Maybe now they will move to Linux to avoid further embarrassment...
"Yo soy emberassado" does not mean "I am embarrassed" and using Windows software does not mean you are a professional organization...
So, I installed and played with it for a few hours...
Not impressed...
It takes for-ever to load, and then everyone stands around changing their settings, waiting for it to load, adding or moving or deleting furniture...
Chatting is the last thing on people's minds...and the way you can interact with others is odd...body slamming, slapping, kissing...
So there is a lot of that going on...and most of the guys in one chat room had female avatars...
I don't see it as the "next generation" of chat...text is still too easy and useful...
So, I am curious...we have talked about it before on Slash Dot, about how it is "Anti Trust" to collude in this way...force people to upgrade hardware that doesn't need upgrading... Creative had disabled their drivers and software so they would not run the old hardware on Windows Vista. Microsoft has been doing this for years, making their operating system so "bloated" that you had to upgrade the processor, memory, motherboard, and many other items just to get it to install... Well, now, we have a very compelling case to prove collusion in the computer desktop market... Shouldn't this prick the ears of the Anti-Trust hounds- Shouldn't someone be looking into these practices and protecting the consumer?
Bio fuels are GROWN...they start out as plants...plants take CO2 and convert it into O2, CO2 is one of the "greenhouse gases" while O2 is NOT... So if we grow large quantities of plants to create bio fuels, HOW could they INCREASE greenhouse gases?
If each individual item within a copyrighted work is copyrighted, then how would we ever legalize mash-ups and re-mixes...it has been happening for years...
but I think, and this is just my opinion...
If each little bit contributes to the whole of a work (a Mash-up or Re-mix) then that mash-up or re-mix becomes a "new work"...
I agree that it is fair use...simply because it isn't a total and whole copy of the work, it is a part of the work to create a new work.
SO, now that Dragon has been ported to Mac, it is only a little more time till it is ported to Linux.
I have searched for a good bit of software in Linux to do voice recognition, but nothing is a) easy to use, and b) (in my opinion) not ready for market. This has left me with using Microsquat's OS and Dragon. IBM also has ViaVoice, but it isn't for Linux yet, either...
Still waiting
1. Abolish Congress within the first year. Ok, maybe a misnomer, but hear me out. Our Congress was not designed to be a Professional Political System. So we would tell every one in Congress that they have their 1 year notice. We set elections for the following year and we break down their terms of service for the first set of Congress Critters. After the first set, then it is as follows, ALL OFFICES at the FEDERAL Level will be limited to 2 terms. Current people in office that have already served more than 2 terms are forbidden from holding office again.
Salary/Compensations for Congressmen will be fair and even across the board. They will receive no more than the AVERAGE AMERICAN CITIZEN, which is currently something like $44,000 a year.
Transportation, Healthcare, and Housing will be provided while they are "working" in Washington, only. There are no Retirement Benefits from Public Service. There are no other Special Benefits in Public Service. You don't "retire" from public service, you "finish your term of service"...at which time you go back to your old job, or go out and find a new one.
These rules apply to the House and to the Senate. They also apply to the President, with a slight modification...since the President is NOT "on duty" only when Congress is in Session, the President will receive a little more Compensation, and housing, transportation, and healthcare will be provided throughout the "term of service".
2. Modify the Electoral System. Currently, the Electors are Bound or Unbound. But there is little if any difference between them. The new system will FORCE the Electors to VOTE with the Percentage of their states. So if Utah votes 3/5ths Republican and 2/5ths Democrat, then 3 of the 5 Electors would vote Republican and 2 Electors would vote Democrat. There would be a group put in place to figure the percentages with reasonable accuracy to allow the "fractions of percentages" to be counted and applied in the correct way.
This system would be completely open and publicly auditable.
The use of Electronic Voting and Internet Voting would be explored, and open to public scrutiny.
3. The IRS would be abolished. A "Fair Tax" system would take its place, using a "consumption" tax. Tariffs would be reinstated on ALL imported goods.
4. Federal Laws would be evaluated and those that are not in harmony with the Constitution would be repealed.
5. The War on Terror would be canceled. The American Troops that are currently deployed to countries that are not either a) paying the USA for the services of the US Military or b) bound to the USA in some kind of treaty.
6. The War on Drugs would be canceled. It isn't doing any good. Drugs should be evaluated for addictiveness and potential damage and classified. Those that are classed in one area would be available commercially OTC. Others might take a doctor's prescription.
7. Decriminalization of Victimless Crimes. Purging of the Prisons of non-violent criminals. Using technology and science to track low-level criminals. Institution of rehabilitation programs to prevent further offending for certain types of criminals.
8. Instituting National programs and awards for academician excellence. Forget the No Child Left Behind. Funnel money into education and set a standard for TEACHERS not STUDENTS and put up awards available for students who do the work and achieve the education. SOmething like; for students who finish a Master's degree, (in something other than "under water marble stacking") we could "forgive" their student loans, or a large percentage of those loans. That way, regardeless of race, economic status, or sex, ANYONE can receive a "forgiveness" of their student loans for achieving a "minimum standard of education"...
9. Institute a national Driver's License. We would no longer need individual state driver's licenses.
10. Institute a national Firearm's Permit. Since State Constitutions must meet the minimum standard as set by the Federal Constitution, the Right to Keep and Bear a Firearm MUST be Recognized by
I couldn't read all 500 replies, but I thought I would say something...
Linux has little nuggets like Crossover Office ($40). I could go on and on...but what I hear is that more and more companies are dedicating resources to making their products work with Linux, why? Because Linux is growing in the market FASTER than any other option.
It will be another year and most everything you want on Windows will be available (and more stable, more reliable, faster, etc) on Linux.
Besides, how hard would it be to port Microsoft Office to Linux when Microsoft Office for the Mac is essentially Microsoft Office for BSD?
But who would want to pay a couple hundred for Microsoft products when Open Office is available and does just about everything Microsquat's Crapware can do...?
Even if you have to have a more fully featured office product, Star Office is available for $70...not $170...
I am a linux user of a few years. I love it, and would never return to Windows...
I worked for Microsoft for 6 years...maybe that is what turned me to the Light Side...
People need to understand that this PC is not the "replacement PC" for everyone...it is, however, a great alternative for those that want to get email, surf the web, write a term paper, or whatever it is that 99% of people do with their computer...
If you bought it with the idea that it was a gaming PC, well, you didn't read the ingredients. If you bought it with the idea that it was exactly like windows, well, again, you didn't read the fine print...
Seriously, people, it wasn't intended to be the perfect alternative, it was designed to be ONE OF THE AVAILABLE alternatives.
As far as it goes, I got one for my Grandmother, she has everything she needs (chat, email, internet, word processing, spreadsheets...) and she has had ZERO problems with it...but then, she wasn't indoctrinated with Microsquat Crapware first...
My understanding of "squatting" is, "Squatting is the act of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied [name]space or... [domain] that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use."
And "cybersquatting" is, "The act of registering a domain name in bad faith, with the sole intent to sell that domain name to its rightful owner."
So, if Pirate Bay buys a domain that was unoccupied, and they plan to use it, then they DO NOT fall into either category...
Maybe someone should point this out before it goes to court...
As if the airline industry wasn't suffering enough...
To increase business you must provide a service or product that people are willing to pay for. Many people are finding it just as easy (or cheap) to drive to their destinations, or they find that United (among others) simply charge too much for travel...
So, this is just one more nail in the coffin. It won't be long until they go out of business or are bought by Southwest or some other company that still understands "value add" or "customer service"...
I mentioned this kind of system to UDOT when the put in the HOV here in Utah...The problem is the same as it is anywhere...Single occupants are constantly in the HOV lane...
I mentioned that UDOT should do a "pay per use" system, so UDOT decided to make a little money and make it an HOV or PAY for USE... this only solved 1/50th of the problem.
Then I suggested that they need a few more officers to patrol the HOV and make some revenue off the violators...so they added 2 more officers...
Then I suggested to put in a 1-800 number for people to call and report violators, but that doesn't net any $$ and costs $$ so they said "no"...
So I suggested that they could put in the IR Cameras and catch violators by using a heat signature...they said the system costs to much...but with the number of HOV Violators that I see every day, they could pay for the system in about a year...
So the question is, does this kind of thing cost more than it brings in, or does it pay for itself and create a steady stream of income?
I am sorry, but this is all getting so ridiculous that I am scared to use my peanut butter...
I came in a jar, so I don't know if I am allowed to spread it on bread, a bagel, or muffin...I don't know if I can legally mix it with jam, honey, or pickles...
What are we to do?
This is why some of the newest launch platforms are being built and deployed into international waters. You don't have to get permission to leave the planet from there, and you can go anywhere you want after that...just don't infringe on "national airspace" on the way up, or you could get shot down.
We are in the middle of a transition at our work place...
We used to have "Software Testers" and "Programmers", but now we have "Software Test Engineers" and "Software Development Engineers"...
I have been in the field for over 15 years, and I predict that we will see other changes as well in the next while...
Software Test Engineers and Software Development Engineers will become Software Engineers, and they will work in a variety of "sub categories" like Test and Development.
There are other simplifications that I see coming...we have managers for Test, Development, Product and Project... Within our company we have a Product which contains several Projects. So you have one Product Manager (for this product) and several Project Managers (for this product). In each Project we have the Designers, Developers and Testers...
This is where I see simplification. I don't think we need managers for Test, Development and Design...what we need is a single point of management over all 3 aspects which then becomes "Development Manager" and they are over the Software Engineers, some of which are Designers, some are Developers, and some are Testers.
This is in line with the various Agile programming methodologies...
The best way to combat this kind of stupidity is to contact someone at the local news media...
Here in Utah (USA) we have Channel 2 News and Bill Gephardt. He will investigate these kinds of things, get them out on the news...
The Companies turn around and usually change their mind, or it generates too much negative publicity...
Don't know what or who you have out there to help out...but I would try something like that.
Sorry to burst their bubble, but what happened in this case is that this gal supposedly "stole" something while "at" the theater, but according to the MPAA, it is the producers and copyright holders that were stolen from...
The Theater isn't the owner of the content stolen by the video camera.
So how can they file the complaint and force prosecution?
This would be like me claiming to be the victim if someone breaks into my rental home/investment property and steals stuff from the current renters. It isn't my stuff, so how could I file a theft claim?
The first one that I bought that wasn't a US phone, and I was impressed... the Ericsson R520M, long and bulky, but with the extended life battery, it will last 720 hours in stand-by, and something like 4 hours talk time...what other US phone will do that?
Then I found a DV007, and I am impressed...more PDA but also Phone, and in a smaller size than any of the PDA phones in the US...not to mention, I got the R520M for $60 (several years ago) and the DV007 can be had for just over $150...
What phone can do all this for that price in the US?? Certainly not the I-Phone...
Slashdot Mirror
If Microsoft made all their Operating Systems like Vista, NONE of them would ever be pirated...it just wouldn't be worth it...
It was prolly a pirated copy of Windows...
Maybe now they will move to Linux to avoid further embarrassment...
"Yo soy emberassado" does not mean "I am embarrassed" and using Windows software does not mean you are a professional organization...
So, I installed and played with it for a few hours...
Not impressed...
It takes for-ever to load, and then everyone stands around changing their settings, waiting for it to load, adding or moving or deleting furniture...
Chatting is the last thing on people's minds...and the way you can interact with others is odd...body slamming, slapping, kissing...
So there is a lot of that going on...and most of the guys in one chat room had female avatars...
I don't see it as the "next generation" of chat...text is still too easy and useful...
So, I am curious...we have talked about it before on Slash Dot, about how it is "Anti Trust" to collude in this way...force people to upgrade hardware that doesn't need upgrading...
Creative had disabled their drivers and software so they would not run the old hardware on Windows Vista.
Microsoft has been doing this for years, making their operating system so "bloated" that you had to upgrade the processor, memory, motherboard, and many other items just to get it to install...
Well, now, we have a very compelling case to prove collusion in the computer desktop market...
Shouldn't this prick the ears of the Anti-Trust hounds-
Shouldn't someone be looking into these practices and protecting the consumer?
Bio fuels are GROWN...they start out as plants...plants take CO2 and convert it into O2, CO2 is one of the "greenhouse gases" while O2 is NOT...
So if we grow large quantities of plants to create bio fuels, HOW could they INCREASE greenhouse gases?
Then it becomes PUBLIC DOMAIN, and the Copyright is dead.
Simple solution to an otherwise ugly problem.
If each individual item within a copyrighted work is copyrighted, then how would we ever legalize mash-ups and re-mixes...it has been happening for years...
but I think, and this is just my opinion...
If each little bit contributes to the whole of a work (a Mash-up or Re-mix) then that mash-up or re-mix becomes a "new work"...
I agree that it is fair use...simply because it isn't a total and whole copy of the work, it is a part of the work to create a new work.
SO, now that Dragon has been ported to Mac, it is only a little more time till it is ported to Linux.
I have searched for a good bit of software in Linux to do voice recognition, but nothing is a) easy to use, and b) (in my opinion) not ready for market. This has left me with using Microsquat's OS and Dragon. IBM also has ViaVoice, but it isn't for Linux yet, either...
Still waiting
1. Abolish Congress within the first year. Ok, maybe a misnomer, but hear me out. Our Congress was not designed to be a Professional Political System. So we would tell every one in Congress that they have their 1 year notice. We set elections for the following year and we break down their terms of service for the first set of Congress Critters. After the first set, then it is as follows, ALL OFFICES at the FEDERAL Level will be limited to 2 terms. Current people in office that have already served more than 2 terms are forbidden from holding office again.
Salary/Compensations for Congressmen will be fair and even across the board. They will receive no more than the AVERAGE AMERICAN CITIZEN, which is currently something like $44,000 a year.
Transportation, Healthcare, and Housing will be provided while they are "working" in Washington, only. There are no Retirement Benefits from Public Service. There are no other Special Benefits in Public Service. You don't "retire" from public service, you "finish your term of service"...at which time you go back to your old job, or go out and find a new one.
These rules apply to the House and to the Senate. They also apply to the President, with a slight modification...since the President is NOT "on duty" only when Congress is in Session, the President will receive a little more Compensation, and housing, transportation, and healthcare will be provided throughout the "term of service".
2. Modify the Electoral System. Currently, the Electors are Bound or Unbound. But there is little if any difference between them. The new system will FORCE the Electors to VOTE with the Percentage of their states. So if Utah votes 3/5ths Republican and 2/5ths Democrat, then 3 of the 5 Electors would vote Republican and 2 Electors would vote Democrat. There would be a group put in place to figure the percentages with reasonable accuracy to allow the "fractions of percentages" to be counted and applied in the correct way.
This system would be completely open and publicly auditable.
The use of Electronic Voting and Internet Voting would be explored, and open to public scrutiny.
3. The IRS would be abolished. A "Fair Tax" system would take its place, using a "consumption" tax. Tariffs would be reinstated on ALL imported goods.
4. Federal Laws would be evaluated and those that are not in harmony with the Constitution would be repealed.
5. The War on Terror would be canceled. The American Troops that are currently deployed to countries that are not either a) paying the USA for the services of the US Military or b) bound to the USA in some kind of treaty.
6. The War on Drugs would be canceled. It isn't doing any good. Drugs should be evaluated for addictiveness and potential damage and classified. Those that are classed in one area would be available commercially OTC. Others might take a doctor's prescription.
7. Decriminalization of Victimless Crimes. Purging of the Prisons of non-violent criminals. Using technology and science to track low-level criminals. Institution of rehabilitation programs to prevent further offending for certain types of criminals.
8. Instituting National programs and awards for academician excellence. Forget the No Child Left Behind. Funnel money into education and set a standard for TEACHERS not STUDENTS and put up awards available for students who do the work and achieve the education. SOmething like; for students who finish a Master's degree, (in something other than "under water marble stacking") we could "forgive" their student loans, or a large percentage of those loans. That way, regardeless of race, economic status, or sex, ANYONE can receive a "forgiveness" of their student loans for achieving a "minimum standard of education"...
9. Institute a national Driver's License. We would no longer need individual state driver's licenses.
10. Institute a national Firearm's Permit. Since State Constitutions must meet the minimum standard as set by the Federal Constitution, the Right to Keep and Bear a Firearm MUST be Recognized by
I couldn't read all 500 replies, but I thought I would say something...
Linux has little nuggets like Crossover Office ($40). I could go on and on...but what I hear is that more and more companies are dedicating resources to making their products work with Linux, why? Because Linux is growing in the market FASTER than any other option.
It will be another year and most everything you want on Windows will be available (and more stable, more reliable, faster, etc) on Linux.
Besides, how hard would it be to port Microsoft Office to Linux when Microsoft Office for the Mac is essentially Microsoft Office for BSD?
But who would want to pay a couple hundred for Microsoft products when Open Office is available and does just about everything Microsquat's Crapware can do...?
Even if you have to have a more fully featured office product, Star Office is available for $70...not $170...
I am a linux user of a few years. I love it, and would never return to Windows...
I worked for Microsoft for 6 years...maybe that is what turned me to the Light Side...
People need to understand that this PC is not the "replacement PC" for everyone...it is, however, a great alternative for those that want to get email, surf the web, write a term paper, or whatever it is that 99% of people do with their computer...
If you bought it with the idea that it was a gaming PC, well, you didn't read the ingredients. If you bought it with the idea that it was exactly like windows, well, again, you didn't read the fine print...
Seriously, people, it wasn't intended to be the perfect alternative, it was designed to be ONE OF THE AVAILABLE alternatives.
As far as it goes, I got one for my Grandmother, she has everything she needs (chat, email, internet, word processing, spreadsheets...) and she has had ZERO problems with it...but then, she wasn't indoctrinated with Microsquat Crapware first...
My understanding of "squatting" is, "Squatting is the act of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied [name]space or ... [domain] that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use."
And "cybersquatting" is, "The act of registering a domain name in bad faith, with the sole intent to sell that domain name to its rightful owner."
So, if Pirate Bay buys a domain that was unoccupied, and they plan to use it, then they DO NOT fall into either category...
Maybe someone should point this out before it goes to court...
As if the airline industry wasn't suffering enough...
To increase business you must provide a service or product that people are willing to pay for. Many people are finding it just as easy (or cheap) to drive to their destinations, or they find that United (among others) simply charge too much for travel...
So, this is just one more nail in the coffin. It won't be long until they go out of business or are bought by Southwest or some other company that still understands "value add" or "customer service"...
I am waiting on my patents to come through...
Patent #1 = Providing a service and charging for that service...
Patent #2 = Sending in a description of a product or service to have a government organization provide protection to that idea...
Then I will sue everyone who owns or operates a business, and every individual or business that has ever filed a patent...
I mentioned this kind of system to UDOT when the put in the HOV here in Utah...The problem is the same as it is anywhere...Single occupants are constantly in the HOV lane... ... this only solved 1/50th of the problem.
I mentioned that UDOT should do a "pay per use" system, so UDOT decided to make a little money and make it an HOV or PAY for USE
Then I suggested that they need a few more officers to patrol the HOV and make some revenue off the violators...so they added 2 more officers...
Then I suggested to put in a 1-800 number for people to call and report violators, but that doesn't net any $$ and costs $$ so they said "no"...
So I suggested that they could put in the IR Cameras and catch violators by using a heat signature...they said the system costs to much...but with the number of HOV Violators that I see every day, they could pay for the system in about a year...
So the question is, does this kind of thing cost more than it brings in, or does it pay for itself and create a steady stream of income?
Somehow that just doesn't sound right...
"It came in a jar" not "I came in a jar"
Corrected for obvious reasons...
I am sorry, but this is all getting so ridiculous that I am scared to use my peanut butter...
I came in a jar, so I don't know if I am allowed to spread it on bread, a bagel, or muffin...I don't know if I can legally mix it with jam, honey, or pickles...
What are we to do?
There are several places on the net that sell SAGER LapTops...
These are MONSTER Machines...
DURABLE, RELIABLE, PACKED WITH EVERYTHING...
The only drawback is, they are expensive...
http://www.sagernotebook.com/default.php
(machine packed with everything - and I do mean EVERYTHING) $4814.00
I don't like 'em much, but they give you satellite broadband in places where DSL and Cable aren't available...
This is why some of the newest launch platforms are being built and deployed into international waters. You don't have to get permission to leave the planet from there, and you can go anywhere you want after that...just don't infringe on "national airspace" on the way up, or you could get shot down.
We are in the middle of a transition at our work place... We used to have "Software Testers" and "Programmers", but now we have "Software Test Engineers" and "Software Development Engineers"...
I have been in the field for over 15 years, and I predict that we will see other changes as well in the next while...
Software Test Engineers and Software Development Engineers will become Software Engineers, and they will work in a variety of "sub categories" like Test and Development.
There are other simplifications that I see coming...we have managers for Test, Development, Product and Project... Within our company we have a Product which contains several Projects. So you have one Product Manager (for this product) and several Project Managers (for this product). In each Project we have the Designers, Developers and Testers...
This is where I see simplification. I don't think we need managers for Test, Development and Design...what we need is a single point of management over all 3 aspects which then becomes "Development Manager" and they are over the Software Engineers, some of which are Designers, some are Developers, and some are Testers.
This is in line with the various Agile programming methodologies...
The best way to combat this kind of stupidity is to contact someone at the local news media...
Here in Utah (USA) we have Channel 2 News and Bill Gephardt. He will investigate these kinds of things, get them out on the news...
The Companies turn around and usually change their mind, or it generates too much negative publicity...
Don't know what or who you have out there to help out...but I would try something like that.
Sorry to burst their bubble, but what happened in this case is that this gal supposedly "stole" something while "at" the theater, but according to the MPAA, it is the producers and copyright holders that were stolen from...
The Theater isn't the owner of the content stolen by the video camera.
So how can they file the complaint and force prosecution?
This would be like me claiming to be the victim if someone breaks into my rental home/investment property and steals stuff from the current renters. It isn't my stuff, so how could I file a theft claim?
The first one that I bought that wasn't a US phone, and I was impressed... the Ericsson R520M, long and bulky, but with the extended life battery, it will last 720 hours in stand-by, and something like 4 hours talk time...what other US phone will do that?
Then I found a DV007, and I am impressed...more PDA but also Phone, and in a smaller size than any of the PDA phones in the US...not to mention, I got the R520M for $60 (several years ago) and the DV007 can be had for just over $150...
What phone can do all this for that price in the US?? Certainly not the I-Phone...