For anyone who can read french (don't know if its been translated yet) I recommend reading "L'ultime secret" from Bernard Werber. For anyone who's not familiar with his work, he's an immensily popular author who wrotes the series Les Fourmis and Les Thanatonautes (death voyager).
It seems very a propos since the main character ends up having an electrode implanted in his brain... Good book (as long we you're willing to forgive him for the techno-mumbo jumbo about AI and stuff)
Does anyone find it a little funny that on the main lucene.apache.com webpage, there is a "Search this site with Google" textbox ?
Kind of makes you NOT want to use their search engine if they dont' even trust it enough to work on their own site....
Offtopic ?? How can this be off topic ?
I'm saying that the religious right and bad politics is NOT the only cause for stifling research and innovation. The world is a little more complex than "good" and "bad". There are tons of factors contributing to this:
-failure of the school system: teachers are no longer allowed to teach. When kids slack off and fail, its somehow the teacher's fault. Not the students.
- failure of universities who are progressively getting bought out by corporations (i.e University of Microsoft in Waterloo), and lose focus on academics and real innovation (as opposed to current market trends, etc). I mean why in the world would you teach C# in universty ??? Stick to the basics. The rest are just details... Also promote graduate studies instead of training undergrads to be employee #73821
-social changes: our society no longer values hard work and perseverence. Our idols are teenage girls who became rich overnight and drug dealing rappers, and every one seems to be going after the next "get-rich quick" scheme
- crooked corporations: the best way to make money nowadays is either a) suing your competition, or crush them by unfair business practices. Oh and don't forget board members making billions off the backs of shareholders by manipulating their stock
And another factor, is the failure of the patent system.
And while science is suffering from religious activists and the whim of politicians, innovations in engineering and technology as a whole are suffering from an outdated patent system, whose sole purpose seems to be rewarding large monopolies rather than promoting innovation.
". If you cheat at poker, even on-line poker, you are a theif and should be arrested."
I think you are drawing conclusions a little too hastily. This is NOT like someone cheating at a casino. A casino is a registered gambling establishment, somehow I doubt Lineage is. If you want to compare this to poker, this would be more like someone cheating while playing at his friends place. Do you call the cops on the friend who hid an ace up his sleeve ! Please ! You would be waiting at your door a LONG time before the cops showed up. You just take his winnins and kick him out and prevent him from playing again. Which is EXACTLY what squaresoft should do.
This guy did not do anything illegal, and the decision to arrest him is just plain moronic.
This is extremely disturbing. Seems like law emforcement services are now up for hire by big corporations. With this type of precedent how long will it be until I get arrested for not complying with EULAs or even assembly instructions on IKEA furniture ?? Geez, what is this world coming too. Someone's cheating ? Just ban his account, and prevent him from creating new ones through his ip and credit card number. BR It is scary to see how much power we're giving away to companies. While on the subject, I recommend everyone watch "The Corporation", documentary regarding this very fact. Corporations are taking the role of government. The universe of Snow Crash doesn't seem so distant anymore....
"The Food and Drug Administration's clearance opens Cyberonics Inc.'s vagus nerve stimulator, "
First read that line as "vague nerve stimulator" and thought to myself "Wow ! The FDA's approving something without really knowing what it does ?!" Wouldn't be the first time i guess;)
I read about that the other day and it got me REALLY upset. I wish I would've been the one to get the book early, post a blog-entry full of spoilers and wait for them to sue me. Seriously what is this world coming too ? If you're gonna sue anyone sue the guy who sold the book in the first place. He's the one that signed the papers saying he wouldn't sell it before Friday 12:00AM. Not the guy who bought the book.
"If I want it to be one-peek-per-customer, that's my right, it's my content."
Let me be the first to disagree with this comment. "Content", whether it be audio, video, art or whatever is a consumer product just like any other. Just because it is digital, does not allow the producer to decide how their product is used. DRM is setting a VERY dangerous precedent. Digital media is sort of unchartered waters for everyone at the moment. So its easy to fall in the trap, and accept these new restrictions as "normal". But what happens when similar principles start spreading to other industries ? Imagine this...
Want to buy the new Harry Potter book ? Sure ! By buying the book however, you are implicitely agreeing to this EULA, which states that you cannot discuss the contents of this book (plot, characters, ending) with anyone else. After all, the author of the book would not want you to ruin the experience for everyone else. Its only fair !
Want to buy this new GM car ? Sure. But GM is now forcing you to only buy GM branded gaz, oil, tires, etc. Oh and forget about after-market parts. It is now illegal to replace any parts of your car with non-GM sanctionned parts. After all GM made the car, they should have a right to decide how the car is used afterwards, no ?
The new "digital media" era has no right to change the basic producer/consumer relationship which have been established in the last hundreds of years.
Oh and you can try using your "if you dont' like it dont' buy it line". But when huge conglomerates (think sony, bmg, microsoft, etc) control both the content and HOW the content is delivered (or are in a position to influence companies), consumers don't really have a choice and lose out in the end. Do you really think that linux will ever become widespread if you can't play music and watch movies on it without breaking the law ?!
More importantly, does anyone have experience with usb tv tuners like the Hauppage WinTV-PVR-USB2 with MythTV ? Are the linux drivers finally compatible with the video-for-linux model that MythTV requires ?
Has anyone tried using them in order to turn an XBox into a PVR that would like to share their experience ?
An independant commission started under president Reagan, whose purpose was to supply recommendations for the amount of memory governments computers should have, just wrapped up their investigation saying: "64k ought to be enough for everyone".
If free iPods are a scam, looks like free iPod Shuffle are the real deal.
For those living in Canada, TD Canada Trust (one of the largest banks in north america) is offering a free iPod shuffle when switching your primary chequing account to TD.
And unforunately looks like you cannot simply open a dummy account which you use several times and then close later. You have to use their EasySwitch program which automatically does the switch for you.
This seems to only be available to residents of Calgary, Ottawa, Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.
Sorry for the dumb question, but can someone please explain to me what you can or can't do under the GPL ?
I know that if you modify open source software you HAVE to redistribute it to the open source community. But what if your product were to say interact with an open-source DB ? (All of you IP is in that other module that interacts with the DB). Can you still sell your product w/ the open-source DB packaged in ??
And what about hardware manufacturers, that rely on open-source bootloaders or the linux kernel ? What obligations do they have towards the open-source community and how does that affect their ability to sell their product ?
"When will the record companies learn, if they price there product in an affordable price range, people will buy."
People keep saying that... however a CD (in Canada) right now is around 12$ at futureshop. Is that really overpriced ??? What else can you get for 12$ nowadays. I mean, go for lunch at Burger King or McDonals and you end up paying around 8$. Isn't it worth paying 4$ for an album that you'll keep listening over and over ?
And now i'm sure you're gonna say "12$ is not worth it for all the crap that's out there". Yes there is a lot of crap. But that has nothing to do with the issue. There's still plenty of good album that are worth paying 12$ for.
As far as i'm concerned the issue is not the price of the albums, but more how the record labels redistribute that money to the artists, etc...
If cable/satellite providers would only sell channels individually, there would be no need for "decency standards". If you are not happy with the contents of this channel, simply don't buy it. Dont' want your kids looking at porn on your tv ? Simply don't buy channels that air such material.
Actually doesn't Google make all the shareholders sign a paper stating that Google might not act in the best interest of the shareholders ? But instead would take decisions based on the long term company vision ?
I remember reading something about this during the Google Pre-IPO frenzy. Can someone confirm/deny this ?
Even the charger connects to the iPod through a FireWire cable ! Does this also mean they change the connector on the power charge to match that of the USB cable ?
The problem is that cease & decist letters coming from companies can scare individuals into complying, even if the letter didn't have any merit in the firstplace. If these cases end up being thrown out of court, does anyone know if you have the grounds for counter-suing the company for harassment (or something similar) ?
There is a real problem in our judicial system today, where companies can get away with things like that. Canada is actually trying to remedy that situation right now, by ensuring that anyone in Canada has access to free legal counsel. Hopefully this will help with situtations like this.
Bah.. you frenchies and your 35 hour weeks. Here in canada its 37.5 hours when working for government and mostly 40 hours in the private sector. However this includes a 30 minute paid-lunch break....
I'll leave it up to you to do the math. Oh and btw, Canada had that before France got its 35 hour weeks:P So turns out canadians ARE lazier than french after all !
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For anyone who can read french (don't know if its been translated yet) I recommend reading "L'ultime secret" from Bernard Werber. For anyone who's not familiar with his work, he's an immensily popular author who wrotes the series Les Fourmis and Les Thanatonautes (death voyager).
It seems very a propos since the main character ends up having an electrode implanted in his brain... Good book (as long we you're willing to forgive him for the techno-mumbo jumbo about AI and stuff)
I just hope they double-checked what kind of paper the news releases was printed on !
Does anyone find it a little funny that on the main lucene.apache.com webpage, there is a "Search this site with Google" textbox ? Kind of makes you NOT want to use their search engine if they dont' even trust it enough to work on their own site....
Offtopic ?? How can this be off topic ?
... Also promote graduate studies instead of training undergrads to be employee #73821
I'm saying that the religious right and bad politics is NOT the only cause for stifling research and innovation. The world is a little more complex than "good" and "bad". There are tons of factors contributing to this:
-failure of the school system: teachers are no longer allowed to teach. When kids slack off and fail, its somehow the teacher's fault. Not the students.
- failure of universities who are progressively getting bought out by corporations (i.e University of Microsoft in Waterloo), and lose focus on academics and real innovation (as opposed to current market trends, etc). I mean why in the world would you teach C# in universty ??? Stick to the basics. The rest are just details
-social changes: our society no longer values hard work and perseverence. Our idols are teenage girls who became rich overnight and drug dealing rappers, and every one seems to be going after the next "get-rich quick" scheme
- crooked corporations: the best way to make money nowadays is either a) suing your competition, or crush them by unfair business practices. Oh and don't forget board members making billions off the backs of shareholders by manipulating their stock
And another factor, is the failure of the patent system.
And while science is suffering from religious activists and the whim of politicians, innovations in engineering and technology as a whole are suffering from an outdated patent system, whose sole purpose seems to be rewarding large monopolies rather than promoting innovation.
". If you cheat at poker, even on-line poker, you are a theif and should be arrested."
I think you are drawing conclusions a little too hastily. This is NOT like someone cheating at a casino. A casino is a registered gambling establishment, somehow I doubt Lineage is. If you want to compare this to poker, this would be more like someone cheating while playing at his friends place. Do you call the cops on the friend who hid an ace up his sleeve ! Please ! You would be waiting at your door a LONG time before the cops showed up. You just take his winnins and kick him out and prevent him from playing again. Which is EXACTLY what squaresoft should do.
This guy did not do anything illegal, and the decision to arrest him is just plain moronic.
This is extremely disturbing. Seems like law emforcement services are now up for hire by big corporations. With this type of precedent how long will it be until I get arrested for not complying with EULAs or even assembly instructions on IKEA furniture ?? Geez, what is this world coming too. Someone's cheating ? Just ban his account, and prevent him from creating new ones through his ip and credit card number.
BR
It is scary to see how much power we're giving away to companies. While on the subject, I recommend everyone watch "The Corporation", documentary regarding this very fact. Corporations are taking the role of government. The universe of Snow Crash doesn't seem so distant anymore....
Interesting quote that one of my friends just emailed to me. Think it really applies here.
"They that give up liberty for security deserve neither" - Benjamin Franklin
"The Food and Drug Administration's clearance opens Cyberonics Inc.'s vagus nerve stimulator, "
;)
First read that line as "vague nerve stimulator" and thought to myself "Wow ! The FDA's approving something without really knowing what it does ?!" Wouldn't be the first time i guess
Yeah that's why i chose that example :)
I read about that the other day and it got me REALLY upset. I wish I would've been the one to get the book early, post a blog-entry full of spoilers and wait for them to sue me. Seriously what is this world coming too ? If you're gonna sue anyone sue the guy who sold the book in the first place. He's the one that signed the papers saying he wouldn't sell it before Friday 12:00AM. Not the guy who bought the book.
Anyway, my two cents.
"If I want it to be one-peek-per-customer, that's my right, it's my content."
Let me be the first to disagree with this comment. "Content", whether it be audio, video, art or whatever is a consumer product just like any other. Just because it is digital, does not allow the producer to decide how their product is used. DRM is setting a VERY dangerous precedent. Digital media is sort of unchartered waters for everyone at the moment. So its easy to fall in the trap, and accept these new restrictions as "normal". But what happens when similar principles start spreading to other industries ?
Imagine this...
Want to buy the new Harry Potter book ? Sure ! By buying the book however, you are implicitely agreeing to this EULA, which states that you cannot discuss the contents of this book (plot, characters, ending) with anyone else. After all, the author of the book would not want you to ruin the experience for everyone else. Its only fair !
Want to buy this new GM car ? Sure. But GM is now forcing you to only buy GM branded gaz, oil, tires, etc. Oh and forget about after-market parts. It is now illegal to replace any parts of your car with non-GM sanctionned parts. After all GM made the car, they should have a right to decide how the car is used afterwards, no ?
The new "digital media" era has no right to change the basic producer/consumer relationship which have been established in the last hundreds of years.
Oh and you can try using your "if you dont' like it dont' buy it line". But when huge conglomerates (think sony, bmg, microsoft, etc) control both the content and HOW the content is delivered (or are in a position to influence companies), consumers don't really have a choice and lose out in the end. Do you really think that linux will ever become widespread if you can't play music and watch movies on it without breaking the law ?!
I think we should all stop being so naive...
More importantly, does anyone have experience with usb tv tuners like the Hauppage WinTV-PVR-USB2 with MythTV ?
Are the linux drivers finally compatible with the video-for-linux model that MythTV requires ?
Has anyone tried using them in order to turn an XBox into a PVR that would like to share their experience ?
An independant commission started under president Reagan, whose purpose was to supply recommendations for the amount of memory governments computers should have, just wrapped up their investigation saying: "64k ought to be enough for everyone".
Don't all go there at once though ;)
Are you saying that England has the best form of government ?!?!
If free iPods are a scam, looks like free iPod Shuffle are the real deal. For those living in Canada, TD Canada Trust (one of the largest banks in north america) is offering a free iPod shuffle when switching your primary chequing account to TD.
And unforunately looks like you cannot simply open a dummy account which you use several times and then close later. You have to use their EasySwitch program which automatically does the switch for you.
This seems to only be available to residents of Calgary, Ottawa, Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge.
Isn't that a little steep considering all this is, is probably a moving average filter implementation ???
Sorry for the dumb question, but can someone please explain to me what you can or can't do under the GPL ?
I know that if you modify open source software you HAVE to redistribute it to the open source community. But what if your product were to say interact with an open-source DB ? (All of you IP is in that other module that interacts with the DB). Can you still sell your product w/ the open-source DB packaged in ??
And what about hardware manufacturers, that rely on open-source bootloaders or the linux kernel ? What obligations do they have towards the open-source community and how does that affect their ability to sell their product ?
"When will the record companies learn, if they price there product in an affordable price range, people will buy."
... however a CD (in Canada) right now is around 12$ at futureshop. Is that really overpriced ??? What else can you get for 12$ nowadays. I mean, go for lunch at Burger King or McDonals and you end up paying around 8$. Isn't it worth paying 4$ for an album that you'll keep listening over and over ?
People keep saying that
And now i'm sure you're gonna say "12$ is not worth it for all the crap that's out there". Yes there is a lot of crap. But that has nothing to do with the issue. There's still plenty of good album that are worth paying 12$ for.
As far as i'm concerned the issue is not the price of the albums, but more how the record labels redistribute that money to the artists, etc...
If cable/satellite providers would only sell channels individually, there would be no need for "decency standards". If you are not happy with the contents of this channel, simply don't buy it. Dont' want your kids looking at porn on your tv ? Simply don't buy channels that air such material.
Now lets move on to next issue.
Actually doesn't Google make all the shareholders sign a paper stating that Google might not act in the best interest of the shareholders ? But instead would take decisions based on the long term company vision ?
I remember reading something about this during the Google Pre-IPO frenzy. Can someone confirm/deny this ?
How can this be true ?
Even the charger connects to the iPod through a FireWire cable ! Does this also mean they change the connector on the power charge to match that of the USB cable ?
The problem is that cease & decist letters coming from companies can scare individuals into complying, even if the letter didn't have any merit in the firstplace. If these cases end up being thrown out of court, does anyone know if you have the grounds for counter-suing the company for harassment (or something similar) ?
There is a real problem in our judicial system today, where companies can get away with things like that. Canada is actually trying to remedy that situation right now, by ensuring that anyone in Canada has access to free legal counsel. Hopefully this will help with situtations like this.
I thought HP only did printers :)
Bah.. you frenchies and your 35 hour weeks.
:P So turns out canadians ARE lazier than french after all !
Here in canada its 37.5 hours when working for government and mostly 40 hours in the private sector. However this includes a 30 minute paid-lunch break....
I'll leave it up to you to do the math. Oh and btw, Canada had that before France got its 35 hour weeks