Your argument would be fine if it's premise, "that atheism is itself a form of religion", were not false.
I, being one of many, have grown particularly weary of this old canard which, while it may be applied (weakly) to social movements such as "Humanism", does not in the least apply to atheism. Strictly speaking atheism is simply the lack of belief in any or all deities and has none of the attributes of a religion most especially a statement of faith. There is indeed a total lack of dogma, there is no structure or singular impetus from which non-belief is sourced. The mere fact that there exist amalgamations of persons that promote rationality in opposition to ignorance and superstition does not make atheism a religion. In fact such organisations are relatively poorly attended and for the most part formed out of frustration at the need to on one hand defend against personal denigration by members of societies wherein admission of a lack of religious conviction makes one immediately suspect of moral turpitude and on the other hand hold back the growing tide of religious incursion into education and political discourse. Were these needs to dissolve so would the organisations as they do not exist as a means unto themselves as do religious institutions.
I would like to suggest that, rather than having only a few IT personnel be singled out for facile identification, all IT staff and management wear mediaeval style monks habits with appropriate tonsure according to station. This would make them readily identifiable by the laity in order that they be afforded due respect and deference without focusing undue attention on a minority of the sect.
Not to be a pedant, but... While I largely agree with the (intended) content of your post, a certain grammatical error jumped out at me and I felt compelled to point it out as I would hate to see you embarrassed by similar errors in the future. Please check your grammar and spelling here: The definition of relevance depends on entirely subjective criteron(sic). In this sentence you have not only miss-spelled the word criterion but also miss-used it. Either you dropped an article or do not have sufficient command of Latin to be using the word criterion in an English sentence. Spelling aside, whether the reader understands what is meant is only part of the task of writing no matter the context. The other part is to have control of those things that you as the writer are communicating to the reader about your self. One should always understand the words one uses and how to use them. Had you simply used the word criteria The sentence would have been grammatically and factually correct and not in the least pompous.
I take it you're not up on the history of and true nature of religion(s). The function of religions broadly has a lot more to do with control than anything else. The differences are mostly a matter of the social and cultural milieu in which they reside and of scale.
The best early example is the safety razor. Where the manufacturer packaged a "free" razor with a pack of over priced blades that only fit the "free" razor. Subsequently one would have to buy more blades in order to use the razor. The difference with the printer/ink cartridge version is the extreme price differential which is based on an assumed comparative affluence* of the target consumer and very probable collusion among the various manufacturers in an effort to flog a rather broad and hostage market(the razor blade manufacturers were guilty of the same). In the current political/business environment it is not likely that anything will be done about such practices.
*affluence in this case not necessarily real but the consumers consumptive potential defined by their perception of normative behavior.
Asimov. You must include Asimov as in his works we find the genesis of sciency science fiction joined with accessible social commentary ideal for introductory courses.
The genres are overly broad for a single course so you should concentrate on shorter but apocryphal works without deep analysis of each but concentrate on the use of imagination and the power that science fiction and fantasy have to deeply explore the human condition(writ large) by distancing the reader from the contemporary milieu.
It's not so much the time but the content. American schools are all about every student feeling good about mediocrity rather than being what they are/can be. Lake Wobegon is a myth.
My experience is the 'good enough' and 'not quite good enough but marketable' has always worked especially for software. It simply a fact that get the product out the door and fix it later as evolved to the point where the product cycle has gotten short enough so that there is no need to do the fix.
the answer is NO!!!!!! just think about it for a bit. If you want your personal data to be inviolate then you need to segregate it from your work. any physical association no matter how tenuous compromises this segregation.
Of course they are right. The pot/kettle analogy is a statement implying that both parties are guilty of the same accusation/offense. Besides, most corporations are anti-competitive in the sense that the attempt to counter the efforts of their competitors. That is simply 'business as usual' This sort of accusation by Microsoft is simply an indication that they have weighed the risks and deemed that there is some tactical advantage for them in bringing such an issue forth at this time.
Slashdot Mirror
Actually, I believe it simply eliminates everyone.
Your argument would be fine if it's premise, "that atheism is itself a form of religion", were not false.
I, being one of many, have grown particularly weary of this old canard which, while it may be applied (weakly) to social movements such as "Humanism", does not in the least apply to atheism. Strictly speaking atheism is simply the lack of belief in any or all deities and has none of the attributes of a religion most especially a statement of faith. There is indeed a total lack of dogma, there is no structure or singular impetus from which non-belief is sourced. The mere fact that there exist amalgamations of persons that promote rationality in opposition to ignorance and superstition does not make atheism a religion. In fact such organisations are relatively poorly attended and for the most part formed out of frustration at the need to on one hand defend against personal denigration by members of societies wherein admission of a lack of religious conviction makes one immediately suspect of moral turpitude and on the other hand hold back the growing tide of religious incursion into education and political discourse. Were these needs to dissolve so would the organisations as they do not exist as a means unto themselves as do religious institutions.
We all like to tinker.
I would like to suggest that, rather than having only a few IT personnel be singled out for facile identification, all IT staff and management wear mediaeval style monks habits with appropriate tonsure according to station. This would make them readily identifiable by the laity in order that they be afforded due respect and deference without focusing undue attention on a minority of the sect.
Not to be a pedant, but...
While I largely agree with the (intended) content of your post, a certain grammatical error jumped out at me and I felt compelled to point it out as I would hate to see you embarrassed by similar errors in the future.
Please check your grammar and spelling here: The definition of relevance depends on entirely subjective criteron(sic). In this sentence you have not only miss-spelled the word criterion but also miss-used it. Either you dropped an article or do not have sufficient command of Latin to be using the word criterion in an English sentence.
Spelling aside, whether the reader understands what is meant is only part of the task of writing no matter the context. The other part is to have control of those things that you as the writer are communicating to the reader about your self. One should always understand the words one uses and how to use them. Had you simply used the word criteria The sentence would have been grammatically and factually correct and not in the least pompous.
How in the heck can a religion do this?
I take it you're not up on the history of and true nature of religion(s). The function of religions broadly has a lot more to do with control than anything else. The differences are mostly a matter of the social and cultural milieu in which they reside and of scale.
I'd like to see them try that with "The Book of Origin".
Hallowed ARE the Oars Aye !
I had this problem in 1976 or so. In the end the boss is just a dick with control issues.
The best early example is the safety razor. Where the manufacturer packaged a "free" razor with a pack of over priced blades that only fit the "free" razor. Subsequently one would have to buy more blades in order to use the razor. The difference with the printer/ink cartridge version is the extreme price differential which is based on an assumed comparative affluence* of the target consumer and very probable collusion among the various manufacturers in an effort to flog a rather broad and hostage market(the razor blade manufacturers were guilty of the same). In the current political/business environment it is not likely that anything will be done about such practices.
*affluence in this case not necessarily real but the consumers consumptive potential defined by their perception of normative behavior.
IT Guy sounds better than Accountant or Sanitary Engineer or Sales Guy or ...
I don't have the time, or desire to get into this but here:
http://scienceblogs.com/islandofdoubt/2009/11/the_hacked_climate_science_ema.php#more
Say it out loud and you can't help but notice that "mature games on Wii" is an absurd, even oxymoronic, phrase.
Now Microsoft has new minimum desktop specs for it's next iteration of the Windows ...
FEH !!! A REAL Martini is made with Gin. Vodka is to a Martini as reconstituted soy protein is to chili.
Yah, Who ?
Asimov. You must include Asimov as in his works we find the genesis of sciency science fiction joined with accessible social commentary ideal for introductory courses. The genres are overly broad for a single course so you should concentrate on shorter but apocryphal works without deep analysis of each but concentrate on the use of imagination and the power that science fiction and fantasy have to deeply explore the human condition(writ large) by distancing the reader from the contemporary milieu.
It's not so much the time but the content. American schools are all about every student feeling good about mediocrity rather than being what they are/can be. Lake Wobegon is a myth.
I think that smaller and less active breeds would be much preferable in orbit for all of the obvious reasons.
It's possible they've come for the stouts and porters that have slurred the previous posters keyboard.
My experience is the 'good enough' and 'not quite good enough but marketable' has always worked especially for software. It simply a fact that get the product out the door and fix it later as evolved to the point where the product cycle has gotten short enough so that there is no need to do the fix.
The time is not far off when all will realise that Google Earth is not simply the name of an application but our destiny !
the answer is NO!!!!!! just think about it for a bit. If you want your personal data to be inviolate then you need to segregate it from your work. any physical association no matter how tenuous compromises this segregation.
I see a bright future for you in government service...
Nah just quit playing the game... Go find another w/o the adverts.
Of course they are right. The pot/kettle analogy is a statement implying that both parties are guilty of the same accusation/offense. Besides, most corporations are anti-competitive in the sense that the attempt to counter the efforts of their competitors. That is simply 'business as usual' This sort of accusation by Microsoft is simply an indication that they have weighed the risks and deemed that there is some tactical advantage for them in bringing such an issue forth at this time.