When I play D&D, my friends and I use to original edition hardcover AD&D rule books. The rules are simple, we all know them, and we all know the books well enough to quickly point at the rule if there's disagreement. We do allow combo spells from the original lists to make new ones, cleared in advance or even on the fly if they're straightforward enough. The players & DM are mostly programmers and lawyers, so we're more interested in the role playing and storytelling than in the rules themselves. And the hunkering down in a man-cave all night to act like 14 year olds.
Ah... the IT staff... which sits above the board of directors and is usually the major revenue source of any organization! Seriously, man. A bad idea is a bad idea. You gonna get fired. They not gonna tell you why. But know why. When you work, leave home at home. When you're home, leave work at work. What you're planning is way beyond taking pens and pads. You are bartering with resources that don't belong to you nor to those that have given you the permission you believe you have, which they have no right to do in the first place. IT resources at a university do not belong to the IT staff. Beyond the obvious, that it is illegal... it is also immoral. Try to see why.
PSD is an Adobe/Photoshop format which is basically started out as a proprietary TIFF container to accommodate various things which make it more friendly to modern uses, but mostly as a vendor-lock-in device.
It is the Adobe Photoshop native format... not just some extra format. And its unlikely a TIFF container, probably closer to encapsulated PostScript (also Adobe). Also, its unlikely that the format was intended as a vender lock-in device, even though I only know of two applications that can open a psd document, Photoshop and Illustrator (Adobe again). Like any native format, it stores all the information in the native document you create from the application, such that from the native format you can export to any other format that Photoshop has available (and there are many).
Kodak makes its money (or used to) from film, not the camera hardware itself
No, the camera hardware also was an enourmous part of Kodak's traditional business. And not just cameras and film, but also the proprietary development processes, chemicals used in those, and paper...and quite a bit more than that. Big company, had lots of products besides film.
I have been working on setting up a wireless connection to the nearby university campus (I work there, so that helps)
Probably not for long if you believe its a good idea to leverage your employer's non-free technical resources, and your job, just so you can have non-comcast internet in your apartment.
Right, it will cost hundreds of dollars less than the Apple product for the same hardware.
Uh, dude, Apple products are free. Apple gives their computers to students everywhere absolutely free, and has been doing so for over a decade. Wow, isn't it easy to make up shit? Apparently, the trick to accuracy, however, is telling the truth, and not just making shit up to make your point.
The political systems have degenerated to the point that revolution is required to make real changes.
I'm not ready to toss our Constitution just yet. I think our Founders were BRILLIANT, and the U.S. Constitution one of the greatest works of Mankind. The individuals in government may be corrupt, but I don't see that document becoming corrupted (although interpretations certainly are, e.g.s habeas corpus destroyed by PATRIOT ACT, 2nd Amendment destroyed by weak conservative court by the 2003 DC gun law case, and there are other forces chipping away at the enumerted individual rights of citizens).
Revolution would not help us now, President Jefferson's wishes notwithstanding. What we need is competant investigation, exposure, full disclosure, and justice handed out to those nannystate powermonger moneyhoarders that are defiling the pure vision of the Founders. The Founders never intended things such as allowing multinational corporations to influence Presidential/Congressional elections and the votes of individual lawmakers for the financial benefit of the multinational corporations at the financial expense of the hardworking taxpaying American citizen. Shift the government back into the vision of the Founders, and we won't need a revolution. The Constitution itself equips us with the power to do this.
Despite what you might think of Obama.. He's just doing the best he can.
Agreed. No president can do much good in the first term after a disaster like President G.W. Bush (who technically was never elected to his first term... He lost to Gore... here we have a political coup d'etat). The entire first term is cleaning up that mess, and at the same time dealing with dirty tricks the opposition (Republicans, the conservative lobby) use to make President Obama either appear weak or appear hypocritical. However, President Obama seemed to face opposition from his own party, who held both houses of Congress for long enough early in the term that SOMETHING good should have come from it... but they went after the big fish (healthcare) first... and this distracted and delayed this administration from getting to the thousands of little things that need fixed.
If this coming election is fair, President Obama will be reelected (assuming Republicans STILL can not find an electable candidate). If President Obama is reelected for a second term, I predict that he will be seen as one of the best Presidents in our country's history, because of what he will be able to accomplish in the second term, which is where most (not all) Presidents that are great do their great work.
Besides I haven't lied, some one has already invented fuel cells
Except that you are using deception, and a disingenuine arguement. Yes... someone invented fuel cells. So... the race is over, and I guess all the engineers can go home because there no money there, because it, and apparently everything that even looks a little like it, is upatentable. That's basically what you are saying, isn't it, that its a proverbial or literal crime the patent system is so broken that Apple can take someone elses invention that was already patented, and re-patent it as there own. Wow, what a screwed up world, huh.
Not my problem; it is your problem that you believe your non-expert opinions are fact. It is your problem that you actually think you know more or know better on this or any subject. It is your problem that you are attempting to engage a thread when from the uninspired beginnings you are completely lacking humility and/or awareness of not understanding something... or worse, attempting to promote something that is clearly false. It is your problem that you begin converstations with ignorant lies, and are disingenuine about your reasons for doing so (as it is obvious you know you are playing a childish game, as only children and low cognative performers find entertainment by using ridiculously obvious deception).
That wasn't his post, but since I'm feeling generous, I'll give you another chance. Point out the Apple patents mentioned in his post.
You believe you have a point. Allow me to religuish you of your quite unexamined and false belief. If you wish to suggest that OP is offtopic, that is your perogative. In any case, that is the only way what you are insinuating could be topical... that OP was offtopic, therefore I am offtopic.... and therefore you are offtopic. You may have as well merely posted "My post is off topic, and I will leave you to discovery why yourself." Thanks for wasting time with a completely innacurate, meaningless and inappropriate attempt at indicating a minor pendantic observation... which, again, is incorrect and irellavant. You gonna wait for the comment timer again this time? or log in, coward?
Calm down, it's just a company, not a religion.
Oh wait, it's Apple, carry on.
This isn't Apple, this is Slashdot. Apple is whatever, Slashdot is fucking sacred.... at least until the quality comments are drowned out by the noise of Apple trolls and dullwitted idiots that think they are clever or funny or something. Once the comments turn to shit, Slashdot is nothing. Good job Apple trolls. Not only have you done nothing to effect the change you intended, you've destroyed the only thing worthwhile on the Internet. I, for one, hope you all DIAF.
Ok, you've just wasted our time again. I implore you to do a little more research in understanding what a patent is, what is patentable, and what prior art is before campeigning against Apple. See... what happens is you appear to be a busy body idiot, lashing out with irrellivant facts... promote facts that are irrellivant to the discussion because it is obvious that you have absolutely no understanding of the subject about which you are commenting. Perhaps you should consider what Wittgenstein said about speaking about that which you know nothing about... he's says you're saying nothing at all. By your twisted and incorrect understanding of prior art, anything that has been conceived or created in the past in general prevents anything specific being patentable. Please stop crapping up Slashdot. kthxbai.
Better than that it has already been done http://www.gizmag.com/go/5325/ . Do people at the patent office not know how to Google an idea,
Hello. I for one would like to see your bullet points for "Better than that has already been done." Your comment inspired me to read both articles, and now that I have wasted my time I expect some satisfaction. Just what the fuck are you talking about? Are you suggesting that you know more than the sparse, truncated information written in TFA and in the link you provided? What I would like to know is why the US Patent Office doesn't simply close its doors and forward all applications to you, because apparently you are omnipotent and everyone else is an idiot.
it's official, the patent system is just a joke. a computer could generate these patent titles and a monkey could do the write ups.
Yes... but you are well aware you only belive this to be true regarding Apple patents. Except for anything Apple does, the patent system is broken just fine. If Apple tries to use it, then it is broken beyond recognition and just another tool for Apple's world domination. Seriously... Microsoft, Google, Samsung... could pen the same EXACT patent, and no one would care because beating up the retarted pulsy kid just doesn't have the same interest it once did, and it is now a vastly more popular activity to impotently conspire against the star quarterback homecoming king, who got the pro contract and is skipping college... but don't be so quick to judge the jock... that "jock's" accumulated AP credits put them at graduate level technologies... yes, I am saying that compared to everyone else, Apple's devices are now years ahead and no longer have legitimate competition. It only makes sense that Apple would be the first to take a bite at the Apple of unpatented technolgies as they're they ONLY technology manufacturer with a successful brand that could actually, conceivably bring a quality and finished product to market in the near future utilizing this patent. Once you remove your blind hatred of all things Apple (we call this 'bias'), you will see this is true... and its a shame because Apple fans are annoying... but lets not make it about them because... no matter how annoying Apple fans get, it will never effect Apple products.
I could swear I saw reports of companies building experimental Notebook fuel cells years ago...
did you? OK, well... in order for your comment to be on topic, you must tell us, please... how exactly is that prior art? I'm afraid that your complete lack of understanding what prior art is does not qualify you for commenting in this discussion. Back up... try again, please. If you must, since this is an Apple-related summary, feel free to troll for karma points.
We're talking about a company who tries to stop anyone else making a flat rectangular computing device with a touch screen after all...
The real tragedy is that the moderation system here only goes up to +5 Insightful, because what you just said could be the most original, never before seen, most insightful comment anyone has ever constructed, and I've never seen it repeated here a thousand times before. How did you come up with that all by yourself? We've read your other comments which are quite dull and usually annoying flamebait, unlike this one... be honest... you were coached by someone, weren't you?
Hackers certainly aren't to blame. Generally ranting here, but what I've seen make headlines is the 'hacker' (definintion in contention) equivalent of waking up one day and finding water all over your bathroom and realizing someone's been in there splashing water everywhere. Besides the overreaction to all it is, which is just annoying and expensive (time) is the overengineering to prevent it from happining again. Serious people seriously doing serious work seriously... we are the easiest marks. These kinds of 'hacks' and interested perpetrators are just as susceptable as the bathroom will always be to breaches using the same bag of tricks against the 'hacker.'
This is why marketing should merge with IT. Using well established PR techniques, and without having to waste time ever expensively fixing code that kind of already works; all that is necessary is to campaign against the personality, individual, group of individuals, activity or even thought of activity that actually utilizing that or any security holes is whatever we say it is. Besides distraction or diversion, another possible stacked method is to draw attention to a scapegoat, and the security researcher (or loosely put, 'hacker') could be used, as could any thing/one. To illustrate an example, if the view of doing anything unorthodox could be coaxed into sharing the reactions to other or all unorthodox activity, then anyone that finds a bug or any activity possible beyond that could share the same public condemnation of the pedophile, date-rapist or whathaveyou. Point being, from a business perspective, manipulating people is far less expensive than manipulating code. IT is all about work smarter not harder. If breaching code can cast a dubious new quality of 'insecure' on a system, then its valid to say that if breaching code were socially uncool enough, individuals wouldn't engage in it anymore. To prevent governments from doing it, the method we know that works involves leaking footage of them relentlessly spying on us, which explains all the water everywhere.
Magnetic field this and magnetic field that, I don't see what's so important with Earth's magnetic fields. You can't land a plane on it, can't fight a battle on it, can't plow it, livestock can't graze on it, can't go long for a pass down the center of it and you can't sit on your porch, feet up, admiring the Sun setting behind it.
Anyway, the Earth's magnetic field has nothing to do with molten metal at the Earth's core (like... in the ground? How's it gonna do anything there?). Millennia of historical and scientific observation proves the field is meticulously woven by porpoise, whales, migrating birds, Monarch butterflies, and the compass cartel.
Slashdot Mirror
When I play D&D, my friends and I use to original edition hardcover AD&D rule books. The rules are simple, we all know them, and we all know the books well enough to quickly point at the rule if there's disagreement. We do allow combo spells from the original lists to make new ones, cleared in advance or even on the fly if they're straightforward enough. The players & DM are mostly programmers and lawyers, so we're more interested in the role playing and storytelling than in the rules themselves. And the hunkering down in a man-cave all night to act like 14 year olds.
You're doing it right. But you already knew this.
um... the "editions" suck... too much information, too many rules, not enough creative freedom for DM.
And in my experience, the youngins, exclusively, are the ones with the editions... greybeards always play AD&D
AD&D FTW
AD&D or GTFO
Ah... the IT staff... which sits above the board of directors and is usually the major revenue source of any organization! Seriously, man. A bad idea is a bad idea. You gonna get fired. They not gonna tell you why. But know why. When you work, leave home at home. When you're home, leave work at work. What you're planning is way beyond taking pens and pads. You are bartering with resources that don't belong to you nor to those that have given you the permission you believe you have, which they have no right to do in the first place. IT resources at a university do not belong to the IT staff. Beyond the obvious, that it is illegal... it is also immoral. Try to see why.
PSD is an Adobe/Photoshop format which is basically started out as a proprietary TIFF container to accommodate various things which make it more friendly to modern uses, but mostly as a vendor-lock-in device.
It is the Adobe Photoshop native format... not just some extra format. And its unlikely a TIFF container, probably closer to encapsulated PostScript (also Adobe). Also, its unlikely that the format was intended as a vender lock-in device, even though I only know of two applications that can open a psd document, Photoshop and Illustrator (Adobe again). Like any native format, it stores all the information in the native document you create from the application, such that from the native format you can export to any other format that Photoshop has available (and there are many).
Kodak makes its money (or used to) from film, not the camera hardware itself
No, the camera hardware also was an enourmous part of Kodak's traditional business. And not just cameras and film, but also the proprietary development processes, chemicals used in those, and paper...and quite a bit more than that. Big company, had lots of products besides film.
I have been working on setting up a wireless connection to the nearby university campus (I work there, so that helps)
Probably not for long if you believe its a good idea to leverage your employer's non-free technical resources, and your job, just so you can have non-comcast internet in your apartment.
Right, it will cost hundreds of dollars less than the Apple product for the same hardware.
Uh, dude, Apple products are free. Apple gives their computers to students everywhere absolutely free, and has been doing so for over a decade. Wow, isn't it easy to make up shit? Apparently, the trick to accuracy, however, is telling the truth, and not just making shit up to make your point.
errr. Silicon valley is not in Los Angeles, Hollywood is. Hollywood's support for this bill makes sense, silicon valley's does not.
GP probably meant Silicone Valley, which is LA.
The political systems have degenerated to the point that revolution is required to make real changes.
I'm not ready to toss our Constitution just yet. I think our Founders were BRILLIANT, and the U.S. Constitution one of the greatest works of Mankind. The individuals in government may be corrupt, but I don't see that document becoming corrupted (although interpretations certainly are, e.g.s habeas corpus destroyed by PATRIOT ACT, 2nd Amendment destroyed by weak conservative court by the 2003 DC gun law case, and there are other forces chipping away at the enumerted individual rights of citizens).
Revolution would not help us now, President Jefferson's wishes notwithstanding. What we need is competant investigation, exposure, full disclosure, and justice handed out to those nannystate powermonger moneyhoarders that are defiling the pure vision of the Founders. The Founders never intended things such as allowing multinational corporations to influence Presidential/Congressional elections and the votes of individual lawmakers for the financial benefit of the multinational corporations at the financial expense of the hardworking taxpaying American citizen. Shift the government back into the vision of the Founders, and we won't need a revolution. The Constitution itself equips us with the power to do this.
Despite what you might think of Obama.. He's just doing the best he can.
Agreed. No president can do much good in the first term after a disaster like President G.W. Bush (who technically was never elected to his first term... He lost to Gore... here we have a political coup d'etat). The entire first term is cleaning up that mess, and at the same time dealing with dirty tricks the opposition (Republicans, the conservative lobby) use to make President Obama either appear weak or appear hypocritical. However, President Obama seemed to face opposition from his own party, who held both houses of Congress for long enough early in the term that SOMETHING good should have come from it... but they went after the big fish (healthcare) first... and this distracted and delayed this administration from getting to the thousands of little things that need fixed.
If this coming election is fair, President Obama will be reelected (assuming Republicans STILL can not find an electable candidate). If President Obama is reelected for a second term, I predict that he will be seen as one of the best Presidents in our country's history, because of what he will be able to accomplish in the second term, which is where most (not all) Presidents that are great do their great work.
Besides I haven't lied, some one has already invented fuel cells
Except that you are using deception, and a disingenuine arguement. Yes... someone invented fuel cells. So... the race is over, and I guess all the engineers can go home because there no money there, because it, and apparently everything that even looks a little like it, is upatentable. That's basically what you are saying, isn't it, that its a proverbial or literal crime the patent system is so broken that Apple can take someone elses invention that was already patented, and re-patent it as there own. Wow, what a screwed up world, huh.
Not my problem; it is your problem that you believe your non-expert opinions are fact. It is your problem that you actually think you know more or know better on this or any subject. It is your problem that you are attempting to engage a thread when from the uninspired beginnings you are completely lacking humility and/or awareness of not understanding something... or worse, attempting to promote something that is clearly false. It is your problem that you begin converstations with ignorant lies, and are disingenuine about your reasons for doing so (as it is obvious you know you are playing a childish game, as only children and low cognative performers find entertainment by using ridiculously obvious deception).
That wasn't his post, but since I'm feeling generous, I'll give you another chance. Point out the Apple patents mentioned in his post.
You believe you have a point. Allow me to religuish you of your quite unexamined and false belief. If you wish to suggest that OP is offtopic, that is your perogative. In any case, that is the only way what you are insinuating could be topical... that OP was offtopic, therefore I am offtopic.... and therefore you are offtopic. You may have as well merely posted "My post is off topic, and I will leave you to discovery why yourself." Thanks for wasting time with a completely innacurate, meaningless and inappropriate attempt at indicating a minor pendantic observation... which, again, is incorrect and irellavant. You gonna wait for the comment timer again this time? or log in, coward?
Calm down, it's just a company, not a religion. Oh wait, it's Apple, carry on.
This isn't Apple, this is Slashdot. Apple is whatever, Slashdot is fucking sacred.... at least until the quality comments are drowned out by the noise of Apple trolls and dullwitted idiots that think they are clever or funny or something. Once the comments turn to shit, Slashdot is nothing. Good job Apple trolls. Not only have you done nothing to effect the change you intended, you've destroyed the only thing worthwhile on the Internet. I, for one, hope you all DIAF.
Where did he mention Apple or Apple patents in his post?
I direct you to the summary, and the summary title, which (if you missed it) GP has commented on:
Apple Files Patent For Fule Cell Laptops
Try to be a little more observant before trolling, kid.
Ok, you've just wasted our time again. I implore you to do a little more research in understanding what a patent is, what is patentable, and what prior art is before campeigning against Apple. See... what happens is you appear to be a busy body idiot, lashing out with irrellivant facts... promote facts that are irrellivant to the discussion because it is obvious that you have absolutely no understanding of the subject about which you are commenting. Perhaps you should consider what Wittgenstein said about speaking about that which you know nothing about... he's says you're saying nothing at all. By your twisted and incorrect understanding of prior art, anything that has been conceived or created in the past in general prevents anything specific being patentable. Please stop crapping up Slashdot. kthxbai.
Better than that it has already been done http://www.gizmag.com/go/5325/ . Do people at the patent office not know how to Google an idea,
Hello. I for one would like to see your bullet points for "Better than that has already been done." Your comment inspired me to read both articles, and now that I have wasted my time I expect some satisfaction. Just what the fuck are you talking about? Are you suggesting that you know more than the sparse, truncated information written in TFA and in the link you provided? What I would like to know is why the US Patent Office doesn't simply close its doors and forward all applications to you, because apparently you are omnipotent and everyone else is an idiot.
it's official, the patent system is just a joke. a computer could generate these patent titles and a monkey could do the write ups.
Yes... but you are well aware you only belive this to be true regarding Apple patents. Except for anything Apple does, the patent system is broken just fine. If Apple tries to use it, then it is broken beyond recognition and just another tool for Apple's world domination. Seriously... Microsoft, Google, Samsung... could pen the same EXACT patent, and no one would care because beating up the retarted pulsy kid just doesn't have the same interest it once did, and it is now a vastly more popular activity to impotently conspire against the star quarterback homecoming king, who got the pro contract and is skipping college... but don't be so quick to judge the jock... that "jock's" accumulated AP credits put them at graduate level technologies... yes, I am saying that compared to everyone else, Apple's devices are now years ahead and no longer have legitimate competition. It only makes sense that Apple would be the first to take a bite at the Apple of unpatented technolgies as they're they ONLY technology manufacturer with a successful brand that could actually, conceivably bring a quality and finished product to market in the near future utilizing this patent. Once you remove your blind hatred of all things Apple (we call this 'bias'), you will see this is true... and its a shame because Apple fans are annoying... but lets not make it about them because... no matter how annoying Apple fans get, it will never effect Apple products.
I could swear I saw reports of companies building experimental Notebook fuel cells years ago ...
did you? OK, well... in order for your comment to be on topic, you must tell us, please... how exactly is that prior art? I'm afraid that your complete lack of understanding what prior art is does not qualify you for commenting in this discussion. Back up... try again, please. If you must, since this is an Apple-related summary, feel free to troll for karma points.
We're talking about a company who tries to stop anyone else making a flat rectangular computing device with a touch screen after all...
The real tragedy is that the moderation system here only goes up to +5 Insightful, because what you just said could be the most original, never before seen, most insightful comment anyone has ever constructed, and I've never seen it repeated here a thousand times before. How did you come up with that all by yourself? We've read your other comments which are quite dull and usually annoying flamebait, unlike this one... be honest... you were coached by someone, weren't you?
The problem is not necessarily with Siemens
Hackers certainly aren't to blame. Generally ranting here, but what I've seen make headlines is the 'hacker' (definintion in contention) equivalent of waking up one day and finding water all over your bathroom and realizing someone's been in there splashing water everywhere. Besides the overreaction to all it is, which is just annoying and expensive (time) is the overengineering to prevent it from happining again. Serious people seriously doing serious work seriously... we are the easiest marks. These kinds of 'hacks' and interested perpetrators are just as susceptable as the bathroom will always be to breaches using the same bag of tricks against the 'hacker.'
This is why marketing should merge with IT. Using well established PR techniques, and without having to waste time ever expensively fixing code that kind of already works; all that is necessary is to campaign against the personality, individual, group of individuals, activity or even thought of activity that actually utilizing that or any security holes is whatever we say it is. Besides distraction or diversion, another possible stacked method is to draw attention to a scapegoat, and the security researcher (or loosely put, 'hacker') could be used, as could any thing/one. To illustrate an example, if the view of doing anything unorthodox could be coaxed into sharing the reactions to other or all unorthodox activity, then anyone that finds a bug or any activity possible beyond that could share the same public condemnation of the pedophile, date-rapist or whathaveyou. Point being, from a business perspective, manipulating people is far less expensive than manipulating code. IT is all about work smarter not harder. If breaching code can cast a dubious new quality of 'insecure' on a system, then its valid to say that if breaching code were socially uncool enough, individuals wouldn't engage in it anymore. To prevent governments from doing it, the method we know that works involves leaking footage of them relentlessly spying on us, which explains all the water everywhere.
Then they should have had someone else kill the Lord of the Nazgul, then.
Radagast! But have it be by accident!
feverishly scribbling rewrites
Magnetic field this and magnetic field that, I don't see what's so important with Earth's magnetic fields. You can't land a plane on it, can't fight a battle on it, can't plow it, livestock can't graze on it, can't go long for a pass down the center of it and you can't sit on your porch, feet up, admiring the Sun setting behind it.
Anyway, the Earth's magnetic field has nothing to do with molten metal at the Earth's core (like... in the ground? How's it gonna do anything there?). Millennia of historical and scientific observation proves the field is meticulously woven by porpoise, whales, migrating birds, Monarch butterflies, and the compass cartel.
Qt predates KDE...
Does Qt have any relation to Quartz? Its the Q... and the t... makes me think maybe there was a story to be told there.
Does Google not exist on your planet?
I am not inclined to entertain your ontological interrogative.
Qt predates KDE...
Does Qt have any relation to Quartz? Its the Q... and the t... makes me think maybe there was a story to be told there.