I almost choked on my drink when I heard the pricing for the load balancers they're looking at for the enterprise application I'm currently working on (Citrix Netscaler ~AU100k). I imagine once you start adding a zero (or two) to the end of 'generic' hardware costs its very easy to eat up 700k
Its not peacetime its the enduring war on terror. Can't have people thinking for themselves during a war, or worse compromising national security.
Anyone interested should read 'Bruce Sterling -Islands in the Net', it has some really interesting perspectives on censorship (Among other things).
If this gets in then Australia is no longer the place for me, not because I look at anything illegal but because I would rather not have someone telling me what I can look at. I'm technically capable of avoiding the filters, but why should I have to.
You're innocent until proven guilty. As much as I hate sex offenders and any type of sexual crime. I can't condone any action that assumes that the person is guilty even if the state (or whatever other judicial court) can't prove it. The simple fact is, you can't label them a sexual offender and add them the registry if you can't prove they're a sexual offender; and if you can prove it then the whole post is a mute point.
Offering competitive advertising rates to any political group smart enough to work out that I'm outside the regulatory powers of the FEC. Don't let your hard earned campaign war chest be controlled by a delusional government department. Call or Email for a free quote.
However, evolution is one of the most well-established theories that science has to offer.
It may well be one of the most established theories, but it is also one of the most controversial. It is far from proved, and yes basing your beliefs on just a religious text is stupid, but basing your beliefs on an unproved theory (yes i'm aware that the very definition of theory is that it hasn't been proven), is also quite foolish.
And it's a simple fact that people who publicly oppose evolution tend to be quite vocal in not only bashing scientists as a group, but bashing science in general
That's not true, we only bash pro-evolution scientists. Quite simply there are plenty of scientists who don't agree with the theory of evolution, in just about every field of science.
If you are against Darwin, you are probably against science.
Crock. There are plenty of examples where evolution can't explain how things got to where they are now. This is not to say that I don't agree with science just that I don't agree science knows everything. Evidence that is presented by scientists can be interpreted in more than one way, and thats the crux of it. You can choose to believe whatever you like and then go about dredging up evidence to support your position. SCIENCE however is supposed to be about careful and objective analysis of the facts (evidence).
Moving on. I would think most Computer Professionals, more specifically Programmers would be supporters of intelligent design. Here is my reasoning:
I have never had a program write itself - which is a pity. Yes there are research projects into genetic algorithms, but even here we find that, it still requires the designer to start the process.
Even if you write a program that can mutate, it never goes beyond its original programming (it only mutates within its programming). Accounting programs don't change into Computer Games.
Evolution supports 'no writing' - you don't get a programming language, and you certainly don't get an operating system for your evolution to exist inside. Technically you don't even get the computer (but i'm being nice). You start with nothing but a bios, the CPU running at whatever speed and from that it must evolve into a complex 'program'
Darwins reasoning is this:
Everything came from nothing - Not only do we have complex organisms running around, that mutated over (millions of years) into more complex organisms. But the basic building blocks of everything (atoms - protons, electrons, neutrons) also just created themselves.
The Missing Link - Is 'missing' but it existed (we just can't find it). Regardless of the fact that survival of the fittest on the scale suggested would leave a bigger footprint (i.e. that many failures would leave a greater fossil record).
So yes, I'm pro intelligent design (in some form or another). As a programmer I have to be. I would say that the arguments are far from conclusive on either side; but both intelligent design and evolution are worth investigating, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that science should be neutral, and just like we enjoy religious freedoms, we also need to be sure that we enjoy scientific freedoms (that its not shoved down out throats).
I'm sure plenty of people have the knowledge and ability to implement this and other sophisticated viruses. Thankfully most anyone with that kind of ability has better things to do with their time.
Evolution, Thunderbird, Columba, Slypheed, KMail (Not forgetting Pine & Mutt)......And if you get really bored you could always run Outlook using Wine or Crossover.
Neither Kazaa nor Skype were inventions as such, sure the technology behind them may be impressive, but an invention is something that has never been done before.Both Netmeeting and Paltalk are examples of programs that have used voice chat in the past (with Napster being the relevant example for Kazaa). What he has effectively done is step into market niches, otherwise known as being in the right place at the right time.
The technology may well be impressive, but cutting the phone companies profits will eventually catch up with us. I don't think that they'll go out of business as such, but it will affect the quality of service these companies supply if they are hurting from this. Skype is not exactly the same as P2P where sharing has actually increased the number of CD sales, or where the artist and record producer have (in the past) had a license to print money (if their decent).
Telecommunication Companies have to take care of infrastructure, and pay wages to a myrriad of employees. VoIP and Skype are all very well, but what happens when the internet goes down, its happened before (at least to chunks of it), and it can happen again. Is it just going to be a case of blaming the internet when our customers ask why they couldn't contact you?
I have to say that I know one of the guys (Matt Palmer) behind this project, haven't seen him for ages but he has the know how and passion to see this project through.
I can't wait to see it in action, a change from the norm thats for sure.
Having software released to the public while it is still in beta is not a bad thing, in fact its a subtle move by microsoft towards the open source metality.
Having software used and thereby audited by the public before it is released as stable increases the reliability of the software. Microsoft programmers are still tasked to getting the software into stable, rather than having moved on to other things after the release.
Beta software also provides the public a chance to review the full product or something close to what it will be, without breaking any laws, and without the annoyance of limitations like those found in demos.
While I don't pretend to be an expert on caffine or any other addiction for that matter, will power plays a lot. My father has run quit smoking courses and your desire to quit, and follow through on that commitment plays a big part.
Another good way is to do it as a group, simply because then you have someone to compete against/ check up on you.
A better method of making a draft board game is simply to find some white paint (or the like) and clear an already existing board game.This may not be useful for production purposes but if you are just mucking about at home with making some board games then it saves the trouble of actually creating a realistic board.
One of the best board games that I have ever played, was made by my mum (mom). She is a school teacher and so is good at that kind of thing. She used a 1 Metre by 1 Metre (i think) piece of ply board and started from there. The figures that were used came from plastic figurine sets, the ones where the figures are about 3 cm/1 inch tall.It was a pirate game so I think she found some pirate ones. But there should be some for most types of games. Think warhammer/warhammer 40k
The track for the players to follow was sketched onto the board and later put on with a black felt tip. The islands and the like were in the first version painted on, but a later version sported paper mache (probably spelt wrong).Most inkjet printers can print on thin cardboard, so making up your cards shouldn't be to much trouble.
The game was not very portable, but when put on the kitchen table or lounge room floor, very very playable. Once you have designed your board it is simply a matter of getting a group of friends to sit down and test the game with.
Yeah Debian is very 2.6 Friendly, unlike Redhat where I had to do a double backflip to get it to work Debian was easy, the hardest thing is that it doesn't edit the lilo.conf properly.
I must admit I have been looking forward to this, I have been running all the tests from about 3 onwards and am quite happy already with the level of test11. On the other hand now that its stable maybe we will see some distros that come with it as standard. Now that will be a good thing.
The question of whether a computer owner is responsible for the crimes that happen with his or her computer hardware is like pointing to the victim of the crime and asking if they are responsible.
In some ways yes the victim is responsible, however being in the wrong place at the wrong time is hardly a jailing offense. The computer hardware and software that is installed on your computer for most people is a matter of necessity, those that do split from the norm are usually more computer literate than average and thereby less likely to be prone to this in the first place.
By extension the maker of the software is responsible for not making their out of box software secure in the first place.
Even the creators of the tools used to perpetrate the crime are in some way responsible, but we can't punish the makers of crowbars or knives. Nor should we, both are useful instuments when placed in the right hands.
This however is a side issue, while we can point fingers at microsoft or whoever the scapegoat of the day is, it still comes back to the malicious will of the criminal. Guns don't fire themselves, crowbars don't go wandering around breaking into things, and computer though they have made leaps and bounds in the field of AI still need that driving force behind them.
What the solution is to placing the criminal behind the computer I don't know. Perhaps bio scanners could be used to log people into computers . One thing I know though, this is going to be one of the hardest fought battles of the 21st century, to move forward requires that those that perpertrate crimes in cyberspace can be punished, until that happens and the cybercriminals realise that its not a game their can be no more steps forward.
It seems that technology is becoming more and more...invasive is the wrong word, never the less its the only one that comes to mind. There are so few area's of life that have not been affected by technology. This is another example of how wide spread and diversified technology has become. I'll reserve my judgement on whether this is a good or a bad thing, but to much dependance on anything is never a good thing.
Lines of thinking that lead to Terminator style future scenarios are probably paranoid on my part but at this point in time a technological failure on a widespread basis would cripple not just the US economy but economies world wide. It's part of the price that we pay for globalization.
Slashdot Mirror
So your saying rather than hoping to get bill gates credit card number I should just buy a lottery ticket?
pretty soon I won't have to know about Open Source anymore. SourceForge is at the top of the list of content to be blocked.
I almost choked on my drink when I heard the pricing for the load balancers they're looking at for the enterprise application I'm currently working on (Citrix Netscaler ~AU100k). I imagine once you start adding a zero (or two) to the end of 'generic' hardware costs its very easy to eat up 700k
What is this experts exchange that you speak of? Wait I vaguely remember customising google to remove results that were patently unworthy.
Its not peacetime its the enduring war on terror. Can't have people thinking for themselves during a war, or worse compromising national security.
Anyone interested should read 'Bruce Sterling -Islands in the Net', it has some really interesting perspectives on censorship (Among other things).
If this gets in then Australia is no longer the place for me, not because I look at anything illegal but because I would rather not have someone telling me what I can look at. I'm technically capable of avoiding the filters, but why should I have to.
One Laptop $100, One Copy of Windows ~$150, Seeing Microsoft Profit from the Third World...Priceless
You're innocent until proven guilty. As much as I hate sex offenders and any type of sexual crime. I can't condone any action that assumes that the person is guilty even if the state (or whatever other judicial court) can't prove it. The simple fact is, you can't label them a sexual offender and add them the registry if you can't prove they're a sexual offender; and if you can prove it then the whole post is a mute point.
Offering competitive advertising rates to any political group smart enough to work out that I'm outside the regulatory powers of the FEC. Don't let your hard earned campaign war chest be controlled by a delusional government department. Call or Email for a free quote.
It may well be one of the most established theories, but it is also one of the most controversial. It is far from proved, and yes basing your beliefs on just a religious text is stupid, but basing your beliefs on an unproved theory (yes i'm aware that the very definition of theory is that it hasn't been proven), is also quite foolish.
And it's a simple fact that people who publicly oppose evolution tend to be quite vocal in not only bashing scientists as a group, but bashing science in general
That's not true, we only bash pro-evolution scientists. Quite simply there are plenty of scientists who don't agree with the theory of evolution, in just about every field of science.
If you are against Darwin, you are probably against science.
Crock. There are plenty of examples where evolution can't explain how things got to where they are now. This is not to say that I don't agree with science just that I don't agree science knows everything. Evidence that is presented by scientists can be interpreted in more than one way, and thats the crux of it. You can choose to believe whatever you like and then go about dredging up evidence to support your position. SCIENCE however is supposed to be about careful and objective analysis of the facts (evidence).
Moving on. I would think most Computer Professionals, more specifically Programmers would be supporters of intelligent design. Here is my reasoning:
Darwins reasoning is this:
So yes, I'm pro intelligent design (in some form or another). As a programmer I have to be. I would say that the arguments are far from conclusive on either side; but both intelligent design and evolution are worth investigating, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that science should be neutral, and just like we enjoy religious freedoms, we also need to be sure that we enjoy scientific freedoms (that its not shoved down out throats).
I'm sure plenty of people have the knowledge and ability to implement this and other sophisticated viruses. Thankfully most anyone with that kind of ability has better things to do with their time.
Evolution, Thunderbird, Columba, Slypheed, KMail (Not forgetting Pine & Mutt)... ...And if you get really bored you could always run Outlook using Wine or Crossover.
Why don't you contact apple and ask them to write it, since they insist on doing everything different.
Sheesh, next you'll want (previously) unpaid programmers to write a version for your iPod
Well they buggered that one up, cos now everyone has it...
Neither Kazaa nor Skype were inventions as such, sure the technology behind them may be impressive, but an invention is something that has never been done before.Both Netmeeting and Paltalk are examples of programs that have used voice chat in the past (with Napster being the relevant example for Kazaa). What he has effectively done is step into market niches, otherwise known as being in the right place at the right time.
The technology may well be impressive, but cutting the phone companies profits will eventually catch up with us. I don't think that they'll go out of business as such, but it will affect the quality of service these companies supply if they are hurting from this. Skype is not exactly the same as P2P where sharing has actually increased the number of CD sales, or where the artist and record producer have (in the past) had a license to print money (if their decent).
Telecommunication Companies have to take care of infrastructure, and pay wages to a myrriad of employees. VoIP and Skype are all very well, but what happens when the internet goes down, its happened before (at least to chunks of it), and it can happen again. Is it just going to be a case of blaming the internet when our customers ask why they couldn't contact you?
Enough for now!
I have to say that I know one of the guys (Matt Palmer) behind this project, haven't seen him for ages but he has the know how and passion to see this project through.
I can't wait to see it in action, a change from the norm thats for sure.
I must say that I find your thoughts to be throughly useful. They are at least a starting point for a successful awareness campaign.
Having software released to the public while it is still in beta is not a bad thing, in fact its a subtle move by microsoft towards the open source metality.
Having software used and thereby audited by the public before it is released as stable increases the reliability of the software. Microsoft programmers are still tasked to getting the software into stable, rather than having moved on to other things after the release.
Beta software also provides the public a chance to review the full product or something close to what it will be, without breaking any laws, and without the annoyance of limitations like those found in demos.
Thumbs up from me
While I don't pretend to be an expert on caffine or any other addiction for that matter, will power plays a lot. My father has run quit smoking courses and your desire to quit, and follow through on that commitment plays a big part.
Another good way is to do it as a group, simply because then you have someone to compete against/ check up on you.
A better method of making a draft board game is simply to find some white paint (or the like) and clear an already existing board game.This may not be useful for production purposes but if you are just mucking about at home with making some board games then it saves the trouble of actually creating a realistic board.
One of the best board games that I have ever played, was made by my mum (mom). She is a school teacher and so is good at that kind of thing. She used a 1 Metre by 1 Metre (i think) piece of ply board and started from there. The figures that were used came from plastic figurine sets, the ones where the figures are about 3 cm/1 inch tall.It was a pirate game so I think she found some pirate ones. But there should be some for most types of games. Think warhammer/warhammer 40k
The track for the players to follow was sketched onto the board and later put on with a black felt tip. The islands and the like were in the first version painted on, but a later version sported paper mache (probably spelt wrong).Most inkjet printers can print on thin cardboard, so making up your cards shouldn't be to much trouble.
The game was not very portable, but when put on the kitchen table or lounge room floor, very very playable. Once you have designed your board it is simply a matter of getting a group of friends to sit down and test the game with.
Yeah Debian is very 2.6 Friendly, unlike Redhat where I had to do a double backflip to get it to work Debian was easy, the hardest thing is that it doesn't edit the lilo.conf properly.
I must admit I have been looking forward to this, I have been running all the tests from about 3 onwards and am quite happy already with the level of test11. On the other hand now that its stable maybe we will see some distros that come with it as standard. Now that will be a good thing.
The question of whether a computer owner is responsible for the crimes that happen with his or her computer hardware is like pointing to the victim of the crime and asking if they are responsible.
In some ways yes the victim is responsible, however being in the wrong place at the wrong time is hardly a jailing offense. The computer hardware and software that is installed on your computer for most people is a matter of necessity, those that do split from the norm are usually more computer literate than average and thereby less likely to be prone to this in the first place.
By extension the maker of the software is responsible for not making their out of box software secure in the first place.
Even the creators of the tools used to perpetrate the crime are in some way responsible, but we can't punish the makers of crowbars or knives. Nor should we, both are useful instuments when placed in the right hands.
This however is a side issue, while we can point fingers at microsoft or whoever the scapegoat of the day is, it still comes back to the malicious will of the criminal. Guns don't fire themselves, crowbars don't go wandering around breaking into things, and computer though they have made leaps and bounds in the field of AI still need that driving force behind them.
What the solution is to placing the criminal behind the computer I don't know. Perhaps bio scanners could be used to log people into computers . One thing I know though, this is going to be one of the hardest fought battles of the 21st century, to move forward requires that those that perpertrate crimes in cyberspace can be punished, until that happens and the cybercriminals realise that its not a game their can be no more steps forward.
I'm looking forward to seeing it on the "shelves", any move that reduces the cost of higher end computers is fine by me.
It seems that technology is becoming more and more...invasive is the wrong word, never the less its the only one that comes to mind. There are so few area's of life that have not been affected by technology. This is another example of how wide spread and diversified technology has become. I'll reserve my judgement on whether this is a good or a bad thing, but to much dependance on anything is never a good thing.
Lines of thinking that lead to Terminator style future scenarios are probably paranoid on my part but at this point in time a technological failure on a widespread basis would cripple not just the US economy but economies world wide. It's part of the price that we pay for globalization.
...damn and if that ain't bad spelling/grammar I don't know what is. Sorry folks I'll use the preview function next time...