Don't forget that the profits from the development and manufacture of one successful drug (say Tamiflu) has to cover the costs of a myriad of failed drugs.
e.g.
1. Pharmaceutical company does R&D in 5 avenues in one year. 2. Each one costs $1bn to pursue. 3. One avenue turns up Tamiflu. 4. Government revokes patent in public interest and pays $1bn compensation. 5. No pharmaceutical company ever does any research again as they have lost $4bn.
I admit I was feeling extremely crotchety when I wrote that and I do apologise for any offence, the fault was entirely mine. A few points raised:
"yob" was a typo, I meant "job"; A fairly standard clap and cheer expression (if films are to be believed, which on balance they probably shouldn't). I've not heard of yob being a racial slur; it must be a US colloquialism.
I remember where I heard about the GPS switchoff: it was an aside in an avionics lecture and was apparently early on in the history of the GPS programme. According to my notes it was discontinued for the very reasons you give above. Also, as I can't find any supporting evidence whatsoever even after looking carefully, I suspect you're both right when you say it's an urban legend.
Anyway, that aside, I apologise for a thoroughly puerile post. I suspect we all have our off days; that was one of mine. Killing myself now...
For the same reason that the EU is developing Galileo: we just don't trust you not to flip it (GPS/root servers) off whenever you fancy. In turn you don't trust us not to cock DNS up. Fine: everyone gets a root server each (or whatever method of distribution is possible: I don't know exactly what). If the EU decides to purge the US (possibly cos you've got right up Chirac's huge gallic hooter); it can't. Likewise the US can't switch off/exclude the EU...or Lesotho...or anywhere else.
I seem to recall that GPS was switched off one day every year on its anniversary just to remind everyone it was American (yee-haw, good yob! etc). Considering how easy the response "Well fuck you then!" & pressing 'off' is, you can't really blame the rest of the world for wanting a little shared responsibility.
I suspect hybrid cars will never take off until the day that their TCO is lower than those of petrol or diesel. Environmental statements are all very well and good for the few, but impact requires the masses and the masses follow the money (that's not necessarily a bad thing; I do it too).
If petrol wasn't so ridiculously cheap, hybrid cars would make more sense financially. Financial sense leads to adoption. The tax $$$s might help the budget deficit too;o)
Even better (for you Matlab geeks out there), is that the VAAC harrier flight law can be programmed using Simulink.
You can play around with Simulink blocks in the morning, hit Ctrl+B to compile it, load it onto the harrier and fly it in the afternoon. Fast protoyping takes on a whole new dimension...(the vertical?)
BTW, they're allowed to do this because the second pilot has a 'kill-switch' thingy and can take over with the normal controls at any time. Not that that would do him any good if it all goes tits up anywhere under 500ft AGL.
I'm not sure monetary fines would be a good idea, but I do like your notion in general.
Perhaps the ISP should block the user (note user, not IP - these will all use dynamic DNS). Simultaneously, all http requests could be replied with a simple page saying what has been done and why, along with a copy of one of the free antivirus apps (AVG, Avast etc) and an anti ad-ware program (e.g. ad-aware). Two downloads later and you are unblocked.
I wouldn't have thought it would be technically hard to do. I would also have said users would be grateful to know their PC had been hijacked and told how to deal with it rather than pissed off with the interupt in service. Also (here's the biggie for the ISP) it would save bandwidth (= profit! [for the ISP, anyway]).
I expect the vast majority of telewest's customers are set up as per telewest's instructions as far as email goes i.e. they use telewest's smtp servers. If that is the case, their email is not blocked. It is only those who run an email server that will have a problem.
Not really a problem either, just make postfix (or whatever mta you're using) send mail via telewest's smtp server itself (relayhost directive). Those who run an email server will notice soon enough and take appropriate action. If they can't work it out then they probably shouldn't be running a server anyway.
Aerospace companies aren't generally worried about the initial costs (titanium being an example), but they are worried about operating costs (fuel, maintenance etc). This is because over a system's life cycle the operating costs add up to much more than the initial building cost. Put simply, it's cheaper to use an expensive material if that material allows you to save weight (and therefore fuel) or requires less maintenance.
Of course, that doesn't apply to systems you use only once.
Doesn't 'The chip will not divulge any data without an appropriate cryptographic authentication. The key used to perform the authentication is derived from data printed inside the passport.' completely bugger up 'Contactless is quicker and easier to use. Not much, but enough to matter when you're trying to move large numbers of people through quickly. The immigration agent does not have to spend time putting the correct corner of the passport into the correct location in the correct way.'?
You're going to have to open up the passport to find said key.
Armies tend not to want people prone to drifting off into fantasy-land.
Today I am invincible Steve, master of ninja and Today I am James Bond, master spy tend to make you dead and susceptible to a sting by a foreign power respectively. I would have thought that that counts for a lot more than any desire for drones.
I believe the BBC to be an excellent organisation with a history of flagship programmes; in particular it's current affairs and news divisions.
Having said that standing still is not the best way to maintain excellence. The BBC does have undergo regular reviews (be they internal or externally imposed) in order to keep at the forefront of the media. Chances in the way oversight is performed definitely falls into this category.
Personally, I believe a form of licence fee is the only way to avoid wholesale chasing of ratings. I have no objection to paying for it. You could argue that I could continue to pay for high-quality programming from the private sector if the BBC were disbanded completely. However, I think the failure DRM and content encryption schemes over the years have shown us that excluding non-payers is very tricky indeed. I suggest that the free rider issue would rapidly sink any commercial paid-for service. I could very well be wrong, I haven't researched this particularly. It's just my opinion.
One of the big things about using GPS/Galileo in aerospace applications is that it is not redundant enough. The CAA/JAA/FAA is truly anal about such things. Two completely independent satellite navigation systems = certification without having to bugger about with other (more expensive) radio navigation aids.
As an aside,I believe until fairly recently it was standard practice to switch GPS off the anniversary of it's 'live' date each year. Purely a way of saying 'fuck you, we own it.' I find that fairly amusing.
It was on the NASA webcast, that's for sure. You'd think they could say something relevant/interesting/not "yee haa! he made it! good job! yee haa" etc etc...
What I do think is that at the subsequent election, things would be improved. It would be a very confident/stupid president who could a. Win by a narrow margin. b. Win by means declared shady at best c. Proceed to do absolutely nothing about the abuses of the system.
They'd *have* to at least attempt to remedy the problems. If they didn't, their next election would not be marginal - it would be a resounding defeat. You wouldn't stand for it, no matter what your political affiliations, would you?
Nota Bene - I am not an American. I've tried to be objective, but that is rarely possible.
Slashdot Mirror
Don't forget that the profits from the development and manufacture of one successful drug (say Tamiflu) has to cover the costs of a myriad of failed drugs.
e.g.
1. Pharmaceutical company does R&D in 5 avenues in one year.
2. Each one costs $1bn to pursue.
3. One avenue turns up Tamiflu.
4. Government revokes patent in public interest and pays $1bn compensation.
5. No pharmaceutical company ever does any research again as they have lost $4bn.
lol!
I admit I was feeling extremely crotchety when I wrote that and I do apologise for any offence, the fault was entirely mine. A few points raised:
"yob" was a typo, I meant "job"; A fairly standard clap and cheer expression (if films are to be believed, which on balance they probably shouldn't). I've not heard of yob being a racial slur; it must be a US colloquialism.
I remember where I heard about the GPS switchoff: it was an aside in an avionics lecture and was apparently early on in the history of the GPS programme. According to my notes it was discontinued for the very reasons you give above. Also, as I can't find any supporting evidence whatsoever even after looking carefully, I suspect you're both right when you say it's an urban legend.
Anyway, that aside, I apologise for a thoroughly puerile post. I suspect we all have our off days; that was one of mine. Killing myself now...
I have to admit that I can't find you a link. In the absence of any supporting evidence I'll have to withdraw that claim.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6720387/%5D is all about switching off (or degrading at a point) GPS though and is even more recent...
For the same reason that the EU is developing Galileo: we just don't trust you not to flip it (GPS/root servers) off whenever you fancy. In turn you don't trust us not to cock DNS up. Fine: everyone gets a root server each (or whatever method of distribution is possible: I don't know exactly what). If the EU decides to purge the US (possibly cos you've got right up Chirac's huge gallic hooter); it can't. Likewise the US can't switch off/exclude the EU...or Lesotho...or anywhere else.
I seem to recall that GPS was switched off one day every year on its anniversary just to remind everyone it was American (yee-haw, good yob! etc). Considering how easy the response "Well fuck you then!" & pressing 'off' is, you can't really blame the rest of the world for wanting a little shared responsibility.
I would be more interested in finding out what the alleged flaw is. It doesn't give details in the article; has anyone seen anything more detailed?
I suspect hybrid cars will never take off until the day that their TCO is lower than those of petrol or diesel. Environmental statements are all very well and good for the few, but impact requires the masses and the masses follow the money (that's not necessarily a bad thing; I do it too).
;o)
If petrol wasn't so ridiculously cheap, hybrid cars would make more sense financially. Financial sense leads to adoption. The tax $$$s might help the budget deficit too
...er.... I meant that what they've done with the tool remains secret.
Dammnit, must learn to use preview button.
Well, you still don't know which Simulink blocks they are using and how they are arranged. You only know the tool they're using. That remains secret.
Even better (for you Matlab geeks out there), is that the VAAC harrier flight law can be programmed using Simulink.
You can play around with Simulink blocks in the morning, hit Ctrl+B to compile it, load it onto the harrier and fly it in the afternoon. Fast protoyping takes on a whole new dimension...(the vertical?)
BTW, they're allowed to do this because the second pilot has a 'kill-switch' thingy and can take over with the normal controls at any time. Not that that would do him any good if it all goes tits up anywhere under 500ft AGL.
cockband connections?
Didn't see that in the original.
I'm not sure monetary fines would be a good idea, but I do like your notion in general.
Perhaps the ISP should block the user (note user, not IP - these will all use dynamic DNS). Simultaneously, all http requests could be replied with a simple page saying what has been done and why, along with a copy of one of the free antivirus apps (AVG, Avast etc) and an anti ad-ware program (e.g. ad-aware). Two downloads later and you are unblocked.
I wouldn't have thought it would be technically hard to do. I would also have said users would be grateful to know their PC had been hijacked and told how to deal with it rather than pissed off with the interupt in service. Also (here's the biggie for the ISP) it would save bandwidth (= profit! [for the ISP, anyway]).
Have I missed anything out?
No need to call the 16,000.
I expect the vast majority of telewest's customers are set up as per telewest's instructions as far as email goes i.e. they use telewest's smtp servers. If that is the case, their email is not blocked. It is only those who run an email server that will have a problem.
Not really a problem either, just make postfix (or whatever mta you're using) send mail via telewest's smtp server itself (relayhost directive). Those who run an email server will notice soon enough and take appropriate action. If they can't work it out then they probably shouldn't be running a server anyway.
Aerospace companies aren't generally worried about the initial costs (titanium being an example), but they are worried about operating costs (fuel, maintenance etc). This is because over a system's life cycle the operating costs add up to much more than the initial building cost. Put simply, it's cheaper to use an expensive material if that material allows you to save weight (and therefore fuel) or requires less maintenance.
Of course, that doesn't apply to systems you use only once.
When your company is liable for the one or two problematic emails to the tune of millions of pounds, it starts to seem slightly less silly.
Doesn't
'The chip will not divulge any data without an appropriate cryptographic authentication. The key used to perform the authentication is derived from data printed inside the passport.'
completely bugger up
'Contactless is quicker and easier to use. Not much, but enough to matter when you're trying to move large numbers of people through quickly. The immigration agent does not have to spend time putting the correct corner of the passport into the correct location in the correct way.'?
You're going to have to open up the passport to find said key.
Wow!
You certainly do a lot to keep your snails happy!
Hmmm.
Armies tend not to want people prone to drifting off into fantasy-land.
Today I am invincible Steve, master of ninja
and
Today I am James Bond, master spy
tend to make you dead and susceptible to a sting by a foreign power respectively. I would have thought that that counts for a lot more than any desire for drones.
I believe the BBC to be an excellent organisation with a history of flagship programmes; in particular it's current affairs and news divisions.
Having said that standing still is not the best way to maintain excellence. The BBC does have undergo regular reviews (be they internal or externally imposed) in order to keep at the forefront of the media. Chances in the way oversight is performed definitely falls into this category.
Personally, I believe a form of licence fee is the only way to avoid wholesale chasing of ratings. I have no objection to paying for it. You could argue that I could continue to pay for high-quality programming from the private sector if the BBC were disbanded completely. However, I think the failure DRM and content encryption schemes over the years have shown us that excluding non-payers is very tricky indeed. I suggest that the free rider issue would rapidly sink any commercial paid-for service. I could very well be wrong, I haven't researched this particularly. It's just my opinion.
The licence costs more to collect then it is worth
I seriously doubt that. The best figure I've seen is around 10% of the fee goes on collection and enforcement.
Quite.
One of the big things about using GPS/Galileo in aerospace applications is that it is not redundant enough. The CAA/JAA/FAA is truly anal about such things. Two completely independent satellite navigation systems = certification without having to bugger about with other (more expensive) radio navigation aids.
As an aside,I believe until fairly recently it was standard practice to switch GPS off the anniversary of it's 'live' date each year. Purely a way of saying 'fuck you, we own it.' I find that fairly amusing.
With all these "It'll get flattened" comments you'd think the average american driver has his eyes shut.
Repeat two points from the (modified) highway code after me...
Up and over is not a valid alternative to overtaking.
Cars are not sexy. Meet some women. They can be sexy.
But, ye gods, wasn't the commentary inane?
It was on the NASA webcast, that's for sure. You'd think they could say something relevant/interesting/not "yee haa! he made it! good job! yee haa" etc etc...
I take your point
I didn't think of it in that way.
I don't think there'd be that type of mudslinging
What I do think is that at the subsequent election, things would be improved. It would be a very confident/stupid president who could
a. Win by a narrow margin.
b. Win by means declared shady at best
c. Proceed to do absolutely nothing about the abuses of the system.
They'd *have* to at least attempt to remedy the problems. If they didn't, their next election would not be marginal - it would be a resounding defeat. You wouldn't stand for it, no matter what your political affiliations, would you?
Nota Bene - I am not an American. I've tried to be objective, but that is rarely possible.
Possibly they weren't paying Lucasfilm anything at all - not even the standard cinema rate.
If I'd made starwars, I'd be pretty annoyed about that.