I can imagine using this and always turning my monitor or my head so I can see the ones that aren't exactly lined up straight. Sorta like an older laptop LCD that loses brilliance when the angle's off. Since the desktop's concave, I'd also expect my windows to "slide" around toward the middle.
Of course, it might just be a matter of adjustment.
If you can get them working outside their existing devices, I've had a few projects on my to-do-list...
Front-door camera/surveillance system Mount a TV screen in the bathroom LCD Picture frame (search Slashdot for this one) Mount an LCD in your PC case (front or side)
Your complaint seems aimed more at the "stealing technology" and "wiping out competition" aspects of Microsoft's business history. Industry consolidates - it's a trend seen everywhere. It just happens that MS is the leader (by a long way) in certain areas (OS, Office). Penalize them for getting there with shady practices or by unfairly destroying competition. But don't penalize them for supplying a need (which results in destruction of competition).
I'm not trying to defend their products, or the shady dealings by which they won much of their market share.
Similar: Many companies ignore environmental regulations because it's much more expensive and difficult to fix the problem than to just pay the fines.
It may not be the prevailing opinion around here, but I don't think Microsoft is in the wrong for many of these things. A media player? An Internet browser? Who would want to buy an OS that didn't have many of these features? They might not be the best, and they might not be worth using at all... but having them should not be a crime. If you buy Windows, or Mac, or any other OS, you should expect (no, you should want) to get as much as you can with it.
Every Linux distro I've used came with quite a bit of software that saved me the time to download, install, etc.
This isn't to say it's OK for them to "hijack" your OS by making it impossible to remove (IE) or to force you to use it over competitor programs, but simply bundling it is a good thing - not a crime.
Compete? Maybe not. Remember when NPR discussed this and one of the callers started having problems - right in the middle of his praise for VoIP?
That said, I'm anxious to find an inexpensive way to replace my $90 cell, $50 broadband cable, and $40 landline. If I can cut these bills down significantly (by using my broadband to provide my landline) I'd be happy. And I'd bet that most bill-paying consumers would be too.
Nah, I don't think he's willing to take them that seriously. He's right that these letters are not all that serious themselves, but mostly scare tactics.
All he has to do is demonstrate knowledge/awareness of the law, his rights, etc. and they'll back off. He's done nothing wrong and they know it - so their threats are empty and he calls them on it.
Well, data collection is explicitly stated in the privacy policy, general conditions of use, etc. So yeah, the user would know his information was being stored (consent by use, I suppose).
On a related note, your emails are certainly stored and cached on various servers... so would those be in violation? I think not. In using a system like email/IM/ICQ/chats, one can not reasonably expect privacy or security in the contents. Unless, of course, there is some guarantee of privacy. If you're in a public place, and someone hears your conversation - you don't have to consent to their decision to write it down. I would consider IM to be a public place, I think.
One award "winner" was a judge that kept the media out of the courtroom. I think that's a great idea.
Too many cases are fought in the media. Spoiling a jury pool, trying to win a case through the press or by influencing public opinion, etc. It's the trademark of a crappy lawyer that can't win it in the courtroom. See the Kobe Bryant case? Ridiculous.
Every web application I create logs transactions, IP/datestamp, and chat transcripts (when applicable). If there's an information leak somewhere, or a crime has been committed, we can track it down.
Disrupting a sea ecosystem? or Continuing to use energy sources that disrupt air, sea and land ecosystems?
I think that the whole "drilling for fossil fuels, tankers spilling in the ocean, using a fuel that destroys the environment just from burning it" is far worse than this...
It's not socialism, it's simply a mandate to cover everyone's asses. As non-renewable sources are depleted (or grow more expensive), it will be better to have an extra decade or so of development - not to be desperately scrambling for a solution.
Most of the articles I see about these (many of them here) are about how the projects are being cancelled, or there are problems that keep holding them back.
Like the noise issue. Current trains make a lot of noise... is this noise so bad that it outweighs the benefits of a MagLev?
I get annoyed by people on their cell phones all the time. Several actors have stopped in the middle of performances to yell at audience members that were on their phones.
I saw LOTR: Two Towers and some guy kept getting that chirping tone from the two-way walkie talkie feature. Every thirty seconds or so. Enough people were pissed off... we asked him to stop, but he was a jerk about it. I knew the manager, so we had him formally warned - next time, we'll have the police officer escort you out of the theatre.
I can see two sides of this - dire emergencies can happen anywhere, including a movie theater, opera, whatever. Need to call 911?
OTOH, a movie theater or opera or whatever is not an acceptable place to have your ringer on. I'm not going to "relax" and let some jackass answer his annoying ringer and chat it up. I'm a lot more likely to pluck it from his hand and crush the thing. Better the phone than his face, I say.
Sure - but there are lots of 'example code' snippets that are free to use, provided you give credit. There's usually a section commented out that explains your license to use it. How legally binding is that? I don't know.
For something as complex as a well-supported JS menu system, it's best to make sure you cover your ass. A couple lines here or there (or even a small function) aren't likely to be noticed, but a menu system is much more significant.
You're lucky. At my University, the school owns the rights to any and all intellectual property you create while an employee (unless it meets very strict rules of how you did it, when, etc.).... there are a couple of exceptions, but they are upfront contracts stating otherwise.
It's pretty standard for your employer to own the work they pay you to do for them... so even if there's no outright agreement, they can still make a strong case that it is implied/understood. Gotta cover your own ass these days.
Sorry, but a hack != programmer. You can toss together a bunch of stuff other people have written, but when it breaks you'll need to be able to fix it. If you never learn how to do that, you'll never be more than a cut-and-paste drone.
It's great to be able to use resources like View Source to learn new stuff, see new techniques, even find quick examples of how something's done. But if you can't understand how to do it on your own (which may take much longer, granted) then you're not going to last.
Re:My daughter has her own computer
on
A Babe in Tuxland
·
· Score: 1
"My daughter is 4.5 now and my son is 2.2"
Versions 4.5 and 2.2? My kids are still in the alpha stage.
Slashdot Mirror
I can imagine using this and always turning my monitor or my head so I can see the ones that aren't exactly lined up straight. Sorta like an older laptop LCD that loses brilliance when the angle's off. Since the desktop's concave, I'd also expect my windows to "slide" around toward the middle.
Of course, it might just be a matter of adjustment.
If you can get them working outside their existing devices, I've had a few projects on my to-do-list...
Front-door camera/surveillance system
Mount a TV screen in the bathroom
LCD Picture frame (search Slashdot for this one)
Mount an LCD in your PC case (front or side)
Your complaint seems aimed more at the "stealing technology" and "wiping out competition" aspects of Microsoft's business history. Industry consolidates - it's a trend seen everywhere. It just happens that MS is the leader (by a long way) in certain areas (OS, Office). Penalize them for getting there with shady practices or by unfairly destroying competition. But don't penalize them for supplying a need (which results in destruction of competition).
I'm not trying to defend their products, or the shady dealings by which they won much of their market share.
Similar: Many companies ignore environmental regulations because it's much more expensive and difficult to fix the problem than to just pay the fines.
It may not be the prevailing opinion around here, but I don't think Microsoft is in the wrong for many of these things. A media player? An Internet browser? Who would want to buy an OS that didn't have many of these features? They might not be the best, and they might not be worth using at all... but having them should not be a crime. If you buy Windows, or Mac, or any other OS, you should expect (no, you should want) to get as much as you can with it.
Every Linux distro I've used came with quite a bit of software that saved me the time to download, install, etc.
This isn't to say it's OK for them to "hijack" your OS by making it impossible to remove (IE) or to force you to use it over competitor programs, but simply bundling it is a good thing - not a crime.
Compete? Maybe not. Remember when NPR discussed this and one of the callers started having problems - right in the middle of his praise for VoIP?
That said, I'm anxious to find an inexpensive way to replace my $90 cell, $50 broadband cable, and $40 landline. If I can cut these bills down significantly (by using my broadband to provide my landline) I'd be happy. And I'd bet that most bill-paying consumers would be too.
Great suggestion. Slashdot just ran a story about one of these.
I've run Ethereal on several XP boxes. Make sure you install WinPCap first. Check which device you have set to monitor, too.
Your network configuration can also affect what packets you see - are there switches dividing your network? Are you alone on your network?
New the Ethereal?
Start a capture, then check your email. Then use the email address and password you capture to do all kinds of nasty things.
Kinda like the old "If nothing sticks to Teflon, how does Teflon stick to the pan?"
I expect that a draining system would be the best way...
Nah, I don't think he's willing to take them that seriously. He's right that these letters are not all that serious themselves, but mostly scare tactics.
All he has to do is demonstrate knowledge/awareness of the law, his rights, etc. and they'll back off. He's done nothing wrong and they know it - so their threats are empty and he calls them on it.
Chickens, for the same reasons that you would use 1024 Linux boxen instead of his Cray.
And when you're done plowing, you can fry 'em up all tasty.
Well, data collection is explicitly stated in the privacy policy, general conditions of use, etc. So yeah, the user would know his information was being stored (consent by use, I suppose).
On a related note, your emails are certainly stored and cached on various servers... so would those be in violation? I think not. In using a system like email/IM/ICQ/chats, one can not reasonably expect privacy or security in the contents. Unless, of course, there is some guarantee of privacy. If you're in a public place, and someone hears your conversation - you don't have to consent to their decision to write it down. I would consider IM to be a public place, I think.
One award "winner" was a judge that kept the media out of the courtroom. I think that's a great idea.
Too many cases are fought in the media. Spoiling a jury pool, trying to win a case through the press or by influencing public opinion, etc. It's the trademark of a crappy lawyer that can't win it in the courtroom. See the Kobe Bryant case? Ridiculous.
Every web application I create logs transactions, IP/datestamp, and chat transcripts (when applicable). If there's an information leak somewhere, or a crime has been committed, we can track it down.
If you're driving the speed limit, but the jackass ahead of you is speeding - you may just get stuck at every damn light.
Don't get me wrong - I agree with you... it's hard to come up with any good reason why this isn't a good idea. Follow the damn law.
Which do you think is less desirable?
Disrupting a sea ecosystem?
or
Continuing to use energy sources that disrupt air, sea and land ecosystems?
I think that the whole "drilling for fossil fuels, tankers spilling in the ocean, using a fuel that destroys the environment just from burning it" is far worse than this...
It's not socialism, it's simply a mandate to cover everyone's asses. As non-renewable sources are depleted (or grow more expensive), it will be better to have an extra decade or so of development - not to be desperately scrambling for a solution.
"MagLev Trains Annoyingly Delayed"
Most of the articles I see about these (many of them here) are about how the projects are being cancelled, or there are problems that keep holding them back.
Like the noise issue. Current trains make a lot of noise... is this noise so bad that it outweighs the benefits of a MagLev?
From the article, it said it transmitted a signal which would be read as "No service" on most phones. Not sure how that would work with outgoing...
I keep my phone off or on vibrate if I'm in public. Not sure why everyone else can't do the same.
I get annoyed by people on their cell phones all the time. Several actors have stopped in the middle of performances to yell at audience members that were on their phones.
I saw LOTR: Two Towers and some guy kept getting that chirping tone from the two-way walkie talkie feature. Every thirty seconds or so. Enough people were pissed off... we asked him to stop, but he was a jerk about it. I knew the manager, so we had him formally warned - next time, we'll have the police officer escort you out of the theatre.
I can see two sides of this - dire emergencies can happen anywhere, including a movie theater, opera, whatever. Need to call 911?
OTOH, a movie theater or opera or whatever is not an acceptable place to have your ringer on. I'm not going to "relax" and let some jackass answer his annoying ringer and chat it up. I'm a lot more likely to pluck it from his hand and crush the thing. Better the phone than his face, I say.
My pacemaker just vibrated - I think I have a voice mail.
Sure - but there are lots of 'example code' snippets that are free to use, provided you give credit. There's usually a section commented out that explains your license to use it. How legally binding is that? I don't know.
For something as complex as a well-supported JS menu system, it's best to make sure you cover your ass. A couple lines here or there (or even a small function) aren't likely to be noticed, but a menu system is much more significant.
You're lucky. At my University, the school owns the rights to any and all intellectual property you create while an employee (unless it meets very strict rules of how you did it, when, etc.).... there are a couple of exceptions, but they are upfront contracts stating otherwise.
It's pretty standard for your employer to own the work they pay you to do for them... so even if there's no outright agreement, they can still make a strong case that it is implied/understood. Gotta cover your own ass these days.
...not to document your own code?
Sorry, but a hack != programmer. You can toss together a bunch of stuff other people have written, but when it breaks you'll need to be able to fix it. If you never learn how to do that, you'll never be more than a cut-and-paste drone.
It's great to be able to use resources like View Source to learn new stuff, see new techniques, even find quick examples of how something's done. But if you can't understand how to do it on your own (which may take much longer, granted) then you're not going to last.
"My daughter is 4.5 now and my son is 2.2"
Versions 4.5 and 2.2? My kids are still in the alpha stage.