If the ABS comes on then you are driving in a manner likely to endanger life. Most probably your own!
I beg your pardon? I'm not saying it's a good thing to feel the ABS come on every time you brake, but I do say that it is perfectly possible to brake and feel the ABS come on each time you brake, without ever losing control of your car. The chance of being rearended will increase, but that's why you have mirrors:)
The same applies to traction control. Off the race track, hardly anyone would ever encounter a situation where traction control is needed.
Ok. I'll give you the keys to my Mercedes SL600 on a slippery road, then. Let's see how far you get without the traction control kicking in. And that's not even a powerful car compared to others I've driven.
It is not a bad thing per se, but it can become a bad thing in some situations. From the Mercedes Benz automatic braking article: "But in time I learned to trust the Distronic system enough to force myself to keep my feet flat on the floor while the car gently decelerated from high speeds to a dead stop without plowing into the car ahead of me."
To me this reads as "do whatever you want, the car will stop in time". 99% Of all times this works, but as a recent German test showed (as seen for example on Top Gear, BBC) that coming out of a tunnel into fog, this system is not able to stop in time in that particular situation.
A car has limits, this and other systems help you if you've stepped over one of these limits. The danger I see with these systems, is that drivers will trust too much on them, and overstep the limits of the system. Then you end up with a car that cannot help you anymore, and a driver that hasn't got a clue how he/she is going to get out of this situation. A deadly combination if you ask me.
So some CDRs will last for 10 years. How many ? 1 in 10 ? 1 in 2 ? Unless you can show that more than 99% of them will have that lifespan, they are useless for real backup.
I still have 6 CDRs back from 1993, and they still work fine. I'm not saying that this is to be expected from each and every CDR, of course.
But I would like to point out that using a single CDR as a means of backup, is in itself wrong - what if a CDR could hold it's data for 1000 years, but it got lost in a fire, or scratched up real bad? I doubt the backup professionals you mentioned would use a single CDR.
Personally, I duplicate every CD & DVD I burn, one to use, one to store on another location. After one year, I test the media and burn a new copy. Since the cost of media is a non-issue, this works like a charm for me.
If he'd made his money using more honest methods, perhaps he wouldn't have such negativity tied to him?
Good point. But given the nature and history of mankind, I think that people would still perceive him as a rich bastard who's not giving or doing enough.
Maybe less people, but nevertheless I would not want to be the one to feed them.
It was either give some of it back or look like a monster.
If Bill Gates kept every little cent for himself, he'd be a monster.
If he gave 1% to charity, he'd be a monster for not giving more.
If he gave 99% to charity, he'd still be a monster, because the remaining 1% would still make him very rich considered to other people.
No matter how much he gives to charity, or to what causes the money may go, there'll still be a lot of people telling others that he's a monster for doing so/not doing so.
First of all, your estimate sounds VERY optimistic.
Second of all, the fact that you're thinking in terms of "oh, it's only a few hours" suggests to me that you've never worked for a company where every minute costs an incredible amount of money. Multiply each hour you need with a few million dollars, and you'll be starting to see why this can be a big deal.
ofcourse isp's can record the leases, but do they hold the records for leases for years after they were given ? doubtful. but this is the time by which they will get the issue into the courthouse to get a warrant for getting information from my isp's:)
no isp is giving away such information just like that.
Not quite - as of 2006, we're faced with a new law in Europe which basically forces every ISP to keep such information available for at least one year. This to facilitate investigations made by the police, aid in government actions, etc...
The information that is supposed to be stored includes your IP address, duration of the communication, type of communication, and a link to your details (so they can link your IP to your username and thus your personal information). The communicated data is not supposed to be stored.
I know of at least 2 major ISPs in Belgium who have already set up such a system in the course of 2004/2005.
Furthermore, a simple court order is enough to force the ISP to open up said information to anyone who wishes to investigate this information.
By the way, like, 3 people will be pissed off by this slow and painful death of kazza.
Kazaa is not yet dead, the network is still alive
Even if Kazaa (Media Desktop) may no longer be distributed in Australia, there are still other clients which one can use.
... and other countries in which one can still download the client
Last time I checked, the Kazaa network still had 3.000.000+ users online
Dead? Hardly. Fake-file, porn-, virus-filled? Maybe. But it appears that a lot of people still use it and swear by it.
And even IF the Kazaa network would disappear in it's entirety, all those users would just flock to another network, or another means to get their daily dose of bytes.
I saw this article several days ago on ZDNet (sorry/.), and it sounded very similar to something I heard before. About ten years before.
Some ten years ago, while I was still at university, there was one professor who told us about a company that was researching some kind of new digital storage.
It would be some sort of glass cube (10cm), and it would be able to hold 250GB of data, which was enormous at that time. It would be called the 'Holostore'.
A few years later, I heard the same story, with a different name. But still no disk, block, device, or whatever.
This has repeated itself about 4 times, and this article now on ZDNet and/. is the 5th occurence. The only thing I'm trying to say here is: I'll believe it when I can see it.
Call me a bit suspicious, but I have a strange feeling that this is the 'Holostore' of this year... Personally, I hope it's not, and I really, really hope they create and market it this time!
Last time I checked the Kazaa network, there were still some 3 million users counted, so that gives me the general idea that Kazaa is still in use... or is it?
Didn't everybody already move to KazaaLite, K++, or whatever hacked/rewritten client there is out there? Who is still using the original Kazaa client?
And how is the RIAA going to force those clients to include the forbidden search list?
So the Sony rootkit is BAD?! This needs more coverage.
Yeah, I wrote a catchy song about it, but Sony does not want to release it at this moment.
The person I contacted about the song told me that Sony could not guarantee that my song wouldn't be copied, and therefor they wanted to wait to release it. Maybe they need some DRM technology?
Keep in mind that this is Sony/BMG, where Sony only owns 50%, and where BMG were the ones who brought DRM into the picture.
Whether it was Sony, BMG or both who introduced this DRM fiasco, it is time for the public to let them know how we feel on this subject.
The grandparent already mentioned never buying a Sony product (I'd limit it to CD's) again - I'd even take it a step further. From now on, each time I encounter a CD I want with a Sony/BMG label on the back, I'm sending them an email in which I explain that I was interested in purchasing said CD, but I won't because they keep treating their customers as criminals.
Maybe this DRM fiasco, combined with enough public voices, could bring them to reason?
You do realise that the BSA guys are just a couple of dudes some companies have hired to stand around looking threatening don't you?
You don't have to let them do anything. You don't even have to let them in.
Not my business - it's my managers task to know & handle that. Besides, we got away with a small fine of just over 25000 euros, so no complaining from our part.
Sure, when dealing with clients face to face it's important
Awhhh... And just when I was agreeing with you.
It does not matter all that much what you look like or dress like, IMHO. I always dress in a single colour T-shirt, jeans and Caterpillars, and I have had ONE remark so far during all those years.
The remark came from a client, who said to me I'd (quote) "better dress in some kind of suit instead of whatever the hell I was wearing" if I was going to work in "his" building.
I told him without hesitation that if he wanted a brilliant coder, he'd better reconsider. If he wanted to hire an idiotic monkey in a suit & tie - by all means. No hard feelings.
He never gave a comment on my way of dressing since, and the project ended in a job well done.
Hmm...I can't imagine that using Linux or other open source stuff would give the BSA any problems even if they DID do an audit??
True, but I can also imagine that if you allow employee A to use Linux instead of Windows, employee B demands to be allowed to install (insert software package here) which may or may not be open source etc...
And believe me, once you allow people to install A, B, or C on their own, they'll do just about anything to install a big part of the remainder of the alphabet.
Yes, but this guy had the sense to install a spare HDD for the experiment, thus "Undo" was fairly easy.
While this may very well be, I've worked for a client where the policy did not tolerate you even thinking about installing another HDD.
At said client's workplace, you get a Windows machine, with a default software kit necessary for your job. All other software/tools/utilities you want to install must be cleared by a) your boss, b) boss of the department and c) the internal IT department and will be installed by party c.
Installing your own software, tinkering with machines/hardware in any way has ALWAYS resulted in getting yourself fired on the spot.
Not a very friendly environment, you might think. True, but it helps avoid situations like the one I've seen at another client, where the manager runs around the building screaming "we've gotten word the BSA is coming - delete all your junk right now!!!", after which just about everyone frantically tries to rid their machine from said junk. Half an hour later, the BSA arrived.... oops.... You don't want to know the fine. Or the fine the company which tipped us off got.
You mean people in the UK drive stolen cars with the original license plates?
And, what's this? They drive the cars? I thought they would become little parts in the aftermarket.
Of course, but first you need to get hold of fake or stolen license plates. If you do not have those at that moment, you still need to take the car to someone who can take apart the car and sell on the parts, for which you need to travel by road. Once you reach said person, prior to stripping the car, it will cost you at least...
Oops...
What I meant was "yeah, amazing they still do that". Yeah, that's what I meant. Really.
It is the landlord's place. He doesn't need a reason to say no.
The difference in this case is that the landlord was stupid enough to give a reason for refusing them - and that reason was against the law. You cannot refuse someone based on race, sexuality, religion, etc...
If he had just said "sorry, I've already promised the house to somebody else" there would not have been a problem. The fact that he explicitly told them "nope, no gays" got him into trouble.
If I'm a landlord and I don't like a tenant, I shouldn't be forced to accept them. It is my property.
True, but I know of at least one case where a landlord refused a couple because said couple was gay. Problem: he said it to their face, and they had recorded it with a small MP3 player (because the landlord was known to dislike gay people).
They brought the matter to court, and the landlord got the choice: either accept the couple as tenants, or face a (huge) fine.
Personally, I'd steer away from landlords who wouldn't want me in the first place for whatever reason.
I've almost always had an office, except for a few cases where I was working at a client's site.
It's nice, but I can live without it. Parent already spoke of a lockable container, so your personal stuff should be safe already. Locking your computer is also a good thing, but then again, if you had your own office, locking the computer would still remain a good thing.
The only thing that bothers me is when someone is standing behind me, reading (or trying to read) my screen. Most people walk away after I give 'm the "I don't think you should do that here and now" look, but not all people take the hint.
Here's a little tip that helped me get rid of someone who just kept on reading. I was chatting with a few other developers at the timebeing, and Mr. Annoying was trying to keep up with the conversation. So basically I said something along the lines of "hey guys, there's this annoying motherfucker standing behind me trying to read my screen - any hints on dumping that worthless moron?" - after which his face grew red, and he left. Meanwhile the answers started rolling in as well... When I saw him later that day, he came to me to apologize for his behaviour. Nice:)
Slashdot Mirror
I beg your pardon? I'm not saying it's a good thing to feel the ABS come on every time you brake, but I do say that it is perfectly possible to brake and feel the ABS come on each time you brake, without ever losing control of your car. The chance of being rearended will increase, but that's why you have mirrors :)
The same applies to traction control. Off the race track, hardly anyone would ever encounter a situation where traction control is needed.
Ok. I'll give you the keys to my Mercedes SL600 on a slippery road, then. Let's see how far you get without the traction control kicking in. And that's not even a powerful car compared to others I've driven.
To me this reads as "do whatever you want, the car will stop in time". 99% Of all times this works, but as a recent German test showed (as seen for example on Top Gear, BBC) that coming out of a tunnel into fog, this system is not able to stop in time in that particular situation.
A car has limits, this and other systems help you if you've stepped over one of these limits. The danger I see with these systems, is that drivers will trust too much on them, and overstep the limits of the system. Then you end up with a car that cannot help you anymore, and a driver that hasn't got a clue how he/she is going to get out of this situation. A deadly combination if you ask me.
I still have 6 CDRs back from 1993, and they still work fine. I'm not saying that this is to be expected from each and every CDR, of course.
But I would like to point out that using a single CDR as a means of backup, is in itself wrong - what if a CDR could hold it's data for 1000 years, but it got lost in a fire, or scratched up real bad? I doubt the backup professionals you mentioned would use a single CDR.
Personally, I duplicate every CD & DVD I burn, one to use, one to store on another location. After one year, I test the media and burn a new copy. Since the cost of media is a non-issue, this works like a charm for me.
Good point. But given the nature and history of mankind, I think that people would still perceive him as a rich bastard who's not giving or doing enough.
Maybe less people, but nevertheless I would not want to be the one to feed them.
If Bill Gates kept every little cent for himself, he'd be a monster.
If he gave 1% to charity, he'd be a monster for not giving more.
If he gave 99% to charity, he'd still be a monster, because the remaining 1% would still make him very rich considered to other people.
No matter how much he gives to charity, or to what causes the money may go, there'll still be a lot of people telling others that he's a monster for doing so/not doing so.
Second of all, the fact that you're thinking in terms of "oh, it's only a few hours" suggests to me that you've never worked for a company where every minute costs an incredible amount of money. Multiply each hour you need with a few million dollars, and you'll be starting to see why this can be a big deal.
You posted this on a Saturday at 4:46PM - sorry, 'fraid not, the banks are all closed...
Please do not compare the good people of the Mafia to members of the RIAA.
no isp is giving away such information just like that.
Not quite - as of 2006, we're faced with a new law in Europe which basically forces every ISP to keep such information available for at least one year. This to facilitate investigations made by the police, aid in government actions, etc...
The information that is supposed to be stored includes your IP address, duration of the communication, type of communication, and a link to your details (so they can link your IP to your username and thus your personal information). The communicated data is not supposed to be stored.
I know of at least 2 major ISPs in Belgium who have already set up such a system in the course of 2004/2005.
Furthermore, a simple court order is enough to force the ISP to open up said information to anyone who wishes to investigate this information.
Dead? Hardly. Fake-file, porn-, virus-filled? Maybe. But it appears that a lot of people still use it and swear by it.
And even IF the Kazaa network would disappear in it's entirety, all those users would just flock to another network, or another means to get their daily dose of bytes.
Some ten years ago, while I was still at university, there was one professor who told us about a company that was researching some kind of new digital storage.
It would be some sort of glass cube (10cm), and it would be able to hold 250GB of data, which was enormous at that time. It would be called the 'Holostore'.
A few years later, I heard the same story, with a different name. But still no disk, block, device, or whatever.
This has repeated itself about 4 times, and this article now on ZDNet and /. is the 5th occurence. The only thing I'm trying to say here is: I'll believe it when I can see it.
Call me a bit suspicious, but I have a strange feeling that this is the 'Holostore' of this year... Personally, I hope it's not, and I really, really hope they create and market it this time!
Didn't everybody already move to KazaaLite, K++, or whatever hacked/rewritten client there is out there? Who is still using the original Kazaa client?
And how is the RIAA going to force those clients to include the forbidden search list?
The REAL artists, those who take pride in their music (whatever genre it may be) and who care about their fans have a hard enough time as it is.
Yeah, I wrote a catchy song about it, but Sony does not want to release it at this moment.
The person I contacted about the song told me that Sony could not guarantee that my song wouldn't be copied, and therefor they wanted to wait to release it. Maybe they need some DRM technology?
Whether it was Sony, BMG or both who introduced this DRM fiasco, it is time for the public to let them know how we feel on this subject.
The grandparent already mentioned never buying a Sony product (I'd limit it to CD's) again - I'd even take it a step further. From now on, each time I encounter a CD I want with a Sony/BMG label on the back, I'm sending them an email in which I explain that I was interested in purchasing said CD, but I won't because they keep treating their customers as criminals.
Maybe this DRM fiasco, combined with enough public voices, could bring them to reason?
You don't have to let them do anything. You don't even have to let them in.
Not my business - it's my managers task to know & handle that. Besides, we got away with a small fine of just over 25000 euros, so no complaining from our part.
Awhhh... And just when I was agreeing with you.
It does not matter all that much what you look like or dress like, IMHO. I always dress in a single colour T-shirt, jeans and Caterpillars, and I have had ONE remark so far during all those years.
The remark came from a client, who said to me I'd (quote) "better dress in some kind of suit instead of whatever the hell I was wearing" if I was going to work in "his" building.
I told him without hesitation that if he wanted a brilliant coder, he'd better reconsider. If he wanted to hire an idiotic monkey in a suit & tie - by all means. No hard feelings.
He never gave a comment on my way of dressing since, and the project ended in a job well done.
True, but I can also imagine that if you allow employee A to use Linux instead of Windows, employee B demands to be allowed to install (insert software package here) which may or may not be open source etc...
And believe me, once you allow people to install A, B, or C on their own, they'll do just about anything to install a big part of the remainder of the alphabet.
While this may very well be, I've worked for a client where the policy did not tolerate you even thinking about installing another HDD.
At said client's workplace, you get a Windows machine, with a default software kit necessary for your job. All other software/tools/utilities you want to install must be cleared by a) your boss, b) boss of the department and c) the internal IT department and will be installed by party c.
Installing your own software, tinkering with machines/hardware in any way has ALWAYS resulted in getting yourself fired on the spot.
Not a very friendly environment, you might think. True, but it helps avoid situations like the one I've seen at another client, where the manager runs around the building screaming "we've gotten word the BSA is coming - delete all your junk right now!!!", after which just about everyone frantically tries to rid their machine from said junk. Half an hour later, the BSA arrived.... oops.... You don't want to know the fine. Or the fine the company which tipped us off got.
And, what's this? They drive the cars? I thought they would become little parts in the aftermarket.
Of course, but first you need to get hold of fake or stolen license plates. If you do not have those at that moment, you still need to take the car to someone who can take apart the car and sell on the parts, for which you need to travel by road. Once you reach said person, prior to stripping the car, it will cost you at least...
Oops...
What I meant was "yeah, amazing they still do that". Yeah, that's what I meant. Really.
That's my favourite means of punishment. If their not behaving well, I overwrite their RPG savegames with wimpy characters...
The difference in this case is that the landlord was stupid enough to give a reason for refusing them - and that reason was against the law. You cannot refuse someone based on race, sexuality, religion, etc...
If he had just said "sorry, I've already promised the house to somebody else" there would not have been a problem. The fact that he explicitly told them "nope, no gays" got him into trouble.
True, but I know of at least one case where a landlord refused a couple because said couple was gay. Problem: he said it to their face, and they had recorded it with a small MP3 player (because the landlord was known to dislike gay people).
They brought the matter to court, and the landlord got the choice: either accept the couple as tenants, or face a (huge) fine.
Personally, I'd steer away from landlords who wouldn't want me in the first place for whatever reason.
What purpose would that serve - taking a byte out of crime?
It's nice, but I can live without it. Parent already spoke of a lockable container, so your personal stuff should be safe already. Locking your computer is also a good thing, but then again, if you had your own office, locking the computer would still remain a good thing.
The only thing that bothers me is when someone is standing behind me, reading (or trying to read) my screen. Most people walk away after I give 'm the "I don't think you should do that here and now" look, but not all people take the hint.
Here's a little tip that helped me get rid of someone who just kept on reading. I was chatting with a few other developers at the timebeing, and Mr. Annoying was trying to keep up with the conversation. So basically I said something along the lines of "hey guys, there's this annoying motherfucker standing behind me trying to read my screen - any hints on dumping that worthless moron?" - after which his face grew red, and he left. Meanwhile the answers started rolling in as well... When I saw him later that day, he came to me to apologize for his behaviour. Nice :)