It depends on who is directing and producing. I will NEVER, EVER watch anything that has Michael Moore's name attached to it. But if somebody like Peter Jackson or Steven Spielberg is producing, well,... I might just tune in. But if anybody BUT Peter Jackson makes The Hobbit, it wouldn't be worth crap.
This whole story reminds me of the Civilization IV "Al Gore" Challenge - Beeline the Internet. Essentially, you start in 4000 BC with a Settler and click on Fiber Optics (the tech in CivIV that let's you build the Internet Wonder) in the tech tree at the beginning, then don't change anything and research all the techs up to that.
While it's an interesting challenge in a game of Civilization, the reality of it is quite interesting. The people that these, "laptops," are intended for are a lot more like that tribe in 4000 BC. They are more concerned with hunting, fishing, and farming (and in some cases, learning how to do that), and other things like just living. True, a lot of these people have bits and pieces of technology that's been acquired at various times, and some might even have computers. But the vast majority of them wouldn't know the first thing to do with a laptop that's given to them.
Look at the Nigerians, for example. Somehow, they got access to computers and the internet. But their development of other (CivIV calls them "technologies") aspects of their culture, like basic ethics, is pretty far behind the curve. Hence, we get flooded with zillions of 401 scam emails per day! We need to be more aware of what these people's needs are and not necessarily compare them directly to our own. Just because a good percentage of Americans own computers and laptops (and that number isn't even 100%) doesn't mean that people in Africa need them.
Ship 'em a couple of 250 gig HDs full of goodies, like textbooks and freeware and novels and movies, and they'll be okay until the broadband is in place.
So essentially, you set up a couple thousand isolated file sharing network servers in remote African villages, load them with software and other stuff, let the students freely download and share stuff on their village's server, and by the time the internet catches up to them, the **AA can sue them for illegal distribution of copyrighted content! Brilliant idea!
USPS doesn't have a monopoly; many people actively use (or have at least heard of or used before) UPS, FedEx, and DHL (I don't know of any other postal services).
Not to forget to mention the free mail (email) options, like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, etc,...
I also wouldn't think that it would be wise for the democrats to push for amnesty. The people out here in Arizona just voted for four pretty strong anti-illegal-immigration propositions, of which all four won with pretty large margins. Any amnesty proponents are going to have a hard time overcoming the will of the people.
power requirements?!?! I have a Nikon D50 dSLR, and I have to say that the power requirements are very minimal, especially compared to my earlier point-and-shoot cameras like the Sony Mavica or HP R505. I have noticed that, because you're using the viewfinder and not the LCD screen to take pictures, the power requirements are much, much less. I've gone as much as 2-3 weeks on one Lion battery charge on my D50.
Here in Arizona, I was required to show a photo ID in order to vote. The state is serious about enforcing it this year (all the local news stations are reminding people to bring a photo ID to the polls). I really don't see a problem with it. Most people have a driver's license, and if they don't, they can get a state-issued photo ID pretty easily (which is probably a good idea, as there are lots of other reasons you would want a photo ID; consuming/purchasing alcoholic beverages, writing a check, etc).
I don't see why some states (like Missouri, apparently) have ruled this unconstitutional. I guess there are still lots of politicians out there that still want to be able to send in their cronies with dead people's voter registration cards so that they can get the dead person vote,...;-)
Forget Japanese videos! I'm just p*ssed off that in the last week, YouTube decided to remove the 1985 Chicago Bears Superbowl Shuffle, allegedly for copyright reasons! And right in the middle of one of their greatest seasons ever,. . . da Bears return to the Superbowl (I hope:-)!
I mean, yeah, it probably was copyrighted and all, but they were, "not doing this because [they were] greedy." "The Bears are doin' it to feed the needy."
But wait, for some reason, it's still on Google Video,. ..
Slashdot Mirror
It depends on who is directing and producing. I will NEVER, EVER watch anything that has Michael Moore's name attached to it. But if somebody like Peter Jackson or Steven Spielberg is producing, well,... I might just tune in. But if anybody BUT Peter Jackson makes The Hobbit, it wouldn't be worth crap.
Funny that you should mention that. It looks like Senator John McCain might be thinking along similar lines,...
And people that respond to Nigerian scam emails are idiots, too. Even Chelsea Clinton's future father-in-law,. . .
While it's an interesting challenge in a game of Civilization, the reality of it is quite interesting. The people that these, "laptops," are intended for are a lot more like that tribe in 4000 BC. They are more concerned with hunting, fishing, and farming (and in some cases, learning how to do that), and other things like just living. True, a lot of these people have bits and pieces of technology that's been acquired at various times, and some might even have computers. But the vast majority of them wouldn't know the first thing to do with a laptop that's given to them.
Look at the Nigerians, for example. Somehow, they got access to computers and the internet. But their development of other (CivIV calls them "technologies") aspects of their culture, like basic ethics, is pretty far behind the curve. Hence, we get flooded with zillions of 401 scam emails per day! We need to be more aware of what these people's needs are and not necessarily compare them directly to our own. Just because a good percentage of Americans own computers and laptops (and that number isn't even 100%) doesn't mean that people in Africa need them.
So essentially, you set up a couple thousand isolated file sharing network servers in remote African villages, load them with software and other stuff, let the students freely download and share stuff on their village's server, and by the time the internet catches up to them, the **AA can sue them for illegal distribution of copyrighted content! Brilliant idea!
They'll probably end up getting theirs for free like everyone else, then sell them on E-Bay for 100 times their value,...
Not to forget to mention the free mail (email) options, like Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, etc,...
We're coming to get you, Mr. Anderson. Please don't take the blue pill. ;-)
How many gigawatts does it require?
5. Monkeys flying out of my butt
Rumsfeld stepping down, GOP officials say.
I also wouldn't think that it would be wise for the democrats to push for amnesty. The people out here in Arizona just voted for four pretty strong anti-illegal-immigration propositions, of which all four won with pretty large margins. Any amnesty proponents are going to have a hard time overcoming the will of the people.
power requirements?!?! I have a Nikon D50 dSLR, and I have to say that the power requirements are very minimal, especially compared to my earlier point-and-shoot cameras like the Sony Mavica or HP R505. I have noticed that, because you're using the viewfinder and not the LCD screen to take pictures, the power requirements are much, much less. I've gone as much as 2-3 weeks on one Lion battery charge on my D50.
I don't see why some states (like Missouri, apparently) have ruled this unconstitutional. I guess there are still lots of politicians out there that still want to be able to send in their cronies with dead people's voter registration cards so that they can get the dead person vote,... ;-)
Damn! That means we have to put up with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for a long, long time! ;-)
No. No one would post links to M$ stuff early. Steve Ballmer would throw chairs through their computer screens if they did.
that Duke Nukem Forever didn't make this list! Else we might never see it!
You must be a Packers fan. I'm sorry.
I mean, yeah, it probably was copyrighted and all, but they were, "not doing this because [they were] greedy." "The Bears are doin' it to feed the needy."
But wait, for some reason, it's still on Google Video,. . .
That's not quite as bad as, say, having Comcast for an ISP,... ;-)
Why not? It worked for this borg,. . .