History is by far more important than any monetary value of the finds in any archeological foray. Long after any riches have lined the pockets of someone, the understanding of the past remains in our minds (if we let it). There is so much to learn from what happened in the Egyptian dynastic holdings region. So much to learn...
I'm in hope that as our technology advances, so will our explorations - and perhaps our ability to preserve the purity of the finds.
I listened to an NPR story on this, a few days ago. I must say that the whole idea behind the science of revealing palimpsests is really neat and interesting. It is a shame that wonderful thoughts have been covered over (including paintings and music manuscripts), but it has happened, and the most important thing now (in MHO) is to rediscover the treasures lost.
Some great paintings, writings, and music manuscripts were covered by their own artists/writers, not just by others. One should, in my opinion, remember to knock the artist/writer on the head with a stick - before they destroy their own work. As for those who re-used materials for their own use... well, I don't really know how I feel about that...
In short, the latest imaging techniques are astounding. I am looking forward to more discoveries of palimpsests in the future!
I'll defer the Skype aspects of the question to the Skype-knowledgeable.
It is a smart idea to run recordings through something that gives good signal strength. (I'm sure your headset is great for real-time listenting, but voice mics are significantly better at recording good sound and ignoring noise.) If possible, using a true voice microphone (like a Shure SM58 (industry standard), or the Nady CM-100 (excellent value for the price))) will genuinely and dramatically improve the sound of voice. Also, using a microphone pre-amp will actually let you have more flexibility of tone and sound warmth. (I'm not associated with, nor do I have ties with Musician's Friend. I'm just using their links because they have good write-ups, good pictures, and the clientele usually writes good reviews. I also am not an affiliate.)
If you have recordings that have ambient noise, this is caused by a myriad of things. One of these is device self-noise, another is room noise, and another is microphonics, and another is line/proximity noise. If you spend a few minutes reading about these things, and get familiar with noise factors, your recording capability will improve dramatically - even with a small investment of time.
An excellent and easy-to-use sound cleaning (post-production) tool to remove tons of noises from your vocal recordings is Sound Soap. I can't begin to sing enough praises to this software for audio clean up. It has drastically improved many impromptu, non-studio recordings. The basic version of SoundSoap is great for the budget-minded or for the person who doesn't want to have huge, variable control of channels and frequencies for noise reduction (means: it's a great easy-button solution). The more advanced SoundSoap and suite is good for professional applications.
I don't know if the settlement will change the way music/software/content is traded and shuffled via the internet.
But, here is my hope: I'd like to see the RIAA spend that $100m on the following:
*) Pay royalties/living wage/etc. to all those artists from the early days of recordings - the ones that got paid a pittance for performance, but never received any living from the subsequent profitability and ownership of those tunes/recordings. There are tons of older musicians out there that the public loves - musicians that are living in the "poor house" while corporations collect royalties.
*) Fund music education in the schools. Give good instruments to schools - particularly in areas where funding is scarce, and the kids can ill afford today's $1k+ instruments. Help pay music educators, particularly where budgets don't fund liberal arts.
*) Fund collaborations between experienced artists and up-and-coming artists. The beauty of music is that it is also meant to be shared between musicians, on top of being shared with its listeners. Fund collaborations with folks like B.B. King, Carlos Santana, Yoyo Ma, etc. and kids who are getting started out with music.
*) Fund and encourage labels to take risks with artists that are not necessarily the latest commercial success. If not funding the labels, fund the musicians themselves and give them access to qualified folks who can help spread their music.
*) Use the money to promote a broad spectrum of music from less-than-well-known artists. Give the listeners of the world music that comes from the soul, not the boardroom.
I think the whole discussion about the long tail is interesting and worthwhile.
I think the truth between the two discussions (Anderson vs. Gomes) is more likely to be something in the middle, not at one extreme or the other. I don't think hits are going away, and I think hits make their mark on most any marketable thing/meta-thing. With that said, I think that niches are more meaningful and valuable than ever before.
The book example is great - I get more access to niche publications because of the long tail concept, largely because of funding and popularity of hits. Said a little differently: the niche stuff generally sits alongside the hits, and generally benefit from some of the hits' halos.
My music isn't hit music. That's OK, it's just stuff made from my soul, and I am not planning to quit my day job. The money made from niche availability on the internet (for me) fund dinners out, an occasional instrument upgrade, or a small household bill or two. Why is the long tail beneficial to me? Because when someone is browsing James Blunt, they'll often see me on the front page in a promo, and sometimes (well, briefly) listen to my stuff too. Similarly, iTunes/Rhapsody/Emusic/Yahoo! Music/etc. browsers often buy the latest hits, but will splurge on a Jimmy Bear tune or two - how do they find my tunes? Because my niche music is available with the hits, and because searches sometimes come up with one of my funky little musings.
My point is, that niche stuff isn't taking over the world, and hits aren't all there is. I think the niche markets of the world have been greatly enhanced by Internet access, and that they also benefit from proximity to the hits.
I, for one, welcome our new Sony over...... Oops. The sixties perhaps weren't very kind to me... Now, on topic
TFA is very short, low on content, and really doesn't do much for me. The only nugget o' information is that Sony's using some well-known suppliers for unit production.
Personally, I don't get much time to play games any more - even my kids are almost too busy to play any more. But, we really enjoy our consoles when we do get to play, so I am looking forward to the PS3. However, as before, we will wait for a good while to purchase a PS3. I'd like to avoid the 1.0 problems that will occur, and I really don't want to pay top-dollar after waiting in huge lines at launch time. We waited more than a year for a PS2, and I'm glad we bought one at that time... we've really enjoyed it, and there was no stress in the purchase. OTOH, our local Target has only recently begun to actually have a 360 or two on its shelves, so there's no telling how long it will be before PS3s actually become available here.
I don't have a lot of faith that there won't be PS3 supply issues this holiday. I might believe that Sony watched Microsoft and learned something, but I'm adopting the "wait and see" attitude.
Mark me OT or mod me down with something, I'm fine with that.
The responses to the serious question post are an example of what's good about/.. In many circles, this question would have gotten "do you want me to write your code for you?" or "RTFM", or "Google (something here)", or statements that question the poster's value in the world. I learned something from the replies, and I appreciated the tone of voice of the replies. I, for one, am so glad so many smart people post here.
Background: When Blockbuster (the only rental place within reasonable distance of our home) started charging more than $6 for a DVD rental, then moved their rental store across town, we became Netflix users. We signed up for the "one-at-a-time" service. We used to watch about two movies a month - and wanted to watch more, typically one per weekend. It made financial sense (and saves gas) for us to switch over to Netflix. On any given month, we actually spend less money (on Netflix fees than we used to on Blockbuster rentals). In addition, we almost never have to wait before a given title is available for us to rent via Netflix - with Blockbuster, we'd have to go back more than once to get a given film.
With the background out of the way... when we were renting on time-based rentals, we felt pressure to watch the film right away. The availability of a film in combination with what day of the week it became available always caused us to "rush to watch."
We do not have the dust-collecting issue mentioned in TFA - rather, we just put it on the table and watch it when we're ready. I enjoy films much more when we view them when we want to (as opposed to rushing to watch before the due date/time.). As such, our enjoyment of the films we watch has gone up, the availability is better, and we don't spend gas money to get the films.
I do, however, hear of people (mainly via work) who have the three-at-a-time plan who are now saying, "I don't have the time to watch the films, so they just sit there forever." In this way, it does seem that video rental has shifted in paradigm. I can see the comparison of TFA's mention of abundance and its relationship to the general value of a thing...
On an interesting note (note that the following is opinion and personal observation): of the folks to whom I have spoken about this article- there seems to be a greater demarcation than just availability... folks with children tend to feel that they don't have the time to watch, and folks without children tend to avidly consume their films.
I sincerely thought the headline read, "Apple Ends Anti-Legal Blogger Effort." thanks, I'm here all week
On topic, though... which is worse?:
1) The release of leaked information (before the time suits the business interests), or
2) The negative PR of having a large company go after a blogger, or
3) The negative (I guess some might argue, positive?) net effects of lawsuits - lawsuits that are used to attempt to control business?
It is important for businesses to protect themselves, yes... but I think battles must be chosen very carefully.
The page doesn't appear to have been "pulled." It appears that the.mac user's bandwidth allotment has been exceeded - too bad, really... I wanted to see it...
Washington should not shape the Internet. (Without using all the vitriolic statments or acrimony to say this:) the basic issue is that Washington is politicians and bureaucrats - they don't really understand the fundamentals behind Internet technology or its ebb and flow.
Business (particularly, well-funded business) has always had the ear of our bureaucrats - they're called lobbyists. In general, the Telcos (and other communications giants) are very good at lobbying. As with any business, they are looking out for themselves.
I believe that it is incumbent upon the public to help Washington understand what is at stake, and what is realistic about that which is being whispered in the bureaucrats' ears.
As we interact with others, we should express ourselves, and perhaps enlist others to help Washington understand what is truly at stake.
Said a little differently, I think the technologically-inclined should get involved and help keep the "train from going off track."
I want my children to be happy, healthy, and safe. So, I don't call Congress and ask them to legislate the fear-mongering-du-jour. What do I do? I love, respect, and educate my kids - including helping them to understand the wonderful and the horrible things about the world (including the internet, and sites like MySpace). My kids have to make decisions for themselves about these things (they MUST think on their own and MUST have their own opinions) - I just provide guidance, respect, love, and lots of support. Loving, realistic parents are kids' greatest allies, not the congress.
I sincerely believe that our (U.S.) representatives are often deeply confused about the massive, swirling, changing world around them. It is almost as though they spend their day wading through the swirl of society, plucking things out of the air (just because something is popular, is in the news, ore is something important to their handlers).
The parent's take on things is well said. Whether or not one wishes to bash $OS or $COMPUTER_MODEL is beside the point. Taking a few minutes out to look at the bigger picture often gives one a clearer perspective.
I use most of the major OSs and have used/now use most major brand manufacturer's computers, so I don't have a particular slant for/against anything (just give me chips, disks, display, and input devices). I must say that the 1.0 of a product (one that is a radical departure in design or manufacture) often falls short of expectations. My old HP Pavilion desktop (a 1.0) really had lots of issues... My first Toshiba Satellite (a 1.0) was horrid, my subsequent Toshiba Satellite (a 1.1 product) was flawless and worked for many years. My first HDD Mac was pretty bad (bought the new model the week they were released - lost the speaker, two RAM chips, and the HDD in the first year alone) - subsequent versions of the same Mac were solid as a rock.
Karmann (a pretty well-respected auto design firm) spent years working on the convertible version of the New Beetle Convertible - yet, the 2003 (a 1.0 product) had lots of issues with the top.
I digress... sorry... back to MB and MBP issues... As far as the MB and the MBP - they're nice looking, quick, slick, and very good for the things my wife needs for university work. We've been stung too many times by 1.0 stuff to buy one yet... we're waiting for the 1.1 before we replace her three-year-old iBook G4.
I think it is a interesting to see that researchers are trying to find ways to get Joe/Jane user to recognize that WYSINWYG with every website they visit. So maybe there are a few flaws in these folks' ideas... but they're trying to get education out (at least, on some level).
Educate yourself about the changing face of phishing. Help other folks by helping them understand phishing. Don't hesitate to try to find a way to reduce phishing.
Report phishing... if you can report it to the people whose site is mimiced, then do so. At least, you can report the phishing attempt to The Anti-Phishing Working Group.
By the way, sometimes I'm a little slow (what's new?)... for those of you like me who didn't know what "PEBKAC" meant, here's the Wikipedia definition.
When I discovered DOOM (a year after it actually came out), my gaming world changed. For me, gaming went from Atari console games to PC-Based games because of DOOM.
However, come to think of it, I really enjoyed Myst. I think it was Myst that got me to the place where I really enjoy exploring, finding hidden things, and solving puzzles - even more than I enjoyed emptying a rail gun into Imps and Mancubi (plural of Mancubus?)
So, for me, it was two different years that were the best.
I don't think CORBA is dead. I think CORBA just didn't become ubiquitous.
There have been (and will continue to be) many great technologies that have impacted/will impact software in an ongoing basis. Actually, CORBA serves as a great example of how things often work in the software world: a great technology is introduced into the software development world; the development/design world tries to work with it; it makes it as a viable technology or becomes a niche widget/system.
What's positive about CORBA (and GIOP/IIOP)? A great many of us loved the bright and shiny aspects of it, jousted with its windmills, and learned a great deal about cross-technology, cross-language, cross-everything runtime communication/collaboration/data exchange. I sincerely think CORBA made subsequent technologies much better (than they would have if they had been introduced first). In my opinion, similar things like RMI and web services/SOAP-based technologies are clearly easier to understand, implement, and deploy - largely due to many of the lessons learned with CORBA.
It's important to educate oneself about basic security. Don't click a link in any email that refers to PayPal. As a matter of fact, there are few reasons to click links in any emails.
Just as important, seriously, educate others. Don't mumble "Darwin" or "figure it out yourself" when you can help someone else protect themselves or educate themselves about security threats.
Always report PayPal phish attempts to spam@paypal.com.
There's an excellent set of resources about phishing in general - and you can report phishing attempts at: antiphishing.org.
Not to be repetitive, but the best way to make a difference (in this case) is to help others and help yourself with education.
A trojan/virus/etc. that disables regedit and the task manager - and monkeys with files. This is not A Good Thing.
Many corporations support MSN Messenger only. Given a choice, however, I'm very fond of Trillian Pro 3. I found the license price for Trillian to be quite reasonable, considering its flexibility, stability, and the fact that (so far, fingers crossed) it has not been subject to attacks such as this.
Indeed, the deal from CDBaby is quite good. I am also a CDBaby artist, and generally speaking, I make a dinner's (pizza) worth of money every month or so from download sales of my tunes and albums. If you're indie/indie like myself (and Nathan - I like his music! Please give him a visit), folks like CDBaby make wide distribution possible.
It's not just the fact that Derek Sivers and CDBaby take such a low, flat cut of the sales - it is also that they are constantly feeding the artist's material to many digitial services. It is very often that we get emails from Derek talking about new distribution deals, new means of promotion, and new web tools through which we can sell or promote our music. This is the critical part: My music is on iTunes, Yahoo! Music, Virgin, WalMart, and as many as 40 others. For the price that they exact from my sales (very low), CDBaby is a MAJOR bang for the buck.
I know (from conversations) that many labeled artists don't get the same types of deals that you get from CDBaby... It really is a matter of negotiation, market pull, potential for future sales, and loads of other factors. I wish that the folks signed to major labels got the attention and deal that CDBaby offers...
I think the designs are interesting. The idea behind a concept is to try to re-think things, or to improve things. Concept art and concept designs are all about stimulating ideas. Once in a while, a good idea comes along, and is actually implemented. Many things are assigned the round file of the past.
Getting people to think about cell phones and their future is the intent of the design work - the intent is not necessarily to produce viable phones, just ideas.
I think it is not easy to come up with refreshing and original ideas. It seems easy to criticize the ideas of others - but try to look at it from another angle: What would your design be?
I figured that Windows was always in touch with the mother ship, but still, further evidence of the OS checking on me offends me. I paid for the copy of Windows on my winbox (not my primary computer, but my "make sure it works on Windows" test computer), and I don't need to be judged and constantly re-judged.
I don't need the GWA tool to constantly update itself - I think one verification is enough (and seems too much to me anyway).
I'm very proud of Bill Ball (of Ernie Ball Musical Stuff) for dumping the entire Microsoft line and going to less draconian stuff. He's got real integrity, a great business model, excellent products, and is doing just fine without Microsoft trying to "make sure his licenses are up to date and optimal", thank you very much.
Getting computers in the hands of the many in under-developed countries doesn't seem like such a bad thing to me, IMVHO. If indeed it takes off, and these are delivered en-masse to kids in outbound places, it will be a good thing. If only a few kids get to break a cycle of poverty (obviously, lots more are desirable, but I'm speaking of "at least" here...), the program would seem to have been worth it.
I love the Apple stickers all over the meeting attendees' laptops (not the $100 laptops) in the pictures. Product placement maybe? [giggles]
Many of the things that have already been commented on which I agree:
Overweight;
Lack of sleep;
Not enough exercise (maybe related to using cars, maybe not).
However, perhaps there is something else at play that is not related in TFA. Perhaps many Americans studied have private insurance coverage? How would access to a private doctor (vs. more socialized systems such as those in Canada and much of Europe/the UK) alter how one feels about going to the doctor? Are people more likely to go to the doctor if it is cheap to do and is almost on-demand (vs. waiting longer periods of time before one "gets seen")?
Slashdot Mirror
Well said!
History is by far more important than any monetary value of the finds in any archeological foray. Long after any riches have lined the pockets of someone, the understanding of the past remains in our minds (if we let it). There is so much to learn from what happened in the Egyptian dynastic holdings region. So much to learn...
I'm in hope that as our technology advances, so will our explorations - and perhaps our ability to preserve the purity of the finds.
I listened to an NPR story on this, a few days ago. I must say that the whole idea behind the science of revealing palimpsests is really neat and interesting. It is a shame that wonderful thoughts have been covered over (including paintings and music manuscripts), but it has happened, and the most important thing now (in MHO) is to rediscover the treasures lost.
Some great paintings, writings, and music manuscripts were covered by their own artists/writers, not just by others. One should, in my opinion, remember to knock the artist/writer on the head with a stick - before they destroy their own work. As for those who re-used materials for their own use... well, I don't really know how I feel about that...
In short, the latest imaging techniques are astounding. I am looking forward to more discoveries of palimpsests in the future!
#>mput *.moviehumor
#>put "Shall... we... play... a... game...?"?
#>y
#>Sorry Dave, can't do that right now...
But seriously... why would the government/military choose to put it on "warm standby" just now? Is it just budgetary?
Sometimes shutting down stuff saves money, yes... but sometimes the costs aren't readable in print on a budget page...
I'll defer the Skype aspects of the question to the Skype-knowledgeable.
It is a smart idea to run recordings through something that gives good signal strength. (I'm sure your headset is great for real-time listenting, but voice mics are significantly better at recording good sound and ignoring noise.) If possible, using a true voice microphone (like a Shure SM58 (industry standard), or the Nady CM-100 (excellent value for the price))) will genuinely and dramatically improve the sound of voice. Also, using a microphone pre-amp will actually let you have more flexibility of tone and sound warmth. (I'm not associated with, nor do I have ties with Musician's Friend. I'm just using their links because they have good write-ups, good pictures, and the clientele usually writes good reviews. I also am not an affiliate.)
If you have recordings that have ambient noise, this is caused by a myriad of things. One of these is device self-noise, another is room noise, and another is microphonics, and another is line/proximity noise. If you spend a few minutes reading about these things, and get familiar with noise factors, your recording capability will improve dramatically - even with a small investment of time.
An excellent and easy-to-use sound cleaning (post-production) tool to remove tons of noises from your vocal recordings is Sound Soap. I can't begin to sing enough praises to this software for audio clean up. It has drastically improved many impromptu, non-studio recordings. The basic version of SoundSoap is great for the budget-minded or for the person who doesn't want to have huge, variable control of channels and frequencies for noise reduction (means: it's a great easy-button solution). The more advanced SoundSoap and suite is good for professional applications.
I don't know if the settlement will change the way music/software/content is traded and shuffled via the internet.
But, here is my hope: I'd like to see the RIAA spend that $100m on the following:
*) Pay royalties/living wage/etc. to all those artists from the early days of recordings - the ones that got paid a pittance for performance, but never received any living from the subsequent profitability and ownership of those tunes/recordings. There are tons of older musicians out there that the public loves - musicians that are living in the "poor house" while corporations collect royalties.
*) Fund music education in the schools. Give good instruments to schools - particularly in areas where funding is scarce, and the kids can ill afford today's $1k+ instruments. Help pay music educators, particularly where budgets don't fund liberal arts.
*) Fund collaborations between experienced artists and up-and-coming artists. The beauty of music is that it is also meant to be shared between musicians, on top of being shared with its listeners. Fund collaborations with folks like B.B. King, Carlos Santana, Yoyo Ma, etc. and kids who are getting started out with music.
*) Fund and encourage labels to take risks with artists that are not necessarily the latest commercial success. If not funding the labels, fund the musicians themselves and give them access to qualified folks who can help spread their music.
*) Use the money to promote a broad spectrum of music from less-than-well-known artists. Give the listeners of the world music that comes from the soul, not the boardroom.
I think the whole discussion about the long tail is interesting and worthwhile.
I think the truth between the two discussions (Anderson vs. Gomes) is more likely to be something in the middle, not at one extreme or the other. I don't think hits are going away, and I think hits make their mark on most any marketable thing/meta-thing. With that said, I think that niches are more meaningful and valuable than ever before.
The book example is great - I get more access to niche publications because of the long tail concept, largely because of funding and popularity of hits. Said a little differently: the niche stuff generally sits alongside the hits, and generally benefit from some of the hits' halos.
My music isn't hit music. That's OK, it's just stuff made from my soul, and I am not planning to quit my day job. The money made from niche availability on the internet (for me) fund dinners out, an occasional instrument upgrade, or a small household bill or two. Why is the long tail beneficial to me? Because when someone is browsing James Blunt, they'll often see me on the front page in a promo, and sometimes (well, briefly) listen to my stuff too. Similarly, iTunes/Rhapsody/Emusic/Yahoo! Music/etc. browsers often buy the latest hits, but will splurge on a Jimmy Bear tune or two - how do they find my tunes? Because my niche music is available with the hits, and because searches sometimes come up with one of my funky little musings.
My point is, that niche stuff isn't taking over the world, and hits aren't all there is. I think the niche markets of the world have been greatly enhanced by Internet access, and that they also benefit from proximity to the hits.
I, for one, welcome our new Sony over... ... Oops. The sixties perhaps weren't very kind to me... Now, on topic
TFA is very short, low on content, and really doesn't do much for me. The only nugget o' information is that Sony's using some well-known suppliers for unit production.
Personally, I don't get much time to play games any more - even my kids are almost too busy to play any more. But, we really enjoy our consoles when we do get to play, so I am looking forward to the PS3. However, as before, we will wait for a good while to purchase a PS3. I'd like to avoid the 1.0 problems that will occur, and I really don't want to pay top-dollar after waiting in huge lines at launch time. We waited more than a year for a PS2, and I'm glad we bought one at that time... we've really enjoyed it, and there was no stress in the purchase. OTOH, our local Target has only recently begun to actually have a 360 or two on its shelves, so there's no telling how long it will be before PS3s actually become available here.
I don't have a lot of faith that there won't be PS3 supply issues this holiday. I might believe that Sony watched Microsoft and learned something, but I'm adopting the "wait and see" attitude.
Mark me OT or mod me down with something, I'm fine with that.
/.. In many circles, this question would have gotten "do you want me to write your code for you?" or "RTFM", or "Google (something here)", or statements that question the poster's value in the world. I learned something from the replies, and I appreciated the tone of voice of the replies. I, for one, am so glad so many smart people post here.
The responses to the serious question post are an example of what's good about
OK, back to your regularly-scheduled time sink...
Background: When Blockbuster (the only rental place within reasonable distance of our home) started charging more than $6 for a DVD rental, then moved their rental store across town, we became Netflix users. We signed up for the "one-at-a-time" service. We used to watch about two movies a month - and wanted to watch more, typically one per weekend. It made financial sense (and saves gas) for us to switch over to Netflix. On any given month, we actually spend less money (on Netflix fees than we used to on Blockbuster rentals). In addition, we almost never have to wait before a given title is available for us to rent via Netflix - with Blockbuster, we'd have to go back more than once to get a given film.
With the background out of the way... when we were renting on time-based rentals, we felt pressure to watch the film right away. The availability of a film in combination with what day of the week it became available always caused us to "rush to watch."
We do not have the dust-collecting issue mentioned in TFA - rather, we just put it on the table and watch it when we're ready. I enjoy films much more when we view them when we want to (as opposed to rushing to watch before the due date/time.). As such, our enjoyment of the films we watch has gone up, the availability is better, and we don't spend gas money to get the films.
I do, however, hear of people (mainly via work) who have the three-at-a-time plan who are now saying, "I don't have the time to watch the films, so they just sit there forever." In this way, it does seem that video rental has shifted in paradigm. I can see the comparison of TFA's mention of abundance and its relationship to the general value of a thing...
On an interesting note (note that the following is opinion and personal observation): of the folks to whom I have spoken about this article- there seems to be a greater demarcation than just availability... folks with children tend to feel that they don't have the time to watch, and folks without children tend to avidly consume their films.
I sincerely thought the headline read, "Apple Ends Anti-Legal Blogger Effort."
thanks, I'm here all week
On topic, though... which is worse?:
1) The release of leaked information (before the time suits the business interests), or
2) The negative PR of having a large company go after a blogger, or
3) The negative (I guess some might argue, positive?) net effects of lawsuits - lawsuits that are used to attempt to control business?
It is important for businesses to protect themselves, yes... but I think battles must be chosen very carefully.
The page doesn't appear to have been "pulled." It appears that the .mac user's bandwidth allotment has been exceeded - too bad, really... I wanted to see it...
Washington should not shape the Internet. (Without using all the vitriolic statments or acrimony to say this:) the basic issue is that Washington is politicians and bureaucrats - they don't really understand the fundamentals behind Internet technology or its ebb and flow.
Business (particularly, well-funded business) has always had the ear of our bureaucrats - they're called lobbyists. In general, the Telcos (and other communications giants) are very good at lobbying. As with any business, they are looking out for themselves.
I believe that it is incumbent upon the public to help Washington understand what is at stake, and what is realistic about that which is being whispered in the bureaucrats' ears.
As we interact with others, we should express ourselves, and perhaps enlist others to help Washington understand what is truly at stake.
Said a little differently, I think the technologically-inclined should get involved and help keep the "train from going off track."
I want my children to be happy, healthy, and safe. So, I don't call Congress and ask them to legislate the fear-mongering-du-jour. What do I do? I love, respect, and educate my kids - including helping them to understand the wonderful and the horrible things about the world (including the internet, and sites like MySpace). My kids have to make decisions for themselves about these things (they MUST think on their own and MUST have their own opinions) - I just provide guidance, respect, love, and lots of support. Loving, realistic parents are kids' greatest allies, not the congress.
I sincerely believe that our (U.S.) representatives are often deeply confused about the massive, swirling, changing world around them. It is almost as though they spend their day wading through the swirl of society, plucking things out of the air (just because something is popular, is in the news, ore is something important to their handlers).
A little plucking of my own, something I read on quotationspage.com, here's something I think is succinct:
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." Thomas Jefferson, to Archibald Stuart, 1791
The parent's take on things is well said. Whether or not one wishes to bash $OS or $COMPUTER_MODEL is beside the point. Taking a few minutes out to look at the bigger picture often gives one a clearer perspective.
I use most of the major OSs and have used/now use most major brand manufacturer's computers, so I don't have a particular slant for/against anything (just give me chips, disks, display, and input devices). I must say that the 1.0 of a product (one that is a radical departure in design or manufacture) often falls short of expectations. My old HP Pavilion desktop (a 1.0) really had lots of issues... My first Toshiba Satellite (a 1.0) was horrid, my subsequent Toshiba Satellite (a 1.1 product) was flawless and worked for many years. My first HDD Mac was pretty bad (bought the new model the week they were released - lost the speaker, two RAM chips, and the HDD in the first year alone) - subsequent versions of the same Mac were solid as a rock.
Karmann (a pretty well-respected auto design firm) spent years working on the convertible version of the New Beetle Convertible - yet, the 2003 (a 1.0 product) had lots of issues with the top.
I digress... sorry... back to MB and MBP issues... As far as the MB and the MBP - they're nice looking, quick, slick, and very good for the things my wife needs for university work. We've been stung too many times by 1.0 stuff to buy one yet... we're waiting for the 1.1 before we replace her three-year-old iBook G4.
On several fronts...
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I think it is a interesting to see that researchers are trying to find ways to get Joe/Jane user to recognize that WYSINWYG with every website they visit. So maybe there are a few flaws in these folks' ideas... but they're trying to get education out (at least, on some level).
Educate yourself about the changing face of phishing. Help other folks by helping them understand phishing. Don't hesitate to try to find a way to reduce phishing.
Report phishing... if you can report it to the people whose site is mimiced, then do so. At least, you can report the phishing attempt to The Anti-Phishing Working Group
By the way, sometimes I'm a little slow (what's new?)... for those of you like me who didn't know what "PEBKAC" meant, here's the Wikipedia definition.
When I discovered DOOM (a year after it actually came out), my gaming world changed. For me, gaming went from Atari console games to PC-Based games because of DOOM.
However, come to think of it, I really enjoyed Myst. I think it was Myst that got me to the place where I really enjoy exploring, finding hidden things, and solving puzzles - even more than I enjoyed emptying a rail gun into Imps and Mancubi (plural of Mancubus?)
So, for me, it was two different years that were the best.
I don't think CORBA is dead. I think CORBA just didn't become ubiquitous.
There have been (and will continue to be) many great technologies that have impacted/will impact software in an ongoing basis. Actually, CORBA serves as a great example of how things often work in the software world: a great technology is introduced into the software development world; the development/design world tries to work with it; it makes it as a viable technology or becomes a niche widget/system.
What's positive about CORBA (and GIOP/IIOP)? A great many of us loved the bright and shiny aspects of it, jousted with its windmills, and learned a great deal about cross-technology, cross-language, cross-everything runtime communication/collaboration/data exchange. I sincerely think CORBA made subsequent technologies much better (than they would have if they had been introduced first). In my opinion, similar things like RMI and web services/SOAP-based technologies are clearly easier to understand, implement, and deploy - largely due to many of the lessons learned with CORBA.
I meant to say spoof@paypal.com.
Sorry, I must have been hit with the stupid stick today.
It's important to educate oneself about basic security. Don't click a link in any email that refers to PayPal. As a matter of fact, there are few reasons to click links in any emails.
Just as important, seriously, educate others. Don't mumble "Darwin" or "figure it out yourself" when you can help someone else protect themselves or educate themselves about security threats.
Always report PayPal phish attempts to spam@paypal.com.
There's an excellent set of resources about phishing in general - and you can report phishing attempts at: antiphishing.org.
Not to be repetitive, but the best way to make a difference (in this case) is to help others and help yourself with education.
A trojan/virus/etc. that disables regedit and the task manager - and monkeys with files. This is not A Good Thing.
Many corporations support MSN Messenger only. Given a choice, however, I'm very fond of Trillian Pro 3. I found the license price for Trillian to be quite reasonable, considering its flexibility, stability, and the fact that (so far, fingers crossed) it has not been subject to attacks such as this.
Indeed, the deal from CDBaby is quite good. I am also a CDBaby artist, and generally speaking, I make a dinner's (pizza) worth of money every month or so from download sales of my tunes and albums. If you're indie/indie like myself (and Nathan - I like his music! Please give him a visit), folks like CDBaby make wide distribution possible.
It's not just the fact that Derek Sivers and CDBaby take such a low, flat cut of the sales - it is also that they are constantly feeding the artist's material to many digitial services. It is very often that we get emails from Derek talking about new distribution deals, new means of promotion, and new web tools through which we can sell or promote our music. This is the critical part: My music is on iTunes, Yahoo! Music, Virgin, WalMart, and as many as 40 others. For the price that they exact from my sales (very low), CDBaby is a MAJOR bang for the buck.
I know (from conversations) that many labeled artists don't get the same types of deals that you get from CDBaby... It really is a matter of negotiation, market pull, potential for future sales, and loads of other factors. I wish that the folks signed to major labels got the attention and deal that CDBaby offers...
I think the designs are interesting. The idea behind a concept is to try to re-think things, or to improve things. Concept art and concept designs are all about stimulating ideas. Once in a while, a good idea comes along, and is actually implemented. Many things are assigned the round file of the past.
Getting people to think about cell phones and their future is the intent of the design work - the intent is not necessarily to produce viable phones, just ideas.
I think it is not easy to come up with refreshing and original ideas. It seems easy to criticize the ideas of others - but try to look at it from another angle: What would your design be?
while(Microsoft.doesDumbThings){
yellAtMicrosoft();
}
I figured that Windows was always in touch with the mother ship, but still, further evidence of the OS checking on me offends me. I paid for the copy of Windows on my winbox (not my primary computer, but my "make sure it works on Windows" test computer), and I don't need to be judged and constantly re-judged.
I don't need the GWA tool to constantly update itself - I think one verification is enough (and seems too much to me anyway).
I'm very proud of Bill Ball (of Ernie Ball Musical Stuff) for dumping the entire Microsoft line and going to less draconian stuff. He's got real integrity, a great business model, excellent products, and is doing just fine without Microsoft trying to "make sure his licenses are up to date and optimal", thank you very much.
Getting computers in the hands of the many in under-developed countries doesn't seem like such a bad thing to me, IMVHO. If indeed it takes off, and these are delivered en-masse to kids in outbound places, it will be a good thing. If only a few kids get to break a cycle of poverty (obviously, lots more are desirable, but I'm speaking of "at least" here...), the program would seem to have been worth it.
I love the Apple stickers all over the meeting attendees' laptops (not the $100 laptops) in the pictures. Product placement maybe? [giggles]
Many of the things that have already been commented on which I agree:
Overweight;
Lack of sleep;
Not enough exercise (maybe related to using cars, maybe not).
However, perhaps there is something else at play that is not related in TFA. Perhaps many Americans studied have private insurance coverage? How would access to a private doctor (vs. more socialized systems such as those in Canada and much of Europe/the UK) alter how one feels about going to the doctor? Are people more likely to go to the doctor if it is cheap to do and is almost on-demand (vs. waiting longer periods of time before one "gets seen")?