Many geeks are extremely concerned with matters of privacy and due process. Witness (for example) the EFF, which is dedicated wholly to the protection of Internet privacy.
It may not relate to the internet, but every geek has a vested interest in not allowing privacy and due process to slip.
"Of course, an alternative to this law would be to require that all alcohol-serving establishments have a Breathalyzer easily accessible to its patrons."
I like this idea. Seriously. I'd like to have access to that information about myself every time I go out. And no, I'm not willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a Breathalyzer myself (the cheapo ones advertised for the consumer are wildly inaccurate to the point of uselessness), but it's really not that big an expense for a business.
Dear God that's cool. What do they mean by "all electronics?" Hopefully not the guidance hardware? It would be the height of awesomeness to be able to launch my own one-time space shot:D
The F-117 can, like most other attack aircraft, mount Sidewinders and, if I'm not mistaken (and quite unlike most other attack aircraft), AMRAAMs. I wouldn't want to get into a dogfight in one since the engines go into compressor stalls every time you try to pull tight turns, but still, the capability is there. Of course, if they never saw you coming, I guess it wouldn't matter:)
"I spent ALL that time creating this product, to sell one copy, and now all I can do is charge for support, and even then, I cant charge too much, because someone else, riding on my coat tails, can offer the same support but cheaper bc they also undercut who knows who else as well."
Well, not necessarily. The fact is you still wrote the software. As such you understand its design somewhat better than even the best hacker who reads your source. You designed the thing, therefore you are the best source for support.
Re:Magnusson Moss Warranty Act
on
Hack Your Car
·
· Score: 1
"Afford?"
The modifications that "ricers," as you so intelligently put it, install into their cars often cost them much, MUCH more than it would have to get a car that had comparable performance stock.
They're hardware hackers, plain and simple. They get a lot of enjoyment out of doing it, that's all.
The D-Link 614+ 802.11g router I have reboots itself randomly every 10 minutes or so, and every time you change a setting it has to reboot itself again and drop you off the network again. Firmware updates didn't solve this problem.
The people I tell Larry Niven's explanation of why we need a space program to (not in those words, but the same general idea) who aren't enthusiastic about space say more or less the same thing in response.
Their counter-argument goes something along the lines of, "well, why are we so great that we think we should be preserved? If we destroy ourselves or if an asteroid comes along and takes us out, why should we be so arrogant to think we should try and stop that?"
I get a LOT of responses like this.
Does it frighten the shit out of anyone else that there seems to be so many people who think this way?
That rock we found in Antarctica (I think?) is awfully convincing evidence. It's never been conclusively proven but there's certainly nothing to disprove it yet and the evidence is extremely strong.
That or the fuel thing the other guy mentioned. Although the He-III just lying around on Luna's surface is a great reason to go there, too.
Then there's the prospecting... um, prospects, to be found in the Asteroid Belt.
So there's plenty of good reasons. Personally I like Hillary's below-mentioned "because it's there," but that's probably just me.
Ah. See, I've never been to anywhere like those - would like to, but living in NYC and being on a limited budget tends to restrict your travel options. Mostly I just hang out in the Adirondacks.
As for the "leash" factor... I've never felt like that, ever.
Honestly I think the leash factor occurs only in people who don't understand/regularly use/thrive on technology, i.e. non-geeks. I am entirely conscious of when to turn my cell phone off, PDA, laptop, whatever. Non-geeks seem to feel beholden to technology whereas geeks are more willing (indeed, isn't it their hallmark?) to be its master.
"FreeBSD also shines on older hardware compared to Linux (exempting Slackware or build your own.)"
I don't know about AlphaLinux, but I can tell you that installing FreeBSD on my Digital AlphaServer 1000 was almost suspiciously easy. It autopartitioned my drives, detected all my hardware, and in general just asked me how I wanted the network configured and what software packages I wanted, then took care of the entire thing itself. I really wasn't expecting that on such old, esoteric hardware.
I asked someone else this same question a couple weeks ago in a different article and no one could really explain it.
I go camping with my digital camera, hike up a mountain, take pictures and then upload them to my website immediately that night over some beer and burgers.
What's the problem? Why do you assume that we all must want to get away from civilization - or that civilization and enjoyment of nature are somehow mutually exclusive?
Slashdot Mirror
Many geeks are extremely concerned with matters of privacy and due process. Witness (for example) the EFF, which is dedicated wholly to the protection of Internet privacy.
It may not relate to the internet, but every geek has a vested interest in not allowing privacy and due process to slip.
FATMOUSE MUST FEED.
... and affordable, too.
"Of course, an alternative to this law would be to require that all alcohol-serving establishments have a Breathalyzer easily accessible to its patrons."
I like this idea. Seriously. I'd like to have access to that information about myself every time I go out. And no, I'm not willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a Breathalyzer myself (the cheapo ones advertised for the consumer are wildly inaccurate to the point of uselessness), but it's really not that big an expense for a business.
Yay DirectFB!
He's right. There was a standard-length rope that they used to determine that value originally.
Dear God that's cool. What do they mean by "all electronics?" Hopefully not the guidance hardware? It would be the height of awesomeness to be able to launch my own one-time space shot :D
The F-117 can, like most other attack aircraft, mount Sidewinders and, if I'm not mistaken (and quite unlike most other attack aircraft), AMRAAMs. I wouldn't want to get into a dogfight in one since the engines go into compressor stalls every time you try to pull tight turns, but still, the capability is there. Of course, if they never saw you coming, I guess it wouldn't matter :)
"I spent ALL that time creating this product, to sell one copy, and now all I can do is charge for support, and even then, I cant charge too much, because someone else, riding on my coat tails, can offer the same support but cheaper bc they also undercut who knows who else as well."
Well, not necessarily. The fact is you still wrote the software. As such you understand its design somewhat better than even the best hacker who reads your source. You designed the thing, therefore you are the best source for support.
"Afford?"
The modifications that "ricers," as you so intelligently put it, install into their cars often cost them much, MUCH more than it would have to get a car that had comparable performance stock.
They're hardware hackers, plain and simple. They get a lot of enjoyment out of doing it, that's all.
This was a terribly-written article, as well. It reads like a 6th-grade essay.
The D-Link 614+ 802.11g router I have reboots itself randomly every 10 minutes or so, and every time you change a setting it has to reboot itself again and drop you off the network again. Firmware updates didn't solve this problem.
It SUCKS. That's all there is to it.
(And remarkably frightening?)
The people I tell Larry Niven's explanation of why we need a space program to (not in those words, but the same general idea) who aren't enthusiastic about space say more or less the same thing in response.
Their counter-argument goes something along the lines of, "well, why are we so great that we think we should be preserved? If we destroy ourselves or if an asteroid comes along and takes us out, why should we be so arrogant to think we should try and stop that?"
I get a LOT of responses like this.
Does it frighten the shit out of anyone else that there seems to be so many people who think this way?
"It seems militias have gone the way of the dodo bird."
l /
http://www.arng.army.mil/
http://www.ang.af.mi
"It's a gamble, but the rewards are so great that many companies will invest resources for a cut."
No. They won't. They haven't, have they? And they've had decades to try.
Xenobiology research would be a good start.
... um, prospects, to be found in the Asteroid Belt.
That rock we found in Antarctica (I think?) is awfully convincing evidence. It's never been conclusively proven but there's certainly nothing to disprove it yet and the evidence is extremely strong.
That or the fuel thing the other guy mentioned. Although the He-III just lying around on Luna's surface is a great reason to go there, too.
Then there's the prospecting
So there's plenty of good reasons. Personally I like Hillary's below-mentioned "because it's there," but that's probably just me.
I was going to say more or less this, but you put it far more succinctly than I could have.
Consider this post an "I second that!"
The last two seasons of TNG were incredible, though.
Other than that I agree with you. Voyager was awful, DS9 was pretty good, but Enterprise is just about the best one yet.
It's probably because they think tiny UIDs mean the person found /. early and therefore has their head up their posterior less than a latecomer.
I'm surprised she'd consent to working at a McD's that was on a road with such a filthy name.
"I sixty-nine."
I mean, really.
Ah. See, I've never been to anywhere like those - would like to, but living in NYC and being on a limited budget tends to restrict your travel options. Mostly I just hang out in the Adirondacks.
As for the "leash" factor... I've never felt like that, ever.
Honestly I think the leash factor occurs only in people who don't understand/regularly use/thrive on technology, i.e. non-geeks. I am entirely conscious of when to turn my cell phone off, PDA, laptop, whatever. Non-geeks seem to feel beholden to technology whereas geeks are more willing (indeed, isn't it their hallmark?) to be its master.
"FreeBSD also shines on older hardware compared to Linux (exempting Slackware or build your own.)"
I don't know about AlphaLinux, but I can tell you that installing FreeBSD on my Digital AlphaServer 1000 was almost suspiciously easy. It autopartitioned my drives, detected all my hardware, and in general just asked me how I wanted the network configured and what software packages I wanted, then took care of the entire thing itself. I really wasn't expecting that on such old, esoteric hardware.
"I've learnt that "Technology is BAD(c)"."
Why?
I asked someone else this same question a couple weeks ago in a different article and no one could really explain it.
I go camping with my digital camera, hike up a mountain, take pictures and then upload them to my website immediately that night over some beer and burgers.
What's the problem? Why do you assume that we all must want to get away from civilization - or that civilization and enjoyment of nature are somehow mutually exclusive?
"MiB?"
"GiB?"
Men in Black? Girls in Black? Obviously not a typo...
Thank you. That was one of the funniest damn things I have read in a while.
I think it was "bankon snurgly do" that got me.
"people have been jailed in the US for websites encouraging rebellion just like they would in China"
I would love to read about this if you have links to actual reputable news about it.