It's already happened to broadcast TV, the death of niche tv channels is next. God forbid a show doesn't appeal to the mainstream American Idol, King of Queens crowd, it gets the axe. All we're going to be left with soon are reality shows, cop, lawyer and doctor shows, and dramas that are just an endless series of cliff-hangers off-again on-again relationships and never-resolved subplots. ug.
Being the close friend of two teachers, I can attest to the fact that the teachers are there eager to teach, it's the apathetic attitude of parents and students that's the problem. I can't believe how many times they get irate parents upset that the teacher gave their kid an F for handing in a blank test. Kids aren't allowed to fail these days.
Add to that, lack of funding for cool things like science fairs and robot building competitions etc and you're obviously not turning out kids with a good general eduction let alone science education.
I think TV is becoming less and less satisfying lately. If I'm not struggling to figure out when the next airing of my favourite shows (Heroes, Sarah Connor etc) are, then I'm lamenting the growing volume and time-percent of commercials and the bottom-corner advert overlays. Or I'm cursing the fact that I can't watch the episode I missed because the networks block Canadian viewers on their websites (we're not allowed to watch online, but we can buy the DVDs in our stores just fine. Hm.)
Not to mention that TV dramas somehow decided to become more like drugs than stories, obsessed with stringing the viewer along with endless cliffhanger endings, off-again-on-again romances and subplots that never conclude. It's not satisfying story-telling anymore. These days I'm at the point where I'd rather buy a series on DVD (preferrably used), then sell it on Kijiji when I'm done.
I don't understand why they don't make these things punch out an internal hard copy like on a reel of paper inside for purposes of auditing and having a hard copy.
For me, the cost is to high for the risk that buying them represents to me. When I used to buy PC games, there was a good 50% chance that I'd unwrap the game and try to install or run it and it wouldn't work. Then was un-returnable b/c it's been unwrapped. I've since moved to an XBox360 and only buy new games that I've tried at someone else's house first, or that I know I'll love. Otherwise I buy it pre-owned. $60 for a game that might suck is too much.
Why is it so hard for these companies like Google and Facebook, to maintain a non-sleezy TOS? It seems like they start out good- user-oriented when they're small, but as they grow they just start to say screw the user, we need to make money.
I like Plaxo.com's terms of service and privacy policy. They don't seem to have trouble outlining a policy for this situation:
"Changes to Your Information are typically executed immediately. For example, if you terminate your Plaxo account, your account immediately becomes inaccessible and all Your Information within your account is completely removed from the Plaxo servers. Please remember that if you have shared Your Information with other Members, they may retain such shared information in their accounts notwithstanding your decision to terminate your Plaxo account."
I see this post has fallen into the typical/. answers along the lines of - any employer who would disqualify you based on Google hits isn't someone you want to work at. This is a shortsighted response. Any HR department worth it's salt finds out AS MUCH as possible about a candidate before hiring. If it's illegal they can always give another reason why they didn't hire you.
You're not over-reacting at all- if someone doing a cursory Google search of your name could misconstrue you with this pedophile, you really should do something about it. Like:
- Set up your own website which includes your latest resume, info about you and examples of your work if appropriate. If you are not web-development savvy- use an online profile site like linkedin or blogger or something. Put the url to your online portfolio ONTO your resume. So people know the best channel to take in order to find your legit online info.
- Change the city on your resume that this other guy was in, to the next closest city. If an employer asks about that resume entry during an interview- you can explain the situation.
- Politely ask the blogger if they would be willing to take down the blog post or add some info about the pedophile that would make it OBVIOUS he's not you. Like middle name/initial or age, or birth place. Many bloggers have old posts they are no longer so fired-up about and would be willing to take down if it was causing someone like you to possibly get a bad-rap for nothing. Last resort- put a comment on the blog post with a link to your online portfolio- saying this guy is NOT John Doe from Yourtown[link to portfolio].
If your students are gamers (likely, since they are science nerds), you may be able to think up some experiments in the interest of advancing in-game physics. Games like half-life2 and portal have only opened the door.
Find some of the hottest sauce or spice you can find. And rub it on the wires. It keeps my friends cat from gnawing on his tv wires. I wonder if it would work with rats.
As someone's who's used a TX for years, now I wonder what are my options. I want a PDA that is NOT a phone. I keep a list of my logins for stuff in an encrypted DB app on my Palm, so what else would I use? A USB stick seems a clunky alternative.
I'm going on 4 years now with my TX. Love it. *sigh* I should probably start migrating some of my critical data off of it, since I sounds like when it dies I won't be able to replace it.
Excellent post. Unfortunately there's a third option to the innovate or die system. #3: Ask for a bailout. This screws everything up. Wish the gov could see that.
There are a number of web app security sites that will teach you how to test your website for security vulnerabilities. Even providing sample inputs for trying XSS and SQL-Injection attacks on your own site. Try these for starters:
I'm 28, technologically savvy and I watch free, broadcast TV. Because I refuse to pay for the crap they're offering these days. If there's nothing on... I know that I'm not pay $60/m for it.
No, no, they can't do that, they're too busy showing ads for Pepsi or the next reality show or their own translucent logo in the lower right corner of the broadcasts. There's no room for anything that's actually helpful.
Agreed. I'm all in favour of space exploration. I just don't want people to be all high-and mighty about the need to protect alien microbes when we aren't even protecting our own planet. Humanity really needs to learn to be consistent.
I find it funny that we are concerned with damaging an extraterrestrial biosphere but are completely ok with trashing our own. I bet those up in arms about some _potential_ mars bacteria being wiped out, give a shrug and a yawn when told of the countless Earth species on the brink of extinction. I'm not saying they aren't worth protecting, but rather, we need to get our priorities straight here on the ground too.
All the websites say that if you have an analog tuner you'll need a converter box, but if you have a digital tuner with an antenna you're fine. Well, how the heck do you tell if you have a digital tuner? If I can change stations with a remote control rather than turning a dial, does that mean I have a digital tuner?
I have a 32 inch tube Toshiba that I bought new 2 years ago. So confused...
While I agree that some areas of natural medicine like Homeopathy are silly (diluted to the point of being water! Give me a break.) but there is also the problem that for proper scientific studies like the author is pushing for, you need lots of money, and who's going to pay for studies when you can't monetize it in the form of a pill?
The problem is that the medical field, which I will be the first to admit has worked wonders for me, is also too quick to prescribe a pill for every ailment. When I came to my doctor with stomach problems mostly caused by stress, he was quick to suggest various over the counter and prescription medications. But simple peppermint tea and stress reduction activities has helped me more than anything.
I keep hearing the doom and gloom about the recession, and yet when I go to the mall, movie theatre, restaurants, arenas and more, the parking lots are packed. So if people are hurting, it isn't slowing them down. I realize there are alot of people losing their jobs and homes, but I don't think it's as dire as the media makes it seem. Nor do I think that people who bought more house than they can afford should be bailed out with MY tax money.
Slashdot Mirror
It's already happened to broadcast TV, the death of niche tv channels is next. God forbid a show doesn't appeal to the mainstream American Idol, King of Queens crowd, it gets the axe. All we're going to be left with soon are reality shows, cop, lawyer and doctor shows, and dramas that are just an endless series of cliff-hangers off-again on-again relationships and never-resolved subplots. ug.
Being the close friend of two teachers, I can attest to the fact that the teachers are there eager to teach, it's the apathetic attitude of parents and students that's the problem. I can't believe how many times they get irate parents upset that the teacher gave their kid an F for handing in a blank test. Kids aren't allowed to fail these days.
Add to that, lack of funding for cool things like science fairs and robot building competitions etc and you're obviously not turning out kids with a good general eduction let alone science education.
World? Hulu is USA viewers only. Along with the networks' websites themselves. :(
I think TV is becoming less and less satisfying lately. If I'm not struggling to figure out when the next airing of my favourite shows (Heroes, Sarah Connor etc) are, then I'm lamenting the growing volume and time-percent of commercials and the bottom-corner advert overlays. Or I'm cursing the fact that I can't watch the episode I missed because the networks block Canadian viewers on their websites (we're not allowed to watch online, but we can buy the DVDs in our stores just fine. Hm.)
Not to mention that TV dramas somehow decided to become more like drugs than stories, obsessed with stringing the viewer along with endless cliffhanger endings, off-again-on-again romances and subplots that never conclude. It's not satisfying story-telling anymore. These days I'm at the point where I'd rather buy a series on DVD (preferrably used), then sell it on Kijiji when I'm done.
Ug.
Strip tags is not sufficient. You need to do htmlspecialchars().
I don't understand why they don't make these things punch out an internal hard copy like on a reel of paper inside for purposes of auditing and having a hard copy.
For me, the cost is to high for the risk that buying them represents to me. When I used to buy PC games, there was a good 50% chance that I'd unwrap the game and try to install or run it and it wouldn't work. Then was un-returnable b/c it's been unwrapped. I've since moved to an XBox360 and only buy new games that I've tried at someone else's house first, or that I know I'll love. Otherwise I buy it pre-owned. $60 for a game that might suck is too much.
Or here's an idea- mount the solar panels on a slant.
Why is it so hard for these companies like Google and Facebook, to maintain a non-sleezy TOS? It seems like they start out good- user-oriented when they're small, but as they grow they just start to say screw the user, we need to make money.
I like Plaxo.com's terms of service and privacy policy. They don't seem to have trouble outlining a policy for this situation:
"Changes to Your Information are typically executed immediately. For example, if you terminate your Plaxo account, your account immediately becomes inaccessible and all Your Information within your account is completely removed from the Plaxo servers. Please remember that if you have shared Your Information with other Members, they may retain such shared information in their accounts notwithstanding your decision to terminate your Plaxo account."
I see this post has fallen into the typical /. answers along the lines of - any employer who would disqualify you based on Google hits isn't someone you want to work at. This is a shortsighted response. Any HR department worth it's salt finds out AS MUCH as possible about a candidate before hiring. If it's illegal they can always give another reason why they didn't hire you.
You're not over-reacting at all- if someone doing a cursory Google search of your name could misconstrue you with this pedophile, you really should do something about it. Like:
- Set up your own website which includes your latest resume, info about you and examples of your work if appropriate. If you are not web-development savvy- use an online profile site like linkedin or blogger or something. Put the url to your online portfolio ONTO your resume. So people know the best channel to take in order to find your legit online info.
- Change the city on your resume that this other guy was in, to the next closest city. If an employer asks about that resume entry during an interview- you can explain the situation.
- Politely ask the blogger if they would be willing to take down the blog post or add some info about the pedophile that would make it OBVIOUS he's not you. Like middle name/initial or age, or birth place. Many bloggers have old posts they are no longer so fired-up about and would be willing to take down if it was causing someone like you to possibly get a bad-rap for nothing. Last resort- put a comment on the blog post with a link to your online portfolio- saying this guy is NOT John Doe from Yourtown[link to portfolio].
If your students are gamers (likely, since they are science nerds), you may be able to think up some experiments in the interest of advancing in-game physics. Games like half-life2 and portal have only opened the door.
Find some of the hottest sauce or spice you can find. And rub it on the wires. It keeps my friends cat from gnawing on his tv wires. I wonder if it would work with rats.
As someone's who's used a TX for years, now I wonder what are my options. I want a PDA that is NOT a phone. I keep a list of my logins for stuff in an encrypted DB app on my Palm, so what else would I use? A USB stick seems a clunky alternative.
Any suggestions?
I'm going on 4 years now with my TX. Love it. *sigh* I should probably start migrating some of my critical data off of it, since I sounds like when it dies I won't be able to replace it.
Excellent post. Unfortunately there's a third option to the innovate or die system. #3: Ask for a bailout. This screws everything up. Wish the gov could see that.
There are a number of web app security sites that will teach you how to test your website for security vulnerabilities. Even providing sample inputs for trying XSS and SQL-Injection attacks on your own site. Try these for starters:
http://www.owasp.org/
http://ha.ckers.org/xss.html
I'm 28, technologically savvy and I watch free, broadcast TV. Because I refuse to pay for the crap they're offering these days. If there's nothing on... I know that I'm not pay $60/m for it.
No, no, they can't do that, they're too busy showing ads for Pepsi or the next reality show or their own translucent logo in the lower right corner of the broadcasts. There's no room for anything that's actually helpful.
Agreed. I'm all in favour of space exploration. I just don't want people to be all high-and mighty about the need to protect alien microbes when we aren't even protecting our own planet. Humanity really needs to learn to be consistent.
Ah... sounds like I'm analog. I lose. Heh, thanks for the comments.
A recent National Geographic article listed several species on the brink. It's horrifying IMHO. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/01/endangered-species/klinkenborg-text
I find it funny that we are concerned with damaging an extraterrestrial biosphere but are completely ok with trashing our own. I bet those up in arms about some _potential_ mars bacteria being wiped out, give a shrug and a yawn when told of the countless Earth species on the brink of extinction. I'm not saying they aren't worth protecting, but rather, we need to get our priorities straight here on the ground too.
All the websites say that if you have an analog tuner you'll need a converter box, but if you have a digital tuner with an antenna you're fine. Well, how the heck do you tell if you have a digital tuner? If I can change stations with a remote control rather than turning a dial, does that mean I have a digital tuner?
I have a 32 inch tube Toshiba that I bought new 2 years ago. So confused...
While I agree that some areas of natural medicine like Homeopathy are silly (diluted to the point of being water! Give me a break.) but there is also the problem that for proper scientific studies like the author is pushing for, you need lots of money, and who's going to pay for studies when you can't monetize it in the form of a pill?
The problem is that the medical field, which I will be the first to admit has worked wonders for me, is also too quick to prescribe a pill for every ailment. When I came to my doctor with stomach problems mostly caused by stress, he was quick to suggest various over the counter and prescription medications. But simple peppermint tea and stress reduction activities has helped me more than anything.
I keep hearing the doom and gloom about the recession, and yet when I go to the mall, movie theatre, restaurants, arenas and more, the parking lots are packed. So if people are hurting, it isn't slowing them down. I realize there are alot of people losing their jobs and homes, but I don't think it's as dire as the media makes it seem. Nor do I think that people who bought more house than they can afford should be bailed out with MY tax money.