We had text based Gopher and Pine, and we were damn happy to have it. IRC blew our minds, when I could type and flame someone in real time.
To play video games we had 2400 baud modems, and I would call the room across from me, and neither one of us could use the phone. Alternatively we could sit next to each other and use the same computer.
I barely passed University with all these distractions when you add a health dose of booze and women to the mix.
I have no idea how anyone graduates anymore. I think that is my job security now.
Get off my lawn you p2p music stealing college pirates!
From my experience growing up, most bullies are cowards and lazy. They also usually have a considerable size advantage. Once the victim learns to stand up and TRY to defend themselves this usually solves the problem. You do not necessarily have to exactly win, just exact enough punishment each time to discourage repeat activities. It might take a few times, but most bullies will look for easier prey. Its just like Pavlov's Dog and repetition learning. Eventually they will associate a negative response when they think about trying to treat you like a victim. Grudging respect and perhaps friendship follows (and learning of their bullying ways). I know I became fast friends with people in junior high school, who tried to bully me in elementary school. Don't lay on the ground crying, that is like bully candy. Kick, punch, and fight back. Also since they are usually bigger, don't hold back the dirty tricks, bite, scratch, and go nuts (literally). I once set a kid (really a man) in grade 5 to the hospital, and home for 3 days by kicking him as hard as I could in the nuts. He was over 6' tall, and I was something like 4'11 on my tiptoes. Anyway the key is to not give up, and to fight back.
However that only works against sane people. Evey now and again you will bump into a 'crazy'. Them you want to avoid. I only remember one from when I was growing up, but he was crazy enough you could see it a mile away and stay far far away (I remember he came after our elderly music teacher with a baseball bat for some reason. Crazy.). Crazy don't care much about consequences, and are difficult to predict. Safer to just stay clear.
"NASA is out of the business of putting people into low-earth orbit, and doesn't see getting back in to it."
That's like GM saying "You know what? We've been producing cars for a long time now. People should have a pretty good idea of how to figure it out. We are getting out of the car business, let people build their own cars from scratch now." (All GM sucks at building cars aside)
Only building a shuttle capable of carrying humans to LEO and docking with a space station MIGHT be a bit more complicated.
Perhaps say the difference between smoke signals and my iPhone.
What this REALLY means is that for a Very Long time, if you want to go to the ISS, you are going to be flying the Russian Rocket.
I can't wait to see what happens when they figure out that they are the only game in town...
I for one welcome my new comrade overlords.:)
I am from Soviet Canuckistan anyway, with my communist health care, so I won't notice much differance anyway... I might drink more Vodka, but I think I can deal with that.
I understand on an intellectual level that most of their cost is on paying and developing authors, advertising, profit, etc... however what I am buying is more tactile, be it a softcover or hardcover.
The whole industry as far as I am concerned is screwed up. Why for example am I forced to pay for a hard copy version which is way too expensive? Why am I forced to wait some artificial time period before I can buy it in softcover? Are the incapable of releasing both at once? I think not, it is just to increase profits for those that do not wish to wait. Why are prices in Canada so much more than in the USA? It hasn't be a reflection of currency values for a very long time.
If there is an industry that needs to be pounded into giving better service to customers it is the book industry. Just thinking about it makes me want to get out my library card again.
Common sense would dictate that an "ebook" should be CHEAPER than a "normal" book.
I would have a hard time paying 9.99$, so I definitely would NOT pay 14.99$. That is stupid.
It will just be their lost business. If they are doing this in a misguided attempt to discourage ebook sales in favor of traditional book sales, they they just don't get it. Someone will just do a better job, and that is what people will do. Just means no one will read their books, and anyone interested in reading books on anything but an iPAD (which isn't a dedicated ebook reader, nor can you use it outside due to glossy LCD) will simply give their money to someone else.
I read normal books anyway, so the effect on me, or my effect on them is negligible anyway.
I remember at school in creative writing (grade 7 I think) I used to write stories about "Spaceman Spiff".
I found a bunch when I was at the parents home this past Christmas, I didn't read them, but I put them with some things to be sent to me (parents cleanin' out my old room apparently). While I am sure they are just awful, I am sure it will be good for a few laughs...
I have gotten hit by cars 3 times. Twice on a bike and once walking. I have never been hit by a car while actually driving.
In ALL 3 cases I was on the cross walk, crossing the road, during a walk signal. All three times the driver was making a right hand turn on a red on a one way street (legal in Canada except Quebec). In all 3 cases the driver just looks at on coming traffic one way, and doesn't pay any attention whatsoever to anyone crossing the road from the opposite direction.
Just because the road is one way, doesn't mean the sidewalks are. Look both ways jerks!
Any large corporation is going to use blackberries. As for the tablet, that is not the only thing iPad as to compete with in that market. There are a ton of different input devices available for business. They either run Windows CE (which I concede sucks, I hate working with it), XP, and now likely Win7 (though I personally haven't seen it yet). Linux could technically be used, but typically is not because managers won't buy into it, and finding developers and support is much harder.
The iPad is designed for Apple Zelots, no one else will by them. I work for government and the day they give me an iPhone or iPad I will go and buy some mittens, as it will be a cold day in hell.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to give it a test run in the field, and I think it would be cool to see all our inspectors running around with iPads lookin' like they "get it". I can tell you right now, unequivocally it will NEVER happen.
Corporations like control, as does Apple. A person may wish to cede their control for the chance that "it just works", if you think a corporation or government is going to cede control over their apps, or how things are run, you are bonkers.
Also on top of that, there is a difference between "consumer" goods, and that which is designed for big business.
This actually became apparent to me a few years ago. As part of some work training, I got signed up for a course called something like "Business Writing for Clarity and Conciseness". Apparently my manager thought I was too verbose and tended to go on and on about whatever I was writing about and needed a lesson in brevity.
Anyway once I attended, it quickly became apparent that this was a class for people that had English as a second language (specifically french speaking). Upon figuring this out I thought it would be a cake walk. I always did well in English in high school, and while I took sciences in university, I was still required to do formal papers, and pretty much thought this would be a breeze because of it.
I was somewhat surprised. While it was no lie that my English was indeed quite good, I quickly was alerted to a deficiency in my knowlege. It wasn't so much that I was doing anything incorrect, however I found that while I knew what to do, I had absolutely no idea why.
The course was about the equivalent of first year English university course, and was actually taught by a professor who taught at the local university. When I finished a composition for her, she would ask me why I made the decisions I had. I think her intent was to use me as an example for the class (as indeed I was really the only one there with English as a first language). However my only response was, "I don't know, it just feels right".
For the duration of the course we went through the mechanics of English writing construction and I actually found it quite instructive. Thinking back I am not sure I was ever taught this is high school, and I think more emphasis was placed on creativity. It very well could be that I just didn't pay attention and was just a crappy student.
Anyway I thought it interesting that I always knew what to do, but when questioned had no idea why. I would bet that there are many other folks in the same situation and are not even aware.
This was at an actual gun club. At a gun fair. With his parents. They gave him a loaded Uzi and he shot himself in the head. Seems perfectly responsible to me.
Just because you make a law, doesn't mean it will actually do anything at all.
Both the US and Canada have a boat load of laws that for all intents and purposes are not enforced, and that everyone ignores.
Sometimes this is because the law is old and archaic and no longer relevant, but ofttimes is is due to the law simply being unenforceable or the enforces of the law (police, courts) are unwilling (usually budget constraints) to enforce it.
In addition, even if you have both of those things working, if the response or punishment is so slight, and your chances of getting caught so great, then most people will just ignore it anyway.
What would be interesting is a study on since the law coming into effect, how many people have actually been charged, and what sort of legal decisions were made (fine etc...).
I would bet that the police could care less about this law, cannot be bothered to enforce it, and even if they did the fines are so low, that most people will just take there chances, and in the off chance they actually get caught, will just pay a small fine and call it the small price you pay for being able to do that activity.
Thanks 9" is just fine. I Didn't think they were available yet!
I hard read up on the Asus and several others that had been released in the last tech conference in Asia. However there was nothing about when they were to be released, or when they were to be released in North America, and the price tag tended to be more around the 700$ which for a netbook is a bit silly.
How about you give me a 10" Netbook (usual specs, maybe 2GB ram), give it one of those screens you can twist around and use as a tablet, and make it a touch screen. Price it below 500$. Let it be able to run XP and 7.
PROFIT!
Seriously I want one. I could also see anyone doing any kind of mobile reporting, inspections, data collection would love these as a development platform.
I hate using windows CE as a developmental environment and the iPad I do not see filling this sort of corporate role.
Not really the best example you are using, possibly the worst.
The whole argument is that you are taking something that is fairly open in "computers" and closing it up the the point of tyranny.
I would hazard to say that MOST phones are very closed as phone/cable companies try to wrest every single penny from you. The same could be said about mp3 players from iPod/iTunes, and Zune, etc... however with competition and proliferation clamping down on openness never really became a reality as much as they would like to make more money from their DRM than their hardware.
I think one might argue that India might better spend its money fighting MASSIVE poverty.
The USA certainly has its troubles right now, but arguably it is more responsible to perhaps not spend on a space program when facing the greatest fiscal crisis since the great depression.
Considering that much (most) of India still exists in the dark ages, they might want to spend the money, on, oh I don't know, say infrastructure (like roads and sewers), education, health care, fighting the crazy corruption in government and every facet of getting anything actually done in India.
I am not even from the US.
I think it is pretty stupid and irresponsible for the Indian government to be working on a "space program" when so many other things need more immediate attention. Sure there might be some spin offs and technologies but realistically having a space program is a luxury.
The only reason they are doing it is for pride and to show off to the rest of the world that they can do it and that they are the part of the select group that can. However when most of your population lives in crushing poverty, you ain't fooling anyone.
Currently if you combined all my Hate for Bell and Rogers into one caustic black ball of rage/hate (and its considerable), it wouldn't be a drop in the glass that is my feelings for Direct Energy and the rest of the energy "distributors" in Ontario.
I would rather sit down a talk with a Mormon for an hour than see one of those fsckers at my door!
Slashdot Mirror
Add Snow Crash to that list.
Though possibility, it could be re-worked as a graphic novel, and then as an animated movie.
We had text based Gopher and Pine, and we were damn happy to have it. IRC blew our minds, when I could type and flame someone in real time.
To play video games we had 2400 baud modems, and I would call the room across from me, and neither one of us could use the phone. Alternatively we could sit next to each other and use the same computer.
I barely passed University with all these distractions when you add a health dose of booze and women to the mix.
I have no idea how anyone graduates anymore. I think that is my job security now.
Get off my lawn you p2p music stealing college pirates!
From my experience growing up, most bullies are cowards and lazy. They also usually have a considerable size advantage. Once the victim learns to stand up and TRY to defend themselves this usually solves the problem. You do not necessarily have to exactly win, just exact enough punishment each time to discourage repeat activities. It might take a few times, but most bullies will look for easier prey. Its just like Pavlov's Dog and repetition learning. Eventually they will associate a negative response when they think about trying to treat you like a victim. Grudging respect and perhaps friendship follows (and learning of their bullying ways). I know I became fast friends with people in junior high school, who tried to bully me in elementary school. Don't lay on the ground crying, that is like bully candy. Kick, punch, and fight back. Also since they are usually bigger, don't hold back the dirty tricks, bite, scratch, and go nuts (literally). I once set a kid (really a man) in grade 5 to the hospital, and home for 3 days by kicking him as hard as I could in the nuts. He was over 6' tall, and I was something like 4'11 on my tiptoes. Anyway the key is to not give up, and to fight back.
However that only works against sane people. Evey now and again you will bump into a 'crazy'. Them you want to avoid. I only remember one from when I was growing up, but he was crazy enough you could see it a mile away and stay far far away (I remember he came after our elderly music teacher with a baseball bat for some reason. Crazy.). Crazy don't care much about consequences, and are difficult to predict. Safer to just stay clear.
"NASA is out of the business of putting people into low-earth orbit, and doesn't see getting back in to it."
That's like GM saying "You know what? We've been producing cars for a long time now. People should have a pretty good idea of how to figure it out. We are getting out of the car business, let people build their own cars from scratch now." (All GM sucks at building cars aside)
Only building a shuttle capable of carrying humans to LEO and docking with a space station MIGHT be a bit more complicated.
Perhaps say the difference between smoke signals and my iPhone.
What this REALLY means is that for a Very Long time, if you want to go to the ISS, you are going to be flying the Russian Rocket.
I can't wait to see what happens when they figure out that they are the only game in town...
I for one welcome my new comrade overlords. :)
I am from Soviet Canuckistan anyway, with my communist health care, so I won't notice much differance anyway... I might drink more Vodka, but I think I can deal with that.
I understand on an intellectual level that most of their cost is on paying and developing authors, advertising, profit, etc... however what I am buying is more tactile, be it a softcover or hardcover.
The whole industry as far as I am concerned is screwed up. Why for example am I forced to pay for a hard copy version which is way too expensive? Why am I forced to wait some artificial time period before I can buy it in softcover? Are the incapable of releasing both at once? I think not, it is just to increase profits for those that do not wish to wait. Why are prices in Canada so much more than in the USA? It hasn't be a reflection of currency values for a very long time.
If there is an industry that needs to be pounded into giving better service to customers it is the book industry. Just thinking about it makes me want to get out my library card again.
What a bunch of idiots.
Common sense would dictate that an "ebook" should be CHEAPER than a "normal" book.
I would have a hard time paying 9.99$, so I definitely would NOT pay 14.99$. That is stupid.
It will just be their lost business. If they are doing this in a misguided attempt to discourage ebook sales in favor of traditional book sales, they they just don't get it. Someone will just do a better job, and that is what people will do. Just means no one will read their books, and anyone interested in reading books on anything but an iPAD (which isn't a dedicated ebook reader, nor can you use it outside due to glossy LCD) will simply give their money to someone else.
I read normal books anyway, so the effect on me, or my effect on them is negligible anyway.
I remember at school in creative writing (grade 7 I think) I used to write stories about "Spaceman Spiff".
I found a bunch when I was at the parents home this past Christmas, I didn't read them, but I put them with some things to be sent to me (parents cleanin' out my old room apparently). While I am sure they are just awful, I am sure it will be good for a few laughs...
I have gotten hit by cars 3 times. Twice on a bike and once walking. I have never been hit by a car while actually driving.
In ALL 3 cases I was on the cross walk, crossing the road, during a walk signal. All three times the driver was making a right hand turn on a red on a one way street (legal in Canada except Quebec). In all 3 cases the driver just looks at on coming traffic one way, and doesn't pay any attention whatsoever to anyone crossing the road from the opposite direction.
Just because the road is one way, doesn't mean the sidewalks are. Look both ways jerks!
Um no. You could not be more wrong.
Any large corporation is going to use blackberries. As for the tablet, that is not the only thing iPad as to compete with in that market. There are a ton of different input devices available for business. They either run Windows CE (which I concede sucks, I hate working with it), XP, and now likely Win7 (though I personally haven't seen it yet). Linux could technically be used, but typically is not because managers won't buy into it, and finding developers and support is much harder.
The iPad is designed for Apple Zelots, no one else will by them. I work for government and the day they give me an iPhone or iPad I will go and buy some mittens, as it will be a cold day in hell.
Don't get me wrong, I would love to give it a test run in the field, and I think it would be cool to see all our inspectors running around with iPads lookin' like they "get it". I can tell you right now, unequivocally it will NEVER happen.
Corporations like control, as does Apple. A person may wish to cede their control for the chance that "it just works", if you think a corporation or government is going to cede control over their apps, or how things are run, you are bonkers.
Also on top of that, there is a difference between "consumer" goods, and that which is designed for big business.
This actually became apparent to me a few years ago. As part of some work training, I got signed up for a course called something like "Business Writing for Clarity and Conciseness". Apparently my manager thought I was too verbose and tended to go on and on about whatever I was writing about and needed a lesson in brevity.
Anyway once I attended, it quickly became apparent that this was a class for people that had English as a second language (specifically french speaking). Upon figuring this out I thought it would be a cake walk. I always did well in English in high school, and while I took sciences in university, I was still required to do formal papers, and pretty much thought this would be a breeze because of it.
I was somewhat surprised. While it was no lie that my English was indeed quite good, I quickly was alerted to a deficiency in my knowlege. It wasn't so much that I was doing anything incorrect, however I found that while I knew what to do, I had absolutely no idea why.
The course was about the equivalent of first year English university course, and was actually taught by a professor who taught at the local university. When I finished a composition for her, she would ask me why I made the decisions I had. I think her intent was to use me as an example for the class (as indeed I was really the only one there with English as a first language). However my only response was, "I don't know, it just feels right".
For the duration of the course we went through the mechanics of English writing construction and I actually found it quite instructive. Thinking back I am not sure I was ever taught this is high school, and I think more emphasis was placed on creativity. It very well could be that I just didn't pay attention and was just a crappy student.
Anyway I thought it interesting that I always knew what to do, but when questioned had no idea why. I would bet that there are many other folks in the same situation and are not even aware.
If god didn't want me to eat pigs, then why did he make them out of bacon dammit!?
Clearly that is the case.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27399337/
This was at an actual gun club. At a gun fair. With his parents. They gave him a loaded Uzi and he shot himself in the head. Seems perfectly responsible to me.
I believe you just won the sarcasm award.
Just because you make a law, doesn't mean it will actually do anything at all.
Both the US and Canada have a boat load of laws that for all intents and purposes are not enforced, and that everyone ignores.
Sometimes this is because the law is old and archaic and no longer relevant, but ofttimes is is due to the law simply being unenforceable or the enforces of the law (police, courts) are unwilling (usually budget constraints) to enforce it.
In addition, even if you have both of those things working, if the response or punishment is so slight, and your chances of getting caught so great, then most people will just ignore it anyway.
What would be interesting is a study on since the law coming into effect, how many people have actually been charged, and what sort of legal decisions were made (fine etc...).
I would bet that the police could care less about this law, cannot be bothered to enforce it, and even if they did the fines are so low, that most people will just take there chances, and in the off chance they actually get caught, will just pay a small fine and call it the small price you pay for being able to do that activity.
Thanks 9" is just fine. I Didn't think they were available yet!
I hard read up on the Asus and several others that had been released in the last tech conference in Asia. However there was nothing about when they were to be released, or when they were to be released in North America, and the price tag tended to be more around the 700$ which for a netbook is a bit silly.
How about you give me a 10" Netbook (usual specs, maybe 2GB ram), give it one of those screens you can twist around and use as a tablet, and make it a touch screen. Price it below 500$. Let it be able to run XP and 7.
PROFIT!
Seriously I want one. I could also see anyone doing any kind of mobile reporting, inspections, data collection would love these as a development platform.
I hate using windows CE as a developmental environment and the iPad I do not see filling this sort of corporate role.
...and invalidate your warranty on your 700$ phone as well as breach your contract with your phone company.
I didn't go searching through the user agreements, but I assume it is in there somewhere in the 800 pages of legal gibberish.
Not really the best example you are using, possibly the worst.
The whole argument is that you are taking something that is fairly open in "computers" and closing it up the the point of tyranny.
I would hazard to say that MOST phones are very closed as phone/cable companies try to wrest every single penny from you. The same could be said about mp3 players from iPod/iTunes, and Zune, etc... however with competition and proliferation clamping down on openness never really became a reality as much as they would like to make more money from their DRM than their hardware.
Best to stick to car analogies, it's safer!
I think one might argue that India might better spend its money fighting MASSIVE poverty.
The USA certainly has its troubles right now, but arguably it is more responsible to perhaps not spend on a space program when facing the greatest fiscal crisis since the great depression.
Considering that much (most) of India still exists in the dark ages, they might want to spend the money, on, oh I don't know, say infrastructure (like roads and sewers), education, health care, fighting the crazy corruption in government and every facet of getting anything actually done in India.
I am not even from the US.
I think it is pretty stupid and irresponsible for the Indian government to be working on a "space program" when so many other things need more immediate attention. Sure there might be some spin offs and technologies but realistically having a space program is a luxury.
The only reason they are doing it is for pride and to show off to the rest of the world that they can do it and that they are the part of the select group that can. However when most of your population lives in crushing poverty, you ain't fooling anyone.
KeKeKeKeKe!
Meh. Likely the whole point of the space race was to perfect technology for ICBM's.
Already got enough of those two or three times over.
Whats the practical use other than a PR stunt.
Sats and Science can be unmanned easily enough.
I say we start with the ISS and bears.
For shock value and ratings, don't let anyone know on the ISS, just wait until they open the airlock!
Hilarity and good TV ratings ensues!
"Huston we have a problem!"
That or a squeegee attachment...
of course the Apple fanboys won't even have to turn it on!
You Obviously don't live in Ontario.
I have "Direct Energy".
Please shoot me.
Currently if you combined all my Hate for Bell and Rogers into one caustic black ball of rage/hate (and its considerable), it wouldn't be a drop in the glass that is my feelings for Direct Energy and the rest of the energy "distributors" in Ontario.
I would rather sit down a talk with a Mormon for an hour than see one of those fsckers at my door!
Ya, like anyone is gonna want to touch that thing. Seriously.