Douglas Adams was asked many times during his career why he chose the number forty-two. Many theories were proposed, but he rejected them all. On November 2, 1993, he gave an answer on alt.fan.douglas-adams:
The answer to this is very simple. It was a joke. It had to be a number, an ordinary, smallish number, and I chose that one. Binary representations, base thirteen, Tibetan monks are all complete nonsense. I sat at my desk, stared into the garden and thought '42 will do' I typed it out. End of story.
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 42:
The Tao begot one.
One begot two.
Two begot three.
And three begot the ten thousand things.
The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang.
They achieve harmony by combining these forces.
Men hate to be "orphaned," "widowed," or "worthless," But this is how kings and lords describe themselves.
For one gains by losing and loses by gaining.
What others teach, I also teach;
that is:
"A violent man will die a violent death!
" This will be the essence of my teaching.
In an internal memo last October, Ray Ozzie, chief technical officer, who joined Microsoft last year, wrote, "Complexity kills. It sucks the life out of developers, it makes products difficult to plan, build and test, it introduces security challenges and it causes end-user and administrator frustration."
Well Ray should know, he does work there.
I think in Microsoft's desire to be the everything of operating systems, they have bitten off more than they can chew. They need to re-think their strategy and aim to a secure, less-complicated and smaller operating system. Then later, they can release a huge Vista at a time of their choosing.
It loads initially okay in IE7, but it is a bit slow right now. I am not sure why, but it crashed the first time I used it. It didn't want to save, and it didn't load some of the tools on the left-hand menu. The next time I tried, it worked okay, but it hung again when I was uploading some images.
It has several default templates to choose from, which is nice. There is a menu on the left side to easily adjust your fonts, colours and layout.
I reloaded it in Firefox 1.5.0.1, and got this error: 'Google Page Creator is having a little trouble right now.
This is not because of anything you did; it's just a little hiccup in our system that will hopefully go away soon. We apologize for the inconvenience, and recommend you try reloading this page.'
I then closed Firefox and reopened it, and it loaded perfectly.
I will give it a few days to work out the bugs, but for a free page creator with 100mb space, you can't beat it.
No, I think you will get this popup error message: "Windows cannot find '(null)'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start button, and then click Search.
In 2010, will your razor have more blades than your CPU has cores, or the other way around? I wonder...
Neither, your CPU will be so powerful that it will shoot out a laser which can be used for hair removal, cosmetic surgery, and enemy annihilation (among other things.)
"The computers interfere with making eye contact. You've got this picket fence between you and the students."
Most likely these students do not make eye contact because:
1) They are afraid of being called on to answer what exactly is the 19th Amendment to the Constitution and how it became law
2) The teacher is unpleasant to look at
3) The student is shy
4) This would interfere with their SIMS character from finishing a successful hot tub interlude
But apparently they want to keep open the option of deploying DRM even when there are severe doubts about whether it threatens critical infrastructure and potentially endangers lives.
Since when have 'they' cared about human lives over profits? Just look at all the war profiteers today.
"However, now I see how many malicious files tied to major botnets remain undetected" by the most popular anti-virus programs.
Sounds like a golden opportunity for ingenious programmers to design something to seek out and destroy these botnets, and then sell it to Microsoft for a fortune.
Another botnet hunter article from eWeek.
This is not the first time that Microsoft has released figures for migration off Novell's NetWare and onto Windows during BrainShare, with the apparent goal of diverting attention away from Novell's conference news.
Brainshare, has that become something akin to the Collective?
The Collective
Microsoft is a vast collective of humanoids that have been assimilated by the Billgatus of Borg. These humanoids, called Windrones, have various ID badges outside their bodies. These ID badges connect all the Windrones to each other in a massive collective called Redmond, which supresses each Windrone's individuality. Windrones have the ability to adapt to enemy software which makes them a powerful enemy. Their main goal is to find profits by assimilating more workers and technology, but they only assimilate what they think is relevant market or technological traits. The Windrones are un-emotional but efficient and can only grow in numbers by assimilation.
The traditional Windrone hail which is delivered before the assimilation is as follows: "We are Microsoft. You will be assimilated. Your technical and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile."
The IRS is quietly moving to loosen the once-inviolable privacy of federal income-tax returns.
If it succeeds, accountants and other tax-return preparers will be able to sell information from individual returns - or even entire returns - to marketers and data brokers.
"That's a disturbing trend among Washington officials lately," McConnell said. "They'll offer a modest consumer protection in one area in exchange for dramatic weakening of consumer protections in another area, and then try to convince the public that it's all in our interests."
"I think this just flew under the radar screen for so many people," McConnell said.
Oh Boy!
Does that mean they can spy on us, sell our personal data and then throw us in prison without contacting our lawyers - all in the same day? Where do I sign up?
Which would do more to protect and help us as a country: email for all the employees or the ability to hire 2 extra people in the field? Couple that with exactly what you quoted.
First of all, I would think that e-mail was a NECESSARY tool for anyone working today. Rapid communication is going to help protect this country by getting the information to the agents in the field. 2 extra people is not going to help if they can't even coordinate their communications properly. If you are trying to say they don't need email, just what exactly are they going to use to communicate? Carrier pigeons? Slashdot forums?
"We just don't have the money, and that is an endless stream of complaints that come from the field," he said.
So let me get this straight, $9 billion goes missing in Iraq, the war has cost US taxpayers about $250 billion so far, oil companies have record profit$, our national debt ceiling was raised to $9 trillion and we can't afford to supply email to the FBI?
What is going on? And, does anyone even care?
Slashdot Mirror
Douglas Adams was asked many times during his career why he chose the number forty-two. Many theories were proposed, but he rejected them all. On November 2, 1993, he gave an answer on alt.fan.douglas-adams:
The answer to this is very simple. It was a joke. It had to be a number, an ordinary, smallish number, and I chose that one. Binary representations, base thirteen, Tibetan monks are all complete nonsense. I sat at my desk, stared into the garden and thought '42 will do' I typed it out. End of story.
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 42:
The Tao begot one. One begot two. Two begot three. And three begot the ten thousand things. The ten thousand things carry yin and embrace yang. They achieve harmony by combining these forces. Men hate to be "orphaned," "widowed," or "worthless," But this is how kings and lords describe themselves. For one gains by losing and loses by gaining. What others teach, I also teach; that is: "A violent man will die a violent death! " This will be the essence of my teaching.
...but, alas, they do not have email!
Can you imagine?
In an internal memo last October, Ray Ozzie, chief technical officer, who joined Microsoft last year, wrote, "Complexity kills. It sucks the life out of developers, it makes products difficult to plan, build and test, it introduces security challenges and it causes end-user and administrator frustration."
Well Ray should know, he does work there.
I think in Microsoft's desire to be the everything of operating systems, they have bitten off more than they can chew. They need to re-think their strategy and aim to a secure, less-complicated and smaller operating system. Then later, they can release a huge Vista at a time of their choosing.
...Waterland
You never give me your money
You only give me your funny paper
and in the middle of negotiations
you break down
I never give you my number
I only give you my situation
and in the middle of investigation
I break down
Baby you're a rich man, baby you're a rich man, baby you're a rich man too.
It loads initially okay in IE7, but it is a bit slow right now. I am not sure why, but it crashed the first time I used it. It didn't want to save, and it didn't load some of the tools on the left-hand menu. The next time I tried, it worked okay, but it hung again when I was uploading some images.
It has several default templates to choose from, which is nice. There is a menu on the left side to easily adjust your fonts, colours and layout.
I reloaded it in Firefox 1.5.0.1, and got this error: 'Google Page Creator is having a little trouble right now. This is not because of anything you did; it's just a little hiccup in our system that will hopefully go away soon. We apologize for the inconvenience, and recommend you try reloading this page.'
I then closed Firefox and reopened it, and it loaded perfectly.
I will give it a few days to work out the bugs, but for a free page creator with 100mb space, you can't beat it.
Somehow, in some way this proves that Microsoft sucks.
Not sure, but it does prove that the Falcon blows (for at least 3 seconds.)
No, I think you will get this popup error message:
"Windows cannot find '(null)'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start button, and then click Search.
[ OK ]
Did you hear IE7 Separated from Windows Explorer?
Yes, I also heard she is now dating some new guy Winslow Vista.
In 2010, will your razor have more blades than your CPU has cores, or the other way around? I wonder...
Neither, your CPU will be so powerful that it will shoot out a laser which can be used for hair removal, cosmetic surgery, and enemy annihilation (among other things.)
Does it only work if you're snowboarding down a hillside and parachuting off a cliff while slamming a Mountain Dew?
Sorry, you must be thinking of AMD's Athlon 5000++ X4 DDR3 Quad Core Radical Edition.
"The computers interfere with making eye contact. You've got this picket fence between you and the students."
Most likely these students do not make eye contact because:
1) They are afraid of being called on to answer what exactly is the 19th Amendment to the Constitution and how it became law
2) The teacher is unpleasant to look at
3) The student is shy
4) This would interfere with their SIMS character from finishing a successful hot tub interlude
Mac users now have a complete and working Windows solution.
Cool! Now maybe they can sell it to Microsoft to get their Windows solution to work too?
I thought only Deanna Troi could do that?
I keep propogating this myth to help my own job security, so far it has worked pretty well.
But apparently they want to keep open the option of deploying DRM even when there are severe doubts about whether it threatens critical infrastructure and potentially endangers lives.
Since when have 'they' cared about human lives over profits? Just look at all the war profiteers today.
"However, now I see how many malicious files tied to major botnets remain undetected" by the most popular anti-virus programs.
Sounds like a golden opportunity for ingenious programmers to design something to seek out and destroy these botnets, and then sell it to Microsoft for a fortune.
Another botnet hunter article from eWeek.
And keep off our lawns!
Especially if you live in Batavia, Ohio!
This is not the first time that Microsoft has released figures for migration off Novell's NetWare and onto Windows during BrainShare, with the apparent goal of diverting attention away from Novell's conference news.
Brainshare, has that become something akin to the Collective?
The Collective
Microsoft is a vast collective of humanoids that have been assimilated by the Billgatus of Borg. These humanoids, called Windrones, have various ID badges outside their bodies. These ID badges connect all the Windrones to each other in a massive collective called Redmond, which supresses each Windrone's individuality. Windrones have the ability to adapt to enemy software which makes them a powerful enemy. Their main goal is to find profits by assimilating more workers and technology, but they only assimilate what they think is relevant market or technological traits. The Windrones are un-emotional but efficient and can only grow in numbers by assimilation.
The traditional Windrone hail which is delivered before the assimilation is as follows:
"We are Microsoft. You will be assimilated. Your technical and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistance is futile."
The IRS is quietly moving to loosen the once-inviolable privacy of federal income-tax returns. If it succeeds, accountants and other tax-return preparers will be able to sell information from individual returns - or even entire returns - to marketers and data brokers.
"That's a disturbing trend among Washington officials lately," McConnell said. "They'll offer a modest consumer protection in one area in exchange for dramatic weakening of consumer protections in another area, and then try to convince the public that it's all in our interests."
"I think this just flew under the radar screen for so many people," McConnell said.
Oh Boy! Does that mean they can spy on us, sell our personal data and then throw us in prison without contacting our lawyers - all in the same day? Where do I sign up?
I think I speak for geeks everywhere when I say that I just can't wait to see a younger, whinier Luke Skywalker.
And see a much faster, greener, and more handsome Yoda you will.
That's a great idea! My only request is that I get to be an Alpha.
Sorry man, their motto is 'Do no gEvil.'
Which would do more to protect and help us as a country: email for all the employees or the ability to hire 2 extra people in the field? Couple that with exactly what you quoted.
First of all, I would think that e-mail was a NECESSARY tool for anyone working today. Rapid communication is going to help protect this country by getting the information to the agents in the field. 2 extra people is not going to help if they can't even coordinate their communications properly. If you are trying to say they don't need email, just what exactly are they going to use to communicate? Carrier pigeons? Slashdot forums?
"FBI agents not having e-mail or Internet access is much too much a pre-9/11 mentality."
Thank GOD for 9/11, otherwise the Bush Administration would be totally without a cause and ineffective...err wait a minute....Never mind.
"We just don't have the money, and that is an endless stream of complaints that come from the field," he said.
So let me get this straight, $9 billion goes missing in Iraq, the war has cost US taxpayers about $250 billion so far, oil companies have record profit$, our national debt ceiling was raised to $9 trillion and we can't afford to supply email to the FBI?
What is going on? And, does anyone even care?