But I was intrigued by the use of the world 'peasant'. I figured that it was a term that only made sense in a feudal system - so like the proper netizen that I am, I toddled off to Wikipedia to clarify my thoughts.
I got no further than the first line: Not to be confused with pheasants.
ROFL! What's that, a guideline for the upper classes when on a shooting party!
When I look at the list of dot coms there, I'm struck by the 'normality' of the offerings: pets, holidays, clothing etc.
These are all things that are sensible things to sell on the Internet - and if you compare them to some of the (relatively) completely off the wall offerings that we use on an everyday basis, they don't seem all that odd (or novel).
Maybe "too early for their time" is true, but too early in the sense that at that time the Internet had just emerged from a very geek world and everyone was just settling into the concept of using it for something else.
Books and second-hand crap (and of course porn) weren't really a problem for people. Maybe a dog was.
I know it's cliched to roll out that old crisis in Chinese chestnut, but a smarter company wouldn't see open source as a threat, rather as an opportunity.
There are plenty of companies that have cottoned on to the idea of positively exploiting open innovation for their own gain with the reciprocal gain for open source itself. However, it does not bode well for Microsoft that they still see it as (a) a threat to their dominant position for which the only remedy is all out war (FUD etc) and (b) as something to exploit for their own gain without fairness.
Either Microsoft cops themselves on now, and properly - or they will go the way of the buggy whip.
...and quite frankly evil that that particular government was being. Not that I disagree with you, but I'm reminded of the Birmingham 6/Guilford 4 cases in the UK. 'evil' is probably quite a strong word, 'weak' might be a better one. As in unable to find the moral backbone to stand up in your 'political' job and say that fighting terrorism is not an easy thing to do (in fact basically impossible).
In these cases, and probably in your cited one, the innocents were condemned to appease the clamouring masses, rather than to serve any form of justice. And when such individuals make weak judgements initially, it is hardly surprising that they make even weaker ones when pressed further. 'Rock and a Hard Place' as it were.
Political democracy is at fault here, in that the 'masses' are generally as guilty of such ignorance as the politicians - not that I'd change it, but it is important that 'the system' can correct itself, as it seems to have done in the Australian cases.
Listen to this:
Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving And revolving at 900 miles an hour, That's orbiting at 19 miles a second, so it's reckoned, A sun that is the source of all our power. The sun and you and me and all the stars that we can see, Are moving at a million miles a day In an outer spiral arm, at 40,000 miles an hour, Of the galaxy we call the Milky Way.
Our galaxy itself contains 100 billion stars It's 100,000 light years side to side. It bulges in the middle, 16,000 light years thick But out by us its just 3,000 light years wide We're 30,000 light years from galactic central point, We go round every 200 million years And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions In this amazing and expanding Universe.
The Universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding In all of the directions it can whizz As fast as it can go, at the speed of light you know, 12 million miles a minute, and that's the fastest speed there is. So remember when you're feeling very small and insecure How amazingly unlikely is your birth And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space Because there' bugger all down here on earth. So how about then, you gonna give us your money (and your liver)?
Obviously, this is going to be more and more of a problem.
But I was reading in 'Fast Company' (I think about a year ago) that per tonne, computers contain more 5 times gold than even the most valuable gold seams in the world.
So melt them buggers down, and see if you can get some more.
Microsoft with British Empire Windows sold below cost with textiles sold below cost (with an effective business model behind it that liquidates the indigenous economy and local resources) 2008+ with 1608+...and you're back to the reason why they are developing countries in the first place.
You've also got a very cheap future workforce available to you (and this time you don't have to chain them).
TBL spawned the web right - I use spawned because invented seems odd, and created is not strictly true - which is the most important invention of the 20th century (or at least way up there).
So why does his office look like a cupboard?!
He should have huge sprawling office with a desk the size of a football field with naked women everywhere, and six roaring fireplaces and a porsche to get around the place and a cocaine mountain and...
And things you need to know about Eircom...
on
ISP Sued By Irish RIAA
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Eircom used to be a semi-state company.
What does that mean? Well, if a normal business needs to handle a business crisis they will create new products, modify their business model, reduce their costs etc etc.
When Eircom was a semi-state the solution was: write a cheque for the amount you need, put in the post (also a semi-state body) to the respective minister. Minister signs cheque, problem solved.
This mentality didn't necessarily wash when the company was privatized, but it certainly prevailed for a long time. And I'm quite sure that attitude is hanging around their offices like a bad smell. For example, Eircom has the highest broadband prices, even though they control the infrastructure.
IMRO, the snivelling little toerags that they are (it wouldn't surprise me if the RIAA learned their tactics from these shites), have gone after the easy target in the hope that it will draw a mark in the sand. Thing is though, in order to survive against a pseudo-monopoly like Eircom for so long, the competition are not so "roll-over tickle-my-belly".
(And if you think that sounds like hell, you should see our semi-state bus service!)
A simple clause added to both the ODF and OOXML standards:
To be compliant with this standard, all applications supporting ODF must be capable of supporting OOXML to the same extent. And vice versa.
I know, yeauggghhh! However, very easy to implement (a simple XSL transform will do the job), but the consequences for anyone trying to start a standards war by abusing their monopolistic position would be significant (and it would really stick in their craw).
Slashdot Mirror
If we can produce an argument with absolute certainty as to the outcome of the experiment - then why do it in the first place?
You obviously used OOXML to post your comment.
But I was intrigued by the use of the world 'peasant'. I figured that it was a term that only made sense in a feudal system - so like the proper netizen that I am, I toddled off to Wikipedia to clarify my thoughts.
I got no further than the first line:
Not to be confused with pheasants.
ROFL! What's that, a guideline for the upper classes when on a shooting party!
Sorry. I never did find out about the peasants.
I've never heard it called that before.
Be careful, you may go blind.
Of course, the Russians weren't allowed have modems either.
You don't want them or teenagers running about in your strategic defence systems.
Nice of them to comply with that.
When I look at the list of dot coms there, I'm struck by the 'normality' of the offerings: pets, holidays, clothing etc.
These are all things that are sensible things to sell on the Internet - and if you compare them to some of the (relatively) completely off the wall offerings that we use on an everyday basis, they don't seem all that odd (or novel).
Maybe "too early for their time" is true, but too early in the sense that at that time the Internet had just emerged from a very geek world and everyone was just settling into the concept of using it for something else.
Books and second-hand crap (and of course porn) weren't really a problem for people. Maybe a dog was.
I know it's cliched to roll out that old crisis in Chinese chestnut, but a smarter company wouldn't see open source as a threat, rather as an opportunity.
There are plenty of companies that have cottoned on to the idea of positively exploiting open innovation for their own gain with the reciprocal gain for open source itself. However, it does not bode well for Microsoft that they still see it as (a) a threat to their dominant position for which the only remedy is all out war (FUD etc) and (b) as something to exploit for their own gain without fairness.
Either Microsoft cops themselves on now, and properly - or they will go the way of the buggy whip.
You mean the poo in 2Girls1Cup was CGI!
I have to say, I always suspected it.
...and quite frankly evil that that particular government was being. Not that I disagree with you, but I'm reminded of the Birmingham 6/Guilford 4 cases in the UK. 'evil' is probably quite a strong word, 'weak' might be a better one. As in unable to find the moral backbone to stand up in your 'political' job and say that fighting terrorism is not an easy thing to do (in fact basically impossible).In these cases, and probably in your cited one, the innocents were condemned to appease the clamouring masses, rather than to serve any form of justice. And when such individuals make weak judgements initially, it is hardly surprising that they make even weaker ones when pressed further. 'Rock and a Hard Place' as it were.
Political democracy is at fault here, in that the 'masses' are generally as guilty of such ignorance as the politicians - not that I'd change it, but it is important that 'the system' can correct itself, as it seems to have done in the Australian cases.
...for a moment there, my heart leapt at the possibility of Bill Gates getting sent to jail for crimes against conformity.
And revolving at 900 miles an hour,
That's orbiting at 19 miles a second, so it's reckoned,
A sun that is the source of all our power.
The sun and you and me and all the stars that we can see,
Are moving at a million miles a day
In an outer spiral arm, at 40,000 miles an hour,
Of the galaxy we call the Milky Way.
Our galaxy itself contains 100 billion stars
It's 100,000 light years side to side.
It bulges in the middle, 16,000 light years thick
But out by us its just 3,000 light years wide
We're 30,000 light years from galactic central point,
We go round every 200 million years
And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions
In this amazing and expanding Universe.
The Universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding
In all of the directions it can whizz
As fast as it can go, at the speed of light you know,
12 million miles a minute, and that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember when you're feeling very small and insecure
How amazingly unlikely is your birth
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space
Because there' bugger all down here on earth. So how about then, you gonna give us your money (and your liver)?
How long before we see this up on www.microsoft.com/getthefacts/ with the headline:
"Linux will set your computer on fire."
You have been warned.
WRT Mr Icahn...
Just goes to show that just coz you have a shed load of money, doesn't mean you have the first clue how you got it.
Maybe the board of Yahoo actually know what they are doing, because Microsoft seem to want this so bad, it hurts.
Obviously, this is going to be more and more of a problem.
But I was reading in 'Fast Company' (I think about a year ago) that per tonne, computers contain more 5 times gold than even the most valuable gold seams in the world.
So melt them buggers down, and see if you can get some more.
But replace the following words:
...and you're back to the reason why they are developing countries in the first place.
Microsoft with British Empire
Windows sold below cost with textiles sold below cost (with an effective business model behind it that liquidates the indigenous economy and local resources)
2008+ with 1608+
You've also got a very cheap future workforce available to you (and this time you don't have to chain them).
"A hole was discovered today on the M1. Police are looking into it."
Whaddya mean offtopic?!
WTF are you talking about^W^W smoking?
The Life on Earth series from the BBC.
I know it's fairly local (i.e. our planet) - but it is inspiring.
TBL spawned the web right - I use spawned because invented seems odd, and created is not strictly true - which is the most important invention of the 20th century (or at least way up there).
So why does his office look like a cupboard?!
He should have huge sprawling office with a desk the size of a football field with naked women everywhere, and six roaring fireplaces and a porsche to get around the place and a cocaine mountain and...
Wow... he must be humbler than me.
I nearly did some work this morning. If it wasn't for LifeHacker and xkcd, I don't know what kind of a mess I would be in.
Just a suggestion: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/
Cos this makes no sense. It makes no sense.
And we all know what that means.
Eircom used to be a semi-state company.
What does that mean? Well, if a normal business needs to handle a business crisis they will create new products, modify their business model, reduce their costs etc etc.
When Eircom was a semi-state the solution was: write a cheque for the amount you need, put in the post (also a semi-state body) to the respective minister. Minister signs cheque, problem solved.
This mentality didn't necessarily wash when the company was privatized, but it certainly prevailed for a long time. And I'm quite sure that attitude is hanging around their offices like a bad smell. For example, Eircom has the highest broadband prices, even though they control the infrastructure.
IMRO, the snivelling little toerags that they are (it wouldn't surprise me if the RIAA learned their tactics from these shites), have gone after the easy target in the hope that it will draw a mark in the sand. Thing is though, in order to survive against a pseudo-monopoly like Eircom for so long, the competition are not so "roll-over tickle-my-belly".
(And if you think that sounds like hell, you should see our semi-state bus service!)
Boo hoo! I only have a Euro, which means I have 0.79 the voting power of you.
0.80....
0.81...
0.82.....
I know, yeauggghhh! However, very easy to implement (a simple XSL transform will do the job), but the consequences for anyone trying to start a standards war by abusing their monopolistic position would be significant (and it would really stick in their craw).