Please! This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let's not bicker and argue over who killed who...
I've said it before and I'll say it again--for the love of god, please stop printing mindless headlines of the form "[insert company name here] is [planning/making] a [insert industry-wide leading product name here] killer."
Faulty capacitors inside the sets can spark. Nine incidents have been reported, but retardant material inside the TVs has prevented any fires, spokeswoman Katrina Blauvelt says. The problem is not expected to affect other brands, because it is a part related to Philips' unique Ambilight feature, which casts a colored glow on the wall behind the TV.
I never thought I'd be paying for a multi-thousand dollar TV, but when I picked up the new Philips Ambilight TV and popped in my favorite DVD of Backdraft, I wasn't even aware of the sheer awesomeness that was about to transpire.
This Ambilight technology is off the hook! Look at that red glow and flame effect it has on my wall! Technology is amazing! Now movies look completely real and vivid. This is the full theatre experience--I'm glad I paid $3k-$5k for this. I don't know how Philips does it but only Ambilight TVs give you the authentic feel like you really are trapped inside a burning building. And look, the flame even gives me third degree burns like a real fire...
Oh yeah, I've seen predictions like this before...
on
No More Next Big Thing?
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
From the sound of this article, they should add another one to the list.
This is just like Albert Abraham Michelson announcing (in 1896) that physics is dead and complete with nothing left to discover. Since then, I think there have been some shocking advancements.
I tire of articles that basically say, "Look, look, we found a person who holds an important position in the corporate world and they said something without thinking (possibly just to make shock value news)! Let's all point and laugh."
Well, I don't know where you live, and I really don't care, but let me guess: you have never seen poor people with your own eyes, have you?
I spent the first 20 years of my life below the poverty line on various forms of social programs. College was my escape route. While this was in the United States, I am aware of the severity in other countries. My friends regularly go to Tanzania to teach children and show me pictures. I do not have the luxury to spend that much money to help people.
These things like food, clothing, water and a *very long* etc. may well result in dependency. They are really useful in the "short run", and you know why? Life is very short indeed if you have no access to these "things". Without these "things", human beings die. And, as far as I know, people have no use for computers in the afterlife.
You, sir, are a presumptuous ass. I never said not to give these things to them. What I would like to see is efforts in both areas. Gates gives billions, surely he can donate a million to an area to try out the laptops.
1,000,000/100 = 10,000
Try it out, validate it. Continue to give immediate aid but work towards helping them help themselves. Shift the funds and try new ideas. What we're doing now isn't solving anything in the long run.
He keeps these people dependant on him by never giving them the tools to break free and learn en masse.
Yeah, billions have been given and he's a person of the year according to Time.
You know what? Without giving these people what they really need, people like you will falsely praise him as being the greatest philanthropist ever. The poor need education above all else.
Only through education can anyone permanently break the bonds of poverty.
A vaccination is not a temporary solution that makes you dependent on someone else for the rest of your life. And between being immune to a disease or getting a $100 laptop, I'd go for being immune to the disease.
By all means, enlighten us to this "cure all" vaccine. I would also like one.
Problem is that there are several vaccines. I myself remember getting tons of them for hepatitis and influenza in high school. Oh, that's right, the flu has many forms and flu shots are administered yearly. Oh, and for the major forms of hepatitis (when administered properly) it's is a series of shots done over years.
Wow, vaccines aren't as simple as we think!
Pull your head out of your ass. As an American, I can look at our countries vaccine consumption and even I recognize that our infrastructure isn't up to snuff with providing vaccines. If a smallpox vaccine is cheap, why hasn't it been administered to all healthy adults that have little to no risks? Why have I only had one flu shot? Why do they make such a huge deal about flu vaccine shortages on the news?
Providing vaccines to poor people is an ongoing process. They will always be reproducing. There will always be new viruses. They will therefore always need me. What if I gave them an education and they either figured out ways to earn money to outsource it or figured out how to develop vaccines themselves? That's a long way away but we need to start them on the right path.
This article is clearly flamebait. So allow me to participate in the opening salvo.
I think it's interesting how Gates proposes a solution where we need to put people to support the product, thereby charging money indefinitely. Keep your customers dependant, it's his tried and true component to his business model.
Perhaps Gates (and his wife Malinda) are satisfied with vaccinations and hand outs. Things like food, clothing, water, etc. While these things are very helpful in the short run, they unfortunately result in the poor remaining dependant on you for more hand outs. This is convenient if you wish yourself to be seen as a provider.
What's more valuable to you, food or a tool that could possibly help you learn how to procure food indefinitely. These laptops could be very valuable communication devices. Sometimes, it's just an open dialogue with someone intelligent that sparks the learning process.
It seems like Gates is walking up to someone who desperately needs just basic transportation and telling them that a $1,000 junker isn't what they need. They need a high performance Dodge Viper with a personal mechanic to maintain it. Broadband connection? Why? I thought I read that these $100 laptops were going to have radio frequency repeaters so that information could be sent from laptop to laptop and act as routers for each other.
You know, even if these laptops are mediocre or even a complete failure, at least someone tried to provide the tools to escape poverty permanently.
Either Gates thinks that poor equals stupid or he's got something against MIT. These must have been some very hastily made remarks--think before you speak no matter how rich you are. It also doesn't help that the article implied he recommends a Microsoft "Ultra-Mobile" laptop instead (costing 6 to 10 times more).
Uhh what? PS3 will run Linux, and it's a-ok for Sony. Idiot.
Yeah, that Slashdot article was basically a lie when it said:
More interestingly, the article claims that PS3 will ship with a 60-gig hard drive, built-in network card, and Linux!
Oh, hey but if you had actually RTFA, you would have noticed that this is pure bullshit. In all actuality:
7. Kutaragi said that that the PS3 will require a hard drive, which will have a 60 GB capacity and support Linux OS. No word on if the HDD will be included. Update: In other words, if not included, you will be paying extra for something that is integral to PS3 functionality.
Oh, it supports Linux OS, it doesn't ship with it. Which flavor of Linux? To what extent? Will you get any compiling libraries? They could release a completely useless kernel and claim it supports Linux. This could also just be another empty promise (game console makers are notorious for them) as the console isn't even out yet.
"Co-developed by Sony Online Entertainment, the company's MMORPG development arm, and GameSpy Networks, the PlayStation Network Platform will allow players to compete online even in its free iteration, unlike Xbox Live.
For those of you with an XBox 360 who aren't in the MMORPG realm, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) is the same team that brought you EverCrack, Star Wars Galaxies: A Fanbase Divided and The Matrix: Lagging Online.
This is just ample warning that you may experience one or more of the following symptoms when using the Playstation Network:
An unlimited number of expansion packs you need to buy, each more expensive than the last.
A development team that actually reads through customer suggestions so they can figure out what not to do. They then implement the opposite of what everyone on the forums wants. When the product fails, they'll blame the original concept creators.
The death of your best NPC friend just because he was getting a little weird and creeping everyone out.
I honestly hope that this Playstation network thing is done right. But then again... it's probably just going to be a system by which Sony can get the FR (first rootkit) on your new PS. Especially if you've managed to run Linux on it.
Also interesting is the component pricing total that reveals why Sony will most likely have to take a loss of hundreds of dollars per console to remain competitive.
Student Melanie Rieback and others, part of a Tannenbaum research group in Amsterdam, have proven that RFID-tags are vulnerable for infection with viruses.
American oak tree research groups and Swedish aspen tree research groups have responded by working around the clock to fix this security hole. Never before have groups centered on deciduous trees been so involved in computer security.
To manage the applications, R2 will provide shells - a command language interpreter - to run Unix scripts and Telnet clients. On the tools front, Visual Studio will provide a debugger for Posix applications. These developments will make it easier for users to migrate Unix applications to Windows, said Lowe.
That, in conjunction with enabled NFS & Unix Network Information System support, looks to me more like assimilation than usurpation. I think it's obvious that we're going to see Microsoft try to migrate Unix server applications to their server platform while at the same time trying to pluck the best parts of Unix (hopefully security!) for their own OS. Let's not kid ourselves, both sides could learn a lesson from the other in a wide variety of areas.
Perhaps his childhood spent romping in the fields of the suger cane fields of Africa was a bit much for his pancreas?
...so he has to be really careful with his health.
Ray also can no longer ride in vehicles without requesting a stop for a "potty break" every fifteen minutes.
According to him he has been able to make the symptoms go away with his diet and suppliment habbits.
Perhaps he was inspired by Christopher Reeves' claims to be getting better and then dying shortly thereafter?
They can't really tell that he has it anymore, but he's not going to switch back to his old diet anytime soon.
Yes, I imagine it's difficult to check the sugar content of blood that's half green tea. Perhaps he should consult a medical doctor instead of his computer?
Ugh, this "Anonymous Coward" guy has the hardest cryptoquips. But I think I got this one solved:
HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD HELLO WORLD
Check and mate. Years of Mensa membership have proven to be well invested.
What MercExchange LLC (US) has are a handful of patents that are titled as "consignment nodes" which seem to be completely centered around electronic auctions and commerce.
Where I think eBay is in trouble is that in a few of these patents, MercExchange references the idea of two different specified prices, with "buy at" or "sell at" similar to eBay's "Buy it Now" price. Taken from their patent on dynamic pricing information:
The bid control 614 may provide a link to a web page that allows a participant to place a "buy at" or limit type order to bid into a dynamic pricing system. Here, for example, the navigational dynamic instance may appear at the sub-sub-topic or brand level and the bid control 614 may provide a link to a branded web page 632 of a brand participant that is participating in a dynamic pricing system.
There is a lot to read in their patents but the reason this case is so compelling is that MercExchange patented a very descriptive and complete dynamic pricing scheme and hierarchy to auctioning online in patent US6856967. I'm very confused as to why the date on the patent reads 2005-02-15 unless this is a renewal date.
I'm not a lawyer but I do wish that articles covering patent cases would link to the actual patent documents themselves so that the public can become aware of the extreme legalese that enshrouds patents.
What will be interesting is what the lawsuit may entitle MercExchange to receiving. eBay has had this feature for quite a few auctions and I wonder if MercExchange is going to demand a cut of eBay's cut for each auction transaction completed where this feature was available. That's quite a bit of cash.
Honestly, it looks to me like this will hold up in court. Any real lawyers out there have any comments to make? I'd ask you to read the patent and tell us what you think but I lack the $250/hour you charge.
As part of his daily routine, Kurzweil ingests 250 supplements, eight to 10 glasses of alkaline water and 10 cups of green tea. He also periodically tracks 40 to 50 fitness indicators, down to his "tactile sensitivity.'' Adjustments are made as needed.
I'm sure his definition of "breaking the seal" while drinking is completely different from my own. Try drinking 10 cups of green tea in a day. I dare you.
Yeah, this is the same guy who hopes to live long enough so that he can live forever. Keep on reaching for that rainbow, Ray.
So, when I was younger, we were encouraged to use mnemonic devices (such as "My Very Educated Mother Just Showed Us Nine Planets"). But I've also heard from critics of the process that they just provide more clutter in the scheme of memorizing things.
I guess I've always thought of them as indexes for remembering things. You're storing more information but the keys are easier for you to remember and they hold within them something meaningful about the data.
Oddly, though, often the most bizarre mnemonic devices work the best as the Wikipedia article states:
A curious characteristic of many memory systems is that mnemonic devices work despite being (or possibly because of being) illogical, arbitrary, and artistically flawed. "Roy" is a legitimate first name, but there is no actual surname "Biv" and of course the middle initial "G" is arbitrary. Why is "Roy G. Biv" easy to remember? Medical students never forget the arbitrary nationalities of the Finn and German. Any two of the three months ending in -ember would fit just as euphoniously as September and November in "Thirty days hath...", yet most people can remember the rhyme correctly for a lifetime after having heard it once, and are never troubled by doubts as to which two of the -ember months have thirty days. A bizarre arbitrary association may stick in the mind better than a logical one.
Unfortunately, the Wired article only gives us one line sentences from the contestants like:
"It really helps us a lot in school," she [Erin Luley] said.
"(Media presence) makes it more nerve-wracking," said finalist Chester Santos from San Francisco.
"I really did not expect to win," Foer said. "I thought maybe I'd crack the top five."
Wired, that is pure journalistic gold. Perhaps you'd like to rail them with another question like, "What do you like to do for fun with your friends?"
I'm sure it helps you in school, what I want to know is how in the hell do you do that? Does anyone on Slashdot know if people who win these competitions actually use mnemonic devices or are they just gifted savants?
Do you think Arabs are dumb? They gave us our numbers. Try doing long division with Roman numerals. ~Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
So, if we use that number system and there are an infinite number of numbers (both densely and ascending), aren't we using an infinite number of their inventions?
I think it's funny how on McAfee's site, they list the risk of the virus they are trying to identify:
Corporate User : Low
Home User : Low
Did they forget to include that the risk of installing McAfee Anti-Virus for any user : High?
Wait a minute, it is identifying some system files that Windows put on my machine! I guess the Mac & 'nix freaks are right, Windows really is a virus. I hope it's only a matter of time before my next virus definition assesses Internet Explorer & Windows Media Player as full blown Trojan viruses distributed as malware with my OS.
So where does that leave the readers? I'm pretty sick and tired of hearing the word 'killer' used to describe a new product that aims to (hopefully) usurp the leading product in the market. That's it! Let's start using the word 'usurper' over and over to describe a product. It's hip, it generates hype, run with it!
I'm fine with having my intelligence insulted when I read the comments. Hell, I'd even be fine with having low brow advertising on/.'s frontpage. What I'm not fine with is the editors being stupid enough to use clichés such as "killer" over and over and over again. Is this the 80's? Do we find one word and use it to describe everything? Did Roblimo just turn into Jeff Spicoli?
Is anyone really naïve enough to think that an application will come along and "kill" Photoshop? For christ's sake, I use the Gimp 2.0 and I personally like it better than photoshop. On top of that, it's free. I alerted my band member to this application when he was making posters for a show. Now, he didn't pay for his version of photoshop but he still laughed when I suggested the Gimp 2.0 because he was too ignorant to try something new. I think you'll find this in a lot of graphical artists that if they have something that works (i.e. Macs, Photoshop, Intuos, etc.), they will stick with it until they die regardless of anything else that comes out. It's because that consumer base has a fatalistic attitude that different means worse.
"Happy Face" way better than "The Face"
on
Google Goes to Mars
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Since Kynn told me to check out the "so-called face" on Mars, I was much obliged.
Unfortunately, after sorting through the list of stories and finding #116 (The Face on Mars) and #118 (The So-Called Face on Mars), I could only make out the mound when looking in infrared. Also confusing is that two different locations are given (40.68N, 9.54W & 40.75N, 9.46W with the latter looking to be the correct location).
The level of detail you can see is not very high so you really shouldn't check out the face; just visit one of the above websites.
Instead of that boring face, check out The Happy Face Crater (#117 in the list of stories). Now that is one content crater. Put that image in tie-dye relief colors, screen it on a t-shirt and you've got one product that will sell to millions of hippies world-wide.
Let me see, if I know my European history, here's the business model:
1. Send explorer, make him bring back maps with everything named in my language. Check.
2. Identify resources.
3. Send less friendly "traders" to said foreign land & requisition land from natives by asking chiefs to sign "treaties" in a language they don't understand (legalese).
4. Make sure the rest of the world doesn't know what you're doing. Masks of philanthropy or the spread of some major religion work the best.
5. Do not forget that manpower is a resource and is yours for the taking. The best kind of manpower is free manpower.
6. Sap land of all resources (Profit!).
7. Discard... er, "liberate" colony and allow it to fester in the chaos that you created.
When I looked at the map, I didn't see any dividing lines or (most importantly) flags. Does anyone want to visit Mars to open trade and represent king eldavojohn?
To promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. The CDC seeks to accomplish its mission by working with partners throughout the nation and the world to
monitor health,
detect and investigate health problems,
conduct research to enhance prevention,
develop and advocate sound public health policies,
implement prevention strategies,
promote healthy behaviors,
foster safe and healthful environments,
provide leadership and training.
I don't think any of those are really concentrating on developmental mental health of my child. However, after looking at the the CDC page on child development it looks like they do consider themselves watchdogs of how children should be raised to some extent:
The early years of a child's life are crucial for cognitive, social and emotional development. Therefore, it is important that we take every step necessary to ensure that children grow up in environments where their social, emotional and educational needs are met.
Cost to society of less than optimal development are enormous and far-reaching. Children who grow up in environments where their developmental needs are not met are at an increased risk for compromised health and safety, and learning and developmental delays. Failure to invest time and resources during children's early years may have long term effects on the foster care, health care, and education systems. Therefore, it is in the public's interest to ensure that children develop in safe, loving, and secure environments.
It then goes on to provide activity charts for the ranges of years for small children.
Where do we draw the line at what is considered "neglect" by a parent?
After all, the article said that no pieces of information were stolen that required them (by law) to inform their customers. Pretty convenient, eh?
I also noticed that they're from Deerfield Beach, Florida. Now, something odd about Deerfield Beach is its location. It's on the coast of Florida there. That unmarked island on the east side of the map? That would be Grand Bahama. Care to take a guess at what country it lies in?
So my guess is that the company did this legally and by choice. They probably found some bum on the street who didn't ask questions and would like to recieve a paycheck. He's probably also the president of the company with very limited responsibilities and capabilities. They're also probably prepared to give him a briefcase full of $100,000 and a boat to take to Freeport. And also some cute documents for him to sign that might as well say that he shot JFK.
Meanwhile, all the workers and people profiting off the deal claim they had no knowledge.
Slashdot Mirror
I've said it before and I'll say it again--for the love of god, please stop printing mindless headlines of the form "[insert company name here] is [planning/making] a [insert industry-wide leading product name here] killer."
This Ambilight technology is off the hook! Look at that red glow and flame effect it has on my wall! Technology is amazing! Now movies look completely real and vivid. This is the full theatre experience--I'm glad I paid $3k-$5k for this. I don't know how Philips does it but only Ambilight TVs give you the authentic feel like you really are trapped inside a burning building. And look, the flame even gives me third degree burns like a real fire
From the sound of this article, they should add another one to the list.
This is just like Albert Abraham Michelson announcing (in 1896) that physics is dead and complete with nothing left to discover. Since then, I think there have been some shocking advancements.
I tire of articles that basically say, "Look, look, we found a person who holds an important position in the corporate world and they said something without thinking (possibly just to make shock value news)! Let's all point and laugh."
1,000,000/100 = 10,000
Try it out, validate it. Continue to give immediate aid but work towards helping them help themselves. Shift the funds and try new ideas. What we're doing now isn't solving anything in the long run.
Gates is merely providing temporary solutions.
That's what he does best.
He keeps these people dependant on him by never giving them the tools to break free and learn en masse.
Yeah, billions have been given and he's a person of the year according to Time.
You know what? Without giving these people what they really need, people like you will falsely praise him as being the greatest philanthropist ever. The poor need education above all else.
Only through education can anyone permanently break the bonds of poverty.
Problem is that there are several vaccines. I myself remember getting tons of them for hepatitis and influenza in high school. Oh, that's right, the flu has many forms and flu shots are administered yearly. Oh, and for the major forms of hepatitis (when administered properly) it's is a series of shots done over years.
Wow, vaccines aren't as simple as we think!
Pull your head out of your ass. As an American, I can look at our countries vaccine consumption and even I recognize that our infrastructure isn't up to snuff with providing vaccines. If a smallpox vaccine is cheap, why hasn't it been administered to all healthy adults that have little to no risks? Why have I only had one flu shot? Why do they make such a huge deal about flu vaccine shortages on the news?
Providing vaccines to poor people is an ongoing process. They will always be reproducing. There will always be new viruses. They will therefore always need me. What if I gave them an education and they either figured out ways to earn money to outsource it or figured out how to develop vaccines themselves? That's a long way away but we need to start them on the right path.
This article is clearly flamebait. So allow me to participate in the opening salvo.
I think it's interesting how Gates proposes a solution where we need to put people to support the product, thereby charging money indefinitely. Keep your customers dependant, it's his tried and true component to his business model.
Perhaps Gates (and his wife Malinda) are satisfied with vaccinations and hand outs. Things like food, clothing, water, etc. While these things are very helpful in the short run, they unfortunately result in the poor remaining dependant on you for more hand outs. This is convenient if you wish yourself to be seen as a provider.
What's more valuable to you, food or a tool that could possibly help you learn how to procure food indefinitely. These laptops could be very valuable communication devices. Sometimes, it's just an open dialogue with someone intelligent that sparks the learning process.
It seems like Gates is walking up to someone who desperately needs just basic transportation and telling them that a $1,000 junker isn't what they need. They need a high performance Dodge Viper with a personal mechanic to maintain it. Broadband connection? Why? I thought I read that these $100 laptops were going to have radio frequency repeaters so that information could be sent from laptop to laptop and act as routers for each other.
You know, even if these laptops are mediocre or even a complete failure, at least someone tried to provide the tools to escape poverty permanently.
Either Gates thinks that poor equals stupid or he's got something against MIT. These must have been some very hastily made remarks--think before you speak no matter how rich you are. It also doesn't help that the article implied he recommends a Microsoft "Ultra-Mobile" laptop instead (costing 6 to 10 times more).
Stop spreading lies, AC idiot.
This is just ample warning that you may experience one or more of the following symptoms when using the Playstation Network:
I honestly hope that this Playstation network thing is done right. But then again
A functioning link to the NYTimes article.
Also interesting is the component pricing total that reveals why Sony will most likely have to take a loss of hundreds of dollars per console to remain competitive.
Student Melanie Rieback and others, part of a Tannenbaum research group in Amsterdam, have proven that RFID-tags are vulnerable for infection with viruses.
American oak tree research groups and Swedish aspen tree research groups have responded by working around the clock to fix this security hole. Never before have groups centered on deciduous trees been so involved in computer security.
I guess Slashdot's picture of Gates as a Borg is applicable more now than ever
Where I think eBay is in trouble is that in a few of these patents, MercExchange references the idea of two different specified prices, with "buy at" or "sell at" similar to eBay's "Buy it Now" price. Taken from their patent on dynamic pricing information: There is a lot to read in their patents but the reason this case is so compelling is that MercExchange patented a very descriptive and complete dynamic pricing scheme and hierarchy to auctioning online in patent US6856967. I'm very confused as to why the date on the patent reads 2005-02-15 unless this is a renewal date.
I'm not a lawyer but I do wish that articles covering patent cases would link to the actual patent documents themselves so that the public can become aware of the extreme legalese that enshrouds patents.
What will be interesting is what the lawsuit may entitle MercExchange to receiving. eBay has had this feature for quite a few auctions and I wonder if MercExchange is going to demand a cut of eBay's cut for each auction transaction completed where this feature was available. That's quite a bit of cash.
Honestly, it looks to me like this will hold up in court. Any real lawyers out there have any comments to make? I'd ask you to read the patent and tell us what you think but I lack the $250/hour you charge.
Unfortunately, the Fluxcapacitor has already been patented (Fig. 1 & 2).
And I had no idea about his work in preventing bioterrorism. Hats off to you, Ray!
I would like to ask him a few questions, however, about his daily intake of vitamins. I'm sure his definition of "breaking the seal" while drinking is completely different from my own. Try drinking 10 cups of green tea in a day. I dare you.
Yeah, this is the same guy who hopes to live long enough so that he can live forever. Keep on reaching for that rainbow, Ray.
I guess I've always thought of them as indexes for remembering things. You're storing more information but the keys are easier for you to remember and they hold within them something meaningful about the data.
Oddly, though, often the most bizarre mnemonic devices work the best as the Wikipedia article states: For an article with a little more information, check out the NYTimes coverage.
Unfortunately, the Wired article only gives us one line sentences from the contestants like: Wired, that is pure journalistic gold. Perhaps you'd like to rail them with another question like, "What do you like to do for fun with your friends?"
I'm sure it helps you in school, what I want to know is how in the hell do you do that? Does anyone on Slashdot know if people who win these competitions actually use mnemonic devices or are they just gifted savants?
Did they forget to include that the risk of installing McAfee Anti-Virus for any user : High?
Wait a minute, it is identifying some system files that Windows put on my machine! I guess the Mac & 'nix freaks are right, Windows really is a virus. I hope it's only a matter of time before my next virus definition assesses Internet Explorer & Windows Media Player as full blown Trojan viruses distributed as malware with my OS.
So where does that leave the readers? I'm pretty sick and tired of hearing the word 'killer' used to describe a new product that aims to (hopefully) usurp the leading product in the market. That's it! Let's start using the word 'usurper' over and over to describe a product. It's hip, it generates hype, run with it!
I'm fine with having my intelligence insulted when I read the comments. Hell, I'd even be fine with having low brow advertising on
Unfortunately, after sorting through the list of stories and finding #116 (The Face on Mars) and #118 (The So-Called Face on Mars), I could only make out the mound when looking in infrared. Also confusing is that two different locations are given (40.68N, 9.54W & 40.75N, 9.46W with the latter looking to be the correct location).
The level of detail you can see is not very high so you really shouldn't check out the face; just visit one of the above websites.
Instead of that boring face, check out The Happy Face Crater (#117 in the list of stories). Now that is one content crater. Put that image in tie-dye relief colors, screen it on a t-shirt and you've got one product that will sell to millions of hippies world-wide.
Let me see, if I know my European history, here's the business model
1. Send explorer, make him bring back maps with everything named in my language. Check.
2. Identify resources.
3. Send less friendly "traders" to said foreign land & requisition land from natives by asking chiefs to sign "treaties" in a language they don't understand (legalese).
4. Make sure the rest of the world doesn't know what you're doing. Masks of philanthropy or the spread of some major religion work the best.
5. Do not forget that manpower is a resource and is yours for the taking. The best kind of manpower is free manpower.
6. Sap land of all resources (Profit!).
7. Discard
When I looked at the map, I didn't see any dividing lines or (most importantly) flags. Does anyone want to visit Mars to open trade and represent king eldavojohn?
I'm reminded of a Cecil Rhodes Quote:
As mission statement says: I don't think any of those are really concentrating on developmental mental health of my child. However, after looking at the the CDC page on child development it looks like they do consider themselves watchdogs of how children should be raised to some extent: It then goes on to provide activity charts for the ranges of years for small children.
Where do we draw the line at what is considered "neglect" by a parent?
After all, the article said that no pieces of information were stolen that required them (by law) to inform their customers. Pretty convenient, eh?
I also noticed that they're from Deerfield Beach, Florida. Now, something odd about Deerfield Beach is its location. It's on the coast of Florida there. That unmarked island on the east side of the map? That would be Grand Bahama. Care to take a guess at what country it lies in?
So my guess is that the company did this legally and by choice. They probably found some bum on the street who didn't ask questions and would like to recieve a paycheck. He's probably also the president of the company with very limited responsibilities and capabilities. They're also probably prepared to give him a briefcase full of $100,000 and a boat to take to Freeport. And also some cute documents for him to sign that might as well say that he shot JFK.
Meanwhile, all the workers and people profiting off the deal claim they had no knowledge.