The company down the street seems quite happy to shell out another $200-$300 to keep that $120,000/year developer happy. If your developer is any good, maybe he'll just go work for them.
In this market? I'm guessing you're a developer who hasn't been looking for a job for some time rather than an employer.;)
But for what it's worth, I'm an employer and I try very hard to ensure all of our developers - particularly the coders - always have two matching >=22" widescreen monitors. As a developer myself I'm perhaps more easily persuaded of the productivity gains than most bosses. That having been said, very, very few developers understand the cold hard realities of squeezed budgets, tightened belts and the pragmatism sometimes required in a tough marketplace. If you've made a good argument and your boss is still resisting, he may well have a very good reason beyond the price of just one screen. Think about it.;)
Facebook received its first investment of US$500,000 in June 2004 from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. This was followed a year later by $12.7 million in venture capital from Accel Partners, and then $27.5 million more from Greylock Partners...On October 24, 2007, Microsoft announced that it had purchased a 1.6% share of Facebook for $240 million...In November 2007, Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing invested $60 million in Facebook...In August 2008, BusinessWeek reported that private sales by employees, as well as purchases by venture capital firms, had and were being done at share prices that put the company's total valuation at between $3.75 billion and $5 billion
So an individual that has sold large amounts of equity in his private business to outfits like PayPal, Microsoft, Accel and Li Ka-shing (hey now that's a good name for a bulti-billionaire) etc. has not sold out?
We must have a very different understanding of the expression.
I'm not even mentioning the questionable privacy policies, ethics and activities of the company itself - everybody else seems to have that very well covered already.;)
I'm not sure whether my biker self or my gamer self is more offended by this arsehat. I've met and hung out with dozens of "biker gangs" at various rallies - yes including the patch clubs that people refer to here like they're comprised of mindless hooligans - and felt safer in their company than when taking a trip through a town centre on a Friday or Saturday night.
In short, "biker gang" is not shorthand for dangerous thug. Nor is "gamer" shorthand for brainwashed serial killer. And while we're at it I'm pretty sure that "Australian politician" doesn't mean paranoid, misinformed and dangerously ignorant jerk"... but I could be wrong.
Just a thought Mr Atkinson but perhaps your ill-considered bigotry is what causes people to take such a dim view of you. A single gamer harrassing you is more likely indicative that you've pissed someone off personally than that all gamers are out to get you and your family. Gah.
Well here's one Virgin cable customer (£30/month) that'll definitely be cancelling next week and specifying the reason for cancelling as deep packet inspection. Hopefully I won't be the only one with the sense to send that message.
The thing that annoyed me the most about Star Trek, and it was most common in the Next Generation, was the idiotic idea of solving a made-up scientific problem with made-up technology. It has no value to a plot; actually it's the opposite of plot, if there is such a thing.
You're thinking of 'deus ex machina', which is a plot device along the lines of "and suddenly a god-like being appeared and fixed everything". It's the fate of all lazy fiction and, sadly, it's not restricted to sci-fi - although the opportunity to invent suitable technobabble does make it rather easier.
What an horrific phrase. Do you even realise how offensive that comment is to people that don't come from your home country? Of course I'm only guessing what your home country is...
Indeed. My mum always taught me that, when returning something that I had borrowed, it should be in the same condition as when I first received it. When I read the phrase "returned to nature" my first thought was, "yeah but is it in the exact same condition as when it was 'taken' from nature?"
I'm sure they'll do some clean-up - I'm crediting the people involved with not being completely self-serving idiots - but I'm equally sure that the clean-up will not quite fully 'return' this land to its pre-settlement state.
In the interests of full disclosure - and talking of self-serving - I'm not madly interested in the story so did not RTFA. Soz. =p
Not to mention a lot more expensive. These things would be a criminals dream.
No more so than helicopters or any other light aircraft for that matter, which are usually easier to get your hands on than flying cars. Even a home-grown balloon can get you over a fence.;)
And the first text-based multiplayer virtual world was created in 1978/1979 by Messrs Bartle and Trubshaw. I thought everyone knew that bit of lore by now.
You beat me to it. I just double-checked and according to this page:
The final US presidential debate will be available live in streaming video on the BBC news website, with full commentary, a blow-by-blow description, and analysis, from 0100 GMT.
While this was a security fuckup, if your network is designed right someone having VPN access is not the end of the world.
Point being this was a local government network. The chances of it being designed right, let alone thoroughly maintained, are slim to none. Professionals outside IT must be educated not to rely on our l337 sysadmin skills else IT people will always carry the can when the shit hits the fan. I know it's a mixed metaphor but it rhymes so screw you.;)
People, in and outside of IT, need to understand (read: be taught) that government networks are not only vulnerable but also highly attractive to spammers, scammers, identity fraudsters and the like. This means that meatspace security is even more, not less, important in these environments.
The strongest wall-safe in the world is useless if you leave the combination on a piece of paper on your desk. If you believe that noone could get past the formidable building security to read what's on your desk, your safe is probably already bare.
Mate, actually I'm British. My own government is rapidly descending further into its own privacy-blind Orwellian nightmare. I haven't got much nice to say about them either. As it happens, I really wasn't casting any aspersion on China. I was merely trying to point out the nonsense of the broader "catch the troublemakers" justification itself. I'd be no happier if the London 2012 Olympics tickets feature chips containing such a broad range of personal data either - in fact I'll probably be even more perturbed if only because it's that much closer to home. That'll be one to watch.
All that having been said, and regardless of whether or not I've been subjected to the propagandist nature of American media, which I don't deny exists by the way, I'd have reason to be a little cynical I'm afraid. People on the outside of a closed system do, inevitably and quite naturally, tend to regard that system with an element of cynicism and indeed concern.
If the Chinese system were more open then I'm sure more people outside China would be inclined to dismiss the propaganda and/or be in a position to actively refute it. And as a result, Chinese people would be less likely to jump to the conclusion that anyone criticising any Chinese decision must be basing that criticism on prejudice or brainwashing rather than independent analysis of the decision itself.
The stated intent is to keep troublemakers out of the 91,000-seat National Statdium so that they cannot cause disruptions while China is on world-wide television, but it brings up serious concerns for privacy and identity theft.
I'd say it also brings up pretty serious concerns about the various definitions and interpretations of the word "troublemaker". Perspective is a wonderful thing - until they take it from you.;)
I believe this "submission" a way to get people on the site so that lala can tell their investors "We had 1 million hits within one day of launch."
Slashdot fell for it and is now giving a never heard of site massive traffic which will appear positive to investors.
You're quite right. But on the upside Slashdot also hacked the proposed service within minutes, after tearing the idea to pieces. Hopefully this might also tell the investors something about the company's business model and its viability. Even if a wee hack like that one isn't immediately obvious, plenty of people have pointed out that there's a speaker jack in your computer. Plug it in to anything from an ancient cassette recorder up to a modern mulitmedia PC and you can just record it with one button press or click. Surely even 'analysts' can see that. Daft idea. Daft business model. Protecting content - especially 'small content' such as songs or low def video - is a mug's game in this day and age.
Aww that was funny. What spoilsport modded this down? If I had any mod points left over I'd right the wrong. But I don't. So I'm sharing karma instead.
...they could be using "power" as a cover some classified event that trashed the satellite, like a collision with junk from the Chinese anti-missle mess. That would be very politically inconvenient for the Bush administration right now, and this would be a nice excuse to make that problem go away.
That debris field was the first thing that crossed my mind when I saw the headline too. I have no idea how frequently new, big satellites decide to plummet but it strikes this layman as a pretty big coincidence that this comes so soon after the debris fields got a huge boost.
When I first saw the debris field illustrated so plainly for Sir Patrick Moore (Watch the Dec 2007 "Sputnik's children" episode and skip to 26 minutes in for the best visuals), I was more than a little worried by the idea of a nation state intentionally accelerating towards Kessler syndrome.
Out of morbid curiosity I wonder if you, or anyone else sufficiently knowledgeable, could shine any light on whether this particular satellite could theoretically have come into contact with debris from that test?
Re:Yes they all work like slaves
on
Sun Buys MySQL
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· Score: 1
If your chains aren't physical you can usually quit the job. Sure that might make life harder for you but it's a pretty far cry from slavery and even indentured service. When there are still real slaves in the world it's pretty difficult to listen to wealthy, privileged and well-educated Americans complaining that Google's fat paycheck is equivalent to slavery in any way, shape or form.
Re:Yes they all work like slaves
on
Sun Buys MySQL
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· Score: 4, Insightful
the benefits are only there on the surface.
but what good are they if you are bound and 'forced' to work until 9pm each nite? or made to feel guilty if you DON'T stay for dinner and work a few hours after that.
all for the SAME PAY.
yes, its a slave life.
If they've cut off every single international phone line you can still radio data in and out. People tend to think that going high tech is the way to break out of these kinds of situations - e.g. satellites etc. - when often going back to flashing light semaphore or carrier pigeon is more likely to succeed.
Losing the connection to Burma slightly, the Romans employed four flags on poles to communicate messages up and down Hadrian's Wall. In ideal conditions they could get a 4-bit message from one end to the other (70-something miles) in a matter of seconds - that's a pretty good bitrate for something with no electricity behind it. Granted you can't get streaming video of monks being beaten up at that kind of bandwidth but radio's a different story.
And setting up mobile radio stations is probably easier than installing a massive communications line of wooden poles without the military noticing. Many brave individuals carefully concealed both receivers and transmitters throughout occupied Europe often at great personal risk, for example. Communications routed around damage even back then. I'm sure there are people within that country right now beaming data out. I wonder where messages in bottles cast out on their beaches would wash ashore. You could squeeze quite a bit of memory into a bottle.
Anyway, I think what I'm rambling about is that there's always a way. I just hope there are enough people with the balls out there taking these risks and, much more importantly, I hope that their messages do not fall on deaf ears. Sadly I feel some of the more powerful countries, who might otherwise be in a position to levy some immense pressure on the Burmese junta, are somewhat under-staffed at the moment. Although it's fair to say that some other countries - that are most definitely not under-staffed - remain on the outside of this affair for rather more cryptic and apparently self-serving reasons.
All said with humble and awkward apologies for commenting on the topic while enjoying a comfortable yet-to-be-oppressed privileged lifestyle.
In this market? I'm guessing you're a developer who hasn't been looking for a job for some time rather than an employer. ;)
;)
But for what it's worth, I'm an employer and I try very hard to ensure all of our developers - particularly the coders - always have two matching >=22" widescreen monitors. As a developer myself I'm perhaps more easily persuaded of the productivity gains than most bosses. That having been said, very, very few developers understand the cold hard realities of squeezed budgets, tightened belts and the pragmatism sometimes required in a tough marketplace. If you've made a good argument and your boss is still resisting, he may well have a very good reason beyond the price of just one screen. Think about it.
Quite.
So an individual that has sold large amounts of equity in his private business to outfits like PayPal, Microsoft, Accel and Li Ka-shing (hey now that's a good name for a bulti-billionaire) etc. has not sold out?
;)
We must have a very different understanding of the expression.
I'm not even mentioning the questionable privacy policies, ethics and activities of the company itself - everybody else seems to have that very well covered already.
I'm not sure whether my biker self or my gamer self is more offended by this arsehat. I've met and hung out with dozens of "biker gangs" at various rallies - yes including the patch clubs that people refer to here like they're comprised of mindless hooligans - and felt safer in their company than when taking a trip through a town centre on a Friday or Saturday night.
In short, "biker gang" is not shorthand for dangerous thug. Nor is "gamer" shorthand for brainwashed serial killer. And while we're at it I'm pretty sure that "Australian politician" doesn't mean paranoid, misinformed and dangerously ignorant jerk"... but I could be wrong.
Just a thought Mr Atkinson but perhaps your ill-considered bigotry is what causes people to take such a dim view of you. A single gamer harrassing you is more likely indicative that you've pissed someone off personally than that all gamers are out to get you and your family. Gah.
Well here's one Virgin cable customer (£30/month) that'll definitely be cancelling next week and specifying the reason for cancelling as deep packet inspection. Hopefully I won't be the only one with the sense to send that message.
You're thinking of 'deus ex machina', which is a plot device along the lines of "and suddenly a god-like being appeared and fixed everything". It's the fate of all lazy fiction and, sadly, it's not restricted to sci-fi - although the opportunity to invent suitable technobabble does make it rather easier.
What an horrific phrase. Do you even realise how offensive that comment is to people that don't come from your home country? Of course I'm only guessing what your home country is...
I was totally with you right up to the mention of IE6. :P
Kids today have no respect for their elders... and little understanding of their CS history. ;)
Indeed. My mum always taught me that, when returning something that I had borrowed, it should be in the same condition as when I first received it. When I read the phrase "returned to nature" my first thought was, "yeah but is it in the exact same condition as when it was 'taken' from nature?"
I'm sure they'll do some clean-up - I'm crediting the people involved with not being completely self-serving idiots - but I'm equally sure that the clean-up will not quite fully 'return' this land to its pre-settlement state.
In the interests of full disclosure - and talking of self-serving - I'm not madly interested in the story so did not RTFA. Soz. =p
Wow. That's a mighty impressive qualification. ;)
No more so than helicopters or any other light aircraft for that matter, which are usually easier to get your hands on than flying cars. Even a home-grown balloon can get you over a fence. ;)
And the first text-based multiplayer virtual world was created in 1978/1979 by Messrs Bartle and Trubshaw. I thought everyone knew that bit of lore by now.
Point being this was a local government network. The chances of it being designed right, let alone thoroughly maintained, are slim to none. Professionals outside IT must be educated not to rely on our l337 sysadmin skills else IT people will always carry the can when the shit hits the fan. I know it's a mixed metaphor but it rhymes so screw you. ;)
People, in and outside of IT, need to understand (read: be taught) that government networks are not only vulnerable but also highly attractive to spammers, scammers, identity fraudsters and the like. This means that meatspace security is even more, not less, important in these environments.
The strongest wall-safe in the world is useless if you leave the combination on a piece of paper on your desk. If you believe that noone could get past the formidable building security to read what's on your desk, your safe is probably already bare.
Mate, actually I'm British. My own government is rapidly descending further into its own privacy-blind Orwellian nightmare. I haven't got much nice to say about them either. As it happens, I really wasn't casting any aspersion on China. I was merely trying to point out the nonsense of the broader "catch the troublemakers" justification itself. I'd be no happier if the London 2012 Olympics tickets feature chips containing such a broad range of personal data either - in fact I'll probably be even more perturbed if only because it's that much closer to home. That'll be one to watch.
All that having been said, and regardless of whether or not I've been subjected to the propagandist nature of American media, which I don't deny exists by the way, I'd have reason to be a little cynical I'm afraid. People on the outside of a closed system do, inevitably and quite naturally, tend to regard that system with an element of cynicism and indeed concern.
If the Chinese system were more open then I'm sure more people outside China would be inclined to dismiss the propaganda and/or be in a position to actively refute it. And as a result, Chinese people would be less likely to jump to the conclusion that anyone criticising any Chinese decision must be basing that criticism on prejudice or brainwashing rather than independent analysis of the decision itself.
I'd say it also brings up pretty serious concerns about the various definitions and interpretations of the word "troublemaker". Perspective is a wonderful thing - until they take it from you.
Thanks for that! Watched live. Very smooth EDL and very smooth coverage too. Huge congrats to all involved. Thanks again for linking it up. :)
Aww that was funny. What spoilsport modded this down? If I had any mod points left over I'd right the wrong. But I don't. So I'm sharing karma instead.
When I first saw the debris field illustrated so plainly for Sir Patrick Moore (Watch the Dec 2007 "Sputnik's children" episode and skip to 26 minutes in for the best visuals), I was more than a little worried by the idea of a nation state intentionally accelerating towards Kessler syndrome.
Out of morbid curiosity I wonder if you, or anyone else sufficiently knowledgeable, could shine any light on whether this particular satellite could theoretically have come into contact with debris from that test?
If your chains aren't physical you can usually quit the job. Sure that might make life harder for you but it's a pretty far cry from slavery and even indentured service. When there are still real slaves in the world it's pretty difficult to listen to wealthy, privileged and well-educated Americans complaining that Google's fat paycheck is equivalent to slavery in any way, shape or form.
I wish I had some mod points. Well said.
I said "nt" dammit!
If they've cut off every single international phone line you can still radio data in and out. People tend to think that going high tech is the way to break out of these kinds of situations - e.g. satellites etc. - when often going back to flashing light semaphore or carrier pigeon is more likely to succeed.
Losing the connection to Burma slightly, the Romans employed four flags on poles to communicate messages up and down Hadrian's Wall. In ideal conditions they could get a 4-bit message from one end to the other (70-something miles) in a matter of seconds - that's a pretty good bitrate for something with no electricity behind it. Granted you can't get streaming video of monks being beaten up at that kind of bandwidth but radio's a different story.
And setting up mobile radio stations is probably easier than installing a massive communications line of wooden poles without the military noticing. Many brave individuals carefully concealed both receivers and transmitters throughout occupied Europe often at great personal risk, for example. Communications routed around damage even back then. I'm sure there are people within that country right now beaming data out. I wonder where messages in bottles cast out on their beaches would wash ashore. You could squeeze quite a bit of memory into a bottle.
Anyway, I think what I'm rambling about is that there's always a way. I just hope there are enough people with the balls out there taking these risks and, much more importantly, I hope that their messages do not fall on deaf ears. Sadly I feel some of the more powerful countries, who might otherwise be in a position to levy some immense pressure on the Burmese junta, are somewhat under-staffed at the moment. Although it's fair to say that some other countries - that are most definitely not under-staffed - remain on the outside of this affair for rather more cryptic and apparently self-serving reasons.
All said with humble and awkward apologies for commenting on the topic while enjoying a comfortable yet-to-be-oppressed privileged lifestyle.