I loved the BBS era.... wish I could go to see it! I wonder if Seth Able will be there (the inventor of Legend of the Red Dragon).
For those who don't remember the BBS era (all you youngins =) ), I'll fill you in on LORD. Basically, every modern MMORPG owes its existence, in my opinion, to LoRD. Created by Seth Able, it was the first popular "Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game". Granted, it wasn't very massive (I think it allowed up to 200 people max), and the number of people that could be on at once was limited to the incoming phone lines at the BBS, but it was still the first popularized game (perhaps the first period? I'm not positive, but it's the first I knew of) that featured MMORPG-type gameplay. It was decades ahead of its time.
Some of you may know Seth Able but not that milestone achievement, since he is also a pioneer in the Independant game industry these days. Anyways, Seth Able is not only a great programmer in this time, he was an innovator back when a 1200 baud modem was reserved for only the most wealthy of computer users.
perhaps some of you have read it... if you know the title, be sure to tell me because it's been so long since I read it that I no longer remember the name, and thus am unable to find it and read it again.
This situation reminded me a lot of this story I read when I was younger. It was a bleak and dismal future, one where the government controlled people's thoughts and could erase memories at will. One man broke free, and took over a news station in an attempt to tell the others and free them. He was executed on live television, while his parents watched. A few moments later, his parents were sad, but could not remember why.
That's how I see what just happened. The sadness - the desperation - in his voice haunts me. His message was one that I've wanted to scream from the rooftops since I became aware. He got his chance, and he was ignored and dismissed with sidetracking comments and commercial breaks. Did you hear when he started begging them to stop? I'll be honest - it brought me to tears. To see someone expose the very heart of what oppresses us - and to see his message cut down and ignored by cheap distraction techniques.
If you're out there listening Jon, thanks for trying. Those of us that are awake appreciate it more than you may ever know.
They didn't even know what to think! Their response to his heartfelt appeal was lines like:
CARLSON: Wait. I thought you were going to be funny. Come on. Be funny.
Shameful. You know what it is - they knew, both of those fucks knew - that he was right. They had to appeal to distraction tactics and wait him out. I'd be surprised if Stewart ever gets air on a non-Comedy Central station again. He hit them at the core of what is really going on, and they'll never forgive him for it.
Anyone remember Deus Ex, and that AI Echelon IV that was there to "tell people everything about themself"? Yeah, to me this Google Desktop thing seems about as creepy.;) But that's the very small fragment of Libertarian in me creeping up and crying foul. =)
Hmm... that's a start, but I'm not sure if they'd cover issues like this... it seems that they're more interested in music download/freedom of expression & privacy issues on the Internet. I think what we'd need is a PAC devoted to the business related issues of Computer Science. Though those issues are sort of business related, they're not as much as we require. It could be quite useful for us, as an industry, to have a PAC geared toward defending our industry's interests.
Does anyone know of a Political Action Committee for IT Professionals, Computer Scientists, the Open Source movement, or anything along those lines? If not, perhaps it's time that we formed something.
It sounds to me like what the Government needs is a large, influential group that can force them into understanding just what it is we DO. I think that's the big problem: they just don't understand what goes into Software development, and as Groklaw's article mentions, the mathematical nature of it. There is a lot we could do if we were to mobilize.
So if there is a PAC, point me in the direction and I'll join it. If there's not... perhaps we should make something happen.
So what can we do about it? We need to start taking some action... I really think that if we made some kind of PAC for the IT Industry (does one already exist?) and many IT people joined it, we could start to right these fundamental wrongs caused by the Government not being exposed to enough people who know what they're talking about.
We need to be represented, this has gone on too long. If there is a PAC for IT professionals, let me know and I'll join it. If not, perhaps some of us should get together and start considering how we could form one. This has gone on too long, and I've lost my patience for the ludicrous patents.
Actually, scratch that. I just realized that I confused Socially Conservative with Morally Conservative. I guess that's a third dimension to potential political alignment. =)
True, but wouldn't you think that the Frontier Spirit would be less socially conservative? I always envisioned the frontier spirit as being a spirit of teamwork amidst chaotic times, but I could be wrong in my presumption.
Ah, I thought of another example of Social Conservative/Economic Anticapitalist. The Quakers! It took me a while to come up with an example that exists in America, but I found one (albeit extremely small) group. =)
I wonder if there's anticapitalists on the other side... that is, Socially conservative and Economically Anticapitalist. It'd be interesting to see... I wonder what that would be, if such a party exists. Just an interesting question while on the subject. =)
But it's also a chicken-and-egg scenario. Do people agree with Capitalism because they feel it's right, or because it was always there and there is no loud voice that opposes it?
Or rather, do major political parties not adopt it because that sentiment already exists, or does the sentiment exist because major political parties choose not to adopt it?... I'll have to think about the answer to that one, because to be honest I'm not certain myself.
Whoa, hold the phone here. You're stating exceptions to the rule, and generalizing them as if they were events that could occur with anyone running as a third party. That's a classic fallacy.
Jesse Ventura won due to the incredible amount of media buzz and fame status, not due to having a solid platform or issues. Fame brought him victory, and against his frail opponents he would have won regardless of what party he was in. No one else could generate the buzz he did. It's true more often that not that people will vote for the person that they see the most of more than the person who stands by any given issue.
The Republicans could have been considered a third party, except that the system had not yet solidified against the notion of third parties. Stumping in those days meant just that: going to locations, standing on a tree stump or soapbox, and preaching to people around you. Now of days, press costs millions of dollars for candidates, and a majority of that funding comes from the Government (who only supports parties that are already established with 5% or greater support, which again can only be garnered by press), and PACs (who only contribute to parties that they think will have a chance of winning, they don't invest in the future of a political party when they can influence the ones currently in power and get direct results).
Many parties are indeed one issue horses, but there are some who appeal to entirely different spectrums and are just as ignored. For instance, both the Democrats and Republicans are staunchly in favor of the economic system of Capitalism. There are third parties that appeal to any one of dozens of different possible economic systems, but they are ignored due to the system in place today. One could say that the dual party system has made the issue of Capitalism transparent to people: people don't even realize that the concept of Capitalism is something that can be debated! And it's because both of the major parties agree with it. It's become a forced non-issue, and that's sad. Everything, EVERYTHING should be open to debate.
The Libertarian candidate has an extreme difficulty in winning because of the reasons stated above. The examples posed in the parent argument are exceptions to the rule, and cannot be used to claim that third parties need to try harder. The problem is more complex than that.
As for answers, I have none. The third party restriction is based partly in a rigid system that has firmly established itself (the government funding of parties), partly in the nature of capitalism (PACs by the nature of their goals will by nature not donate to third parties), and partly in the nature of humanity (humans tend to simplify issues into Dualities - that is, conflicts between two forces. Many people simply do not want to think in more complex terms than that.)
Given Bush's track record regarding privacy and personal freedom issues, do you feel that the Republican Party and the Libertarian Party are beginning to distance themselves even further from each other (in terms of the simplistic "left" and "right" terminology)?
Seriously, it wasn't an argument anyways...
on
Fabian Pascal Reacts
·
· Score: 3, Funny
When someone calls you a Communist in a dismissive manner on a bulletin board, that signifies that you have won the argument. It's a variant of the classic "Comparison to Nazis/Hitler" BBS rule. The people arguing against Paschal unleashed the dirty C word on him as their defense, hence they lost the argument. There's no need to defend yourself against it! =)
We need someone with too much money on their hands to perform an agressive buy of SCO, take a hold of the majority stock share, and then initiate a vote to dismantle the company. Take this as my appeal to the rich/.ers out there, if there are any. The Linux community would probably have a statue built for you in Germany somewhere.
I wonder if this is the first case of recieving a pack-in operating system with the purchase of a keyboard? Seems kind of backward if you ask me... but I guess stranger things have happened.;)
The PV2 has been out in stores for the past year and a half... with an LCD screen, and 1.2 MP quality (though it advertises as 2.0MP, hence the confusion in the posting).
I don't know why USA Today posted a story about a year and a half old product...possibly because they repackaged it (it has a new front end appearance, but same camera underneath it sounds like). Either way, this is an incredibly old story.
Okay, so I looked at the source and it says "countdowntochina.js" as the source javascript on the site for that countdown. Is there anything going on at the indicated time in the future relating to China that anyone knows about?
Slashdot Mirror
For those who don't remember the BBS era (all you youngins =) ), I'll fill you in on LORD. Basically, every modern MMORPG owes its existence, in my opinion, to LoRD. Created by Seth Able, it was the first popular "Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game". Granted, it wasn't very massive (I think it allowed up to 200 people max), and the number of people that could be on at once was limited to the incoming phone lines at the BBS, but it was still the first popularized game (perhaps the first period? I'm not positive, but it's the first I knew of) that featured MMORPG-type gameplay. It was decades ahead of its time.
Some of you may know Seth Able but not that milestone achievement, since he is also a pioneer in the Independant game industry these days. Anyways, Seth Able is not only a great programmer in this time, he was an innovator back when a 1200 baud modem was reserved for only the most wealthy of computer users.
Ah, old school memories... =)
This situation reminded me a lot of this story I read when I was younger. It was a bleak and dismal future, one where the government controlled people's thoughts and could erase memories at will. One man broke free, and took over a news station in an attempt to tell the others and free them. He was executed on live television, while his parents watched. A few moments later, his parents were sad, but could not remember why.
That's how I see what just happened. The sadness - the desperation - in his voice haunts me. His message was one that I've wanted to scream from the rooftops since I became aware. He got his chance, and he was ignored and dismissed with sidetracking comments and commercial breaks. Did you hear when he started begging them to stop? I'll be honest - it brought me to tears. To see someone expose the very heart of what oppresses us - and to see his message cut down and ignored by cheap distraction techniques.
If you're out there listening Jon, thanks for trying. Those of us that are awake appreciate it more than you may ever know.
CARLSON: Wait. I thought you were going to be funny. Come on. Be funny.
Shameful. You know what it is - they knew, both of those fucks knew - that he was right. They had to appeal to distraction tactics and wait him out. I'd be surprised if Stewart ever gets air on a non-Comedy Central station again. He hit them at the core of what is really going on, and they'll never forgive him for it.
Anyone remember Deus Ex, and that AI Echelon IV that was there to "tell people everything about themself"? Yeah, to me this Google Desktop thing seems about as creepy. ;) But that's the very small fragment of Libertarian in me creeping up and crying foul. =)
Embezzling money from companies via Corporate accounts? CEOs have been committing this crime at least since the 80s. ;)
Or can such decisions be appealed? I'm guessing that even if an appeal was possible, it's not going to happen now that Sun settled.
Hmm... that's a start, but I'm not sure if they'd cover issues like this... it seems that they're more interested in music download/freedom of expression & privacy issues on the Internet. I think what we'd need is a PAC devoted to the business related issues of Computer Science. Though those issues are sort of business related, they're not as much as we require. It could be quite useful for us, as an industry, to have a PAC geared toward defending our industry's interests.
It sounds to me like what the Government needs is a large, influential group that can force them into understanding just what it is we DO. I think that's the big problem: they just don't understand what goes into Software development, and as Groklaw's article mentions, the mathematical nature of it. There is a lot we could do if we were to mobilize.
So if there is a PAC, point me in the direction and I'll join it. If there's not... perhaps we should make something happen.
We need to be represented, this has gone on too long. If there is a PAC for IT professionals, let me know and I'll join it. If not, perhaps some of us should get together and start considering how we could form one. This has gone on too long, and I've lost my patience for the ludicrous patents.
Actually, scratch that. I just realized that I confused Socially Conservative with Morally Conservative. I guess that's a third dimension to potential political alignment. =)
Ah, I thought of another example of Social Conservative/Economic Anticapitalist. The Quakers! It took me a while to come up with an example that exists in America, but I found one (albeit extremely small) group. =)
I find that the middle of nowhere tends to be a windswept, dry and lifeless place... as such, it could be perfect! ;)
I wonder if there's anticapitalists on the other side... that is, Socially conservative and Economically Anticapitalist. It'd be interesting to see... I wonder what that would be, if such a party exists. Just an interesting question while on the subject. =)
Or rather, do major political parties not adopt it because that sentiment already exists, or does the sentiment exist because major political parties choose not to adopt it? ... I'll have to think about the answer to that one, because to be honest I'm not certain myself.
Jesse Ventura won due to the incredible amount of media buzz and fame status, not due to having a solid platform or issues. Fame brought him victory, and against his frail opponents he would have won regardless of what party he was in. No one else could generate the buzz he did. It's true more often that not that people will vote for the person that they see the most of more than the person who stands by any given issue.
The Republicans could have been considered a third party, except that the system had not yet solidified against the notion of third parties. Stumping in those days meant just that: going to locations, standing on a tree stump or soapbox, and preaching to people around you. Now of days, press costs millions of dollars for candidates, and a majority of that funding comes from the Government (who only supports parties that are already established with 5% or greater support, which again can only be garnered by press), and PACs (who only contribute to parties that they think will have a chance of winning, they don't invest in the future of a political party when they can influence the ones currently in power and get direct results).
Many parties are indeed one issue horses, but there are some who appeal to entirely different spectrums and are just as ignored. For instance, both the Democrats and Republicans are staunchly in favor of the economic system of Capitalism. There are third parties that appeal to any one of dozens of different possible economic systems, but they are ignored due to the system in place today. One could say that the dual party system has made the issue of Capitalism transparent to people: people don't even realize that the concept of Capitalism is something that can be debated! And it's because both of the major parties agree with it. It's become a forced non-issue, and that's sad. Everything, EVERYTHING should be open to debate.
The Libertarian candidate has an extreme difficulty in winning because of the reasons stated above. The examples posed in the parent argument are exceptions to the rule, and cannot be used to claim that third parties need to try harder. The problem is more complex than that.
As for answers, I have none. The third party restriction is based partly in a rigid system that has firmly established itself (the government funding of parties), partly in the nature of capitalism (PACs by the nature of their goals will by nature not donate to third parties), and partly in the nature of humanity (humans tend to simplify issues into Dualities - that is, conflicts between two forces. Many people simply do not want to think in more complex terms than that.)
Given Bush's track record regarding privacy and personal freedom issues, do you feel that the Republican Party and the Libertarian Party are beginning to distance themselves even further from each other (in terms of the simplistic "left" and "right" terminology)?
When someone calls you a Communist in a dismissive manner on a bulletin board, that signifies that you have won the argument. It's a variant of the classic "Comparison to Nazis/Hitler" BBS rule. The people arguing against Paschal unleashed the dirty C word on him as their defense, hence they lost the argument. There's no need to defend yourself against it! =)
No worries! =)
I was just joking! Hence the humorous title.
We need someone with too much money on their hands to perform an agressive buy of SCO, take a hold of the majority stock share, and then initiate a vote to dismantle the company. Take this as my appeal to the rich /.ers out there, if there are any. The Linux community would probably have a statue built for you in Germany somewhere.
I wonder if this is the first case of recieving a pack-in operating system with the purchase of a keyboard? Seems kind of backward if you ask me... but I guess stranger things have happened. ;)
The PV2 has been out in stores for the past year and a half... with an LCD screen, and 1.2 MP quality (though it advertises as 2.0MP, hence the confusion in the posting).
I don't know why USA Today posted a story about a year and a half old product...possibly because they repackaged it (it has a new front end appearance, but same camera underneath it sounds like). Either way, this is an incredibly old story.
Okay, so I looked at the source and it says "countdowntochina.js" as the source javascript on the site for that countdown. Is there anything going on at the indicated time in the future relating to China that anyone knows about?
darn, you beat me to the punchline. =) Curses, foiled again!
us pc yewsers no hau two speec englash.