Information technologies are implicated in a worldwide and world-historic crisis: falling employment. As the wealth of nations increases, those who have lost jobs or had to accept menial ones over the past three years are left with only a wealth of culprits to blame: financial scandals, wars, tax cuts, stagnation, etc. But there is little doubt that a large contributor to rising unemployment is rising productivity, which in turn can be laid to advances in computerization and communications. I can no longer avert my eyes from the consequences of the field I have chosen, and no one else who programs, administers, or promotes the use of computers can morally avert their eyes either.
The gigantic combine of capitalism has always obsessively pursued efficiency, and computers make the pursuit almost child play. Capitalism has succeeded in sowing a cornucopia of innovation up and down society. But capitalism is atrocious at distributing the fruits of innovation. Each labor-saving device means the idling of thousands of people, wasting their years of experience, rigorous training, and practical insights.
People who work with computers remain fixated on efficiency. Every week I hear the debates over whether businesses should use Linux or Windows, the commentators always wrangling over which systems will save the most money. I find this battle increasingly tiresome. I'm more interested in finding the systems that will put more people to work.
I have a sinking feeling that we can't wait for the next upturn in the employment cycle, as optimists would have us do. I sense that this upturn may never come, unless people in a position to influence innovation make a conscious effort to involve the worker. Anyone who writes programs or plans system deployment should start thinking, "What can I do to bring average people back into the process of wealth creation?"
It is not my goal to place restrictions on investment or innovation; it is only to present a new way of thinking that some people may find stimulating. I am simply stretching a new canvas on which others may spread their oils; I am not providing a frame for the canvas. Just to illustrate what's possible, though, I offer a few tentative suggestions.
Write free software for individual industries
A lot of programmers are pounding their treadmills in the free software movement in order to create pleasant desktop experiences and improve general-purpose applications. These help everybody and are worthwhile in themselves, but think how society might benefit if a few hundred of these programmers took a trip down to small, local, cutting-edge businesses and asked the proprietors, "What would you like on your computers to make you more productive?" And think of what would happen if the programmers went on to write industry-specific software that solved immediate, felt problems and distributed it for free.
Businesses can afford to pay for software. But small businesses cannot pay as much as one would think, and specialized packages can be incredibly expensive. Proprietary packages also suffer from limitations, bugs, and lack of guarantees that they will meet user needs. Free software opens more possibilities, and perhaps can drive the expansion of job-creating businesses. Make devices more responsive and easy to customize
Personal devices and cellular phones are growing in power and complexity, particularly as Java applications become available, but they still don't provide the flexibility to augment the ordinary user at work (as visionary Douglas Englebart first suggested in the 1960s). I would like a computer to plan ahead for me, track things that are too much trouble for me to remember, and combine inputs to suggest efficient courses of action. My desktop computer has software to do some of that, but my cell phone does not. And soon I'll be able to have a dozen devices in my office with the hardware capability to augment my intelligence--I'd like to have the software capability as well.
Yeah but how about this? Maybe Windows has something going for it after all.
BTW has anyone else wondered why there seem to be hundreds of webservers devoted to 'OS pr0n'?
Ceren doesn't wear latex anymore.
nooooo:( She also used to read Slashdot, but when I last time talked with her, she said that she doesn't do that anymore because she's sick of the open sauce zealots.
WHAT... HAVE... YOU... DONE!!!
At Algoma University the mature students in the fast track accelerated second degree program are not quick to accept theory without proof. As a result, Professor George Townsend offered extra credit to anyone in his forth year Computer Networks course who could take up the challenge of implementing internet based protocols over a new form of medium - Bongo Drums.
Eight weeks later, the first public demonstration was given to the class by using a simple ping packet. With a blinding 2bps speed, the class sat patiently as the packet was received in roughly 140 seconds.
Whats the point you may ask? We aren't trying to set any speed records here (actually, we have been developing some ideas for "highspeed" bongos), but rather we're showing that the lower layers of the OSI model can be replaced with any form of media without affecting the layers above it.
Look at those bongos fly! - classmate
Due to a busy semester and a Microcoded M6800 Emulator project, work on the final phase of the project has slowed. The design plans for the actual bongo hook up have been completed, and now only a few more hours are required for total completion. The demonstrations that have been conducted have used synthesized bongo beats played through desktop speakers. Due to summer work, time has ran out and the final implementation will have to wait until september.
BUT DO HPS COMPUTERS COME WITH LINDOWS I THINK NOT^%%
shouting shouting shouting # Please try to keep posts on topic.
# Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads.
# Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said.
Slashdot Mirror
Information technologies are implicated in a worldwide and world-historic crisis: falling employment. As the wealth of nations increases, those who have lost jobs or had to accept menial ones over the past three years are left with only a wealth of culprits to blame: financial scandals, wars, tax cuts, stagnation, etc. But there is little doubt that a large contributor to rising unemployment is rising productivity, which in turn can be laid to advances in computerization and communications. I can no longer avert my eyes from the consequences of the field I have chosen, and no one else who programs, administers, or promotes the use of computers can morally avert their eyes either.
The gigantic combine of capitalism has always obsessively pursued efficiency, and computers make the pursuit almost child play. Capitalism has succeeded in sowing a cornucopia of innovation up and down society. But capitalism is atrocious at distributing the fruits of innovation. Each labor-saving device means the idling of thousands of people, wasting their years of experience, rigorous training, and practical insights.
People who work with computers remain fixated on efficiency. Every week I hear the debates over whether businesses should use Linux or Windows, the commentators always wrangling over which systems will save the most money. I find this battle increasingly tiresome. I'm more interested in finding the systems that will put more people to work.
I have a sinking feeling that we can't wait for the next upturn in the employment cycle, as optimists would have us do. I sense that this upturn may never come, unless people in a position to influence innovation make a conscious effort to involve the worker. Anyone who writes programs or plans system deployment should start thinking, "What can I do to bring average people back into the process of wealth creation?"
It is not my goal to place restrictions on investment or innovation; it is only to present a new way of thinking that some people may find stimulating. I am simply stretching a new canvas on which others may spread their oils; I am not providing a frame for the canvas. Just to illustrate what's possible, though, I offer a few tentative suggestions.
Write free software for individual industries
A lot of programmers are pounding their treadmills in the free software movement in order to create pleasant desktop experiences and improve general-purpose applications. These help everybody and are worthwhile in themselves, but think how society might benefit if a few hundred of these programmers took a trip down to small, local, cutting-edge businesses and asked the proprietors, "What would you like on your computers to make you more productive?" And think of what would happen if the programmers went on to write industry-specific software that solved immediate, felt problems and distributed it for free.
Businesses can afford to pay for software. But small businesses cannot pay as much as one would think, and specialized packages can be incredibly expensive. Proprietary packages also suffer from limitations, bugs, and lack of guarantees that they will meet user needs. Free software opens more possibilities, and perhaps can drive the expansion of job-creating businesses.
Make devices more responsive and easy to customize
Personal devices and cellular phones are growing in power and complexity, particularly as Java applications become available, but they still don't provide the flexibility to augment the ordinary user at work (as visionary Douglas Englebart first suggested in the 1960s). I would like a computer to plan ahead for me, track things that are too much trouble for me to remember, and combine inputs to suggest efficient courses of action. My desktop computer has software to do some of that, but my cell phone does not. And soon I'll be able to have a dozen devices in my office with the hardware capability to augment my intelligence--I'd like to have the software capability as well.
In the p
here
Adds nothing, and although I didn't notice a difference in speed, I wouldn't bother with it.
The same story at Spaceref.
Windows Server 2003 Website
Completley ontopic :D
It worries me how you found that out.
What will they do after they've finished with Y and Z, they'll have no more letters of the alphabet then. It'll be a disaster
She's also 16 years old.
An added bonus!
Yeah but how about this? Maybe Windows has something going for it after all.
BTW has anyone else wondered why there seem to be hundreds of webservers devoted to 'OS pr0n'?
I like the mirror in the background ;)
here ;)
This guy is hoping she's going to suddenly want to act out that scene in Swordfish. You know the one ;)
Ceren doesn't wear latex anymore. :(
nooooo
She also used to read Slashdot, but when I last time talked with her, she said that she doesn't do that anymore because she's sick of the open sauce zealots.
WHAT... HAVE... YOU... DONE!!!
When they have mascots like this?
All I could get I'm afraid...
At Algoma University the mature students in the fast track accelerated second degree program are not quick to accept theory without proof. As a result, Professor George Townsend offered extra credit to anyone in his forth year Computer Networks course who could take up the challenge of implementing internet based protocols over a new form of medium - Bongo Drums.
Eight weeks later, the first public demonstration was given to the class by using a simple ping packet. With a blinding 2bps speed, the class sat patiently as the packet was received in roughly 140 seconds.
Whats the point you may ask? We aren't trying to set any speed records here (actually, we have been developing some ideas for "highspeed" bongos), but rather we're showing that the lower layers of the OSI model can be replaced with any form of media without affecting the layers above it.
Look at those bongos fly! - classmate
Due to a busy semester and a Microcoded M6800 Emulator project, work on the final phase of the project has slowed. The design plans for the actual bongo hook up have been completed, and now only a few more hours are required for total completion. The demonstrations that have been conducted have used synthesized bongo beats played through desktop speakers. Due to summer work, time has ran out and the final implementation will have to wait until september.
additional link ;)
Remember bigger numbers =! better.
Think N64 and Playstation.
There'll be a hack for it in a couple days.
Then the British government can start taxing that too :P
I'll use my business account
this is all just a step close to 1984?
they are up to 80 Hz. Pretty damn good already, eh? A poster up above has a link to the BBC article saying this.
I'll have 2!
The frequency would be great, would hurt your eyes after a couple minutes I would guess...
so here's the Google Cache
BUT DO HPS COMPUTERS COME WITH LINDOWS I THINK NOT^%%
shouting shouting shouting # Please try to keep posts on topic. # Try to reply to other people's comments instead of starting new threads. # Read other people's messages before posting your own to avoid simply duplicating what has already been said.