Yeah, you may be right, but what he clearly ment to say is that it still takes the same amount of time to read slashdot every day during working hours!
Thank you for putting this in perspective! Really, what's with the anti-sex obsession out there in the US? Last time I checked, sex was still necessary to create new life, and often a sign of love etc., whereas violence is just always violence. I really wonder when this hypocrisy started...
I checked this news out yesterday, and read on the german project website that they already used linux on their servers since 1995. The idea to change came when it was apparent that windows NT would be stopped and new MS software would require them to start a contract forcing them to renew this contract constantly. Then, if I remember correctly, the major tested if his wife could manage to work on openoffice, which turned out pretty nicely.
With the major and of course a majority in the city council backing this, they started a very gradual and careful way to change, with a halt since 2004 because they needed a risk analysis in the case that software patents would be installed EU-wide. The cost risk turned out to be pretty small, as for every patent there can be a workaround eventually, linux is based on code that is already known since the 60s, and some other reasons. In the mean time they made sure they had automated software install systems working, and other practical issues resolved. The big news now is that they will actually start with the first linux machines for office employees. First ones will be for office work that requires interchangeable software (word processor, etc), then more complicated office work will follow.
3) making people aware of what their ISP / anyone with (or even without) a search warrant, can find out about them by just combining their non-anonymous search history.
The actual most practical solution I read here on slashdot some time ago was the idea of standardized battery packs. You just go to a 'gas station', exchange your empty pack with a new one, and on you go again. There is already a network of stations at hand, so not much of a problem there. The only problem might be is that there will be a time were gas and battery packs will be sold at the same time, and gas+high voltage electricity probably don't mix too well.
He is so right! It's like the open source solution to hardware. Instead of the provider of some product trying to do an effort to make it as available as possible, the client should work really hard to get a console that works!
But it could be even better, I think they should instead create half-finished ps3s, add the full official specs in a pdf to go with it, and then let the nerds of the world make nice stuff out of it. Saves sony even more money for producing the thing, and a lot of people will be happy to buy it as it is so developer friendly!
I'm so jealous that I didn't think of it first. But there is still room for a "rolls-royce" kind of console. You won't really need it, it won't be too practical as well, but the people buy it will think to themselves "Jolly good that I'm stiking filthy rich to be able to buy this useless pile of shit of game console. Now I'll have my butler throw it somewhere in a corner and get me a fine wine from my expensive wine collection".
Then this guy's genious even may have more effects, as it sounds like a good slashdot meme to come:
Vista? 'OK, I'll work more hours and buy it.' ; New iPod colors puke-green and turd-brown? 'OK, I'll work more hours and buy it.' ; Movie with such a fine HHD-resolution that you can actually see the molecular fibers in the skin of the actors? 'OK, I'll work more hours and buy it.'
Very correct. Remember that totalarian goverments with dense networks to spy on people existed for a long time, and it's also not new that your local 'democratic government' uses undemocratic means. The only scary thing is that current technology would actually enable a very efficient of way of total control, and manipulation of all historic events (if we would start to depend only on electronic format, and who keeps all his newpapers nowadays). This was unthinkable in the time that 1984 was written. Maybe the question is, what kind of society-critical SF story would someone like george orwell write if he did it now?
Wealth "creation" seems still a pretty questionable concept, you will probably be able to introduce fluctuations to the average, but I as a chemist have the idea that it will always go back to equilibrium at some point:)
The rant continues unfortunately... While in Holland most high-schools now have introduced a scheme to learn more independently, so students can figure stuff out for themselves, at a lot of universities they introduced more strict classes with projects that have to be finished in a certain time, obligatory attendance, etc. etc. You could argue that this resembles an actual job situation, but on the other hand, learning science is not a real job, and never should be just a job.
If I could choose, I would still rather have a bit of a strict high school system, and a loose university than the other way around.
I once bought a laptop that was advertised at the chemistry faculty of the uni, where I found out after buying that the owner actually passed away after an accident like this happened. The guy apparently didn't wear a labcoat, or stuff got into his pullover through his labcoat, his story was soon over after that:(
The answers of P seem familiar though: Same regulations, although maybe more/less strict, are present in at least Germany and Holland. Every one to two years you have to check your car for basic functioning and exhaust values. The tests are really not too intensive, so they can be done in about half an hour, and the regulations make sure that at least the big pollutors or wrecks get of the road before they can do too much harm. If you move your car from whatever state to germany, and you are staying there for more than 6 months or so, you should register your car locally and perform this test before registration.
As Parent already pointed out, there is not too much to worry about, since the emmission tests are based on the production date (and maybe specs) of your car. So your '80 pickup or whatever can also get through without problems.
There might be exceptions as well. German law required cars from the beginning of the 90's to have vertically adjustable headlights, for example. My car didn't have this, I won't have to build it in, but got had to request the form to allow me to drive around with this, it was not much of a problem really.
A different issue might be the particle filters for diesel engines, which at some point might have to be fitted on cars to be allowed to drive at certain areas (e.g. city centers). This is a hot issue in germany at the moment, as not many cars have them at the moment and the retrofitting will be pretty costly.
That is nothing! When this happened in my time there were no motorbikes and we had to go, uphill, by bicycle!!! In the snow!!! And there were no magnetic tapes, so it had to be carved in stone instead!!!
Really, creating an efficient fuel-economy car is actually something all major car designers are doing already, and they do it for a good cause - their wallets. Just think about it, Mercedes and Swatch created the Smart, which has an average 60 MPG (that is from the UK site).
Mercedes and Swatch would have been pretty "smart" to call that a 'charity' cause, but I would call it 'profitable business'. There are a lot of causes to find that can not be mistaken for profitable business, what about helping the people at the bottom of society, for example.
Don't get me wrong here, I'm all in favor of high-MPG cars, but I think that the parent is right on this one. Google maybe should transform their business into a general innovation-company, since they apparently have lots of nice ideas but can't place them within their current 'core business', which is web searching (or actually something else, I don't really know). Currently, they will have trouble selling stockholders/investors the idea to build a car, so they had to make this construction to go through with it.
Indeed, why don't they just add a gun next to it as well? Efficient way to quickly solve situations that might go wrong! In case of a police officer, you can have an eye to eye discussion to sort things out. A camera with a loudspeaker makes the 'supervisor' a completely anonymous person, which is in a practical sense a huge step away from your right to defend yourself against charges laid against you.
Sorry for the late reaction. I encountered this 'rule' for all prepaid phones at a Mediamarkt, the most popular electronics discounter in Germany. According to this german blog it is only in the contract of one of the network providers, E-plus (either the "Personalausweis" you have as a german citizen, or for foreigners a "Reisepass mit Meldebescheinigung", meaning that they have to show to be living in germany). Maybe it was a single action of (that) Mediamarkt, and you can still buy prepaid with your passport anywhere else, I didn't find any other traces of this action on the net.
Addition: at this webshop, you have to show your "meldebescheinigung" of you're an EU citizen living in germany, and if you are not a EU citizen, you have to show a visum which is at least 2 years valid after the date of buying (!)
I have no idea if this is EU-general or not. Couldn't find any information. Unfriendly it is at least, not only for tourists, I spent about an hour waiting in queue at the mobile phone desk, only to hear about this new rule. Every five minutes the alarm of their show models went off as well, buying there was always an unpleasent experience, though!:)
Not to defend GW here, but normally, it's not the task of a president to load the batteries of some device he might use. Really, it's not GW to blame here, but just some people in the team that didn't prepare the whole action. Normally, at events where such official people attend, the event is practized at least one time. That this happened is just stupidity from people organizing it, I would say.
Slashdot Mirror
nah, it are research papers, in most cases you'll only read the first half and the last half page of it ;)
Yeah, you may be right, but what he clearly ment to say is that it still takes the same amount of time to read slashdot every day during working hours!
Thank you for putting this in perspective! Really, what's with the anti-sex obsession out there in the US? Last time I checked, sex was still necessary to create new life, and often a sign of love etc., whereas violence is just always violence. I really wonder when this hypocrisy started...
(Nice link to the EU site BTW!)
With the major and of course a majority in the city council backing this, they started a very gradual and careful way to change, with a halt since 2004 because they needed a risk analysis in the case that software patents would be installed EU-wide. The cost risk turned out to be pretty small, as for every patent there can be a workaround eventually, linux is based on code that is already known since the 60s, and some other reasons. In the mean time they made sure they had automated software install systems working, and other practical issues resolved. The big news now is that they will actually start with the first linux machines for office employees. First ones will be for office work that requires interchangeable software (word processor, etc), then more complicated office work will follow.
3) making people aware of what their ISP / anyone with (or even without) a search warrant, can find out about them by just combining their non-anonymous search history.
The actual most practical solution I read here on slashdot some time ago was the idea of standardized battery packs. You just go to a 'gas station', exchange your empty pack with a new one, and on you go again. There is already a network of stations at hand, so not much of a problem there. The only problem might be is that there will be a time were gas and battery packs will be sold at the same time, and gas+high voltage electricity probably don't mix too well.
But it could be even better, I think they should instead create half-finished ps3s, add the full official specs in a pdf to go with it, and then let the nerds of the world make nice stuff out of it. Saves sony even more money for producing the thing, and a lot of people will be happy to buy it as it is so developer friendly!
I'm so jealous that I didn't think of it first. But there is still room for a "rolls-royce" kind of console. You won't really need it, it won't be too practical as well, but the people buy it will think to themselves "Jolly good that I'm stiking filthy rich to be able to buy this useless pile of shit of game console. Now I'll have my butler throw it somewhere in a corner and get me a fine wine from my expensive wine collection".
Then this guy's genious even may have more effects, as it sounds like a good slashdot meme to come:
Vista? 'OK, I'll work more hours and buy it.' ; New iPod colors puke-green and turd-brown? 'OK, I'll work more hours and buy it.' ; Movie with such a fine HHD-resolution that you can actually see the molecular fibers in the skin of the actors? 'OK, I'll work more hours and buy it.'
Very correct. Remember that totalarian goverments with dense networks to spy on people existed for a long time, and it's also not new that your local 'democratic government' uses undemocratic means. The only scary thing is that current technology would actually enable a very efficient of way of total control, and manipulation of all historic events (if we would start to depend only on electronic format, and who keeps all his newpapers nowadays). This was unthinkable in the time that 1984 was written. Maybe the question is, what kind of society-critical SF story would someone like george orwell write if he did it now?
You forgot to mention your reference. Related questions.
Actually this is were realism pops in, as any police or other governmental organization most clearly wouldn't have updated its software since the 80s.
Wealth "creation" seems still a pretty questionable concept, you will probably be able to introduce fluctuations to the average, but I as a chemist have the idea that it will always go back to equilibrium at some point :)
If I could choose, I would still rather have a bit of a strict high school system, and a loose university than the other way around.
I once bought a laptop that was advertised at the chemistry faculty of the uni, where I found out after buying that the owner actually passed away after an accident like this happened. The guy apparently didn't wear a labcoat, or stuff got into his pullover through his labcoat, his story was soon over after that :(
Sorry, but I see new meme opportunities here! :)
The answers of P seem familiar though: Same regulations, although maybe more/less strict, are present in at least Germany and Holland. Every one to two years you have to check your car for basic functioning and exhaust values. The tests are really not too intensive, so they can be done in about half an hour, and the regulations make sure that at least the big pollutors or wrecks get of the road before they can do too much harm. If you move your car from whatever state to germany, and you are staying there for more than 6 months or so, you should register your car locally and perform this test before registration.
As Parent already pointed out, there is not too much to worry about, since the emmission tests are based on the production date (and maybe specs) of your car. So your '80 pickup or whatever can also get through without problems.
There might be exceptions as well. German law required cars from the beginning of the 90's to have vertically adjustable headlights, for example. My car didn't have this, I won't have to build it in, but got had to request the form to allow me to drive around with this, it was not much of a problem really.
A different issue might be the particle filters for diesel engines, which at some point might have to be fitted on cars to be allowed to drive at certain areas (e.g. city centers). This is a hot issue in germany at the moment, as not many cars have them at the moment and the retrofitting will be pretty costly.
Dammit, I knew I should've bought it! I got stuck with basic on my c64!
That is nothing! When this happened in my time there were no motorbikes and we had to go, uphill, by bicycle!!! In the snow!!! And there were no magnetic tapes, so it had to be carved in stone instead!!!
(especially not on a day like this)
that was the cool idea of it all, to earn money by selling adverts! Hmmm, this is more or less what google's business plan is based on as well.
(flanders is the dutch speaking part, you mean 'stupid walloons', which still sounds pretty funny, IMHO)
Mercedes and Swatch would have been pretty "smart" to call that a 'charity' cause, but I would call it 'profitable business'. There are a lot of causes to find that can not be mistaken for profitable business, what about helping the people at the bottom of society, for example.
Don't get me wrong here, I'm all in favor of high-MPG cars, but I think that the parent is right on this one. Google maybe should transform their business into a general innovation-company, since they apparently have lots of nice ideas but can't place them within their current 'core business', which is web searching (or actually something else, I don't really know). Currently, they will have trouble selling stockholders/investors the idea to build a car, so they had to make this construction to go through with it.
By the way, you don't have to be google to develop innovative low-fuel cars (both links unrelated, also check out the VW lupo 3 L / 100 km car)
Indeed, why don't they just add a gun next to it as well? Efficient way to quickly solve situations that might go wrong! In case of a police officer, you can have an eye to eye discussion to sort things out. A camera with a loudspeaker makes the 'supervisor' a completely anonymous person, which is in a practical sense a huge step away from your right to defend yourself against charges laid against you.
Addition: at this webshop, you have to show your "meldebescheinigung" of you're an EU citizen living in germany, and if you are not a EU citizen, you have to show a visum which is at least 2 years valid after the date of buying (!)
I have no idea if this is EU-general or not. Couldn't find any information. Unfriendly it is at least, not only for tourists, I spent about an hour waiting in queue at the mobile phone desk, only to hear about this new rule. Every five minutes the alarm of their show models went off as well, buying there was always an unpleasent experience, though! :)
Not to defend GW here, but normally, it's not the task of a president to load the batteries of some device he might use. Really, it's not GW to blame here, but just some people in the team that didn't prepare the whole action. Normally, at events where such official people attend, the event is practized at least one time. That this happened is just stupidity from people organizing it, I would say.