You watching the news at all these days? The man is ordering troops to kill anyone, collateral damage is not an issue. I'm just not certain who is worse, the leader of Syria or the leaders of Russia and China for backing that pile of shit.
Don't just complain and whine about unfair taxes, tell me what you would propose that would be better for education. Keep in mind that you have a diverse population of children ranging from very well off to homeless. I would hope you want every child to have some education, because you would believe that an educated nation is a strong nation.
Please, provide a workable plan to educate our youth that does not include some social sharing of cost. Here at/. you'd get some great feed back and perhaps it can be presented to the President for consideration.
How do you patent this type of shit. It's an idea, a process, not a product. Even if it were a "product" how does it even come close to being original. Management has been using these bullshit techniques to attempt to measure "performance" since the damn 60s.
Of course it will get a number, because the USPO has lost touch with reality. Everything is original, there is no prior act, no idea is far fetched enough to not get a patent. Hell, I remember when "lines of code" was the measurement of work. As I recall, 25 lines a day was the average. Tripe!
If management looked at development, not as a manufacturing job, but what it really is, craftsmanship then we could do away with bullshit patents like "count the number of times Joe/Jane programmer commit changes". We craft/build programs based on specifications and were we to meet those requirements, then we did our job. Measure completion rates, over/under completion times, quality of the product, but for Heaven's Sake, grow some brain cells and get out of the 19th century mentality of counting widgets made per day as productivity.
Where I to still have mod points I'd try to get rid of the troll score. You make some valid points. I do wish folks would stop with the "I know I'll be modded down" statements though, it is self serving. Modded up or down, speak your peace and don't tell the world what it may do.
I've been with/. since the mid 90's (skulker at first, joined later) and I do see a trend of less open discourse, more childish rantings, and news that does seem skewed. With that said, it still has good comments I can learn from, it still tends to have more thoughtful comments then other places, and generally the mod system works (see point above).
As to the topic on hand, I agree fully that Google's actions are not in line with their original foundation. This is what happens in the life cycle of business. A great book I read years ago was Titled "From barbarian to Bureaucracy", which talked about the process of business from innovation to fossilized monolith. Once Finance becomes the controlling interest of a company the origins are swept away.
What's started to concern me is that within the tech realm, three companies have reached a point where they are the controlling factor for information access and dissemination. Google, Twitter, and Facebook. While they may be minor offshoots, these three control a massive majority of personal data, communication, and information. We now see Google and Twitter complying with countries to limit access to information. Was there a point they might have said "go suck it"? Now its about money and since governments are all about money, control, and power, can we trust one company to search, to twit, or to organize?
The argument may be that the market will adjust. If Google gets to evil, if it gets to chummy with governments people will go to another search engine or map function....yet where are they? The one attempt to Open Source Facebook is a failure due to social inertia and I would suspect that Google's recent now you pay approach is based on the basic fact that they hit market saturation. So let me go one step further and consider that the World Wide Web (www) is no longer what was originally imagined, but has become a tool for manipulation of societies by government and corporate interests and not the other way around. Innovation, that which created Google, Facebook, and twitter is either dead or dying. Smothered by patent law, IP overkill, and simple greed.
The story makes a valid point and is reflective of other countries with democratic societies that went through a period of adjustment. Look at the US with early immigration. Irish, Poles, Germans (et al) came to this country and worked in horrible conditions with the idea that they can do better for their children. To some extent that attitude continues today though I find it sad that we have companies that maintain bad work practices. What stops the exploitation of the worker? Not that they are separate, but one is a government that works top support and protect its people, the other is an agitated and pissed off labor.
So what upsets me about places like China or North Korea or any place that has power placed explicitly in the hand of a few (or one) is that the people then become chattel to Business. It becomes easier to abuse and harder to change. These people may believe their children may have a better life, but there is no foundation for that belief. The future is controlled by the state.
Anyway, interesting thoughts, I gained a new viewpoint and that is what is worthy of good discourse.
You are correct and I'll do something not normally done on/., I apologise for the stupid comment. I still disagree with your position, but certainly could have been less childish about making my point.
Mitt, Is that you? It has to be to advocate sweat shops and oppressive work conditions as a way to "grow" a society into success. You may want to go back in time and talk to a few oppressed societies that had to revolt to bring about actual reform to their lives. You'd make a good dictator, Pharaoh, or republican.
I specifically used the term "developing country" because this is where the worst abuse occurs. You second thought does not make sense. When you compare Europe's working conditions to the US they are not that dissimilar. Pondering 1 month vs 2 weeks vacation is minor compared to forced labor, unsafe working conditions, and inhumane living conditions. I also did not state banning goods, I suggested that extra costs be added to imported goods from offending countries.
To sanction basic workers rights does not vastly impact either productivity or cost. It is not done, because consuming countries like the US, like Europe take a blind eye to these hell holes. Most of the politicians are bought off by the captains of industry so they can earns massive profits and we get our toys at a slightly cheaper price. We put a ban on Blood diamonds, why not at least take some stand on blood tech.
There are a couple of hole in your nice, pat theory. First, those western countries reformed their work environments from within, because at the time manufacturing was mainly a local or region endeavor. In the US, in the 30's, labor finally organized to begin to reform working environments *with the support of the government*. In essence, it was a free and fairly democratic society that provided the means for the worker to stand up and demand rights.
Manufacturers are not chasing cheap labor, they are in search of cheap governments that don't have pesky environmental regulations or troublesome labor laws. They get into these countries and they stick, perhaps even helping to prop up the government so the labor force has no ability to force change. The Chinese laborer, whether it be farmer or factory, is merely chattel for the government to use. A "middle-class" is presented to show progress, but it tightly controlled and can be struck down if they get to strong to support the status quo.
Certainly there is a relative aspect to life around the globe. I would not expect a worker in a developing country to have the same living environment, the say pay, or the same life style as I. What I would expect is that the worker has rights to a regulated workplace, one the respects a human life through decent hours, balanced wages, and a respect of work/life. I would expect that the worker has the right to assemble, to form an organization that gives them some power against abuse in the workplace. I would expect that humans be treated humanely.
Now the notion of a boycott is foolish in part for reasons stated throughout this thread. It is not just Apple eating from the poison fruit, it is many companies and we all share in that guilt. The only effective way to change is to demand that our "civilized" governments enforce humane work environments for goods that come into the country or monetary penalties will be assested for each violation of human rights. Apple wants to use slave labor to build iPads, fine, but it will cost more to get them back into this country. Don't just boycott, write to representatives and demand that we stand up for human rights be making it costly to abuse humans in the manufacturing of goods.
Oh, we have the technology. We have everything you describe...and more (btw, I get your point).
What we lack is the leadership to use it *wisely*. It makes infinite sense (to leadership) to require people to travel to a location where they can reach out and touch you, look at you, know you are there no matter what you are doing. Why at home that worker could be...maybe...reading/., because he or she would never do that at work. The office is preferred to some, the home to others. When a job is suited to handle both, why do our leaders not recognize that productivity is not measured by the clock, but by the task. Let those who like an office work in one, let those who work better at home do so, thus managing and not babysitting the workforce.
I RTFA and thought it a little theatrical, but on point. So SOPA and PIPA may have or will have a serious impact upon social websites like FB, like Slashdot, like...all of them. I can see it also having an impact on search engines, consumer websites that allows reviews; So what are these companies doing?
Were I head of Amazon or Google or Microsoft or FaceBook or Slashdot I would perhaps be on the phone coordinating some Act to indicate ones lack of support for SOPA, show what the Internet would be like after its law. I read (once) that there was talk to shut down major sites one day to give example to a crippled Internet....Where did that go? Businesses may lose money? They will lose a lot more if SOPA shut them down. (or will "big sites" get special treatment...that would frost some folks)
So, you see, its hard for me to get upset, to rage against the machine, when the major operators of the machine don't really care. Changing a small section of this bill is not a win, getting it canceled is a win. This Ant can call his representatives all day and it will do nothing against the money in their pockets. What will get their notice is when the Web they and their constituents rely on is taken off line for a day.
When I read that the Google boys, Facebook King, Amazon God, Lord Bill et al speak out loudly and long; then I care, its their world, not mine. If the Web (note, not network) shuts down today I'd jones for a bit on missing gmail, not buying online, not posting to "friends". Quickly I'd re-discover letter writing, going to a local store, and actually attempting to talk face to face (no book) with my friends. It's not my web anymore, it is Google's and their ilk. They don't have a problem with SOPA? Neither do I. I'll read about their success in the local paper Newsprint.
Can you explian this edit? Are they added somewhere in ad-block plus, some file on the system? I too don't like the social buttons to default to always pop up on my pages.
Such bru-ha over media issues. Yes, Yes, we can all fear that the evil government will shut down free speech, because they limit access to media? Y'all make me feel like when this happens artists wont produce music, artists wont paint or create, writers wont write.
If the Internet collapsed tomorrow we would still have art, we'd still have music, but heaven forbid we'd have to go to listen to it, go to see it, go to read it. At the worst, small groups of people will continue to create Art.
To put it another way, I don't need to see a movie to enjoy a play, I don't need iSomething to enjoy music, and I don't need a copy of a digital book to enjoy a good read. Somehow we survived before all of this and getting upset just plays into "their hands". Until they day they shut it all down, enjoy what you got. When RIAA/MPAA or what ever IAA locks down the past, humans can invent, can create a new future to be what ever works for them.
Me, I'd love to go see original local plays instead of a bland, over priced film. Can't listen to CSN&Y even if their as old as Mozart...oh well, got it still in my head. Even if "they" use it to try and quell dissent, commited people will route around it even it they go back to carrier pigeons. Freedom cannot be suppressed over time.
As to entertainment... I don';t go to movies because most of them are over priced, bland, and feed the machine I hate I don't buy current CDs because I realized the recoding industry is not interested in music, but in making money I don't buy digital books, because the first moment a store could take a book back without my knowledge told me it was not mine when I bought it. I don't watch TV on a regular basis because I found most times, the plot never changed after a few episodes.
I do go to local plays...the acting is not Oscar level, the singing is off...but it is still entertaining for the night I do go to local clubs..I buy a CD if I like them, if not I still helped them earn a living (of sorts) I do buy books at B&M stores, I share paper books with friends and family Mostly, I find activities that don';t put money so much in a cartel's pocket, but in those as close to me as possible.
Amazingly, I find I am still entertained...If they shut the Internet down tomorrow I'd jones for slashdot (BBS anyone), I'd have withdrawals from email and chat...but I'd live.
Wow. That was a face slap of cold water...but well put.
I'll bite on this for a moment and play the "what would I do" game. Given what you said, I would quietly make plans to get out of the country quickly, but with reason. I'd tell my local boss I have family issues that need addressing at home and it wont take long. Before male neighbor or female neighbor truly discover I witnessed this atrocity I am on a plane, back for home. My next stop is to call a recruiter to begin looking for a new job, because no matter what the outcome, I am screwed. I tell the home office it is impossible for me to go back to Iran because I was witness to a crime that was legal in that country, but goes against everything I believe in. If I don't value my life I then go to the press and report my story knowing it may create back lash against me, but brings out the sad tale. If I do I shut up, pray I don't get fired and hope the recruiter can find me a new job.
Personally, I would never take a job in a country like Iran, no matter how beautiful the country may be, how friendly the general population may be. It is not the general population I fear, it is the government and in such a place, I have no protection...period.
You really raised a good point, one people in countries like the US, Australia, England, at el miss. When we provide aid to overt dictators (be they religious or secular) we grant them some level of value, of power they do not deserve. There will always be people who will do anything for money. Given your example, that person in Iran would look the other way, say thank you for the big check and live with no conscious.
This makes no sense. I can understand a "request" by government officials to report "suspicious" behavior while driving down a highway (motorway?) or common street. I have to pass by things, places along the way. The internet is not like that. I don't consciously stop by web sites that may promote terrorism, I don't actively look for web sites that incite violence; just like I don't drive down dark alleys or bad sections of town on purpose. If I did want to go to sites like that, the last thing I'd do is report it. The web is my instant teleporter to where I want to go and the last place I want to visit is a web site that may state "blow up buildings for God". Were I even displayed a page like that (because of a typo) I would hope that the bloody billions we spend on monitoring bad guys would have already flagged said site.
The world economy is getting dismantled by greedy assholes, the environment is being systematically abused for energy consumption and what a government has to offer to its population for concern is "if you see a web site of stuff you don't like", report it.
I'd like to report these dim-bulb officials as terrorists against intelligence.
"Urgh!!! Because Obama's handouts have done so much to fix everything."
I had a friend comment (more like complain) that "We" spent all these millions of dollars in 1999 to change software....and nothing happened on Jan 1, 2000. "Really?" I exclaimed. "Nothing happened? So, like, all that money spent to avert a potential mess...worked?"
Would you like to ponder what could have happened had we not spent millions on coding against problems resulting from Y2K? "Ah fuggitabout, let the system work it out". (sigh).
President Obama felt the need to put money into the economy to stop it from tumbling into depression. Many economists certainly were stating that outcome pre TARP, pre Stimulus. So what did President Obama buy, a recession instead of a depression. He slammed the throttles full forward to avoid a crash, even though there was not much left in the tanks. Those that complain the most about stimulus are those least effected by either negative economic condition.
Now I would be glad to see him pull back on the throttle a little more these days. I'd love to see him divert our "gas" from one tank to another , but it seems that he not only battles external issues, but internal as well causing this plane to stagger and wallow in recovery. The formula for recovery is basic...
1 - Increase tax revenue (equitable) 2 - put people to work either through works programs or commercial incentive 3 - Adjust spending where needed and reduce where prudent. 4 - Deregulate to encourage growth, but strengthen regulations (through enforcement) relating to risk
When there were moderate, sensible thinking leaders these things were presented, debated, adjusted and passed. Reagan, Bush (I), and even Nixon raised taxes when it was needed. Clinton helped change welfare and medicaid. Today we have yahoo's (mainly in congress) who pontificate, posture, and do nothing to find common ground while they pad their pockets with lucre from insider trading.
So please, cut the crap about Obama buying a recession to avoid something worse, unless you enjoy living in chaos. I don't.
I love statements like this " we spend on much on the military as the next 15+ countries combined.and half of those are allies.". I need at least one mind boggler a day and this was the first. Now I may try to fact check, but my gut tells me you're correct...and how fucking sad is that.
I am all for a strong defense, I surely don't want my country invaded by 'fill in the blank evil people', but we seriously are over the top on our approach these days. We have enough nukes to ensure that any "major" country who tries to attack us will get melted, yet we still build airplanes (at mega-millions a pop) to fight against....who, what? China, blow them up. Russia? Blow them up, Yet these guys are not really an enemy, more like neutral antagonists. "Terrorists?", ignore them or if needed to do something, blow up a house or send them money. More people die driving our highways then what a dumb-ass with a bomb can do. Hell, even if North Korea was zany enough to attempt a nuke missile launch against us they would not last long (assuming we use all this crap we build). Today's enemy is not fought on the military battlefield, it is fought on the economic one.
Ah, here is where we see true power struggles. China owns more then half the US debt, talk about a strategic hill position. I wonder what senator will be willing to charge up "bond hill" against that type of economic position. The middle east controls oil prices (not oil per say, big difference). Want to bring the US to its knees, drive oil prices up by two in a week. This country cannot adapt to that type of economic attack, and it is this type of attack were we are most vulnerable too in this age.
Our leaders tell us to worry about Iraq having WMDs...because why? some idiot despot may use it against us? We got a lousy protection system (though we spend billions on it) if that's the case. We worry that Iran may have or will have a bomb...again so what? If they use it on Israel we have WWIII and the likes of China, Russia, and neighboring ME countries wont let that stand. All the major land is carved up, so now we rattle our very expensive swords, point fingers, and say "yo mamma can't touch this stuff". We have children running the show.
Were the United States to take all the Effin billions we spend in "defense" and begin translating it into defense of our economic and energy house then we would be stronger, and less likely for attack, both physical and economic. Take all those war dollars and begin investing back into education by providing more options for young minds to learn new things. Open space to commercial development and provide the framework to make it affordable. To paraphrase another poster "My God, there's jobs in space". Push hard on renewables (or nuke) and for God Sakes start changing the mind set that the only way to live is with two cars in the garage. Spend money on R&D. Instead of an enemy, find a goal that inspires people/inventors/scientists et al. (I could go on). I'll say it, because our most glorious leaders wont, We are a third world nation. We lag behind in education, in infrastructure, in care for our disadvantaged, and in economic growth. We lead in military spending, we open our doors to corporations for the exploitation of the land and its people, and our most exultant leaders are basically untouched by the laws they swear too. I love my country, I love the ideals written in our Constitution, so to see it crumble from within...a sad time indeed.
43% spent to "defend" against friends and a few foes...yep, boggles the mind.
So, their pissed off. My work has been outsourced twice so when my current boss talks about looking into contractors for a project, I get terrified. WHyt, because my three horses, my small farm, and my middle class living could be gone just as quick. The income to debt ratio, the income to cost ratio is vastly different between me and your so called terrified publishers.
These guys would be pissed, because this type of model begins to take control of a market away from them, and put it in the hands of other people. Publishers, like Recording Execs are all about control, about shaping society whether it is through books, music, or video. The grand narcissist, the megalomaniac that needs control, for that is Power.
These fights are not about money, that is just a means to Power. The Power to make the next star which may shape how a society thinks and feels which means they can exert even more Power. Media Executives despise the internet for its open design, its ability to route around control. Wee they terrified they would be more conciliatory, more willing to adapt to change. What you hav is a group of people that are angry because they are losing control of Power. When anyone can publish, when anyone can promote then (in their eyes) it is total anarchy and that must be stopped.
Ultimately the existing model, based on pre-digital, pre-internet technology will morph into a new structure that will use political Power to maintain control. We can see this already with bills like SOPA in the US or EU governments influencing ISPs for access to content. Terrified, not even close. A pissed off xIAA and publishing consortium is what I see and those animals are the most dangerous of all.
And the thing is moving in a fluid system that has a speed of y and a direction of z. Internal nav is fine, but if you do not take into account the mass of air you are flying in you can quickly become "lost". In 0 wind the idea of a plane navigating by its own X and Y to a destination is all good. Add in windspeed and direction and now the plane has to account for drift. The only way it can know drift if is can compare its internally plotted position with a known position (GPS) or triangulate on at least three positions. (This from a pilot who got lost on his second cross country flight forgetting to verify position).
I'll agree that it is surprising that such a sophisticated system would not have redundant backups for just this reason. Add to that, if there is a loss of communication the system should compare the original takeoff spot against two nav references. If one indicates continue movement away from take off it ignores that one in error till is confirms the other. If both fail, crash the plane.
Most civil aviation planes have both GPS and radio nav to cross reference against. They could even use existing RF (DF technology) to indicate location. I see my tax dollars are being well spent in Iranian airspace.
Actually he defined Sen Grassley as a being owned by a corporate sector, in this case medical. I also feel you may have missed the nuance of sarcasm expressed that I've often heard on late night talk/comedy shows regarding our staid politicians.
Working through the sarcasm, I find some truth in the essence of the post. It seems that these days, politicians are voting for who pays the election bills, not for what benefits the overall good of the country, or even their state. it is understandable that there would be some skepticism regarding the Senator's actions given that (1) he is a republican who's party is nominally supportive of big business and (2) telecom has not been much in his interest. Had Sen. Franken pulled this move it would make more sense, not Grassley.
Whether you want to call them a shill for the Man, a slave to corporate largess, or just greedy fucks that really don't give a shit about their own lives, politicians, with few exceptions, have shown little true concern about the citizens that elected them to office.
You are an idiot and a disgusting pig. Who ever reads this post Do Not Click on the link. Its a variation of goatse and way beyond NSFW). God I wish you could be banned for pulling crap like that.
I agree that human interaction is important. My advocating for telecommuting is not blanket, nor for everyone. There is a mold that has been hard cast to say "this is how we do business, no other" and that mold I'd like us to break. Personally, I don't get lonely, but then I don't mind solitude and I have other interests to occupy my mind.
Business has become a religion, one stuck with outdated dogma in how employees and employers should conduct ourselves. My sense is that we live in a time when those dogma's can be altered to fit today's world along with tomorrow.
I don't mind going to an office for communication, I don't mind working in a quiet pleasant environment when I need to focus and enjoy what I am doing. Both can co-exist. If the side benefit is that we reduce our energy footprint and save money...all the better. It is then about control (All religions are about control). Goals need not be just about time, but about time and results. Success is not just about visibility, but about doing our best wherever we are. I'd just like us to start dumping the Ebeneezer Scrooge management protocol and start seeing people as people.
Slashdot Mirror
"I don't know if Assad's quite that malevolent. "
You watching the news at all these days? The man is ordering troops to kill anyone, collateral damage is not an issue. I'm just not certain who is worse, the leader of Syria or the leaders of Russia and China for backing that pile of shit.
And your alternative is what?
Don't just complain and whine about unfair taxes, tell me what you would propose that would be better for education. Keep in mind that you have a diverse population of children ranging from very well off to homeless. I would hope you want every child to have some education, because you would believe that an educated nation is a strong nation.
Please, provide a workable plan to educate our youth that does not include some social sharing of cost. Here at /. you'd get some great feed back and perhaps it can be presented to the President for consideration.
How do you patent this type of shit. It's an idea, a process, not a product. Even if it were a "product" how does it even come close to being original. Management has been using these bullshit techniques to attempt to measure "performance" since the damn 60s.
Of course it will get a number, because the USPO has lost touch with reality. Everything is original, there is no prior act, no idea is far fetched enough to not get a patent. Hell, I remember when "lines of code" was the measurement of work. As I recall, 25 lines a day was the average. Tripe!
If management looked at development, not as a manufacturing job, but what it really is, craftsmanship then we could do away with bullshit patents like "count the number of times Joe/Jane programmer commit changes". We craft/build programs based on specifications and were we to meet those requirements, then we did our job. Measure completion rates, over/under completion times, quality of the product, but for Heaven's Sake, grow some brain cells and get out of the 19th century mentality of counting widgets made per day as productivity.
in this case it would be blue...linux users...meh...Real users use Microsoft Word then cut and paste to /. ;-)
What does one say to a clip like that...mind bogglingly wild. That is a movie for a rainy weekend day with a good beer and chips
Where I to still have mod points I'd try to get rid of the troll score. You make some valid points. I do wish folks would stop with the "I know I'll be modded down" statements though, it is self serving. Modded up or down, speak your peace and don't tell the world what it may do.
I've been with /. since the mid 90's (skulker at first, joined later) and I do see a trend of less open discourse, more childish rantings, and news that does seem skewed. With that said, it still has good comments I can learn from, it still tends to have more thoughtful comments then other places, and generally the mod system works (see point above).
As to the topic on hand, I agree fully that Google's actions are not in line with their original foundation. This is what happens in the life cycle of business. A great book I read years ago was Titled "From barbarian to Bureaucracy", which talked about the process of business from innovation to fossilized monolith. Once Finance becomes the controlling interest of a company the origins are swept away.
What's started to concern me is that within the tech realm, three companies have reached a point where they are the controlling factor for information access and dissemination. Google, Twitter, and Facebook. While they may be minor offshoots, these three control a massive majority of personal data, communication, and information. We now see Google and Twitter complying with countries to limit access to information. Was there a point they might have said "go suck it"? Now its about money and since governments are all about money, control, and power, can we trust one company to search, to twit, or to organize?
The argument may be that the market will adjust. If Google gets to evil, if it gets to chummy with governments people will go to another search engine or map function....yet where are they? The one attempt to Open Source Facebook is a failure due to social inertia and I would suspect that Google's recent now you pay approach is based on the basic fact that they hit market saturation. So let me go one step further and consider that the World Wide Web (www) is no longer what was originally imagined, but has become a tool for manipulation of societies by government and corporate interests and not the other way around. Innovation, that which created Google, Facebook, and twitter is either dead or dying. Smothered by patent law, IP overkill, and simple greed.
Well, have a good day.
The story makes a valid point and is reflective of other countries with democratic societies that went through a period of adjustment. Look at the US with early immigration. Irish, Poles, Germans (et al) came to this country and worked in horrible conditions with the idea that they can do better for their children. To some extent that attitude continues today though I find it sad that we have companies that maintain bad work practices. What stops the exploitation of the worker? Not that they are separate, but one is a government that works top support and protect its people, the other is an agitated and pissed off labor.
So what upsets me about places like China or North Korea or any place that has power placed explicitly in the hand of a few (or one) is that the people then become chattel to Business. It becomes easier to abuse and harder to change. These people may believe their children may have a better life, but there is no foundation for that belief. The future is controlled by the state.
Anyway, interesting thoughts, I gained a new viewpoint and that is what is worthy of good discourse.
You are correct and I'll do something not normally done on /., I apologise for the stupid comment. I still disagree with your position, but certainly could have been less childish about making my point.
Mitt, Is that you? It has to be to advocate sweat shops and oppressive work conditions as a way to "grow" a society into success. You may want to go back in time and talk to a few oppressed societies that had to revolt to bring about actual reform to their lives. You'd make a good dictator, Pharaoh, or republican.
I specifically used the term "developing country" because this is where the worst abuse occurs. You second thought does not make sense. When you compare Europe's working conditions to the US they are not that dissimilar. Pondering 1 month vs 2 weeks vacation is minor compared to forced labor, unsafe working conditions, and inhumane living conditions. I also did not state banning goods, I suggested that extra costs be added to imported goods from offending countries.
To sanction basic workers rights does not vastly impact either productivity or cost. It is not done, because consuming countries like the US, like Europe take a blind eye to these hell holes. Most of the politicians are bought off by the captains of industry so they can earns massive profits and we get our toys at a slightly cheaper price. We put a ban on Blood diamonds, why not at least take some stand on blood tech.
There are a couple of hole in your nice, pat theory. First, those western countries reformed their work environments from within, because at the time manufacturing was mainly a local or region endeavor. In the US, in the 30's, labor finally organized to begin to reform working environments *with the support of the government*. In essence, it was a free and fairly democratic society that provided the means for the worker to stand up and demand rights.
Manufacturers are not chasing cheap labor, they are in search of cheap governments that don't have pesky environmental regulations or troublesome labor laws. They get into these countries and they stick, perhaps even helping to prop up the government so the labor force has no ability to force change. The Chinese laborer, whether it be farmer or factory, is merely chattel for the government to use. A "middle-class" is presented to show progress, but it tightly controlled and can be struck down if they get to strong to support the status quo.
Certainly there is a relative aspect to life around the globe. I would not expect a worker in a developing country to have the same living environment, the say pay, or the same life style as I. What I would expect is that the worker has rights to a regulated workplace, one the respects a human life through decent hours, balanced wages, and a respect of work/life. I would expect that the worker has the right to assemble, to form an organization that gives them some power against abuse in the workplace. I would expect that humans be treated humanely.
Now the notion of a boycott is foolish in part for reasons stated throughout this thread. It is not just Apple eating from the poison fruit, it is many companies and we all share in that guilt. The only effective way to change is to demand that our "civilized" governments enforce humane work environments for goods that come into the country or monetary penalties will be assested for each violation of human rights. Apple wants to use slave labor to build iPads, fine, but it will cost more to get them back into this country. Don't just boycott, write to representatives and demand that we stand up for human rights be making it costly to abuse humans in the manufacturing of goods.
Oh, we have the technology. We have everything you describe...and more (btw, I get your point).
What we lack is the leadership to use it *wisely*. It makes infinite sense (to leadership) to require people to travel to a location where they can reach out and touch you, look at you, know you are there no matter what you are doing. Why at home that worker could be...maybe...reading /., because he or she would never do that at work. The office is preferred to some, the home to others. When a job is suited to handle both, why do our leaders not recognize that productivity is not measured by the clock, but by the task. Let those who like an office work in one, let those who work better at home do so, thus managing and not babysitting the workforce.
I RTFA and thought it a little theatrical, but on point. So SOPA and PIPA may have or will have a serious impact upon social websites like FB, like Slashdot, like...all of them. I can see it also having an impact on search engines, consumer websites that allows reviews; So what are these companies doing?
Were I head of Amazon or Google or Microsoft or FaceBook or Slashdot I would perhaps be on the phone coordinating some Act to indicate ones lack of support for SOPA, show what the Internet would be like after its law. I read (once) that there was talk to shut down major sites one day to give example to a crippled Internet....Where did that go? Businesses may lose money? They will lose a lot more if SOPA shut them down. (or will "big sites" get special treatment...that would frost some folks)
So, you see, its hard for me to get upset, to rage against the machine, when the major operators of the machine don't really care. Changing a small section of this bill is not a win, getting it canceled is a win. This Ant can call his representatives all day and it will do nothing against the money in their pockets. What will get their notice is when the Web they and their constituents rely on is taken off line for a day.
When I read that the Google boys, Facebook King, Amazon God, Lord Bill et al speak out loudly and long; then I care, its their world, not mine. If the Web (note, not network) shuts down today I'd jones for a bit on missing gmail, not buying online, not posting to "friends". Quickly I'd re-discover letter writing, going to a local store, and actually attempting to talk face to face (no book) with my friends. It's not my web anymore, it is Google's and their ilk. They don't have a problem with SOPA? Neither do I. I'll read about their success in the local paper Newsprint.
Can you explian this edit? Are they added somewhere in ad-block plus, some file on the system? I too don't like the social buttons to default to always pop up on my pages.
This!
Such bru-ha over media issues. Yes, Yes, we can all fear that the evil government will shut down free speech, because they limit access to media? Y'all make me feel like when this happens artists wont produce music, artists wont paint or create, writers wont write.
If the Internet collapsed tomorrow we would still have art, we'd still have music, but heaven forbid we'd have to go to listen to it, go to see it, go to read it. At the worst, small groups of people will continue to create Art.
To put it another way, I don't need to see a movie to enjoy a play, I don't need iSomething to enjoy music, and I don't need a copy of a digital book to enjoy a good read. Somehow we survived before all of this and getting upset just plays into "their hands". Until they day they shut it all down, enjoy what you got. When RIAA/MPAA or what ever IAA locks down the past, humans can invent, can create a new future to be what ever works for them.
Me, I'd love to go see original local plays instead of a bland, over priced film. Can't listen to CSN&Y even if their as old as Mozart...oh well, got it still in my head. Even if "they" use it to try and quell dissent, commited people will route around it even it they go back to carrier pigeons. Freedom cannot be suppressed over time.
As to entertainment...
I don';t go to movies because most of them are over priced, bland, and feed the machine I hate
I don't buy current CDs because I realized the recoding industry is not interested in music, but in making money
I don't buy digital books, because the first moment a store could take a book back without my knowledge told me it was not mine when I bought it.
I don't watch TV on a regular basis because I found most times, the plot never changed after a few episodes.
I do go to local plays...the acting is not Oscar level, the singing is off...but it is still entertaining for the night
I do go to local clubs..I buy a CD if I like them, if not I still helped them earn a living (of sorts)
I do buy books at B&M stores, I share paper books with friends and family
Mostly, I find activities that don';t put money so much in a cartel's pocket, but in those as close to me as possible.
Amazingly, I find I am still entertained...If they shut the Internet down tomorrow I'd jones for slashdot (BBS anyone), I'd have withdrawals from email and chat...but I'd live.
Wow. That was a face slap of cold water...but well put.
I'll bite on this for a moment and play the "what would I do" game. Given what you said, I would quietly make plans to get out of the country quickly, but with reason. I'd tell my local boss I have family issues that need addressing at home and it wont take long. Before male neighbor or female neighbor truly discover I witnessed this atrocity I am on a plane, back for home. My next stop is to call a recruiter to begin looking for a new job, because no matter what the outcome, I am screwed. I tell the home office it is impossible for me to go back to Iran because I was witness to a crime that was legal in that country, but goes against everything I believe in. If I don't value my life I then go to the press and report my story knowing it may create back lash against me, but brings out the sad tale. If I do I shut up, pray I don't get fired and hope the recruiter can find me a new job.
Personally, I would never take a job in a country like Iran, no matter how beautiful the country may be, how friendly the general population may be. It is not the general population I fear, it is the government and in such a place, I have no protection...period.
You really raised a good point, one people in countries like the US, Australia, England, at el miss. When we provide aid to overt dictators (be they religious or secular) we grant them some level of value, of power they do not deserve. There will always be people who will do anything for money. Given your example, that person in Iran would look the other way, say thank you for the big check and live with no conscious.
This makes no sense. I can understand a "request" by government officials to report "suspicious" behavior while driving down a highway (motorway?) or common street. I have to pass by things, places along the way. The internet is not like that. I don't consciously stop by web sites that may promote terrorism, I don't actively look for web sites that incite violence; just like I don't drive down dark alleys or bad sections of town on purpose. If I did want to go to sites like that, the last thing I'd do is report it. The web is my instant teleporter to where I want to go and the last place I want to visit is a web site that may state "blow up buildings for God". Were I even displayed a page like that (because of a typo) I would hope that the bloody billions we spend on monitoring bad guys would have already flagged said site.
The world economy is getting dismantled by greedy assholes, the environment is being systematically abused for energy consumption and what a government has to offer to its population for concern is "if you see a web site of stuff you don't like", report it.
I'd like to report these dim-bulb officials as terrorists against intelligence.
"Urgh!!! Because Obama's handouts have done so much to fix everything."
I had a friend comment (more like complain) that "We" spent all these millions of dollars in 1999 to change software....and nothing happened on Jan 1, 2000. "Really?" I exclaimed. "Nothing happened? So, like, all that money spent to avert a potential mess...worked?"
Would you like to ponder what could have happened had we not spent millions on coding against problems resulting from Y2K? "Ah fuggitabout, let the system work it out". (sigh).
President Obama felt the need to put money into the economy to stop it from tumbling into depression. Many economists certainly were stating that outcome pre TARP, pre Stimulus. So what did President Obama buy, a recession instead of a depression. He slammed the throttles full forward to avoid a crash, even though there was not much left in the tanks. Those that complain the most about stimulus are those least effected by either negative economic condition.
Now I would be glad to see him pull back on the throttle a little more these days. I'd love to see him divert our "gas" from one tank to another , but it seems that he not only battles external issues, but internal as well causing this plane to stagger and wallow in recovery. The formula for recovery is basic...
1 - Increase tax revenue (equitable)
2 - put people to work either through works programs or commercial incentive
3 - Adjust spending where needed and reduce where prudent.
4 - Deregulate to encourage growth, but strengthen regulations (through enforcement) relating to risk
When there were moderate, sensible thinking leaders these things were presented, debated, adjusted and passed. Reagan, Bush (I), and even Nixon raised taxes when it was needed. Clinton helped change welfare and medicaid. Today we have yahoo's (mainly in congress) who pontificate, posture, and do nothing to find common ground while they pad their pockets with lucre from insider trading.
So please, cut the crap about Obama buying a recession to avoid something worse, unless you enjoy living in chaos. I don't.
I love statements like this " we spend on much on the military as the next 15+ countries combined.and half of those are allies.". I need at least one mind boggler a day and this was the first. Now I may try to fact check, but my gut tells me you're correct...and how fucking sad is that.
I am all for a strong defense, I surely don't want my country invaded by 'fill in the blank evil people', but we seriously are over the top on our approach these days. We have enough nukes to ensure that any "major" country who tries to attack us will get melted, yet we still build airplanes (at mega-millions a pop) to fight against....who, what? China, blow them up. Russia? Blow them up, Yet these guys are not really an enemy, more like neutral antagonists. "Terrorists?", ignore them or if needed to do something, blow up a house or send them money. More people die driving our highways then what a dumb-ass with a bomb can do. Hell, even if North Korea was zany enough to attempt a nuke missile launch against us they would not last long (assuming we use all this crap we build). Today's enemy is not fought on the military battlefield, it is fought on the economic one.
Ah, here is where we see true power struggles. China owns more then half the US debt, talk about a strategic hill position. I wonder what senator will be willing to charge up "bond hill" against that type of economic position. The middle east controls oil prices (not oil per say, big difference). Want to bring the US to its knees, drive oil prices up by two in a week. This country cannot adapt to that type of economic attack, and it is this type of attack were we are most vulnerable too in this age.
Our leaders tell us to worry about Iraq having WMDs...because why? some idiot despot may use it against us? We got a lousy protection system (though we spend billions on it) if that's the case. We worry that Iran may have or will have a bomb...again so what? If they use it on Israel we have WWIII and the likes of China, Russia, and neighboring ME countries wont let that stand. All the major land is carved up, so now we rattle our very expensive swords, point fingers, and say "yo mamma can't touch this stuff". We have children running the show.
Were the United States to take all the Effin billions we spend in "defense" and begin translating it into defense of our economic and energy house then we would be stronger, and less likely for attack, both physical and economic. Take all those war dollars and begin investing back into education by providing more options for young minds to learn new things. Open space to commercial development and provide the framework to make it affordable. To paraphrase another poster "My God, there's jobs in space". Push hard on renewables (or nuke) and for God Sakes start changing the mind set that the only way to live is with two cars in the garage. Spend money on R&D. Instead of an enemy, find a goal that inspires people/inventors/scientists et al. (I could go on). I'll say it, because our most glorious leaders wont, We are a third world nation. We lag behind in education, in infrastructure, in care for our disadvantaged, and in economic growth. We lead in military spending, we open our doors to corporations for the exploitation of the land and its people, and our most exultant leaders are basically untouched by the laws they swear too. I love my country, I love the ideals written in our Constitution, so to see it crumble from within...a sad time indeed.
43% spent to "defend" against friends and a few foes...yep, boggles the mind.
"Publishers know this, and they're terrified."
So, their pissed off. My work has been outsourced twice so when my current boss talks about looking into contractors for a project, I get terrified. WHyt, because my three horses, my small farm, and my middle class living could be gone just as quick. The income to debt ratio, the income to cost ratio is vastly different between me and your so called terrified publishers.
These guys would be pissed, because this type of model begins to take control of a market away from them, and put it in the hands of other people. Publishers, like Recording Execs are all about control, about shaping society whether it is through books, music, or video. The grand narcissist, the megalomaniac that needs control, for that is Power.
These fights are not about money, that is just a means to Power. The Power to make the next star which may shape how a society thinks and feels which means they can exert even more Power. Media Executives despise the internet for its open design, its ability to route around control. Wee they terrified they would be more conciliatory, more willing to adapt to change. What you hav is a group of people that are angry because they are losing control of Power. When anyone can publish, when anyone can promote then (in their eyes) it is total anarchy and that must be stopped.
Ultimately the existing model, based on pre-digital, pre-internet technology will morph into a new structure that will use political Power to maintain control. We can see this already with bills like SOPA in the US or EU governments influencing ISPs for access to content. Terrified, not even close. A pissed off xIAA and publishing consortium is what I see and those animals are the most dangerous of all.
Sadly, your innovation is invalid by prior art PODS. Be careful for they may come after you. Got deep pockets? (lol)
The thing's moving at x speed in y direction,
And the thing is moving in a fluid system that has a speed of y and a direction of z. Internal nav is fine, but if you do not take into account the mass of air you are flying in you can quickly become "lost". In 0 wind the idea of a plane navigating by its own X and Y to a destination is all good. Add in windspeed and direction and now the plane has to account for drift. The only way it can know drift if is can compare its internally plotted position with a known position (GPS) or triangulate on at least three positions. (This from a pilot who got lost on his second cross country flight forgetting to verify position).
I'll agree that it is surprising that such a sophisticated system would not have redundant backups for just this reason. Add to that, if there is a loss of communication the system should compare the original takeoff spot against two nav references. If one indicates continue movement away from take off it ignores that one in error till is confirms the other. If both fail, crash the plane.
Most civil aviation planes have both GPS and radio nav to cross reference against. They could even use existing RF (DF technology) to indicate location. I see my tax dollars are being well spent in Iranian airspace.
You define the man as a corrupt politician,
Actually he defined Sen Grassley as a being owned by a corporate sector, in this case medical. I also feel you may have missed the nuance of sarcasm expressed that I've often heard on late night talk/comedy shows regarding our staid politicians.
Working through the sarcasm, I find some truth in the essence of the post. It seems that these days, politicians are voting for who pays the election bills, not for what benefits the overall good of the country, or even their state. it is understandable that there would be some skepticism regarding the Senator's actions given that (1) he is a republican who's party is nominally supportive of big business and (2) telecom has not been much in his interest. Had Sen. Franken pulled this move it would make more sense, not Grassley.
Whether you want to call them a shill for the Man, a slave to corporate largess, or just greedy fucks that really don't give a shit about their own lives, politicians, with few exceptions, have shown little true concern about the citizens that elected them to office.
You are an idiot and a disgusting pig. Who ever reads this post Do Not Click on the link. Its a variation of goatse and way beyond NSFW). God I wish you could be banned for pulling crap like that.
Please mod this pig down to the basement.
I agree that human interaction is important. My advocating for telecommuting is not blanket, nor for everyone. There is a mold that has been hard cast to say "this is how we do business, no other" and that mold I'd like us to break. Personally, I don't get lonely, but then I don't mind solitude and I have other interests to occupy my mind.
Business has become a religion, one stuck with outdated dogma in how employees and employers should conduct ourselves. My sense is that we live in a time when those dogma's can be altered to fit today's world along with tomorrow.
I don't mind going to an office for communication, I don't mind working in a quiet pleasant environment when I need to focus and enjoy what I am doing. Both can co-exist. If the side benefit is that we reduce our energy footprint and save money...all the better. It is then about control (All religions are about control). Goals need not be just about time, but about time and results. Success is not just about visibility, but about doing our best wherever we are. I'd just like us to start dumping the Ebeneezer Scrooge management protocol and start seeing people as people.