Network Neutrality doesn't really mean government regulation at all. It just means that all packets have as much right to the road as any others. If you try to block your competitors packets you get slapped, if you try to use anticompetitive practices you get slapped, if you act in a monopolistic manner you get slapped. However you are free to do whatever else you please beyond that. If you want to charge ridiculous amounts to all of your customers fairly you can, if you want to drop all of your peering agreements feel free, if you don't want to invest in your infrastructure and continue wringing every last dime out of your existing infrastructure go ahead... What we need to be regulated better is public rights of way and who has access to them until wireless is mature enough to handle broadband in large deployments.
How does Google find access to pipes that don't exist? There are basically 3 or 4 major players that everyone relies on and you can't just lay new pipe on rights of way that you don't own. Then there is the matter of incumbent telecoms and cable co's and their regional monopolies. If you want high speed internet you deal with 3 companies, Time Warner, Comcast or AT&T. There is nothing stopping time warner sticking up a roadblock to Google, Yahoo and MSN and say go here instead. In fact they already do that to a degree by taking over your browser settings with their client software. They have a portal that is steadily growing in size and services that is being supported by their near monopolies in what 40% of households in the US? Most of the US population isn't dense enough to attract a lot of competition because of the cost of laying cable. Ironically a lot of that cable laying is subsidized by tax payer money but is granted for sole use to one company. In a couple of years if we don't stand our ground on network neutrality we will have a cell phone esque market place for our internet services where we have to pay 10cents a search and 5 cents a dns lookup and 25cents an email and yadda....
Right now the major players are sitting on their pipes wringing as much money as they can out of them and doing the minimum amount of upgrades necessary to maintain the status quo. That is why the telecom companies are having bandwidth issues. The rest of the world is eventually going to surpass our pipes and offer a ton of dynamic content that we can't access because the infrastructure in the US can't handle it. Just like the cell phone industry is leaps and bounds ahead of the US industry in the rest of the world. Same in the console market and hand helds. I could go on but I digress.
No company is going to use a gmail address for their legitimate business practices. The only services that really are offsetting some of the needs of IT are YouTube and Google Earth/different mapping mashups. Any company that trusts its data entirely to a 3rd party deserves its fleecing after someone sells their data, charges them a boatload after they become dependent and their data all of a sudden disappears. In addition I have not yet seen a 3rd party RDB store that is free, are databases going to be gone? I haven't seen a 3rd party gremlin network cabling service thats free. Is the entire network infrastructure going to disappear? Cisco is going to start shipping free routers? Intel is going to give out free computers? All computer companies are going to offer free rollout services? Account and identity management is going to be trusted to a 3rd party? I could go on, this article is worth the $0.05 for the bits of storage it uses.
Robot Officer: Dave, you are under arrest. Dave: What for? Robot Officer: Hal says you are acting suspicious. Dave: Picking my nose is acting suspicious? Robot Officer: Yes you might be about to litter.
This is not a good idea now the cops can just say the computer said you were suspicious so we have reason to detain and search you and your car.
The advantages gained in forking a kernel are minimal compared to the disadvantages. Not to mention a lot of those advantages of a fork can be obtained by simply compiling a kernel based on your server's hardware and computing needs. If someone forked it they would then have to maintain two separate code bases, two separate patch bases a new naming scheme. Not to mention the main advantage stated which is getting rid of bloat occurs because of compiled driver support which means that only a small subset of hardware would be supported in theory and most of the bloat he is speaking about comes from the GNU side of things and can easily NOT BE INSTALLED or un-installed if so necessary...
The Massachuesettes issue is a speed bump
on
Does ODF Have a Future?
·
· Score: 3, Informative
The rest of the industrialized world seems on track to adopt ODF as the defacto standard for government documents (Brazil, India, France, India, Denmark, Belgium, Malaysia, Croatia, Norway, Spain, Argentina). All of them have either adopted ODF as a standard or appear to be in the process. California is considering it and while Massachuesettes may be saying the OOXML is an open standard and can be used internally I still am under the understanding that all government documents will still have to be made available in ODF format as well as whatever other formats they choose as well.
You have to remember while MS Office has a large install base but most of the time when documents are made available on the web or exchanged via email, it is done in the form of PDF's. That means that since Open Office can output to a PDF without purchasing other tools that it actually has an advantage over all versions of office pre 2007.
It will take some time because of the install base of Office XP and 2003 out there but when companies look to upgrade in a cost effective manner and potentially need to utilize both ODF and Doc formats they will choose Open Office. Microsoft looks like it is going to put its head in the sand and not implement ODF into Office 2007 and therefore it will force those who need to work with government agencies to either constantly convert things or use Open Office. Also remember that it looks like MS Office 2007 does not have built in export to pdf functionality its an external plugin that has to be included or installed and that it looks like for anti trust reasons MS may have to disable that functionality at least in the EU if not the states as well. If I'm a company I don't want to have to buy Office and then Acrobat crap just to be able to write to PDF's.
All that OO has to do to cement their viability is to refine the UI a little more. I find some functions cumbersome for those used to Office's interface but those that have to switch to 2007 from Office 2003 seem to become even more baffled.
You are living in a dream world if you think sysadmins have no oversight. Crap flows downhill and unless you are the CTO the CIO the President or a high VP you get crap for every little complaint.
You are both missing the point. Timewarner are basically saying that because some people use this service for misdeeds then we have the right to take it over and eradicate the problem. This is pretty parallel to my proposition that Redhat takes over windows machines and the windows update site and eradicate the problem... In this case the cure is not only illegal in my opinion and I believe Timewarner will see a ton of blow back from this but it is like using a nuke to kill the Alqaida elements in Iraq, Afghanistan and etc...
A.K.A. The cure is worse than the ailment.
In other news Redhat has begun using arp poisoning and TLD hijacking to remove the Malicious and insecure Microsoft Windows installs. After all windows installs are purged there is expected to never ever be a future threat and heavy handed tactics will never be used again.
Sometimes the cure is worse than the ailment.
Ebay cancels auction due to a DMCA takedown notice. AT&T already owns the patent on monopolistic intervention.
Seriously though the Google proposal is the only one that actually creates a level playing field for any concerned service providers. The problem the other companies have is that it allows for other companies to compete with them instead of granting them government approved monopolies. I hope the FCC wakes up and sees Google's proposal for what it is a sensible solution for all parties concerned and a win win for commerce/citizens. If a government granted monopoly is granted and the tax payers get 6 billion for it up front but in the long run have less productivity in the area concerned and the space is utilized to the fullest then that 6 billion isn't worth squat. This would just be another non forward looking proposal by a government body that is incapable of planning for tomorrow let alone 5 years from now.
Since the government has been retroactively classifying information that they deem sensitive for the last 6 years, one mans classified information is another mans senior thesis. People say nano tech is the future but what could an evil person do with nano tech, or chemistry knowledge, or robotics, or pesticide research, or GM plants, virologists, and even computer scientists now. For instance you have to have a license to buy glass beakers because people might use them to make drugs. You have to have a license to buy propellant for model rocketry because you might use it to blow something up. The list goes on and now they are talking about making common tools in an IT techs arsenal illegal because they could be used for illegal means.
As taxes continue to increase the government continues to grow and continues its dominance as the largest funding source for purely scientific research. Also since we the public pay for the research it should be by default non governmental and non secret unless it would lead directly to death and destruction.
Imagine someone sticks down a servo controlled pistol in the middle of a busy pedestrian space walks away and starts taking people out or any other number of things. Now is robotics strictly controlled because it could be used to aid in the death of people? I mean come on anything could lead to anything it just depends on what it is going to be used for and the only people you inconvenience with these rules is law abiding people.
I actually don't consider this FUD since I've seen suggestions at my university for all students to have to submit a reason with evidence why they missed a class or go before academic review and possibly get a quarter off. It has not flown yet because of so many holes in the argument but I was wondering why it even mattered that much. Sometimes people need a day off, in America we don't get enough of them anymore. Although I will admit students have it comparatively easy in relation to working stiffs.
Also if you watched the Daily Show on Thursday John had a guy on promoting his new book called 'Quantico' that had some interesting information about his interactions with the FBI. He specifically stated that in the near future there would be surveillance tech installed at all campuses assumably in an attempt to combat domestic terrorism. Because you know so much of it happens on a school campus. He also said the higher ups in the homeland security divisions, in the meetings he got to attend and discuss matters with them are showing a keen interest into this 'new' arena of terrorism and not concerned with foreign terrorists as much anymore.
This all sounds like big brother and McCarthyism combined. Do we never learn that while we need agencies looking for the next terrorist attack what we don't need is to create an environment in which we loose the very things we are trying to protect. Whack a mole indeed.
The only information they need to disseminate is be vigilante, it is everyone's responsibility. By trying to become big brother no one is vigilant because they either hate big brother and don't want to help him or they have a false sense of security.
Lastly profiling does not work as one would assume. You can always find things about people that seem to fit into a 'mold' but really it is a self fulfilling prophecy. Profiling only helps to give you a general idea of who you may or may not be looking for but the person you are looking for may not fit that profile and a person that fits that profile is more than likely not to be who you are looking for. Its just a tool to help you get started in a direction when you don't have better evidence to go with or to possibly help you out when you get desperate. When you apply it with no context or no crime then it becomes worthless because you get 99.99% false positives and when you get that.01% positive your already assuming that its a false positive and overlook it. This new approach by the FBI is wrong on so many levels its retarded. Everyone is a criminal unless cleared...
They also don't know how biometric data works. If it can be stored, verified, compared then it can be generated, hacked, spoofed and stolen. Its all a bunch of ones and zeroes once it is stored in the computer.
Its not like they create a genetic duplicate of your thumb that they pull out and compare and even if we were that advanced and they could and did do that there is nothing keeping criminals from creating artificial limbs to replicate the limb in storage and replacing their own with it. These are people that are going to die anyways so whats the difference to them.
"It'll all be done electronically and biometrically. And it really doesn't compromise your privacy."
Someone should shoot these people that come up with these concoctions for security solutions. Need to fly last minute to Toronto or vice versa sorry you didn't schedule it 48 hours in advance so you must be a terrorist. Give me a damn break. Then don't get me started on his convoluted assertion that it doesn't open people up to invasions of privacy or identity theft. Every additional time you have to transmit your information, every additional database with your information, every additional set of eyes that gets to look at your information is just another spot in the chain at which point information can be stolen and/or misused. We should send this guy through dressed as an Arab with a head scarf a few times and see how he feels after getting a few rectal exams for foreign objects and the verbal abuse at every stage along the way that 'suspicious' people take.
Contrary to what Bush thinks the terrorist did succeed in setting into motion the process of destroying our freedoms that this country used to stand for. After that we should put his personal information up on the bulletin board at the post office for everyone to see and ask him how he feels after someone empties out his bank accounts and owes thousands of dollars in back taxes.
Don't forget the cost of DSLAMs/ATM aggregators - Legitimate cost but as with all switching and aggregation technology is falling in price rapidly and DSLAMs are being required at fewer points within an area because of the maturation of DSL technology.
Operational support systems - india
engineering - israel
marketing - not necessary due to monopoly
fiber deployment - subsidized
union salaries - what unions?
advertising - see marketing
manufacture discontinued equipment(MD) - still works, when it breaks replace with cheaper alternative and only if you can't squeeze or shape more traffic onto remaining equipment. The only time this is even worried about is in regards to the 911 system which they are about to wash their hands of because of VOIP.
I'm sorry but the campaign to save the StarTrek Enterprise series for a 5th year was far larger.
This quick search garnered a BBC News story showing over 3million US raised and if my memory serves correctly the fans were close to 20 million before being told that there was no way ?paramount? would run another series without an industry backer.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4312767.s tm
What you use or don't use is irrelevant as to what a company does with your data. Ever heard of information clearing houses? Basically huge databases set up just to collect individuals private data from everything the IRS, Criminal records, news reports, previous addresses, published papers, bank account info, credit accounts, investments everything. You can't keep companies from actively doing that without living completely off the grid.... Think about your statements next time.
DL's and their availability have nothing to do with RW's. No one bothers with RW discs and they are almost as expensive as the DL discs. You might want to check your own prices again. You can find a player for a little over $500 but a recorder is an entirely different matter.
You can buy a 500gb HD for $100. That equates out to.20 cents a gig for a rewritable device capable of sustained 60-80mb/sec. Factor in that and the cost of the HD and Blueray writeable drives is above $1k and you have a long way to go before these discs are cost effective to use as a storage or backup solution. Right now the sweet spot is eSATA backup solutions. If they were to jump right to 40 and 50gb discs then it would be another story but I expect those to be a pipe dream as far as consumer media goes just like DL-DVD's never really have panned out.
Somehow I think the 'anonymous' reader that told them about these two are the parents whom are the real individuals pushing and pulling the product. I'd be willing to bet the kids are just a gimmick to get investor interest in the novelty of their age.
That would be illegal for the carriers to deny you a right to the internet as has already been ruled by SCOTUS. A hacker's sentence and parole were altered to not include a ban on internet usage because it would deny him of a necessary right to the internet. They deemed the internet so important in life now that it is a staple for most americans and therefore a right that should not be trounced upon easily. The large carriers whom are granted near monopolies on phone and cable service whom operate the high speed connections would quickly get sued and prosecuted via RICO and anti-trust laws if they started pulling that crap here. At least they should, with Gonzolas at the helm though they would probably be to stupid to look into it.
Seems like the answer to getting something through Government bureaucracies is play on the fears of others. Don't worry about your privacy rights we are careful not to trample on them (I'll believe it when I see it as a law). But if you don't let us do this national card with 'strong' security we can't ensure you identity won't be stolen. Your choice.
I'm pretty sure the states can implement the same security measures as this card can implement. Not to mention two factor authentication is the end all of security counter measures. All you are really doing unless you get into biometrics (which only work in person biometric devices over a network are just as easy to send false data as a password or whatnot) is adding a second password, if they can get around the first they can get around the second. Ma'am enter your password, ma'am insert your usb token which can be captured just like any other password. Etc... This isn't the best explanation of two factor problems but you get the picture.
BTW, the two factor solution will be a proprietary one from Diebold which will be used to secure your vote placed at Diebold e-voting paperless voting machines in 2010
I'm sure that our billionaires skew the stats a little bit. However its not coincidence that successful companies have CEO's that know they have enough money and that their underlings need to feel appreciated. Google, Apple, Wegmans, etc... A good CEO in my opinion is one that recognizes that the excessive payment that he may get from the board will do more harm to his company than good and should therefore decline most if not all of it and redirect it to the employees. No one is worth 2000% more than another individual regardless of how good you are at your job.
Slashdot Mirror
Network Neutrality doesn't really mean government regulation at all. It just means that all packets have as much right to the road as any others. If you try to block your competitors packets you get slapped, if you try to use anticompetitive practices you get slapped, if you act in a monopolistic manner you get slapped. However you are free to do whatever else you please beyond that. If you want to charge ridiculous amounts to all of your customers fairly you can, if you want to drop all of your peering agreements feel free, if you don't want to invest in your infrastructure and continue wringing every last dime out of your existing infrastructure go ahead... What we need to be regulated better is public rights of way and who has access to them until wireless is mature enough to handle broadband in large deployments.
How does Google find access to pipes that don't exist? There are basically 3 or 4 major players that everyone relies on and you can't just lay new pipe on rights of way that you don't own. Then there is the matter of incumbent telecoms and cable co's and their regional monopolies. If you want high speed internet you deal with 3 companies, Time Warner, Comcast or AT&T. There is nothing stopping time warner sticking up a roadblock to Google, Yahoo and MSN and say go here instead. In fact they already do that to a degree by taking over your browser settings with their client software. They have a portal that is steadily growing in size and services that is being supported by their near monopolies in what 40% of households in the US? Most of the US population isn't dense enough to attract a lot of competition because of the cost of laying cable. Ironically a lot of that cable laying is subsidized by tax payer money but is granted for sole use to one company. In a couple of years if we don't stand our ground on network neutrality we will have a cell phone esque market place for our internet services where we have to pay 10cents a search and 5 cents a dns lookup and 25cents an email and yadda....
Right now the major players are sitting on their pipes wringing as much money as they can out of them and doing the minimum amount of upgrades necessary to maintain the status quo. That is why the telecom companies are having bandwidth issues. The rest of the world is eventually going to surpass our pipes and offer a ton of dynamic content that we can't access because the infrastructure in the US can't handle it. Just like the cell phone industry is leaps and bounds ahead of the US industry in the rest of the world. Same in the console market and hand helds. I could go on but I digress.
No company is going to use a gmail address for their legitimate business practices. The only services that really are offsetting some of the needs of IT are YouTube and Google Earth/different mapping mashups. Any company that trusts its data entirely to a 3rd party deserves its fleecing after someone sells their data, charges them a boatload after they become dependent and their data all of a sudden disappears. In addition I have not yet seen a 3rd party RDB store that is free, are databases going to be gone? I haven't seen a 3rd party gremlin network cabling service thats free. Is the entire network infrastructure going to disappear? Cisco is going to start shipping free routers? Intel is going to give out free computers? All computer companies are going to offer free rollout services? Account and identity management is going to be trusted to a 3rd party? I could go on, this article is worth the $0.05 for the bits of storage it uses.
Robot Officer: Dave, you are under arrest.
Dave: What for?
Robot Officer: Hal says you are acting suspicious.
Dave: Picking my nose is acting suspicious?
Robot Officer: Yes you might be about to litter.
This is not a good idea now the cops can just say the computer said you were suspicious so we have reason to detain and search you and your car.
The advantages gained in forking a kernel are minimal compared to the disadvantages. Not to mention a lot of those advantages of a fork can be obtained by simply compiling a kernel based on your server's hardware and computing needs. If someone forked it they would then have to maintain two separate code bases, two separate patch bases a new naming scheme. Not to mention the main advantage stated which is getting rid of bloat occurs because of compiled driver support which means that only a small subset of hardware would be supported in theory and most of the bloat he is speaking about comes from the GNU side of things and can easily NOT BE INSTALLED or un-installed if so necessary...
The rest of the industrialized world seems on track to adopt ODF as the defacto standard for government documents (Brazil, India, France, India, Denmark, Belgium, Malaysia, Croatia, Norway, Spain, Argentina). All of them have either adopted ODF as a standard or appear to be in the process. California is considering it and while Massachuesettes may be saying the OOXML is an open standard and can be used internally I still am under the understanding that all government documents will still have to be made available in ODF format as well as whatever other formats they choose as well.
You have to remember while MS Office has a large install base but most of the time when documents are made available on the web or exchanged via email, it is done in the form of PDF's. That means that since Open Office can output to a PDF without purchasing other tools that it actually has an advantage over all versions of office pre 2007.
It will take some time because of the install base of Office XP and 2003 out there but when companies look to upgrade in a cost effective manner and potentially need to utilize both ODF and Doc formats they will choose Open Office. Microsoft looks like it is going to put its head in the sand and not implement ODF into Office 2007 and therefore it will force those who need to work with government agencies to either constantly convert things or use Open Office. Also remember that it looks like MS Office 2007 does not have built in export to pdf functionality its an external plugin that has to be included or installed and that it looks like for anti trust reasons MS may have to disable that functionality at least in the EU if not the states as well. If I'm a company I don't want to have to buy Office and then Acrobat crap just to be able to write to PDF's.
All that OO has to do to cement their viability is to refine the UI a little more. I find some functions cumbersome for those used to Office's interface but those that have to switch to 2007 from Office 2003 seem to become even more baffled.
You are living in a dream world if you think sysadmins have no oversight. Crap flows downhill and unless you are the CTO the CIO the President or a high VP you get crap for every little complaint.
You are both missing the point. Timewarner are basically saying that because some people use this service for misdeeds then we have the right to take it over and eradicate the problem. This is pretty parallel to my proposition that Redhat takes over windows machines and the windows update site and eradicate the problem... In this case the cure is not only illegal in my opinion and I believe Timewarner will see a ton of blow back from this but it is like using a nuke to kill the Alqaida elements in Iraq, Afghanistan and etc... A.K.A. The cure is worse than the ailment.
In other news Redhat has begun using arp poisoning and TLD hijacking to remove the Malicious and insecure Microsoft Windows installs. After all windows installs are purged there is expected to never ever be a future threat and heavy handed tactics will never be used again. Sometimes the cure is worse than the ailment.
Ebay cancels auction due to a DMCA takedown notice. AT&T already owns the patent on monopolistic intervention.
Seriously though the Google proposal is the only one that actually creates a level playing field for any concerned service providers. The problem the other companies have is that it allows for other companies to compete with them instead of granting them government approved monopolies. I hope the FCC wakes up and sees Google's proposal for what it is a sensible solution for all parties concerned and a win win for commerce/citizens. If a government granted monopoly is granted and the tax payers get 6 billion for it up front but in the long run have less productivity in the area concerned and the space is utilized to the fullest then that 6 billion isn't worth squat. This would just be another non forward looking proposal by a government body that is incapable of planning for tomorrow let alone 5 years from now.
Since the government has been retroactively classifying information that they deem sensitive for the last 6 years, one mans classified information is another mans senior thesis. People say nano tech is the future but what could an evil person do with nano tech, or chemistry knowledge, or robotics, or pesticide research, or GM plants, virologists, and even computer scientists now. For instance you have to have a license to buy glass beakers because people might use them to make drugs. You have to have a license to buy propellant for model rocketry because you might use it to blow something up. The list goes on and now they are talking about making common tools in an IT techs arsenal illegal because they could be used for illegal means. As taxes continue to increase the government continues to grow and continues its dominance as the largest funding source for purely scientific research. Also since we the public pay for the research it should be by default non governmental and non secret unless it would lead directly to death and destruction. Imagine someone sticks down a servo controlled pistol in the middle of a busy pedestrian space walks away and starts taking people out or any other number of things. Now is robotics strictly controlled because it could be used to aid in the death of people? I mean come on anything could lead to anything it just depends on what it is going to be used for and the only people you inconvenience with these rules is law abiding people.
I actually don't consider this FUD since I've seen suggestions at my university for all students to have to submit a reason with evidence why they missed a class or go before academic review and possibly get a quarter off. It has not flown yet because of so many holes in the argument but I was wondering why it even mattered that much. Sometimes people need a day off, in America we don't get enough of them anymore. Although I will admit students have it comparatively easy in relation to working stiffs.
.01% positive your already assuming that its a false positive and overlook it. This new approach by the FBI is wrong on so many levels its retarded. Everyone is a criminal unless cleared...
Also if you watched the Daily Show on Thursday John had a guy on promoting his new book called 'Quantico' that had some interesting information about his interactions with the FBI. He specifically stated that in the near future there would be surveillance tech installed at all campuses assumably in an attempt to combat domestic terrorism. Because you know so much of it happens on a school campus. He also said the higher ups in the homeland security divisions, in the meetings he got to attend and discuss matters with them are showing a keen interest into this 'new' arena of terrorism and not concerned with foreign terrorists as much anymore.
This all sounds like big brother and McCarthyism combined. Do we never learn that while we need agencies looking for the next terrorist attack what we don't need is to create an environment in which we loose the very things we are trying to protect. Whack a mole indeed.
The only information they need to disseminate is be vigilante, it is everyone's responsibility. By trying to become big brother no one is vigilant because they either hate big brother and don't want to help him or they have a false sense of security.
Lastly profiling does not work as one would assume. You can always find things about people that seem to fit into a 'mold' but really it is a self fulfilling prophecy. Profiling only helps to give you a general idea of who you may or may not be looking for but the person you are looking for may not fit that profile and a person that fits that profile is more than likely not to be who you are looking for. Its just a tool to help you get started in a direction when you don't have better evidence to go with or to possibly help you out when you get desperate. When you apply it with no context or no crime then it becomes worthless because you get 99.99% false positives and when you get that
They also don't know how biometric data works. If it can be stored, verified, compared then it can be generated, hacked, spoofed and stolen. Its all a bunch of ones and zeroes once it is stored in the computer.
Its not like they create a genetic duplicate of your thumb that they pull out and compare and even if we were that advanced and they could and did do that there is nothing keeping criminals from creating artificial limbs to replicate the limb in storage and replacing their own with it. These are people that are going to die anyways so whats the difference to them.
"It'll all be done electronically and biometrically. And it really doesn't compromise your privacy."
Someone should shoot these people that come up with these concoctions for security solutions. Need to fly last minute to Toronto or vice versa sorry you didn't schedule it 48 hours in advance so you must be a terrorist. Give me a damn break. Then don't get me started on his convoluted assertion that it doesn't open people up to invasions of privacy or identity theft. Every additional time you have to transmit your information, every additional database with your information, every additional set of eyes that gets to look at your information is just another spot in the chain at which point information can be stolen and/or misused. We should send this guy through dressed as an Arab with a head scarf a few times and see how he feels after getting a few rectal exams for foreign objects and the verbal abuse at every stage along the way that 'suspicious' people take.
Contrary to what Bush thinks the terrorist did succeed in setting into motion the process of destroying our freedoms that this country used to stand for. After that we should put his personal information up on the bulletin board at the post office for everyone to see and ask him how he feels after someone empties out his bank accounts and owes thousands of dollars in back taxes.
Don't forget the cost of DSLAMs/ATM aggregators - Legitimate cost but as with all switching and aggregation technology is falling in price rapidly and DSLAMs are being required at fewer points within an area because of the maturation of DSL technology. Operational support systems - india engineering - israel marketing - not necessary due to monopoly fiber deployment - subsidized union salaries - what unions? advertising - see marketing manufacture discontinued equipment(MD) - still works, when it breaks replace with cheaper alternative and only if you can't squeeze or shape more traffic onto remaining equipment. The only time this is even worried about is in regards to the 911 system which they are about to wash their hands of because of VOIP.
I'm sorry but the campaign to save the StarTrek Enterprise series for a 5th year was far larger. This quick search garnered a BBC News story showing over 3million US raised and if my memory serves correctly the fans were close to 20 million before being told that there was no way ?paramount? would run another series without an industry backer. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4312767.s tm
What you use or don't use is irrelevant as to what a company does with your data. Ever heard of information clearing houses? Basically huge databases set up just to collect individuals private data from everything the IRS, Criminal records, news reports, previous addresses, published papers, bank account info, credit accounts, investments everything. You can't keep companies from actively doing that without living completely off the grid.... Think about your statements next time.
DL's and their availability have nothing to do with RW's. No one bothers with RW discs and they are almost as expensive as the DL discs. You might want to check your own prices again. You can find a player for a little over $500 but a recorder is an entirely different matter.
You can buy a 500gb HD for $100. That equates out to .20 cents a gig for a rewritable device capable of sustained 60-80mb/sec. Factor in that and the cost of the HD and Blueray writeable drives is above $1k and you have a long way to go before these discs are cost effective to use as a storage or backup solution. Right now the sweet spot is eSATA backup solutions. If they were to jump right to 40 and 50gb discs then it would be another story but I expect those to be a pipe dream as far as consumer media goes just like DL-DVD's never really have panned out.
Somehow I think the 'anonymous' reader that told them about these two are the parents whom are the real individuals pushing and pulling the product. I'd be willing to bet the kids are just a gimmick to get investor interest in the novelty of their age.
That would be illegal for the carriers to deny you a right to the internet as has already been ruled by SCOTUS. A hacker's sentence and parole were altered to not include a ban on internet usage because it would deny him of a necessary right to the internet. They deemed the internet so important in life now that it is a staple for most americans and therefore a right that should not be trounced upon easily. The large carriers whom are granted near monopolies on phone and cable service whom operate the high speed connections would quickly get sued and prosecuted via RICO and anti-trust laws if they started pulling that crap here. At least they should, with Gonzolas at the helm though they would probably be to stupid to look into it.
MS gouging its customers?? Say it ain't so...
Since when does throwing up 12 boxes and running a quick nessus scan over them count as a security survey?
Seems like the answer to getting something through Government bureaucracies is play on the fears of others. Don't worry about your privacy rights we are careful not to trample on them (I'll believe it when I see it as a law). But if you don't let us do this national card with 'strong' security we can't ensure you identity won't be stolen. Your choice. I'm pretty sure the states can implement the same security measures as this card can implement. Not to mention two factor authentication is the end all of security counter measures. All you are really doing unless you get into biometrics (which only work in person biometric devices over a network are just as easy to send false data as a password or whatnot) is adding a second password, if they can get around the first they can get around the second. Ma'am enter your password, ma'am insert your usb token which can be captured just like any other password. Etc... This isn't the best explanation of two factor problems but you get the picture. BTW, the two factor solution will be a proprietary one from Diebold which will be used to secure your vote placed at Diebold e-voting paperless voting machines in 2010
All I have to say is my 2 million zombie controlled pc's will be voting for myself in the next election.
I'm sure that our billionaires skew the stats a little bit. However its not coincidence that successful companies have CEO's that know they have enough money and that their underlings need to feel appreciated. Google, Apple, Wegmans, etc... A good CEO in my opinion is one that recognizes that the excessive payment that he may get from the board will do more harm to his company than good and should therefore decline most if not all of it and redirect it to the employees. No one is worth 2000% more than another individual regardless of how good you are at your job.