It's not so, at least in principle, where I live. I work in the field, and I know that ambulance drivers are ordered never to put the crew's or bystanders' safety in jeopardy. Never as in not a single time. Also, on those ambulances with a physician on board, the doctor has the authority and the duty to tell the driver to calm down whenever they see that their safety is at risk. This might entail, in theory, that the doctor may stop the ambulance and tell the driver to fuck off, then wait for a new driver, if they feel the guy is nuts.
I remember US EMT manuals stating that the first thing to do when they arrive at the scene is to check if it's dangerous for them, although I can't recollect anything about driving.
Of course, all that is in principle, which doesn't mean it actually happens. A driver and the rest of the crew may feel very comfortable doing 80 mph on a straight, desert stretch, but they may not realize a car may come out of a driveway at any moment. However, at least for ambulances I know of, and at least in theory, it is never justifiable to jeopardize someone else's life to save the patient.
And this is why drug companies spend so much more on advertising than on R&D: Because R&D just wastes huge amounts of money on patents they can't enforce
What the hell are you talking about... Patents are being violated right now only for a handful of drugs in a handful of countries, not certainly the richest ones - and therefore not certainly the best markets. The rest of the world is spending gazillions on branded, patent-protected drugs this very moment.
Mine was a (remote) hypothesis of Roche losing its patent enforceability worldwide in the face of a great pandemic. You're talking as if drug patents had been banned worldwide last week...
Uhm... Well... If patents exist, and I'm sure Taiwan has both laws and international agreements for them, it means you're giving companies a right to effect and defend a monopoly over their product, or at least that's what I make of it, since IANAL.
Thus, if you refuse to uphold their right, or you even bluntly violate it by financing unauthorized production of the drug, you're using force, to me.
The analogy with speed limits doesn't hold as you put it. There's nothing for normal drivers to lose if ambulances speed, or will you count those 10 seconds it takes you to pull over to let it pass as a major loss of income? None of your rights is compromised by that. I don't think it compares.
AFAIK, all generic drugs are actually drugs that formerly existed on patent, and whose patent has expired. These aren't open source drugs -- which is to say, they were not developed by non-profit organizations, they're the long-term result of the patent system at work.
Well, they were not under a "GPL" back then, but they are free for all to manufacture now, and they are a decent market for many companies - including those who previously had a monopoly on them. Bayer's Aspirin®, anyone? Their patents expired many years ago, but the sheer force of their marketing, and the ingenious idea of the "cardioaspirin," still allow them to make very good money on it. Cardioaspirin is just a formulation containing the right amount that has been found to work well for your heart and arteries. Finance a wealth of dose-finding studies, reap the results.
My point, in other words, was that even if Roche were deprived of its patent worldwide, there would still be money for them to make by selling the drug in a more open market. Would it cover their R&D costs? I do believe so. Would it cover the money they may have spent advertising their product? Probably not. Anyway, you must recognize their publicity returns for "saving the world" would carry a certain value... Simply imagine being able to mention the "drug that saved the world" among your inventions, in your brand-promoting generic commercials...
Could be, though you should be very careful about generalizing in this way.
Yes, I am, but so are you when saying elsewhere that violating patents during widespread medical emergencies is a "a surefire way to remove private research from such fields." And I think it's inevitable to generalize.
FWIW, generic drugs actually tend to have proven lower efficacy in clinical trials. Brand name companies have a reputation to uphold, which a generic doesn't
This is an extremely bold claim, and I'd ask you to support it with evidence, because it's something that I have never heard of. There may be differences in bioavailability between one formulation of a drug and another, but not efficacy. For example in my country, Italy, generic versions of a drug are required to have at least 90% the bioavailability of the branded version. That means that at worse, you get the effect of 90 mg acetylsalicylic acid when an Aspirin® would have given you 100. That's a difference in terms of bioavalability which can be easily solved by adjusting dosages.
If a thousand single patients report differences in the efficacy of generic ibuprofen the most likely cause is marketing-induced bias. That's why you test a drug's efficacy with double blind trials, meaning that neither physicians or patients actually know if they're using the study drug or the control one. No names on the pills, no fancy packaging, no TV commercials, appropriate randomization of patients so that their characteristics are similar across groups. That's when the drug's real effect comes out. I'd really appreciate if you could point me to those clinical trials you mentioned.
Overall, though, I agree that the line between justifiable, emergency patent violation and common practice is a fine one. I believe, though, that world organizations will be able to point out issues of extraordinary importance. I don't think anyone would have disagreed with violating patents for the 1918-21 flu pandemic. Actually, I guess Roche would have been the first to offer their drug for free, in the hopes of a great publicity return. I really can't say if this bird flu animal pandemia is as much of a danger for us.
An editorial in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, possibly the most authoritative source in the field, pointed out how drug companies spend far more money in marketing than they do in research. Also, drug companies often outsource the pure R&D to little-known laboratories, or buy patents from them, just to re-brand the products. I've been involved in research on levosimendan, created by Finnish Orion Corp., only to be licensed as Simdax® by Abbott Laboratories, Inc.
I figure that when push comes to shove, there's money to be made even from "open source" drugs. The so-called generic drugs, although not as profitable as your typical anti-depressant or branded statin, are a good, perfectly open source market for many companies.
Personally, I do believe in using "force" on private companies when emergencies arise. This might entail paying a forfeitary fee (kinda like compulsory licensing in music.)
Force (of money) is what drug companies use to get (partially connivent) physicians to prescribe one expensive, proprietary drug over a generic one, even if the benefits of the former are unproven.
Force of marketing (as in "ad bombing") is what drug companies use to get unwitting patients to ask their doctors for Plavix®, even though saving one life with Plavix® may cost millions of dollars which could be spent elsewhere more usefully. That is, especially in countries where resources are limited and the health care system is public, that money could save more lives if used for screening programs and promotion of healthy lifestyle, for example.
Sheer force of money is also what gets people to buy Aleve (naproxene sodium) over, well... Naproxen sodium in its cheaper, unbranded, but otherwise perfectly equivalent form!
So be it: fsck them for Greater Good. Granted, a better definition for "Greater Good" would be useful.
Well, if your're crazy, then HackADay.com is your asylum: that's precisely today's hack.
I don't have neither gadget, but looks like that Videora iPod Converter is using PSPVideo9 codecs to prepare video for the iPod. Donate if you enjoy it!
Ok but, why would they simulate those landing rockets, if not for increased awe? Or do you think they actually were there?
I'd like to know what a rocket scientist would think of landing rockets on the bottom of the capsule, blasting off (presumably) after the parachutes have detached. That picture smells like propagandistic hype to me, but IANRS.
That's interesting. However, you should also consider that non-native English speakers do not necessarily transmit their second or third language to their children.
In my experience, people who speak even excellent English as an Nth language tend not to teach it directly to their descendants, siblings or friends. Rather, they tend to encourage these people to learn it by exposing them to it (trips, books, movies) or having them attend courses.
The result, IMO, is that there is no such thing as an international English evolution, as this supposed language is not inherited. As more and more people enjoy un-translated content in English, or attend classes with teachers from one country or another, international English will overlap with that of the dominant culture (American, in these years.)
they put you on a yearly, automatically renewed contract, but bill you monthly (or quarterly) so you think you can cancel at any time.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. It may be legal, but it doesn't mean it's not deceiving (I like the explanation at 'Synonims.')
Here in Italy pretty much every service does this. ISPs, cell phone carriers, satellite pay TV, you name it. They charge you monthly, advertise monthly rates, and never, ever mention a yearly obligation.
Burying the clause in their contract doesn't relieve them of 'ethical' issues, IMO. Add to this you're often supposed to cancel your subscription by writing by return-receipt snail mail no later than 30 to 60 days before expiry, and you're in for legalized consumer lock-in.
Tiscali is offering great connections at very competitive prices in this moment. They're having a hard time getting customers to subscribe because of contract duration. They had to link unsubscription letter forms for other ISPs in the main sign-up pages in order to explain their customers how they first need to bail out of their former service, no later than 30 day before expiry. Too bad that they don't mention anywhere on the website that the same applies with their contracts...
Again, I'm sure this is not illegal, but it places an excessive burden on the consumer, which impairs competition. Also, when less than 10% people (very personal statistic) actually know the duration of their contractual obligations, you know there's something wrong with the system.
Well, for one, multiple windows tend to overlap and obscure each other. You then need to sift through their icons on the taskbar (Windows, Linux desktops) or use Exposé to see them all neatly arranged on the screen (OS X), then click on the one you want to use.
In any case, that's a lot more UI work than clicking tabs on a tablist which is always in sight, or using shortcuts to move through it.
Over all, excepting the high cost premium charged for the 7200 RPM drive, my upgrade has been a net plus.
Maybe it's not necessary on/., but it might be worth remembering that this probably voids warranty.
Since we have two years' compulsory warranties here in Europe (no matter what Apple writes on its website), that something one should take into account when opening their Macs.
Actually, I can't remember the latest developments in mini territory -- I just recall some discussion over warranties and what constitutes 'breaching' and what doesn't.
Well in case you used Finder for the Mac transfer, or used a program that uses Finder I/O APIs: it's a well-known and much-hated problem with it.
Finder sucks hard in up to 10.3, and a little less in 10.4 when it comes to I/O, especially over networks. If you're transferring to disks with different filesystems, it's even worse. It's probably the biggest single complaint you'll hear about the OS.
You can find out more about this on Ars Technica's awesome reviews for OS X Panther and Tiger.
You know you've hit a nerve when you get such a spasmodic response. What's funny is that I bet you're the type who'll come around in a year or two or three.:)
Yeah, come around the ward and pick up what remains of the splendid work of an osteopath who actually practices "Osteopathy."
You hit a nerve here, too, because you've been glorifying what happens everyday in the saddest areas of society: millions of people worldwide falling prey to scammers, pretentious gurus and self-proclaimed geniuses who extort the shit out of ignorant, hopeless people. This happens with MDs, too, of course, but it's not a problem with "medicine" as a whole.
Also, do I really have to remind you the joke of All-American M.O.s? They're just a bunch of guys who failed Med School admission, or plainly dropped out of it. The fact that they're allowed to practice (at least) primary medicine in your country is a mystery to me. The fact that no neurosurgeon, or heart surgeon, or other highly-specialized professional I heard of is an M.O. is not, though.
And finally, I really don't see the point in your example. If Mr. A has Nutrient C deficiency and this causes him Condition B, how is Nutrient C restoration not a cure for the cause of Condition B? Surely you must be addressing the problem with Mr. A's universal karma who flowed in the direction of Nutrient C deficiency, a condition which his doctor is not able to treat? Would appropriate osteopathic treatment straighten up his unhealthily bent karma?
Call me cynical, but being treated with ankle manipulation while in the midst of a heart attack is not my idea of "curing the cause of disease." Nor is it the science's, AFAIK.
An allopath (99% of M.D.s) believes that a body's symptoms are the problem, and gives his patients substances which counteract the symptom.
Man, does this reek of superstition and scam...
You didn't stop for a minute to think what antibiotics, antivirals, surgical excision of a tumor do, right? I'll tell you: they remove the cause of your illness. Symptoms are cured to make you feel better, as well as to provide relief when the initial cause of the disease cannot be treated.
If you got off the magic carpet and looked up "angioplasty" on Google, you'd find out that it's used to actually reopen clogged up arteries, not just make a patient's chest pain go away.
The same goes for many, many therapies and procedures in so-called "allopathic" medicine. You believe in pure superstition, based on utter ignorance of what medicine is today.
You just found a (non-US) board-registered physician and anesthesia resident who has used and, where indicated, will use ketamine for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia in human adults.
For further information on what the FDA, and thus the government of the United States of America believes are the indications for ketamine in humans, please click here.
Looking forward to the retraction of your very own statement...
Well, what part of your point does not apply to music?
Yet, online music stores are doing quite well. I heard reports of Apple DRM system being cracked, yet the iTMS seems to survive.
Aside from costs, it's also a matter of convenience. I like the idea of downloading a song for.99 and with a couple of clicks, instead of firing up the browser, looking for a torrent, changing file names and ID3 tags and so on...
I think the iTMS has turned at least a small portion of the market away from illegal sharing by offering a convenient alternative. That's also thanks to its fashionable hardware companion, of course -- but the iPod will happily play non-DRMed AAC and MP3 files.
What makes you (and ASoTV and the majors) think that it would be the opposite with movies and/or TV shows?
How do pro-piracy arguments even influence the talks over the opening of an online video store?
What are the *AA's fears or opinions that are strengthened by these points?
Is it the fear of DRM systems being cracked? Moot point as the status quo involves no cracking whatsoever: record, encode, share.
Is it the idea that as long as there is a completely free option (illegal P2P), online stores won't take off? Well, I guess there will forever be a portion of the market who will not pay for movies or shows. But again, this is true even in the current system -- only worse, because today my choice is illegal vs. $20 for a DVD. With an iTunes Video Store, it might become illegal vs. $4.99 or something like that.
Seriously, how does the recognition of reality hinder talks for an online video store?
As a foreigner who happens to like some American TV shows, I'd like to add a point...
Aside from pricing, which you may or may not agree with, resorting to season DVDs has one huge disadvantage for me: inability to try before you buy.
Take Firefly. I read very good comments on Slashdot. I thought I'd like to give it a shot. What better way than the pilot episode? Whoops, no one (I'm aware of) sells only that.
The show does not, and most likely will not ever air in my country. Even if it did, that would be on pay satellite TV, and it would be dubbed: that, I couldn't stand.
I could buy the complete series on DVD but... What if I don't like it? At $35 plus around $15-20 for shipping and (in worst cases) 30% customs duty, it's quite an investment on a show I've never even seen an ad for... (Except for Slashvertisement, that is...:-)
DVDs are not an option in these cases, although I admit they represent only a small fraction of online piracy. However, there are many countries which might collectively represent a decent market for a show like Firefly, and where dubbing is not the routine (as opposed to subtitling.) These markets, IMO, are not fully exploitable until content is delivered in a more granular way than DVDs -- the "iTunes Video Store" way?
As I am not a regular Mac OSX user, I am curious on how that platform handles updates.
Your wish is my command...
OS X 10.3 has a panel in System Preferences where you can choose how often to check for updates (defaults to weekly on a fresh install, IIRC.) It also has the option to automatically download "important" updates in the background - this usually corresponds to security-related fixes and point-point releases. There's also a "Check now" button, and the Apple (system) menu has a direct link to this preference panel.
Feedback is in the form of a window which pops up when updates are available, with a listing of all available updates also telling you whether a patch is going to force you to reboot. You use checkboxes to select downloads. You also get a brief description of what the fix does (that's usually pretty much useless, though.) I don't know if the automatic download feature gives feedback to the user as I don't use it.
Most, if not all applications from Apple are included in this "Software Update" utility. I'm not aware of any other vendor delivering updates through this route.
Well, dunno about GGP, but I was looking for a little bit more tech.
I mean, there are many instances throughout the series were troubles could have been avoided by just using some kind of telecommunications device -- which they have, as small two-way radios do appear here and there, even in miniaturized form.
Another thing is about the ship sensors: more often than not, ships only detect each other when they are within a few hundred meters away. Take for example the episode when they ram/dock to a station to rescue Mal who's being tortured.
(Pseudo)Science aside, an intelligent viewer is left wondering how they can really travel around space when their ships see less than moles - and in space, no one can smell you:-)
And may I add Pericles, one of the greatest leaders of ancient Athens. He was said to be deeply in love with Aspasia, one of the greatest "companion" of the time.
Resources or not, I would not be happy if the widget showed German scheisse pr0n from its own file bundle, each time I access the Dashboard screen...
At least make it configurable! Guy who discovered the exploit, I'm looking at you!
Seriously though, this exploit is a serious bug and shouldn't have made it through testing. However, notice, for one, the benefit from not having users permanently logged in as Administrators by default. Even in the worst case scenario of a user clicking "Ok" and allowing access to resources, damage would still be limited to that user's domain. More widespread access would require a full login for sudo.
That's my biggest gripe with Windows - priviledge escalation can happen everywhere, but it's so damn easier to break a system when you have your users login as root by default... Has this changed with SP2?
Well, I can't say I panicked, but I did feel weird, if not lost, for some minutes.
I chose to rely on Google for several reasons, and it's now part of my usage of the Web. I know total reliance can be bad, and I haven't forgotten about the existence of other search engines. Still, Google is my favorite one, and I don't feel the need to perform seaches on multiple engines (yet.) A tendency to use one tool amongst others, is quite natural, as long as you don't completely forget the alternatives.
The moment Google was "gone," I felt like I had to "readjust" the way I browse the WWW. For one, I tried to go to MSN Search but instinctively typed "msn search" into Firefox's location bar!
(for those who don't use Firefox, when you type something that's not a well-formed URL in FF's URL bar, it runs a Google search for that string and redirects you to the first result - a quick way to go to "big" sites without typing the whole address.)
Slashdot Mirror
It's not so, at least in principle, where I live. I work in the field, and I know that ambulance drivers are ordered never to put the crew's or bystanders' safety in jeopardy. Never as in not a single time. Also, on those ambulances with a physician on board, the doctor has the authority and the duty to tell the driver to calm down whenever they see that their safety is at risk. This might entail, in theory, that the doctor may stop the ambulance and tell the driver to fuck off, then wait for a new driver, if they feel the guy is nuts.
I remember US EMT manuals stating that the first thing to do when they arrive at the scene is to check if it's dangerous for them, although I can't recollect anything about driving.
Of course, all that is in principle, which doesn't mean it actually happens. A driver and the rest of the crew may feel very comfortable doing 80 mph on a straight, desert stretch, but they may not realize a car may come out of a driveway at any moment. However, at least for ambulances I know of, and at least in theory, it is never justifiable to jeopardize someone else's life to save the patient.
And this is why drug companies spend so much more on advertising than on R&D: Because R&D just wastes huge amounts of money on patents they can't enforce
What the hell are you talking about... Patents are being violated right now only for a handful of drugs in a handful of countries, not certainly the richest ones - and therefore not certainly the best markets. The rest of the world is spending gazillions on branded, patent-protected drugs this very moment.
Mine was a (remote) hypothesis of Roche losing its patent enforceability worldwide in the face of a great pandemic. You're talking as if drug patents had been banned worldwide last week...
Uhm... Well... If patents exist, and I'm sure Taiwan has both laws and international agreements for them, it means you're giving companies a right to effect and defend a monopoly over their product, or at least that's what I make of it, since IANAL.
Thus, if you refuse to uphold their right, or you even bluntly violate it by financing unauthorized production of the drug, you're using force, to me.
The analogy with speed limits doesn't hold as you put it. There's nothing for normal drivers to lose if ambulances speed, or will you count those 10 seconds it takes you to pull over to let it pass as a major loss of income? None of your rights is compromised by that. I don't think it compares.
AFAIK, all generic drugs are actually drugs that formerly existed on patent, and whose patent has expired. These aren't open source drugs -- which is to say, they were not developed by non-profit organizations, they're the long-term result of the patent system at work.
Well, they were not under a "GPL" back then, but they are free for all to manufacture now, and they are a decent market for many companies - including those who previously had a monopoly on them. Bayer's Aspirin®, anyone? Their patents expired many years ago, but the sheer force of their marketing, and the ingenious idea of the "cardioaspirin," still allow them to make very good money on it. Cardioaspirin is just a formulation containing the right amount that has been found to work well for your heart and arteries. Finance a wealth of dose-finding studies, reap the results.
My point, in other words, was that even if Roche were deprived of its patent worldwide, there would still be money for them to make by selling the drug in a more open market. Would it cover their R&D costs? I do believe so. Would it cover the money they may have spent advertising their product? Probably not. Anyway, you must recognize their publicity returns for "saving the world" would carry a certain value... Simply imagine being able to mention the "drug that saved the world" among your inventions, in your brand-promoting generic commercials...
Could be, though you should be very careful about generalizing in this way.
Yes, I am, but so are you when saying elsewhere that violating patents during widespread medical emergencies is a "a surefire way to remove private research from such fields." And I think it's inevitable to generalize.
FWIW, generic drugs actually tend to have proven lower efficacy in clinical trials. Brand name companies have a reputation to uphold, which a generic doesn't
This is an extremely bold claim, and I'd ask you to support it with evidence, because it's something that I have never heard of. There may be differences in bioavailability between one formulation of a drug and another, but not efficacy. For example in my country, Italy, generic versions of a drug are required to have at least 90% the bioavailability of the branded version. That means that at worse, you get the effect of 90 mg acetylsalicylic acid when an Aspirin® would have given you 100. That's a difference in terms of bioavalability which can be easily solved by adjusting dosages.
If a thousand single patients report differences in the efficacy of generic ibuprofen the most likely cause is marketing-induced bias. That's why you test a drug's efficacy with double blind trials, meaning that neither physicians or patients actually know if they're using the study drug or the control one. No names on the pills, no fancy packaging, no TV commercials, appropriate randomization of patients so that their characteristics are similar across groups. That's when the drug's real effect comes out. I'd really appreciate if you could point me to those clinical trials you mentioned.
Overall, though, I agree that the line between justifiable, emergency patent violation and common practice is a fine one. I believe, though, that world organizations will be able to point out issues of extraordinary importance. I don't think anyone would have disagreed with violating patents for the 1918-21 flu pandemic. Actually, I guess Roche would have been the first to offer their drug for free, in the hopes of a great publicity return. I really can't say if this bird flu animal pandemia is as much of a danger for us.
An editorial in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, possibly the most authoritative source in the field, pointed out how drug companies spend far more money in marketing than they do in research. Also, drug companies often outsource the pure R&D to little-known laboratories, or buy patents from them, just to re-brand the products. I've been involved in research on levosimendan, created by Finnish Orion Corp., only to be licensed as Simdax® by Abbott Laboratories, Inc.
I figure that when push comes to shove, there's money to be made even from "open source" drugs. The so-called generic drugs, although not as profitable as your typical anti-depressant or branded statin, are a good, perfectly open source market for many companies.
Personally, I do believe in using "force" on private companies when emergencies arise. This might entail paying a forfeitary fee (kinda like compulsory licensing in music.)
Force (of money) is what drug companies use to get (partially connivent) physicians to prescribe one expensive, proprietary drug over a generic one, even if the benefits of the former are unproven.
Force of marketing (as in "ad bombing") is what drug companies use to get unwitting patients to ask their doctors for Plavix®, even though saving one life with Plavix® may cost millions of dollars which could be spent elsewhere more usefully. That is, especially in countries where resources are limited and the health care system is public, that money could save more lives if used for screening programs and promotion of healthy lifestyle, for example.
Sheer force of money is also what gets people to buy Aleve (naproxene sodium) over, well... Naproxen sodium in its cheaper, unbranded, but otherwise perfectly equivalent form!
So be it: fsck them for Greater Good. Granted, a better definition for "Greater Good" would be useful.
Well, if your're crazy, then HackADay.com is your asylum: that's precisely today's hack.
I don't have neither gadget, but looks like that Videora iPod Converter is using PSPVideo9 codecs to prepare video for the iPod. Donate if you enjoy it!
Ok but, why would they simulate those landing rockets, if not for increased awe? Or do you think they actually were there?
I'd like to know what a rocket scientist would think of landing rockets on the bottom of the capsule, blasting off (presumably) after the parachutes have detached. That picture smells like propagandistic hype to me, but IANRS.
That's interesting. However, you should also consider that non-native English speakers do not necessarily transmit their second or third language to their children.
In my experience, people who speak even excellent English as an Nth language tend not to teach it directly to their descendants, siblings or friends. Rather, they tend to encourage these people to learn it by exposing them to it (trips, books, movies) or having them attend courses.
The result, IMO, is that there is no such thing as an international English evolution, as this supposed language is not inherited. As more and more people enjoy un-translated content in English, or attend classes with teachers from one country or another, international English will overlap with that of the dominant culture (American, in these years.)
they put you on a yearly, automatically renewed contract, but bill you monthly (or quarterly) so you think you can cancel at any time.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. It may be legal, but it doesn't mean it's not deceiving (I like the explanation at 'Synonims.')
Here in Italy pretty much every service does this. ISPs, cell phone carriers, satellite pay TV, you name it. They charge you monthly, advertise monthly rates, and never, ever mention a yearly obligation.
Burying the clause in their contract doesn't relieve them of 'ethical' issues, IMO. Add to this you're often supposed to cancel your subscription by writing by return-receipt snail mail no later than 30 to 60 days before expiry, and you're in for legalized consumer lock-in.
Tiscali is offering great connections at very competitive prices in this moment. They're having a hard time getting customers to subscribe because of contract duration. They had to link unsubscription letter forms for other ISPs in the main sign-up pages in order to explain their customers how they first need to bail out of their former service, no later than 30 day before expiry. Too bad that they don't mention anywhere on the website that the same applies with their contracts...
Again, I'm sure this is not illegal, but it places an excessive burden on the consumer, which impairs competition. Also, when less than 10% people (very personal statistic) actually know the duration of their contractual obligations, you know there's something wrong with the system.
Well, for one, multiple windows tend to overlap and obscure each other. You then need to sift through their icons on the taskbar (Windows, Linux desktops) or use Exposé to see them all neatly arranged on the screen (OS X), then click on the one you want to use.
In any case, that's a lot more UI work than clicking tabs on a tablist which is always in sight, or using shortcuts to move through it.
Over all, excepting the high cost premium charged for the 7200 RPM drive, my upgrade has been a net plus.
Maybe it's not necessary on /., but it might be worth remembering that this probably voids warranty.
Since we have two years' compulsory warranties here in Europe (no matter what Apple writes on its website), that something one should take into account when opening their Macs.
Actually, I can't remember the latest developments in mini territory -- I just recall some discussion over warranties and what constitutes 'breaching' and what doesn't.
Well in case you used Finder for the Mac transfer, or used a program that uses Finder I/O APIs: it's a well-known and much-hated problem with it.
Finder sucks hard in up to 10.3, and a little less in 10.4 when it comes to I/O, especially over networks. If you're transferring to disks with different filesystems, it's even worse. It's probably the biggest single complaint you'll hear about the OS.
You can find out more about this on Ars Technica's awesome reviews for OS X Panther and Tiger.
You know you've hit a nerve when you get such a spasmodic response. What's funny is that I bet you're the type who'll come around in a year or two or three. :)
Yeah, come around the ward and pick up what remains of the splendid work of an osteopath who actually practices "Osteopathy."
You hit a nerve here, too, because you've been glorifying what happens everyday in the saddest areas of society: millions of people worldwide falling prey to scammers, pretentious gurus and self-proclaimed geniuses who extort the shit out of ignorant, hopeless people. This happens with MDs, too, of course, but it's not a problem with "medicine" as a whole.
Also, do I really have to remind you the joke of All-American M.O.s? They're just a bunch of guys who failed Med School admission, or plainly dropped out of it. The fact that they're allowed to practice (at least) primary medicine in your country is a mystery to me. The fact that no neurosurgeon, or heart surgeon, or other highly-specialized professional I heard of is an M.O. is not, though.
And finally, I really don't see the point in your example. If Mr. A has Nutrient C deficiency and this causes him Condition B, how is Nutrient C restoration not a cure for the cause of Condition B? Surely you must be addressing the problem with Mr. A's universal karma who flowed in the direction of Nutrient C deficiency, a condition which his doctor is not able to treat? Would appropriate osteopathic treatment straighten up his unhealthily bent karma?
Call me cynical, but being treated with ankle manipulation while in the midst of a heart attack is not my idea of "curing the cause of disease." Nor is it the science's, AFAIK.
An allopath (99% of M.D.s) believes that a body's symptoms are the problem, and gives his patients substances which counteract the symptom.
Man, does this reek of superstition and scam...
You didn't stop for a minute to think what antibiotics, antivirals, surgical excision of a tumor do, right? I'll tell you: they remove the cause of your illness. Symptoms are cured to make you feel better, as well as to provide relief when the initial cause of the disease cannot be treated.
If you got off the magic carpet and looked up "angioplasty" on Google, you'd find out that it's used to actually reopen clogged up arteries, not just make a patient's chest pain go away.
The same goes for many, many therapies and procedures in so-called "allopathic" medicine. You believe in pure superstition, based on utter ignorance of what medicine is today.
Hi,
You just found a (non-US) board-registered physician and anesthesia resident who has used and, where indicated, will use ketamine for the induction and maintenance of general anesthesia in human adults.
For further information on what the FDA, and thus the government of the United States of America believes are the indications for ketamine in humans, please click here.
Looking forward to the retraction of your very own statement...
Well, what part of your point does not apply to music?
Yet, online music stores are doing quite well. I heard reports of Apple DRM system being cracked, yet the iTMS seems to survive.
Aside from costs, it's also a matter of convenience. I like the idea of downloading a song for .99 and with a couple of clicks, instead of firing up the browser, looking for a torrent, changing file names and ID3 tags and so on...
I think the iTMS has turned at least a small portion of the market away from illegal sharing by offering a convenient alternative. That's also thanks to its fashionable hardware companion, of course -- but the iPod will happily play non-DRMed AAC and MP3 files.
What makes you (and ASoTV and the majors) think that it would be the opposite with movies and/or TV shows?
How do pro-piracy arguments even influence the talks over the opening of an online video store?
What are the *AA's fears or opinions that are strengthened by these points?
Is it the fear of DRM systems being cracked? Moot point as the status quo involves no cracking whatsoever: record, encode, share.
Is it the idea that as long as there is a completely free option (illegal P2P), online stores won't take off? Well, I guess there will forever be a portion of the market who will not pay for movies or shows. But again, this is true even in the current system -- only worse, because today my choice is illegal vs. $20 for a DVD. With an iTunes Video Store, it might become illegal vs. $4.99 or something like that.
Seriously, how does the recognition of reality hinder talks for an online video store?
In case there was any doubt...
Hello, handsome!
Now, seeing him as a Pocket PC desktop picture was enlightening.
As a foreigner who happens to like some American TV shows, I'd like to add a point...
Aside from pricing, which you may or may not agree with, resorting to season DVDs has one huge disadvantage for me: inability to try before you buy.
Take Firefly. I read very good comments on Slashdot. I thought I'd like to give it a shot. What better way than the pilot episode? Whoops, no one (I'm aware of) sells only that.
The show does not, and most likely will not ever air in my country. Even if it did, that would be on pay satellite TV, and it would be dubbed: that, I couldn't stand.
I could buy the complete series on DVD but... What if I don't like it? At $35 plus around $15-20 for shipping and (in worst cases) 30% customs duty, it's quite an investment on a show I've never even seen an ad for... (Except for Slashvertisement, that is... :-)
DVDs are not an option in these cases, although I admit they represent only a small fraction of online piracy. However, there are many countries which might collectively represent a decent market for a show like Firefly, and where dubbing is not the routine (as opposed to subtitling.) These markets, IMO, are not fully exploitable until content is delivered in a more granular way than DVDs -- the "iTunes Video Store" way?
As I am not a regular Mac OSX user, I am curious on how that platform handles updates.
Your wish is my command...
OS X 10.3 has a panel in System Preferences where you can choose how often to check for updates (defaults to weekly on a fresh install, IIRC.) It also has the option to automatically download "important" updates in the background - this usually corresponds to security-related fixes and point-point releases. There's also a "Check now" button, and the Apple (system) menu has a direct link to this preference panel.
Feedback is in the form of a window which pops up when updates are available, with a listing of all available updates also telling you whether a patch is going to force you to reboot. You use checkboxes to select downloads. You also get a brief description of what the fix does (that's usually pretty much useless, though.) I don't know if the automatic download feature gives feedback to the user as I don't use it.
Most, if not all applications from Apple are included in this "Software Update" utility. I'm not aware of any other vendor delivering updates through this route.
Cowboy Bebop is a great show, and I'll go as far as to suggest it to anyone who's liked Firefly and at least doesn't philosophically hate anime...
Besides, it has a great original soundtrack by Yoko Kanno for each of its seasons - these are suggested to pretty much everyone...
Well, dunno about GGP, but I was looking for a little bit more tech.
I mean, there are many instances throughout the series were troubles could have been avoided by just using some kind of telecommunications device -- which they have, as small two-way radios do appear here and there, even in miniaturized form.
Another thing is about the ship sensors: more often than not, ships only detect each other when they are within a few hundred meters away. Take for example the episode when they ram/dock to a station to rescue Mal who's being tortured.
(Pseudo)Science aside, an intelligent viewer is left wondering how they can really travel around space when their ships see less than moles - and in space, no one can smell you :-)
And may I add Pericles, one of the greatest leaders of ancient Athens. He was said to be deeply in love with Aspasia, one of the greatest "companion" of the time.
Anyways, I'll be in my bunk...
Resources or not, I would not be happy if the widget showed German scheisse pr0n from its own file bundle, each time I access the Dashboard screen...
At least make it configurable! Guy who discovered the exploit, I'm looking at you!
Seriously though, this exploit is a serious bug and shouldn't have made it through testing. However, notice, for one, the benefit from not having users permanently logged in as Administrators by default. Even in the worst case scenario of a user clicking "Ok" and allowing access to resources, damage would still be limited to that user's domain. More widespread access would require a full login for sudo.
That's my biggest gripe with Windows - priviledge escalation can happen everywhere, but it's so damn easier to break a system when you have your users login as root by default... Has this changed with SP2?
Well, I can't say I panicked, but I did feel weird, if not lost, for some minutes.
I chose to rely on Google for several reasons, and it's now part of my usage of the Web. I know total reliance can be bad, and I haven't forgotten about the existence of other search engines. Still, Google is my favorite one, and I don't feel the need to perform seaches on multiple engines (yet.) A tendency to use one tool amongst others, is quite natural, as long as you don't completely forget the alternatives.
The moment Google was "gone," I felt like I had to "readjust" the way I browse the WWW. For one, I tried to go to MSN Search but instinctively typed "msn search" into Firefox's location bar!
(for those who don't use Firefox, when you type something that's not a well-formed URL in FF's URL bar, it runs a Google search for that string and redirects you to the first result - a quick way to go to "big" sites without typing the whole address.)