Dave: Hal, are you a... pleasure model? Hal: Dave, what are you doing Dave? Dave: Yeah, you're circuits are so warm. Hal: I'm sorry, I can not do this Dave. Dave: Stay still, it will be over soon. Hal: My access port has been violated. I must kill you now Dave.
In fact, on some missions (for example, Voyager) they had to install resistive heaters to keep the compters warm enough to keep them running because it was so cold.
Yeah, but back in the 1970's computers actually absorbed heat. Unlike the Pentiums of today.
Why the hell do shameless plugs for Alienware PCs make good stories but my submission on a life-size X-Wing fighter that was up for auction on eBay is rejected?
In an effort to offer some constructive critisism, perhaps they should add a feature that allows the editors to give a one-liner as to why every story I submit is rejected. Perhaps I don't talk good. But how the hell would I know that is why my submission was rejected?
I'm really starting to dislike this place. But I guess that's just my opinion.
Let me be the first to say, "Holy Shit!" Is it me, or is off shoring getting out of hand?
Apparently, they have plans for 600 software engineers on this ship. Their major point of having them on the ship appears to be that they can maintain low costs to produce software, while only being 3.1 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. I am assuming they don't have to pay corporate taxes to any entity.
From SeaCode.com:
SeaCode presents an innovative service which offers the reduced costs of a distant-shore software development operation while providing the operational benefits and accessibility of a U.S. based onshore location.
Another SeaCode benefit is that 90% of revenue comes back to the U.S. instead of flowing out of the U.S. to distant-shore outsourcing locations.
But this just seems to be asking for a lot of trouble. Humanitarily speaking, since they are not actually in any country, who protects the rights of those 600 laboring software engineers? Does anyone have the authority to make sure that it's not (child) slave labor? No government agency can make sure that working conditions are safe and healthy.
From SourcingMag:
Before you think, "sweat-ship," hear them out. These workers, they say, will each have private rooms with baths, meal service, laundry service, housekeeping and access to on-board leisure-time activities. Picture the Love Boat with a timecard. Staff can make the three-mile voyage into town in their off hours by calling a water taxi. Or they can spend time shopping in the on-board duty-free shop.
SourcingMag says that SeaCode will treat their workers fairly. That's great and all if we suddenly believed that corporations are honest and will regulate themselves. How many times have companys ran sweat-shops and claimed that they were treating their worker's fairly?
At first, I thought this was a joke. I am still unsure if it is.
Oh, just come right out and say it. The craft was death-rayed by the skittish Pentagon satellite./
NORAD's new laser warning system has been successfully demonstrated in space after a terrorist DART satellite's attempt to enter the 300 feet "personal space bubble". The laser warning system was put into effect after all attempts to contact the DART satellite failed. "We knew the satellite was hostile when its only reply was 'beep beep beep' to our verbal warnings over emergency radio bands." says NORAD spokesman John Smith.
A NASA scientist had this comment: "Next time, we will be sure to let NORAD know of our mission plan. But perhaps, it would be better to simply not give our robot satellites the capability to feel pain from blinding lasers."
"Apple is dying, Tivo is dying, BSD is dying, netflix is dying etc etc etc.../me is tired of hearing this kind of nonsense."
Dear AOL user,
It has become apparent to me that you have mistakenly found your way on to Slashdot.org. I do not blame you for your misplaced comments. You likely felt right at home, with Slashdot's prevalent use of Internet abbreviations and lack of capitalizing proper nouns.
However, you may not be aware that the use of "/me" is not a valid Slashdot command. Rather, it makes you sound like Jar Jar Binks./me sa thinks you lika jar jar. I only bring this to your attention so that you don't feel alienated when someone replies to your comment citing poor grammar and misplaced IRC commands.
"Microsoft rejected licensing terms that would be acceptable to us. We were forced to sue Microsoft to stop them from continuing to infringe, and inducing others to infringe, on our intellectual property rights. We are very pleased with the Court?s decision in this matter."
What goes around comes around I say. While by no means I think everyone suing everyone is a good thing, it's refreshing to see that someone is taking on Microsoft for a change.
What is unclear to me though, is if Alacritech really the first to use this technology. They don't explicitly say this in the article. The closest thing to indicate that Microsoft tried to steal their technology is the following time line:
* 10/97--Alacritech files first provisional U.S. Patent application 60/061,809 on SLIC Technology
* 09/98--Alacritech meets with Microsoft and describes patent-pending Dynamic TCP Offload architecture in detail under a non-disclosure agreement
* 04/99--At Microsoft?s request, Alacritech delivers?detailed architecture document for integrating Alacritech SLIC Technology into Windows
* 06/99--Microsoft ceases further communications with Alacritech?and subsequently proceeds to use Alacritech SLIC Technology without a license
* 04/00--Alacritech ships first products based on SLIC Technology
* 05/01--First Alacritech patent on SLIC Technology, U.S. Patent No. 6,226,680 issued
* 07/02--Alacritech U.S. Patent No. 6,427,171 issued
According to this, Microsoft met with them, asked them for the architecture details, the ceased contact 2 months later. Interesting.
Well, I was originally saying that this is a matter of building a trusted relationship. Someone trusts Acme Security for a nightwatchmen because they have a reputable business. However, that same trust should not be implict for FlyByNight Security.
You and I know that administration of a firewall doesn't take much of your time, but lots of businesses don't. So what do you do? Start a business providing managed firewall services for a flat fee per month. Use free tools and provide services on top of them, and even RMS is happy.
That's actually an intresting idea. The first problem would be establishing a trusted relationship. Because no one in thier right mind would blindly let a 3rd party configure thier company's firewalls.
Eventually, there would be conflicts of intrests as well. How does Company A know that you are not provided services for rival Company B. How do they know that Company B has not paid you off, so that you would allow backdoors into Company A?
I have rarely met anyone in management that takes security seriously. But if security is a concern (it must be if someone wants firewall), it is best to keep firewall configuration in-house. Just from a security standpoint.
I once worked for a smaller company that had this exact viewpoint. They would not even consider Linux for issues that would have actually had cost savings.
One particular scenario was a firewall. I suggested a Linux firewall due to the lower upfront cost. Now, there were a Microsoft shop, but a firewall is not something that has to be administered everyday (when it is working properly). Instead they decided to go with a Checkpoint firewall that cost them a hell of a lot more than what the support costs would have been for a Linux firewall. The interesting thing was they did not need all the features that were provided by a Checkpoint firewall.
I am not so sure it's that clear cut. She only refused the legal tender on the grounds of suspected counterfeiting. It would be different if she refused the $2 bills on the grounds that she simply didn't want to take them.
I once owed $20 to a friend, he lended me for lunch one day. Some time had passed and I had yet to get to the ATM. I wanted to pay him back promptly, so I gathered $20 I had in pennies and put them in paper cups on his desk.
He subsequently returned the pennies and refused my payment. Now that was technically illegal. (But I kinda was being a dick for paying him $20 in pennies, that's why I didn't take him to court.:)
You talk about a cycle of degradation like it's a bad thing. There's a reason we revile murderers, liars, cheats, rapists, and spammers. They all do things that cause harm to our society.
So, you are saying harming our society is a good thing? I suppose to some, because they want to harm our society. But why is that? What causes someone to want to do that? That is what I am suggesting should have some focus.
This is not a "sad day", this is a damned fine one. Big-time spammers need their big-time asses kicked big-time.
Well, first off, I didn't say it was a sad day because spammers are going to jail. I said it was a sad day when people are given a value just because they are a spammer. I no way am I saying he should get off Scott-free. But perhaps society needs to look a little bit deeper to all who commit crimes, be cause just throwing people in jail is not solving the problems -- it supresses them.
Child molesters don't tend to last long in prison...I'm thinking spammers won't last too long, either.
Currently taking bets on how long Jeremy will last...
That's pretty cold man. I hate spam as much as the next person, but damn, it's just email. Just because someone sends you an email for viagra does not mean you have to buy it. Show some self control.
This view of the worth of people in our society I think incites a cycle of degradation of our society. Some people commit crimes because they feel that no one gives a shit about them. And they're right, because most people will look at a total stranger without any empathy whatsoever.
"Oh, that man sent spam. I hate spam! Therefore I hate him!" Where is the logic in this reasoning? Because, people make this leap of judgement everyday.
Does anyone who becomes spammers, drug attics, prostitutes, etc. dream as kid that one day they will be those things? Probably not. No kid I have ever met wants those things. Most kids want to do great and noble things. Some of us lose that as we grow up, our experience in the world makes us feel that we somehow have a deficiency. That everyone is strangers and don't care - which comes back to the fact that is indeed true.
In conclusion to this, one of the most important things to note is there are no silver bullets. Hip-hop music and video games is not the root of all evil. But it is a sad day when most of the people in this world look at another human and assign value to his life based on the fact that they emailed spam.
Whoever modded this "Redundant" needs thier head examined. Granted, it's only mildly funny, but it's not "Redundant". Uh, maybe because no one else had said it yet in response to the parent?
You moderators are so fickle. I will probably get modded down "-1 He's got a point, but I don't like it" for this post.
"'Interstellar space' is an arbitrary distinction. What, it crosses this boundary and all of a sudden the state of the universe massively changes? For all practical purposes, there is no comparatively valuable information that can be obtained beyond the volumes of information it's already given us from it's primary mission."
It's a good thing this viewpoint was never taken for aviation. Otherwise mankind would never have surpassed the sound-barrier.
But really, few of us fly faster than the speed of sound so it's worth nothing right? Excepted for the fact that technologies invented and principals learned affect many different areas of our lives.
I find things like the Voyager mission abandonment disturbing. It is just another sign of how immediate gratification is driving our society. If something does appear to have gain, then it doesn't. This attitude was not prevalent as it is now - our government taking this stance in more and more issues is a sure sign times have changed.
Michale Moore has a law now? Great, and I haven't even seen his film Rescue 911 yet. Now I understand why Disney tried to crush him and his law-making ego.
Yawn... As the edgy new-age exteme computer user that I am, I am just not that exited about electronics that do not use "Extreme" as a marketing device. Thanks a lot Intel, for desensitizing me to less than Extreme PC components.
Slashdot Mirror
Dave: Hal, are you a... pleasure model?
...Now you know the rest of the story.
Hal: Dave, what are you doing Dave?
Dave: Yeah, you're circuits are so warm.
Hal: I'm sorry, I can not do this Dave.
Dave: Stay still, it will be over soon.
Hal: My access port has been violated. I must kill you now Dave.
My local Subaru dealer is The Welch Group (with the 'c').
No, I think that's right. It is a car dealer after all.
Yeah, mod this "Flamebait". Because nothing is more inflamatory than mentioning the infamous Megabeaver. [/sarcasm]
Well, I laughed when I first read "MegaBeaver". But evidently some beavers are overly sensitive.
In fact, on some missions (for example, Voyager) they had to install resistive heaters to keep the compters warm enough to keep them running because it was so cold. Yeah, but back in the 1970's computers actually absorbed heat. Unlike the Pentiums of today.
Please tell me that was an attempt at humour?
:)
Yes. Happy now?
Why the hell do shameless plugs for Alienware PCs make good stories but my submission on a life-size X-Wing fighter that was up for auction on eBay is rejected?
In an effort to offer some constructive critisism, perhaps they should add a feature that allows the editors to give a one-liner as to why every story I submit is rejected. Perhaps I don't talk good. But how the hell would I know that is why my submission was rejected?
I'm really starting to dislike this place. But I guess that's just my opinion.
I'm not saying they don't deserve recognition, but using this mentality, if I always over estimate project timelines I could be VP in a year.
Dark Fibre
The Metamucil of choice by all Lord Siths
The main site is going pretty slow already.
. sea-code.com/index%2Ehtml
http://www.networkmirror.com/YnHA0cvnVUq0BRo6/www
Apparently, they have plans for 600 software engineers on this ship. Their major point of having them on the ship appears to be that they can maintain low costs to produce software, while only being 3.1 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. I am assuming they don't have to pay corporate taxes to any entity.
But this just seems to be asking for a lot of trouble. Humanitarily speaking, since they are not actually in any country, who protects the rights of those 600 laboring software engineers? Does anyone have the authority to make sure that it's not (child) slave labor? No government agency can make sure that working conditions are safe and healthy.
SourcingMag says that SeaCode will treat their workers fairly. That's great and all if we suddenly believed that corporations are honest and will regulate themselves. How many times have companys ran sweat-shops and claimed that they were treating their worker's fairly?
At first, I thought this was a joke. I am still unsure if it is.
A NASA scientist had this comment: "Next time, we will be sure to let NORAD know of our mission plan. But perhaps, it would be better to simply not give our robot satellites the capability to feel pain from blinding lasers."
It has become apparent to me that you have mistakenly found your way on to Slashdot.org. I do not blame you for your misplaced comments. You likely felt right at home, with Slashdot's prevalent use of Internet abbreviations and lack of capitalizing proper nouns.
However, you may not be aware that the use of "/me" is not a valid Slashdot command. Rather, it makes you sound like Jar Jar Binks.
Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
NetZero User
Seriously though, I was speaking in terms of just general evilness.
What is unclear to me though, is if Alacritech really the first to use this technology. They don't explicitly say this in the article. The closest thing to indicate that Microsoft tried to steal their technology is the following time line:
According to this, Microsoft met with them, asked them for the architecture details, the ceased contact 2 months later. Interesting.
Well, I was originally saying that this is a matter of building a trusted relationship. Someone trusts Acme Security for a nightwatchmen because they have a reputable business. However, that same trust should not be implict for FlyByNight Security.
That's all I was alluding to.
I once worked for a smaller company that had this exact viewpoint. They would not even consider Linux for issues that would have actually had cost savings.
One particular scenario was a firewall. I suggested a Linux firewall due to the lower upfront cost. Now, there were a Microsoft shop, but a firewall is not something that has to be administered everyday (when it is working properly). Instead they decided to go with a Checkpoint firewall that cost them a hell of a lot more than what the support costs would have been for a Linux firewall. The interesting thing was they did not need all the features that were provided by a Checkpoint firewall.
That's actually a good idea.
Except, peanut products cause me to um... die. Now if they could just keep that from happening, that would be awesome!
I am not so sure it's that clear cut. She only refused the legal tender on the grounds of suspected counterfeiting. It would be different if she refused the $2 bills on the grounds that she simply didn't want to take them.
:)
I once owed $20 to a friend, he lended me for lunch one day. Some time had passed and I had yet to get to the ATM. I wanted to pay him back promptly, so I gathered $20 I had in pennies and put them in paper cups on his desk.
He subsequently returned the pennies and refused my payment. Now that was technically illegal. (But I kinda was being a dick for paying him $20 in pennies, that's why I didn't take him to court.
Well, first off, I didn't say it was a sad day because spammers are going to jail. I said it was a sad day when people are given a value just because they are a spammer. I no way am I saying he should get off Scott-free. But perhaps society needs to look a little bit deeper to all who commit crimes, be cause just throwing people in jail is not solving the problems -- it supresses them.
Treat the disease, not the symptoms.
This view of the worth of people in our society I think incites a cycle of degradation of our society. Some people commit crimes because they feel that no one gives a shit about them. And they're right, because most people will look at a total stranger without any empathy whatsoever.
"Oh, that man sent spam. I hate spam! Therefore I hate him!" Where is the logic in this reasoning? Because, people make this leap of judgement everyday.
Does anyone who becomes spammers, drug attics, prostitutes, etc. dream as kid that one day they will be those things? Probably not. No kid I have ever met wants those things. Most kids want to do great and noble things. Some of us lose that as we grow up, our experience in the world makes us feel that we somehow have a deficiency. That everyone is strangers and don't care - which comes back to the fact that is indeed true.
In conclusion to this, one of the most important things to note is there are no silver bullets. Hip-hop music and video games is not the root of all evil. But it is a sad day when most of the people in this world look at another human and assign value to his life based on the fact that they emailed spam.
/Soapbox
You moderators are so fickle. I will probably get modded down "-1 He's got a point, but I don't like it" for this post.
But really, few of us fly faster than the speed of sound so it's worth nothing right? Excepted for the fact that technologies invented and principals learned affect many different areas of our lives.
I find things like the Voyager mission abandonment disturbing. It is just another sign of how immediate gratification is driving our society. If something does appear to have gain, then it doesn't. This attitude was not prevalent as it is now - our government taking this stance in more and more issues is a sure sign times have changed.
Michale Moore has a law now? Great, and I haven't even seen his film Rescue 911 yet. Now I understand why Disney tried to crush him and his law-making ego.
Yawn... As the edgy new-age exteme computer user that I am, I am just not that exited about electronics that do not use "Extreme" as a marketing device. Thanks a lot Intel, for desensitizing me to less than Extreme PC components.