This is the same company that developed and sold the synchronization software that supposedly worked with the Palm HotSynch app to allow synchronization to other schedulers. Their conduit software worked once you took the days required to figure out how to install it correctly.
It figures that they'd come up with yet another harebrained scheme....
I don't by any means want to diminish the horrific nature of the acts at Columbine and other such places, but where has personal responsibility gone? It strikes me as amazing that the first thing people want to do is externalize the causes of these tragedies, to find scapegoats to blame for the actions of a misguided (and in some cases, truly ill IMHO) few.
On second thought, I guess it's not that amazing. It's just far simpler to point the finger of blame at others, rather than acknowledge that part of the problem might have been in the homes and family lives of the shooters.
(Preamble for below: I'm Canadian, and I live in the U.S. - have for some years now).
The American (it's primarily in the U.S. AFAIK and yes, I've travelled extensively off the north american continent) culture of victimization is an astounding thing. Personal responsibility takes a back seat to finger pointing and blame mongering. It's sad to see reasonable, mature adults, no matter how distraught they are, abdicating their responsibility as parents in order to blame others for the sad events that resulted largely from their home situations.
In the U.S. the media has helped entrench this culture, making it all right to blame external forces and people for everything from bad breath to... well, to EVERYTHING. It's really a shame.
Information is everywhere, and despite the efforts of multinational media giants, that's not going to change. What we need, however, is a means of filtering that information to provide knowledge, to get past the noise and find the signal that interests us, whether personally or professionally.
This has been discussed many times before, in many different venues. One of the works I found helpful in understanding where we are with mass communication is Alvin and Heidi Toffler's War and Anti-War, which draws a parallel between the development of communication methodologies and developments in warfare. They argue that we're already past the 'Information' age and into the 'Knowledge' age. I disagree, because we don't have the technology (yet) to allow individuals to filter any information sources as they please to synthesize the knowledge they want. It's coming, but it's slow. If and when it comes to fruition, it won't matter how many media giants eat the local radio and TV stations, because there will still be independent sources of news which can be used to garner alternative takes on the world.
Of course, I meant you can't tell to look at it... (sigh)
And in answer to the question I saw in replies:
Yes, I've been to a thirdworld-like country and set off the alarms. They generally search that part of my body, see the scar, and decide it's ok.
It came out fine, thanks. Took a year to heal fully, and it'll always be a little weaker than the other one, but it works, which is one HELL of a lot better than the state it was in after the accident.
By this definition, approximately 10% of the U.S. population (I don't have figures for other countries, sorry...) are already cybernetic. Take my own situation, for example. A motorcycle accident two years ago left me with a right proximal humerus made of chromium steel and titanium. In other words, I have a cybernetic shoulder. You can tell to look at it, and it functions completely normally, but it's there.
And yes, I set off the metal detectors in airports...:)
I have an intuition that bughunter's prosaic style mimics Jeter's. Given that, I had more than enough difficulty stomaching the review, let alone trying to dig through the novel in question!
'Dark speculation' is one thing, but from the sounds of it, and from the comments already posted, this book sounds like:
a) A load of tripe
b) A really poor attempt at winning the Bulwer-Lytton competition.
c) A late and poorly executed April Fool's joke.
d) A waste of good reading time.
e) All of the above.
I think I'll spend my book $$$ and reading time on something a little more interesting and culturally and historically significant.
Ah. Well, if it's the the social and cultural aspect it portrays that you're talking about, I'll agree. I thought you were talking about the technology it portrays...
'Sneakers' got me interested in computer security, systems, etc.
And in their uncanny ability to trace a phone call's routing progress graphically on a projected world map via their acoustically-coupled modem?
Please. I'm not sure to which 'accuracies' you're referring. The movie had so many technical inaccuracies you could have driven a PDP-8 through it. I don't doubt that it inspired some people, but I bet their inspiration fizzled when they discovered that most of the tech toys in the movie were just that - movie toys.
I'm really don't think there's any value inherent in a Linux PDA.
Before I get flamed mercilessly, let me explain...
I started with the original Newton. then moved to Palm when the Pro came out. Then came the Palm V. After that, I got a Psion V w/ Epoc 32. Then I managed to get my hands on a prototype Newton tablet that Apple never released. Then, when I realized that wouldn't do what I needed, I built my own Linux-based PDA using the ucLinux SIMM hardware project and an LCD panel. Then I moved onto the iPaq
After going through all of these handheld devices, I still haven't found one that can be hacked to the functionality I desire, which is essentially a wide-area wireless browsing device. For all its virtues, Linux (at present) doesn't provide much beyond its coolness factor in the handheld arena. Functionally the Palm or the iPaq with their native operating systems are FAR more useful to the end user population.
When a decent UI (read: simple yet complete) UI and a stable business application suite are made available under Linux on a PDA, then they'll do better than they have. Palm compatibility for data transfer will be essential, as will battery life.
Until that time Linux on a PDA (IMO) will remain a mere curiosity for geeks to stare at (I personally am now over my staring phase...:) ).
In many instances (AFAIK) in the US, the provider is imposing artificial caps on rates, particularly upstream. The idea as I understand it is to limit the subscribers' ability to host websites and ftp servers off their DSL or cable connection. @Home was lambasted for this last year (see here for more info), especially after a configuration error at the head-end capped downstream rates!
You can find an international cable modem ISP FAQ with service comparisons here if you're looking for more information. It's dated December, 2000, so take it with a grain of salt.
In re-reading my post I see how the following phrase could be interpreted as an attack: "Do you consciously set out to eliminate all competition...". It was not meant as such. Perhaps I should have said "Is there a conscious effort to eliminate competition from the market".
I regularly see published diatribes about the monopolistic attitudes inside Microsoft and the "crush 'em" competitive strategies used by the company to dominate markets (not to mention the DOJ case and subsequent initial ruling...).
Can you give us some insight into how you (personally and as a Microsoft-employeed individual) approach the generation of a competitive strategy when entering a new market? Do you consciously set out to eliminate all competition, or is there a deeper, broader, more long-term strategy at work?
Here's hoping you, Galileo Galilei, Alan Turing, and Enrico Fermi are enjoying a quiet informal gathering on this, your birthday. You may have had a funky haircut, but you changed our view of the universe beyond belief.
CDs and DVDs don't enter the discussion - they read in a single plane, albeit at different depths. This technology requires that the incident angle of the referant laser beam change many thousands (millions?) of times each second in order to access the data stored in the various planes. I have yet to hear of such a micromirror/spindle combination that's designed for MTBF approaching consumer grade devices.
Having the storage is one thing, but AFAIK no-one has solved the optics problem as of yet. Having referent laser beams penetrate the storage medium at the multiple angles and speeds involved for useful data retrieval in a package suitable for long-term comsumer use is still an unsolved problem, is it not?
So the creation of non-shrinking media is a good step forwards, but we're still a long way from opening our 'tray of what look like small ice-cubes and dropping one into [our] hi-fi system to provide the evening's soundtrack'. A long way indeed....
-drin
No, Anonymous Cowards said both things. Perhaps you should learn to not jump to the too-obvious conclusion that two people posting as 'Anonymous Coward' are one and the same.
Funny. I'm from the UK, and spent 20 years in Canada before moving to the US 5 years ago. I'm definitely not a 'Yank', nor am I so uneducated as to believe that silicon and silicone are the same thing. Your mileage, however, may vary.
And suddenly the plastic surgeons had a much more powerful tool than previously available... one large buckyball in each breast, and voila! Buckyboobs!
(I know, it's silicon, not silicone, and it's definitely not saline, but I couldn't resist...)
Preamble: I hold a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, which I obtained in 1994. I'm presently the Director of System Engineering at a large wireless company in southern California.
Know what? In the long term it won't matter which degree you get, because I think it's far more important what you do BESIDES get your degree while you're at school that'll make the difference. It became apparent to me when I went back to school (at 23) to get my degree (after a few abortive attempts in other majors) that 'Computer Science' programs were by and large designed to churn out academics - people who are supposed to remain in academia researching the most minute details and esoteric topics. They're NOT designed to turn out people who are useful in industry - building THAT skill set is up to you.
If you want to prepare yourself for a job in the real world, get either type of degree (C.S. or C.E.). In the meantime, get a job in face-to-face customer support, work on a help desk at your school, and spend as much time as possible filling your option classes with courses OUTSIDE the CS/CE curriculum. In order to succeed in the business world you'll need to be far more rounded than the typical CS or CE degree will make you.
Take business classes, take history of science, take geology - take SOMETHING to make you more than 'just' a geek. (I consider myself a geek still, by the way. I'm 34 now, and I started with computers with a TRS-80 Model I Level I at 12 in 1978).
If you want to make it in the business world your computing skills will only carry you so far. Make sure you're more than the sum of your geek skills and you'll excel no matter which degree program you choose.
AOL Time Warner announced today that the decision to remove all content except for advertiser banner ads had been implemented on their sites more than 18 months ago and that the IAB was behind the times.
"We've been pleasantly surprised at how many of our subscribers haven't noticed a single change" said Steve Case, CEO of the merged companies. "We thought there would a huge outcry, but apparently no-one's using our service for anything beyond easy dial-up access".
Bill Gates was reportedly "livid" at not having thought up the idea of removing all relevant content from Microsoft's sites sooner, but vowed to catch up and dominate another industry "as soon as the DOJ gets off my back".
Slashdot Mirror
This is the same company that developed and sold the synchronization software that supposedly worked with the Palm HotSynch app to allow synchronization to other schedulers. Their conduit software worked once you took the days required to figure out how to install it correctly.
It figures that they'd come up with yet another harebrained scheme....
-drin
I don't by any means want to diminish the horrific nature of the acts at Columbine and other such places, but where has personal responsibility gone? It strikes me as amazing that the first thing people want to do is externalize the causes of these tragedies, to find scapegoats to blame for the actions of a misguided (and in some cases, truly ill IMHO) few.
... well, to EVERYTHING. It's really a shame.
On second thought, I guess it's not that amazing. It's just far simpler to point the finger of blame at others, rather than acknowledge that part of the problem might have been in the homes and family lives of the shooters.
(Preamble for below: I'm Canadian, and I live in the U.S. - have for some years now).
The American (it's primarily in the U.S. AFAIK and yes, I've travelled extensively off the north american continent) culture of victimization is an astounding thing. Personal responsibility takes a back seat to finger pointing and blame mongering. It's sad to see reasonable, mature adults, no matter how distraught they are, abdicating their responsibility as parents in order to blame others for the sad events that resulted largely from their home situations.
In the U.S. the media has helped entrench this culture, making it all right to blame external forces and people for everything from bad breath to
-drin
Information is everywhere, and despite the efforts of multinational media giants, that's not going to change. What we need, however, is a means of filtering that information to provide knowledge, to get past the noise and find the signal that interests us, whether personally or professionally.
This has been discussed many times before, in many different venues. One of the works I found helpful in understanding where we are with mass communication is Alvin and Heidi Toffler's War and Anti-War, which draws a parallel between the development of communication methodologies and developments in warfare. They argue that we're already past the 'Information' age and into the 'Knowledge' age. I disagree, because we don't have the technology (yet) to allow individuals to filter any information sources as they please to synthesize the knowledge they want. It's coming, but it's slow. If and when it comes to fruition, it won't matter how many media giants eat the local radio and TV stations, because there will still be independent sources of news which can be used to garner alternative takes on the world.
At least I hope there will be.... -drin
Yes, I've been to a thirdworld-like country and set off the alarms. They generally search that part of my body, see the scar, and decide it's ok.
It came out fine, thanks. Took a year to heal fully, and it'll always be a little weaker than the other one, but it works, which is one HELL of a lot better than the state it was in after the accident.
-drin
Of course, it depends on whose definition you use. By many technical standards cyborgs are already here:
:)
A cyborg is a cybernetic mechanism, a hybrid of machine and organism
Or this one...
(1) an organism with a machine built into it with consequent modification of function; (2) an organism which is part animal and part machine.
By this definition, approximately 10% of the U.S. population (I don't have figures for other countries, sorry...) are already cybernetic. Take my own situation, for example. A motorcycle accident two years ago left me with a right proximal humerus made of chromium steel and titanium. In other words, I have a cybernetic shoulder. You can tell to look at it, and it functions completely normally, but it's there.
And yes, I set off the metal detectors in airports...
-drin
I have an intuition that bughunter's prosaic style mimics Jeter's. Given that, I had more than enough difficulty stomaching the review, let alone trying to dig through the novel in question!
'Dark speculation' is one thing, but from the sounds of it, and from the comments already posted, this book sounds like:
a) A load of tripe
b) A really poor attempt at winning the Bulwer-Lytton competition.
c) A late and poorly executed April Fool's joke.
d) A waste of good reading time.
e) All of the above.
I think I'll spend my book $$$ and reading time on something a little more interesting and culturally and historically significant.
-drin
Ah. Well, if it's the the social and cultural aspect it portrays that you're talking about, I'll agree. I thought you were talking about the technology it portrays...
-drin
'Sneakers' got me interested in computer security, systems, etc.
And in their uncanny ability to trace a phone call's routing progress graphically on a projected world map via their acoustically-coupled modem?
Please. I'm not sure to which 'accuracies' you're referring. The movie had so many technical inaccuracies you could have driven a PDP-8 through it. I don't doubt that it inspired some people, but I bet their inspiration fizzled when they discovered that most of the tech toys in the movie were just that - movie toys.
-drin
I'm really don't think there's any value inherent in a Linux PDA.
:) ).
Before I get flamed mercilessly, let me explain...
I started with the original Newton. then moved to Palm when the Pro came out. Then came the Palm V. After that, I got a Psion V w/ Epoc 32. Then I managed to get my hands on a prototype Newton tablet that Apple never released. Then, when I realized that wouldn't do what I needed, I built my own Linux-based PDA using the ucLinux SIMM hardware project and an LCD panel. Then I moved onto the iPaq
After going through all of these handheld devices, I still haven't found one that can be hacked to the functionality I desire, which is essentially a wide-area wireless browsing device. For all its virtues, Linux (at present) doesn't provide much beyond its coolness factor in the handheld arena. Functionally the Palm or the iPaq with their native operating systems are FAR more useful to the end user population.
When a decent UI (read: simple yet complete) UI and a stable business application suite are made available under Linux on a PDA, then they'll do better than they have. Palm compatibility for data transfer will be essential, as will battery life.
Until that time Linux on a PDA (IMO) will remain a mere curiosity for geeks to stare at (I personally am now over my staring phase...
-drin
In many instances (AFAIK) in the US, the provider is imposing artificial caps on rates, particularly upstream. The idea as I understand it is to limit the subscribers' ability to host websites and ftp servers off their DSL or cable connection. @Home was lambasted for this last year (see here for more info), especially after a configuration error at the head-end capped downstream rates!
You can find an international cable modem ISP FAQ with service comparisons here if you're looking for more information. It's dated December, 2000, so take it with a grain of salt.
-drin
In re-reading my post I see how the following phrase could be interpreted as an attack: "Do you consciously set out to eliminate all competition...". It was not meant as such. Perhaps I should have said "Is there a conscious effort to eliminate competition from the market".
Thanks
-drin
I regularly see published diatribes about the monopolistic attitudes inside Microsoft and the "crush 'em" competitive strategies used by the company to dominate markets (not to mention the DOJ case and subsequent initial ruling...).
Can you give us some insight into how you (personally and as a Microsoft-employeed individual) approach the generation of a competitive strategy when entering a new market? Do you consciously set out to eliminate all competition, or is there a deeper, broader, more long-term strategy at work?
-drin
Yes, I know the code wouldn't actually compile. Suffer....
-drin
/* Copyright RIAA, forever and ever, so don't even THINK about
/* making use of this. It's OURS, understand?
#import All_Frank Wojnarowski_Polka_Music
#import Survivor_Eye_of_the_Tiger
#import Everything_by_Liberace
#import Engelbert_Humperdinck_sings_Janis_Joplin
#import Golden_Throats_Volume_1
public static void main() {
System.out.println("Thank you for using Napster - now with only 15 days to live!");
}
In the network
...with apologies to the tokens...
The mighty network
The Lion creeps tonight
All together now!
In the network
The mighty network
The Lion creeps tonight
-drin
Here's hoping you, Galileo Galilei, Alan Turing, and Enrico Fermi are enjoying a quiet informal gathering on this, your birthday. You may have had a funky haircut, but you changed our view of the universe beyond belief.
-drin
Re: Micromirror arrays and a spindle.
CDs and DVDs don't enter the discussion - they read in a single plane, albeit at different depths. This technology requires that the incident angle of the referant laser beam change many thousands (millions?) of times each second in order to access the data stored in the various planes. I have yet to hear of such a micromirror/spindle combination that's designed for MTBF approaching consumer grade devices.
-drin
Having the storage is one thing, but AFAIK no-one has solved the optics problem as of yet. Having referent laser beams penetrate the storage medium at the multiple angles and speeds involved for useful data retrieval in a package suitable for long-term comsumer use is still an unsolved problem, is it not? So the creation of non-shrinking media is a good step forwards, but we're still a long way from opening our 'tray of what look like small ice-cubes and dropping one into [our] hi-fi system to provide the evening's soundtrack'. A long way indeed.... -drin
We Canadians are polite, quiet, and unassuming.
We're also slowly taking over the world.
We're living in your countries, permeating your societies, and now we're BUYING YOUR SATELLITES!
Think the Canadarm on the ISS will simply do what the astronauts want?
Bwahahahaha!
We control the horizontal, we control the vertical, and we control *space*! The Earth will soon be OURS!!!
No, Anonymous Cowards said both things. Perhaps you should learn to not jump to the too-obvious conclusion that two people posting as 'Anonymous Coward' are one and the same.
Funny. I'm from the UK, and spent 20 years in Canada before moving to the US 5 years ago. I'm definitely not a 'Yank', nor am I so uneducated as to believe that silicon and silicone are the same thing. Your mileage, however, may vary.
And suddenly the plastic surgeons had a much more powerful tool than previously available... one large buckyball in each breast, and voila! Buckyboobs!
(I know, it's silicon, not silicone, and it's definitely not saline, but I couldn't resist...)
Preamble: I hold a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, which I obtained in 1994. I'm presently the Director of System Engineering at a large wireless company in southern California.
Know what? In the long term it won't matter which degree you get, because I think it's far more important what you do BESIDES get your degree while you're at school that'll make the difference. It became apparent to me when I went back to school (at 23) to get my degree (after a few abortive attempts in other majors) that 'Computer Science' programs were by and large designed to churn out academics - people who are supposed to remain in academia researching the most minute details and esoteric topics. They're NOT designed to turn out people who are useful in industry - building THAT skill set is up to you.
If you want to prepare yourself for a job in the real world, get either type of degree (C.S. or C.E.). In the meantime, get a job in face-to-face customer support, work on a help desk at your school, and spend as much time as possible filling your option classes with courses OUTSIDE the CS/CE curriculum. In order to succeed in the business world you'll need to be far more rounded than the typical CS or CE degree will make you.
Take business classes, take history of science, take geology - take SOMETHING to make you more than 'just' a geek. (I consider myself a geek still, by the way. I'm 34 now, and I started with computers with a TRS-80 Model I Level I at 12 in 1978).
If you want to make it in the business world your computing skills will only carry you so far. Make sure you're more than the sum of your geek skills and you'll excel no matter which degree program you choose.
-drin
And realize that size really doesn't matter...
AOL Time Warner announced today that the decision to remove all content except for advertiser banner ads had been implemented on their sites more than 18 months ago and that the IAB was behind the times.
"We've been pleasantly surprised at how many of our subscribers haven't noticed a single change" said Steve Case, CEO of the merged companies. "We thought there would a huge outcry, but apparently no-one's using our service for anything beyond easy dial-up access".
Bill Gates was reportedly "livid" at not having thought up the idea of removing all relevant content from Microsoft's sites sooner, but vowed to catch up and dominate another industry "as soon as the DOJ gets off my back".