does not, which is why the free software model is hard to move out of anything but the "intellectual property" area.
The problem with the free building idea (and this is exactly why software/music/artworks are not like other things) is that there are huge costs involved in the multiple manufacturing process.
Production cost of 1st copy of software=very expensive. Production cost of 1,000,000th copy of software=almost nil.
With buildings, the scale is really tipped the other way. Plans are quite expensive, but the big costs are construction.
Yes, but also that money attracts certain types of people, particularly easy money.
When the money isn't easy, you often end up with a situation where the only people in it are people with a love for it. There's still a lot of businesses like this - places that sell home brewing equipment or knitting machine shops - no-one makes much more than a good living and a pension from these places.
The change has of course happened because of the industrialisation of reproduction. At one time, if you wanted to hear music, you went to a show or bought the sheet music. Performance was expensive and does not scale up.
You could fill a music hall with people and pay the performers. You want to open another music hall? You need another set of performers.
Recorded music meant that each copy scaled the initial costs down. This has, over time become even more exaggerated, though. At one time, record production and promotion was quite amateurish, which also would mean that records were made which actually cost very little, but actually cost quite a lot in terms of the pressing/sleeve production.
Now, the situation is that CDs cost very little to record and manufacture but the music costs a huge amount to produce in terms of promotion/PR/grooming etc. The cost of CD number 1 is huge but by the time you reach CD number 2million, it costs very little.
This means that people involved are not small entrepreneurs of the Fred Carno, but major corporations with everything that comes with it.
There must be some way of finding out that people you deal with are using Open Office. Maybe we could do with some sort of indicator, or encourage people to use Open Office by putting it in the sig or something.
What's the difference between a player league table on a Gorf machine and a player league table on the internet?
Why should something taken from console to internet be something entirely separate that deserves patenting? (and I mean morally or logically, not legally).
If there could be something like bluetooth with super high bandwidth, I'm sure it's possible.
Something like devices transmit their capabilities as well as data. All encrypted (so you can't watch your neighbours home videos). Just switch on your device and maybe pop in a card to give it the "transmit" code. Then, all your devices get informed of a new device in the ring.
That's one of my favourite films, and not for the obvious. It's just incredible that a film maker like Paul Verhoeven could have got people to utter such ridiculous dialogue. The dance sequences are camp, and I'm sure aren't meant to be.
That sounds like a great idea. Create something a bit like a form/report/database tool to challenge the MS Access space, but add in a few other things...
Open standards/source
Web accessible, including management of the model and data.
It's not just basic database management needed, it's things like form and report design, and "code behind". I've got some ideas.
If anything, commoditization is what encourages competition.
If you can make a discernably better DVD player than the next guy, you might be able to sell for more. Of course, once people realise this, you'll have to move on again, but that's reality.
There's two routes - get really good at commoditization (improve efficiency and quality) or specialize.
Actually, I heard something recently about a case where the French government prosecuted someone for working more than their maximum hours, even though they wanted to earn more money.
Sometimes, 40 hour limits are more about creating more jobs (ie reducing unemployment figures) than protecting people's rights.
Sadly, my local library is pretty rubbish (through no fault of their own - old buildings, lack of budget). The internet gave me a ton more research material.
Books cost a lot of money, even out of print stuff, because of the physical production costs. How much would it cost to print the collection from project gutenberg?
I've seen budgets be eaten up in one place I worked. A manager approached me asking if there were any courses I wanted to go on, and said that it was because the training budget (which was thought to be needed for something else) wasn't spent.
The "reams of paper" issue is not a big deal. Compared to staff costs etc, it's peanuts. Solutions I've seen like getting secretaries to have stationery books just wind up the staff.
Procurement is ridiculous in some places. Delay in purchase, project budget charged double the prices we could have got it from off Amazon (because the purchasing department levy a cost of them finding the worst price). Give project managers budgets and let them work with it how they wish. If you trust them with the project, give them the budget.
The real answer is to outsource as much as is reasonably possible, and where it isn't, give staff some control.
I run a small business and don't spend money on anything crap, because it's my money I'm spending. I'm unbribable by suppliers, because that $100 dinner is ultimately going to get paid for by me, where an employee in a large corp gets it paid for by the stockholders.
People don't always "walk out" with stuff, they just take it home for a "special project" and keep it for their kids to print stuff on/replace existing monitor.
2 or 3 years later, people forget about it. (Of course, I'm referring to surplus stuff).
Personally, I quite like strong typed, but they're only good if people take full advantage and allow types to also aid in the documentation and understanding process.
One thing I am keen on is compile-time languages like PHP. I spent about 2 days a couple of weeks ago dealing with a fault that was basically because the coder had released a different source and executable version but not changed the version number that the program printed. With PHP, there is no visible executable.
Slashdot Mirror
One thing is that people want to be free. Whether that is where they can buy DVDs from or what books they can read. History teaches us that any restriction will be worked around. Gambling used to be illegal in the UK, and people would just fly or take a boat to France.
Socialists with the idea that you can somehow create a wonderful society through central organisation are just wrong. The free market works best.
I heard a rumour that it was originally made to be 3-d. Is that true?
I loved Contact for the same reason. It started out from the point of "what if aliens contacted us?".
I also like Alien for that reason. They aren't drinking earl grey tea, playing chess and pondering the questions of humanity. They are like factory workers - blue collar guys smoking and drinking beer, doing a job.
You could, I imagine take the star wars plot and move it to the dark ages and throw a few wizards in.
I'd say that sci-fi is more about where the technology and its impact are central to the storyline.
That said, whether a film is or isn't sci-fi does mean it's good or bad. Star Wars is great fantasy/adventure.
Number 4 in my project queue of things is something I want to make for the Mozilla Calendar project. It's going to cost some of my time to build, but I'm glad to give something back. I am expecting $0 return on it. This thing can be replicated millions of times because there is no financial risk in the replication. Each copy of a building requires labour, where each copy of software does not, which is why the free software model is hard to move out of anything but the "intellectual property" area.
Production cost of 1st copy of software=very expensive. Production cost of 1,000,000th copy of software=almost nil.
With buildings, the scale is really tipped the other way. Plans are quite expensive, but the big costs are construction.
When the money isn't easy, you often end up with a situation where the only people in it are people with a love for it. There's still a lot of businesses like this - places that sell home brewing equipment or knitting machine shops - no-one makes much more than a good living and a pension from these places.
You could fill a music hall with people and pay the performers. You want to open another music hall? You need another set of performers.
Recorded music meant that each copy scaled the initial costs down. This has, over time become even more exaggerated, though. At one time, record production and promotion was quite amateurish, which also would mean that records were made which actually cost very little, but actually cost quite a lot in terms of the pressing/sleeve production.
Now, the situation is that CDs cost very little to record and manufacture but the music costs a huge amount to produce in terms of promotion/PR/grooming etc. The cost of CD number 1 is huge but by the time you reach CD number 2million, it costs very little.
This means that people involved are not small entrepreneurs of the Fred Carno, but major corporations with everything that comes with it.
Any good ideas welcome.
How much is it to patent something with the USPTO? Maybe some /.ers should get together and try and get some utter garbage patented.
Why should something taken from console to internet be something entirely separate that deserves patenting? (and I mean morally or logically, not legally).
Something like devices transmit their capabilities as well as data. All encrypted (so you can't watch your neighbours home videos). Just switch on your device and maybe pop in a card to give it the "transmit" code. Then, all your devices get informed of a new device in the ring.
Someone should put together a "patent creation website". Take 3 things, put them together randomly and submit them as a patent.
In this example... case mode, interface card, software.
The guy who invented that fussbal table connected to the net should patent that.
That's one of my favourite films, and not for the obvious. It's just incredible that a film maker like Paul Verhoeven could have got people to utter such ridiculous dialogue. The dance sequences are camp, and I'm sure aren't meant to be.
I don't even hate it because it's a US gung-ho thing or because it's an effects fest. Both of those I can just about live with.
The stupid ending, some banal dialogue and just darn stupid plot I can't.
Personally, I'd exclude anything from the list like Showgirls or Plan 9 from Outer Space.
Give it another try, dude.
Open standards/source
Web accessible, including management of the model and data.
It's not just basic database management needed, it's things like form and report design, and "code behind". I've got some ideas.
If you can make a discernably better DVD player than the next guy, you might be able to sell for more. Of course, once people realise this, you'll have to move on again, but that's reality.
There's two routes - get really good at commoditization (improve efficiency and quality) or specialize.
Sometimes, 40 hour limits are more about creating more jobs (ie reducing unemployment figures) than protecting people's rights.
Sadly, my local library is pretty rubbish (through no fault of their own - old buildings, lack of budget). The internet gave me a ton more research material.
Books cost a lot of money, even out of print stuff, because of the physical production costs. How much would it cost to print the collection from project gutenberg?
The "reams of paper" issue is not a big deal. Compared to staff costs etc, it's peanuts. Solutions I've seen like getting secretaries to have stationery books just wind up the staff.
Procurement is ridiculous in some places. Delay in purchase, project budget charged double the prices we could have got it from off Amazon (because the purchasing department levy a cost of them finding the worst price). Give project managers budgets and let them work with it how they wish. If you trust them with the project, give them the budget.
The real answer is to outsource as much as is reasonably possible, and where it isn't, give staff some control.
I run a small business and don't spend money on anything crap, because it's my money I'm spending. I'm unbribable by suppliers, because that $100 dinner is ultimately going to get paid for by me, where an employee in a large corp gets it paid for by the stockholders.
2 or 3 years later, people forget about it. (Of course, I'm referring to surplus stuff).
One thing I am keen on is compile-time languages like PHP. I spent about 2 days a couple of weeks ago dealing with a fault that was basically because the coder had released a different source and executable version but not changed the version number that the program printed. With PHP, there is no visible executable.