Then, an ebook reader [eink device]is not for you.
on
The Cult of Kindle
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· Score: 4, Interesting
The price I've seen is 700USD and for that price I can buy a cheap laptop that is way more expandable.
If you think this, then it is clear that this technology is not for you. I read a lot of this in slashdot but what people fail to see is that there is a specific market for this kind of devices. Specially for the ones that allow making some kind of notes.
As an example, both of my parents are biologists (they go to field trips to that strange place called "the nature" quite often). They sometimes stay camping when doing field trips which are usually done to catalogue species and the like. One of the main problems in those trips is that students may have to take their field guides (which are supposed to be special editions for field work but, are akin to our "SQL pocket edition " manuals, with lots and lots of pages). The problem is that sometimes they have to take two or three guides with them making it really painful to pack 5 Kgs of books...
Now, they usually can not take a laptop because trips last for a lot of time, and they need access to the books quite often. Hence, a laptop which battery lasts for 4 hours at *most* wont be useful. However a device which lasts 15 hours or more will be very very useful.
That is why, when I showed my parents and my flatmate (who is a zoologist) the OLPC, they got fascinated as it really solves quite a lot of problems for them. Specially, my flatmate goes into the Selva Lacandona and stays there camping and examining animals for weeks. A computer which can be powered by turning a crank and which power lasts longer (they do not need fancy graphics, even black and white is great) will be the perfect sollution.
The problem is that from our closed computer cube world, this kind of devices only make sense as gizmos. But there *are* several uses for this technology.
The link makes my Firefox crash in Linux. However Opera did open the link (with javascript/java and images disables) and it is a GNAA last measure web page with grotuesque pictures.
You can get an index of the available pictures (a la "index of/") here. But BEWARE: THEY ARE VERY GROTESQUE AND NOT SAFE FOR WORK, they include goatse man, tubgirl and other wonders of the GNAA.
while I do think the tiny exclamation point penis is a nice touch, Hahaha, thanks for making my day. I have always thought exactly the same, the use of ! is quite nice, however I guess that the most accurate asciification would be something like ! or something similar...
did you ever notice that in the US its ok for prime time tv to show someone's bullet riddled corpse, but its not ok for two people to be shown having sex, or even showing nudity?
You see... it is a matter of national security. Imagine if you showed people all that nudity and libido waker sex material, you would get into an overpopulation problem. Instead, you show only media which makes people kill each other and with that (and the war of course) you keep your population from growing!
BTW. In "media" every type of it should be included, games, movies, radio, pictures, etc. It is wrong to blame only TV as it is wrong to blame only videogames. All of them incide in violent behaviour:)
Well... first and foremost I do not think that it is possible to "outsorce" Open source software. By its very nature open source allows people from every place (in the planet!) to contribute to the code.
Now, what I would expect is that, because of the current economy, developers in India would demand lower fares to do the same amount of work as developers in the US or UK. Because of this, I think that companies wanting to do such kinds of offers (to give money to open source products) could do it via coding renting sites where the rules of the market "rule". You could argue that, the quality of the code is not comparable. However, I know there are very good coders who are not from the USA. And the company requesting the work (renting the coders) must state their objectives (imagine, setting a bid request for adding the certain functionality to X program).
Such approach could also be useful for design, documentation and other issues in which open source is pretty much fucked up. I know for example that Argentina has really, really good graphical designers. And a market where some of these people could bid to participate in such kinds of software would be good.
Of course, a lot of people here in slashdot suerly would not like that, because It would mean that they could *never* compete with the prices of other countries. However, at the end it would be better for Open Source as it will imply that more work is done for less money! and of course, more contributions to the Open Source code.
The problem of making open source games is not the development of the programs, but the development of the graphics (models, textures etc.). You see, graphic deisgners value their time and "products" more than programmers. That's why you see almost all open source games with incomplete and fugly graphics that does not compare to graphics available in games from 1995 (like the original Command and Conquer game or Ultima VIII).
The problem in crafting a MMORPG is that it takes a long long time. I can find any number of people "with great ideas for a MMORPG" I just cannot find anyone who is a. willing to expend the real time it will take, b. compromise with others, c. just be available for group meetings, and d. willing to code the grunt side of the setup. Programming any game takes a hell of a lot of time. In the case of the MMORPG the online aspect is what gives programmers a lot of trouble. That is why there exists commercial backend engines for MMO games. However, the only Open source MMO engine I know is worldforge, and I do not know how complete it is (as most of Open source software... and speciallyggames).
So they tell the NASA to stop spending their petty cash in Mars research and prioritize it to more significant issues, but of course the government can not for any reason reduce the spending in war. I saw that chart first form this post.
NO. My answer is NO. Do not teach DreamWeaver 5, or Quanta or NVu or Photoshop or GIMP. Do not do it, STOP doing it.
What you should do instead is to teach about web developing (HTML, etc), image manipulation, etc. If you teach only how to press x or y button you will be robbing the students because when the next version of X program goes out they wont do how to achieve that misterious effect the teacher shown them how to achieve which made the picture look better.
You do not need to teach them the science of what they are doing (i.e., no need for an extensive programming class, just HTML and the basics of web design). But you could very well teach them the concepts and apply the conecpts in your "old" propietary software and the "new" open source. In that way, they will be able to onder the benefits and disbenefits of each tool.
Even if someone won't lend you a cellphone in case you run off with it, just go into a building and ask if you can use their landline.
There are two flaws with this, first, with the current "corporisation" of all the commerce, this random building you talk about would be a starbucks, McDonalds, Zara, BestBuy, etc. shop, where, after you arrived and asked to use their landline, the employee will tell you that he can not do it because it is prohibited by company policy. Seriously, it is similar to the use of the toilet.
Now, the second scenario is, if you are at 1:00 am and need/want to make a call. You would have to break into such building to borrow their landline.
Personally, I do not like cell phones. It is my opinion that they invade privacy. And I certainly hate when people's phone ring in the middle of a film and THEY ANSWER THE DAMN THING! Or when you are talking with someone and suddenly, after their cell phone rings, it is more important to answer the damn phone than to finish what you were talking.
I have a mobile (because of my girlfriend... and because the 2x1 orange wedensdays), however certainly I have no idea where in my house it is just now (gotta look it =os) and as usually I forgot to charge it should be dead. When people ask me for some contact number, I give them my email. Email, for me, is the perfect impersonal contact technology.
You have just to take a look at people like Donald Knuth to see that indeed there is plenty in the academic and research process which is wrong.
Of course, I you still have some way to go, as you state:
undergraduate studies were done at Saint Louis University (Madrid Campus) and Loyola University Chicago. I received a B.A. Classics from LUC in 2006. My focus was on the genetic relationship of Classical Greek and Latin through Proto-Indo-European, I have little interest in ancient history or literature.
In mid-2006 I began studies towards an M.A. in Finno-Ugrian linguistics at the University of Helsinki. You are still, what we could argue, starting in research and academia. Of course a Master in Arts is not as rigurous as a Master in Science or others. But, even though it is still academia, the fact that you are in a Masters degree tells that you are still being introduced to the world of academia.
Please share your opinions with us after you have finished your Master and have done at least 3 publications and gone to some congresses. Your view of the magical academia will have changed then.
The funny thing is that, what the MPAA has to do is only stop distributing the programs or just comply by releasing the source code... there is no way they will have to pay 1 cent to anyone.
Really? 'Cause I'd say that band members are assholes for expecting a lifetime of earnings from a few hours' work. Do janitors get royalties for 75 years after mopping a floor once? No? Then why should some stoned guitar hero get 50 every time some schmuck wants their music for a party?
Only if you are renting the music... if you buy the CD you just have to play 1 time (once) the value of the work. Of course, if such recording is sooooooooooo valuable as to make lots of people want to buy it even over time, then I do not see wtf is wrong with the creators being paid some of that value, at the end it is their creation.
If said janitor mopped floors in some way which where unique, he could *license* its work instead of selling its time. In that way he would be able to charge for each person who stepped in the floor he mopped.
Really, it is not that difficult to understand the logic behind it, you only have to try to be less of a zealot...
It may be because he just recently became the richest man in the world... and If I recall correctly it is still not "official" untile Fortune publishes its anual list... not that it matters.
Talking about Slim (disclaimer? I am a Mexican) I usually held him in a low steem (sp?) because of the way he has made his fortune (or what everyone said). However, the more I read about him, the more I agree with his views (at least, with his views about sharing his fortune). For example, instead of just giving away his fortune, he is supposed to have this plan to create schools and improve overall education in Mexico. He once said, when asked about the Bill Gates and Warren Buffet donations, that he was not going to be like Santa Claus just giving away their money, he said that, doing these could create some leeches.
In that way, I agree with him, it is akin to the saying that goes, give a man a fish and he will eat today, show him how to fish and he will eat everyday (or somehting like that).
Anyway, if any of you wants to practice your spanish, here is a very interesting and up to date story about Slim: La historia detrás de Slim written 08 - 2007.
The google translation to english can be found here
And, concerning the XO laptop, I have read that his plans are to give it to libraries first. Where kids can learn how to use them.
The problem with this kind of project (at least in Mexico I think) is that it is not just possible to handle the laptops to the kids, there must be some *plan* for teaching them something. However, the most difficult part is to teach the Teachers what to do with them and to make them adopt whatever plan is created.
Now, reasoning about the fear some people here has about the computer being stolen. Well, I am not very sure it is a problem. The computers are not state of the art, in a sense that they can not be sold for a lot of money. The better anyone who steals it can do is use it.
I believe it is similar to an issue that was raised when Lopez Obrador was major of Mexico city (and one of the things I think he did VERY right). He created a program in which there were free books for people to read in the underground (Metro) in Mexico D.F., the idea is that, when you were going to travel for some time in the underground, you could grab one of those books (with short stories in them) and read. I was really amazed and glad the times I used the metro and saw people actually reading the books, and even a lady reading to what I presume was his mother.
Now, one time I was with a friend in the Metro, he noted how there were very few books in the station and told me that it was very sad that people stole the books. But, what I told him is that, given that the books have no other use than to be read, the fact that someone got it meant that he (or whomever he gave it to) will be reading it, hence, the objective of the book was still accomplished. Of course those books could not really be sold as they were specially edited for the metro (and had covers indicating they were free) so, no one would buy them.
Howdy cow. For some reason after I read the title of yoru post I imagined one of those very shitty quality videos with Osama in it laughing very very hard almost choking, saying:
PATRIOT Act Hhahhahaah. National Targeting Center??? hahahahaha. Land of the Freaahahahahah!
It would make a really good video... contrarily to what lot of people keeps saying in slashdot, the terrorists are not winning in the war on terror against the USA. They have won quite some time ago. They have your people by the balls, and they knew how to proceed to make YOU (ppl form USA) to be happy to lose your freedom...
Uh, yah. Try going to a number of so-called 'free' countries in Europe, like say, Germany. Or France. Or Great Britain. You think they don't collect information about you, your purpose in visiting, your destination, etc, for future reference? Do you think they destroy that information once they're 'done with it'? Where did this illusion that you can update/correct/view any of this information comes from? What kind of idiotic self-important ignorant prick seriously thinks that he has any chance of doing so?
Hey! I travelled throuh Euorope last summer, where I visited (among other places) Germany, Swiss and Czech Republic. To my surprise, while I was travelling by bus or train, each time we crossed the border of a country a guy just looked at my passport and put a stamp. That was ALL. Nothing really fancy. Even more, while crossing I think between Bern and Paris we did not got a stamp (from the paris in nor Swiss out).
The funny thing was that nobody of the other countries (France, Spain, Netherlands) gave a shit about it, but it was until we returned to the UK where the immigration officer asked us why didn't we had the respective stamps!!
I am currently living in the UK but I am a scary Mexican invader... of course I am studying here in the UK. But I expected such behaviour from the UK because they are very much the dog of the USA.
So no, you are wrong. It is only your country which is fucked up. I am sorry, but I am mostly sorry because I can see that it had washed up your brain and it is sad. But at the same time it is funny. I have always found funnily amazing to watch gringos fight against *everyone* else deffending their point, when *everyone* else is telling them that their are wrong and showing them the reasons and proofs... but hey, you keep believing whateveryou want. Your country is the one which is going to implode. As I have always said, no need to attack the USA, it is going to implode by itself. It is just a matter of time =o).
The last time I used a KDE based distro (Kubuntu 7.10) it was a joke. Applications crashed (Konqueror, amaroK, RKWard, among others) very often and the system overall felt fragile compared to Gnome and yes... even to Windows XP.
I hope the KDE developers get it right this time and make KDE 4 stable. It is really shameful that when you are showing someone how "cool" amaroK is, it suddenly crashes after playing the play button without any reason (after having played other songs in the same format)...
For me, KDE has always seemed as a fragile and buggy desktop environment. Since the days of Mandrake Linux 5. It keeps crashing on me even in 100% Linux tested computers (which work very well in Gnome, XFCE and IceWM).
I would also recommend Animal Crossing. Now this involves reading, but that's not bad. It's really going to encourage and motivate her so that she can play.
I agree completely with that!
If the girl is 6 years old then I guess she should be learning to read by now don't you think so?? In any case, I completely recommend to use the games to encourage them to learn to read. I am really glad my first language is not English because when I was a kid (around the the Atari/NES times) playing RPGs like Final Fantasy , Dragon Warrior and Ultima made me want to learn English (even having a dictionary at my side when I played). There was also another game which name I do not remember, it was a Tiny Toons (or Looney Toons) game in which you had to create a "film" and it even had the text clouds with some dialogues.
I have always thought games are the *best* way to teach kids (it is the natural way of learning, not only for humans but for every species!) from learning to talk to learning AI algorithms (programming intelligent software mini robots that fight against each other )
It's the same with all published journalism:What is the product? The publication. No. The product is the reader. And who is the customer? The reader. No. The customer is the advertiser.So a publisher sells readers to advertisers. Got it?
Therefore, if you really want unbiased and critic journalism you should get it from sources which objective is to satisfy *your* demands. To achieve that you would have to PAY for such kind of work (instead of allowing advertisers to pay for it).
But guess what, it seems nobody is willing to pay for that, you can see it as less and less it is a sane business model. People prefer free stuff... even though the quality of such stuff is less than the quality of good paid for work.
Slashdot Mirror
The price I've seen is 700USD and for that price I can buy a cheap laptop that is way more expandable.
If you think this, then it is clear that this technology is not for you. I read a lot of this in slashdot but what people fail to see is that there is a specific market for this kind of devices. Specially for the ones that allow making some kind of notes.
As an example, both of my parents are biologists (they go to field trips to that strange place called "the nature" quite often). They sometimes stay camping when doing field trips which are usually done to catalogue species and the like. One of the main problems in those trips is that students may have to take their field guides (which are supposed to be special editions for field work but, are akin to our "SQL pocket edition " manuals, with lots and lots of pages). The problem is that sometimes they have to take two or three guides with them making it really painful to pack 5 Kgs of books...
Now, they usually can not take a laptop because trips last for a lot of time, and they need access to the books quite often. Hence, a laptop which battery lasts for 4 hours at *most* wont be useful. However a device which lasts 15 hours or more will be very very useful.
That is why, when I showed my parents and my flatmate (who is a zoologist) the OLPC, they got fascinated as it really solves quite a lot of problems for them. Specially, my flatmate goes into the Selva Lacandona and stays there camping and examining animals for weeks. A computer which can be powered by turning a crank and which power lasts longer (they do not need fancy graphics, even black and white is great) will be the perfect sollution.
The problem is that from our closed computer cube world, this kind of devices only make sense as gizmos. But there *are* several uses for this technology.
lol, not work safe indeed.
The link makes my Firefox crash in Linux. However Opera did open the link (with javascript/java and images disables) and it is a GNAA last measure web page with grotuesque pictures.
You can get an index of the available pictures (a la "index of/") here. But BEWARE: THEY ARE VERY GROTESQUE AND NOT SAFE FOR WORK, they include goatse man, tubgirl and other wonders of the GNAA.
While the technology could allow travelers to make phone calls over the Internet, most carriers say they have no plans to allow voice communications."
Please excuse my ignorance but, wouldn't there be a problem of lattency (lag)?
No PDF support, less features than an iLiad. Lame.
while I do think the tiny exclamation point penis is a nice touch,
Hahaha, thanks for making my day. I have always thought exactly the same, the use of ! is quite nice, however I guess that the most accurate asciification would be something like ! or something similar...
, but explode in a burst of gamma radiation when they come into contact with a woman. Probably a lot like your typical Digg user :]
Says the guy posting in a "news for nerds stuff that matters" site, within a "reactor botnet" story...
Oh... woops
did you ever notice that in the US its ok for prime time tv to show someone's bullet riddled corpse, but its not ok for two people to be shown having sex, or even showing nudity?
:)
You see... it is a matter of national security. Imagine if you showed people all that nudity and libido waker sex material, you would get into an overpopulation problem. Instead, you show only media which makes people kill each other and with that (and the war of course) you keep your population from growing!
BTW. In "media" every type of it should be included, games, movies, radio, pictures, etc. It is wrong to blame only TV as it is wrong to blame only videogames. All of them incide in violent behaviour
Well... first and foremost I do not think that it is possible to "outsorce" Open source software. By its very nature open source allows people from every place (in the planet!) to contribute to the code.
Now, what I would expect is that, because of the current economy, developers in India would demand lower fares to do the same amount of work as developers in the US or UK. Because of this, I think that companies wanting to do such kinds of offers (to give money to open source products) could do it via coding renting sites where the rules of the market "rule". You could argue that, the quality of the code is not comparable. However, I know there are very good coders who are not from the USA. And the company requesting the work (renting the coders) must state their objectives (imagine, setting a bid request for adding the certain functionality to X program).
Such approach could also be useful for design, documentation and other issues in which open source is pretty much fucked up. I know for example that Argentina has really, really good graphical designers. And a market where some of these people could bid to participate in such kinds of software would be good.
Of course, a lot of people here in slashdot suerly would not like that, because It would mean that they could *never* compete with the prices of other countries. However, at the end it would be better for Open Source as it will imply that more work is done for less money! and of course, more contributions to the Open Source code.
The problem of making open source games is not the development of the programs, but the development of the graphics (models, textures etc.). You see, graphic deisgners value their time and "products" more than programmers. That's why you see almost all open source games with incomplete and fugly graphics that does not compare to graphics available in games from 1995 (like the original Command and Conquer game or Ultima VIII).
The problem in crafting a MMORPG is that it takes a long long time. I can find any number of people "with great ideas for a MMORPG" I just cannot find anyone who is a. willing to expend the real time it will take, b. compromise with others, c. just be available for group meetings, and d. willing to code the grunt side of the setup.
Programming any game takes a hell of a lot of time. In the case of the MMORPG the online aspect is what gives programmers a lot of trouble. That is why there exists commercial backend engines for MMO games. However, the only Open source MMO engine I know is worldforge, and I do not know how complete it is (as most of Open source software... and speciallyggames).
So they tell the NASA to stop spending their petty cash in Mars research and prioritize it to more significant issues, but of course the government can not for any reason reduce the spending in war. I saw that chart first form this post.
NO. My answer is NO. Do not teach DreamWeaver 5, or Quanta or NVu or Photoshop or GIMP. Do not do it, STOP doing it.
What you should do instead is to teach about web developing (HTML, etc), image manipulation, etc. If you teach only how to press x or y button you will be robbing the students because when the next version of X program goes out they wont do how to achieve that misterious effect the teacher shown them how to achieve which made the picture look better.
You do not need to teach them the science of what they are doing (i.e., no need for an extensive programming class, just HTML and the basics of web design). But you could very well teach them the concepts and apply the conecpts in your "old" propietary software and the "new" open source. In that way, they will be able to onder the benefits and disbenefits of each tool.
Getting punished for another's crimes. Other people's illegal happenings are none of the defendant's concern or responsibility.
No. The lady was guilty for *distributing* the music. That's th difference between say, downloading from Kazaa and downloading from alt.bin.mp3
Mod parent up!
PDFEdit is pretty much what we need for a PDF editor. However it is still in alpha stages, but it is quite functional and has a nice GUI.
Even if someone won't lend you a cellphone in case you run off with it, just go into a building and ask if you can use their landline.
There are two flaws with this, first, with the current "corporisation" of all the commerce, this random building you talk about would be a starbucks, McDonalds, Zara, BestBuy, etc. shop, where, after you arrived and asked to use their landline, the employee will tell you that he can not do it because it is prohibited by company policy. Seriously, it is similar to the use of the toilet.
Now, the second scenario is, if you are at 1:00 am and need/want to make a call. You would have to break into such building to borrow their landline.
Personally, I do not like cell phones. It is my opinion that they invade privacy. And I certainly hate when people's phone ring in the middle of a film and THEY ANSWER THE DAMN THING! Or when you are talking with someone and suddenly, after their cell phone rings, it is more important to answer the damn phone than to finish what you were talking.
I have a mobile (because of my girlfriend... and because the 2x1 orange wedensdays), however certainly I have no idea where in my house it is just now (gotta look it =os) and as usually I forgot to charge it should be dead. When people ask me for some contact number, I give them my email. Email, for me, is the perfect impersonal contact technology.
You have just to take a look at people like Donald Knuth to see that indeed there is plenty in the academic and research process which is wrong.
Of course, I you still have some way to go, as you state: undergraduate studies were done at Saint Louis University (Madrid Campus) and Loyola University Chicago. I received a B.A. Classics from LUC in 2006. My focus was on the genetic relationship of Classical Greek and Latin through Proto-Indo-European, I have little interest in ancient history or literature.
In mid-2006 I began studies towards an M.A. in Finno-Ugrian linguistics at the University of Helsinki. You are still, what we could argue, starting in research and academia. Of course a Master in Arts is not as rigurous as a Master in Science or others. But, even though it is still academia, the fact that you are in a Masters degree tells that you are still being introduced to the world of academia.
Please share your opinions with us after you have finished your Master and have done at least 3 publications and gone to some congresses. Your view of the magical academia will have changed then.
The funny thing is that, what the MPAA has to do is only stop distributing the programs or just comply by releasing the source code... there is no way they will have to pay 1 cent to anyone.
Really? 'Cause I'd say that band members are assholes for expecting a lifetime of earnings from a few hours' work. Do janitors get royalties for 75 years after mopping a floor once? No? Then why should some stoned guitar hero get 50 every time some schmuck wants their music for a party?
Only if you are renting the music... if you buy the CD you just have to play 1 time (once) the value of the work. Of course, if such recording is sooooooooooo valuable as to make lots of people want to buy it even over time, then I do not see wtf is wrong with the creators being paid some of that value, at the end it is their creation.
If said janitor mopped floors in some way which where unique, he could *license* its work instead of selling its time. In that way he would be able to charge for each person who stepped in the floor he mopped.
Really, it is not that difficult to understand the logic behind it, you only have to try to be less of a zealot...
It may be because he just recently became the richest man in the world... and If I recall correctly it is still not "official" untile Fortune publishes its anual list... not that it matters.
Talking about Slim (disclaimer? I am a Mexican) I usually held him in a low steem (sp?) because of the way he has made his fortune (or what everyone said). However, the more I read about him, the more I agree with his views (at least, with his views about sharing his fortune). For example, instead of just giving away his fortune, he is supposed to have this plan to create schools and improve overall education in Mexico. He once said, when asked about the Bill Gates and Warren Buffet donations, that he was not going to be like Santa Claus just giving away their money, he said that, doing these could create some leeches.
In that way, I agree with him, it is akin to the saying that goes, give a man a fish and he will eat today, show him how to fish and he will eat everyday (or somehting like that).
Anyway, if any of you wants to practice your spanish, here is a very interesting and up to date story about Slim:
La historia detrás de Slim written 08 - 2007.
The google translation to english can be found here
And, concerning the XO laptop, I have read that his plans are to give it to libraries first. Where kids can learn how to use them.
The problem with this kind of project (at least in Mexico I think) is that it is not just possible to handle the laptops to the kids, there must be some *plan* for teaching them something. However, the most difficult part is to teach the Teachers what to do with them and to make them adopt whatever plan is created.
Now, reasoning about the fear some people here has about the computer being stolen. Well, I am not very sure it is a problem. The computers are not state of the art, in a sense that they can not be sold for a lot of money. The better anyone who steals it can do is use it.
I believe it is similar to an issue that was raised when Lopez Obrador was major of Mexico city (and one of the things I think he did VERY right). He created a program in which there were free books for people to read in the underground (Metro) in Mexico D.F., the idea is that, when you were going to travel for some time in the underground, you could grab one of those books (with short stories in them) and read. I was really amazed and glad the times I used the metro and saw people actually reading the books, and even a lady reading to what I presume was his mother.
Now, one time I was with a friend in the Metro, he noted how there were very few books in the station and told me that it was very sad that people stole the books. But, what I told him is that, given that the books have no other use than to be read, the fact that someone got it meant that he (or whomever he gave it to) will be reading it, hence, the objective of the book was still accomplished. Of course those books could not really be sold as they were specially edited for the metro (and had covers indicating they were free) so, no one would buy them.
So what? does Firefox illuminates their Oossholes?
*rimshot*
Thank you thank you
Funny for WindowS (working at Mozilla) to tell us that Microsoft software is buggier than Open Source :)
Al Qaeda must be laughing their asses off
Howdy cow. For some reason after I read the title of yoru post I imagined one of those very shitty quality videos with Osama in it laughing very very hard almost choking, saying:
PATRIOT Act Hhahhahaah. National Targeting Center??? hahahahaha. Land of the Freaahahahahah!
It would make a really good video... contrarily to what lot of people keeps saying in slashdot, the terrorists are not winning in the war on terror against the USA. They have won quite some time ago. They have your people by the balls, and they knew how to proceed to make YOU (ppl form USA) to be happy to lose your freedom...
Have a nice day.
Uh, yah. Try going to a number of so-called 'free' countries in Europe, like say, Germany. Or France. Or Great Britain.
You think they don't collect information about you, your purpose in visiting, your destination, etc, for future reference? Do you think they destroy that information once they're 'done with it'? Where did this illusion that you can update/correct/view any of this information comes from? What kind of idiotic self-important ignorant prick seriously thinks that he has any chance of doing so?
Hey! I travelled throuh Euorope last summer, where I visited (among other places) Germany, Swiss and Czech Republic. To my surprise, while I was travelling by bus or train, each time we crossed the border of a country a guy just looked at my passport and put a stamp. That was ALL. Nothing really fancy. Even more, while crossing I think between Bern and Paris we did not got a stamp (from the paris in nor Swiss out).
The funny thing was that nobody of the other countries (France, Spain, Netherlands) gave a shit about it, but it was until we returned to the UK where the immigration officer asked us why didn't we had the respective stamps!!
I am currently living in the UK but I am a scary Mexican invader... of course I am studying here in the UK. But I expected such behaviour from the UK because they are very much the dog of the USA.
So no, you are wrong. It is only your country which is fucked up. I am sorry, but I am mostly sorry because I can see that it had washed up your brain and it is sad. But at the same time it is funny. I have always found funnily amazing to watch gringos fight against *everyone* else deffending their point, when *everyone* else is telling them that their are wrong and showing them the reasons and proofs... but hey, you keep believing whateveryou want. Your country is the one which is going to implode. As I have always said, no need to attack the USA, it is going to implode by itself. It is just a matter of time =o).
As a common user I care abouy:
1) Stability
The last time I used a KDE based distro (Kubuntu 7.10) it was a joke. Applications crashed (Konqueror, amaroK, RKWard, among others) very often and the system overall felt fragile compared to Gnome and yes... even to Windows XP.
I hope the KDE developers get it right this time and make KDE 4 stable. It is really shameful that when you are showing someone how "cool" amaroK is, it suddenly crashes after playing the play button without any reason (after having played other songs in the same format)...
For me, KDE has always seemed as a fragile and buggy desktop environment. Since the days of Mandrake Linux 5. It keeps crashing on me even in 100% Linux tested computers (which work very well in Gnome, XFCE and IceWM).
I would also recommend Animal Crossing. Now this involves reading, but that's not bad. It's really going to encourage and motivate her so that she can play.
I agree completely with that!
If the girl is 6 years old then I guess she should be learning to read by now don't you think so?? In any case, I completely recommend to use the games to encourage them to learn to read. I am really glad my first language is not English because when I was a kid (around the the Atari/NES times) playing RPGs like Final Fantasy , Dragon Warrior and Ultima made me want to learn English (even having a dictionary at my side when I played). There was also another game which name I do not remember, it was a Tiny Toons (or Looney Toons) game in which you had to create a "film" and it even had the text clouds with some dialogues.
I have always thought games are the *best* way to teach kids (it is the natural way of learning, not only for humans but for every species!) from learning to talk to learning AI algorithms (programming intelligent software mini robots that fight against each other )
It's the same with all published journalism:What is the product? The publication. No. The product is the reader. And who is the customer? The reader. No. The customer is the advertiser.So a publisher sells readers to advertisers. Got it?
Therefore, if you really want unbiased and critic journalism you should get it from sources which objective is to satisfy *your* demands. To achieve that you would have to PAY for such kind of work (instead of allowing advertisers to pay for it).
But guess what, it seems nobody is willing to pay for that, you can see it as less and less it is a sane business model. People prefer free stuff... even though the quality of such stuff is less than the quality of good paid for work.