Hold on... while I agree with your point, Cringely didn't talk about ISP's quashing traffic - he talked about them enabling class-of-service for their OWN voice traffic and leaving foreign voip traffic in the best-efforts network layer.
Engineering and maintaining a voice-quality COS on a network is expensive and difficult. Does anyone really believe that telcos or cablecos (having invested billions in building their networks) should hand this value over to Vonage etc for free? The reason Vonage can charge low prices is that it doesn't bear these costs - is it the ISP's job to bear these costs on their behalf?
If Vonage wants COS on these networks, it should approach them and offer to pay the engineering, hardware and operational costs. If not, they should continue to enjoy the service they've received for free to date.
My Internet connection is 5Mbps down, 800kbps up and capable of sustaining close to that for long periods of time. My Vonage phone works beautifully as long as I'm not hammering the network with Bittorrent. There's nothing to complain about here.
I totally agree - as a parent, I like the Mindstorm's close connection to the familiar concrete world, as opposed to a Windows PC which immediately demands an abstracted world with *nothing* physical to relate to.
Lego is doing all the great things for my sons that it did for me. I think Mindstorm will come into their lives very soon, at about the same age as I got exposure to the Commodore PET and C64, hopefully with similar results.
"Clarke, who many will remember for publicly critisizing the Bush administration..."
It truly is memorable that this official publicly criticized the Bush administration. That's scary. A healthy democracy requires broad criticism and debate about those in power.
You know what else was memorable? The administration's ferocious character assasination that began as soon as Clarke spoke out.
Actually, the complete quote is: The average consumer has just figured out that they don't need a 3GHz processor that dissapates 1.21 gigawatts of heat! Run for your lives!"
Couldn't agree more. One thought - these old beasties probably use a TON of power. Might want to consider putting it on a powerbar so you can completely power it down when not in use.
ArtDent - this article got me thinking in the same vein. I actually sent an email to Reboot Canada (www.reboot.on.ca) asking if they needed volunteers.
Take a look at their website - their main chapter is based in Toronto and I think it's just the sort of thing you're looking for.
...as long as it's implemented properly. I'm thinking diskless workstations booting off a server, locked down so the students have minimal opportunity to disrupt them.
Even minor issues with the lab could represent a major support hassle for the school and could wind up harming Linux's reputation.
I agree. I also think it was wise of IBM to choose a simple, sleek design that carries well from generation to generation. My wife's 6-year-old Thinkpad looks just fine next to my brand-new T40, while my 6-year-old Toshiba Satellite looks like something destined for Goodwill.
A friend just got his new 5Mbps cable service installed and found that his 802.11b network was actually interfering with his speed tests from DSLReports.com.
Plugged directly into his router and got 4.7Mbps. Needless to say, he's pretty pleased (for CDN$45/month!)
Take it from me, my friend. Don't let these airlines push you around. Get yourself a pringle can setup, point it straight at the flight path and take out THEIR wireless communications.
Oh come on - noble Nixon resigned for the good of his office while Clinton was selfish in fighting impeachment?
Nixon was going to be thrown out for covering up a crime. None of us knows what was going through his head, but there's a reasonable possibility that he realized he was GOING to be thrown out, and decided to save himself the humiliation. You can't make the blanket statement that this was a selfless act (from an otherwise very self-serving individual). You just don't know that.
And as for Clinton - following a multiyear, $70M witch hunt, they finally caught him lying about a blowjob. Should he have resigned for that? You could certainly make the argument that it was a frivolous charge, even though his lie was technically a crime. I think it's telling that he survived the impeachment where Nixon almost certainly would have not.
Honestly, before making sweeping, self-serving generalizations, think about what facts you know vs. what "facts" you just don't know.
Slashdot Mirror
And *I* want to be the first 25-year-old on my block with a T-Rex.
I'm 34 today, but heck, as long as I'm wishing for a friggin' dinosaur, I might as well wish to be a young'n again.
You must be new here ;)
Hold on... while I agree with your point, Cringely didn't talk about ISP's quashing traffic - he talked about them enabling class-of-service for their OWN voice traffic and leaving foreign voip traffic in the best-efforts network layer.
Engineering and maintaining a voice-quality COS on a network is expensive and difficult. Does anyone really believe that telcos or cablecos (having invested billions in building their networks) should hand this value over to Vonage etc for free? The reason Vonage can charge low prices is that it doesn't bear these costs - is it the ISP's job to bear these costs on their behalf?
If Vonage wants COS on these networks, it should approach them and offer to pay the engineering, hardware and operational costs. If not, they should continue to enjoy the service they've received for free to date.
My Internet connection is 5Mbps down, 800kbps up and capable of sustaining close to that for long periods of time. My Vonage phone works beautifully as long as I'm not hammering the network with Bittorrent. There's nothing to complain about here.
Maybe the dumbest Cringley column ever.
Yeah, what he said!
;)
</smug>
Yeah, like those hippies at the Pentagon.
(You need to download this report and read it.)
It's a rare treat to see sarcasm so skillfully and appropriately applied, at least on Slashdot ;) Nicely done.
mmm... I sure could go for some ice cream right now...
Back in 10!
I totally agree - as a parent, I like the Mindstorm's close connection to the familiar concrete world, as opposed to a Windows PC which immediately demands an abstracted world with *nothing* physical to relate to.
Lego is doing all the great things for my sons that it did for me. I think Mindstorm will come into their lives very soon, at about the same age as I got exposure to the Commodore PET and C64, hopefully with similar results.
Obligatory Simpsons' reference/Slashdot cliche:
"I for one welcome our new insect overlords..."
Sorry folks. Reflex. At least it's not an "In Soviet Russia" joke.
Parent is modded +1, Insightful.
Ah, Slashdot... your moderation is always a source of entertainment...
Real hardcore gamers make their keys glow by painting radium on their keyboards.
"Clarke, who many will remember for publicly critisizing the Bush administration..."
It truly is memorable that this official publicly criticized the Bush administration. That's scary. A healthy democracy requires broad criticism and debate about those in power.
You know what else was memorable? The administration's ferocious character assasination that began as soon as Clarke spoke out.
Four more years.
Couldn't agree more. One thought - these old beasties probably use a TON of power. Might want to consider putting it on a powerbar so you can completely power it down when not in use.
...or maybe "security" really was the reason. Perhaps it was routed through a country that permits mail to be searched.
Kinda like sending "suspected terrorists" to other countries for the dirty work of torture.
Yeah, those damn hippies at the Pentagon... be like Bush, cover your ears and pretend there's nothing to this global warming thing.
ArtDent - this article got me thinking in the same vein. I actually sent an email to Reboot Canada (www.reboot.on.ca) asking if they needed volunteers.
Take a look at their website - their main chapter is based in Toronto and I think it's just the sort of thing you're looking for.
...as long as it's implemented properly. I'm thinking diskless workstations booting off a server, locked down so the students have minimal opportunity to disrupt them.
Even minor issues with the lab could represent a major support hassle for the school and could wind up harming Linux's reputation.
I agree. I also think it was wise of IBM to choose a simple, sleek design that carries well from generation to generation. My wife's 6-year-old Thinkpad looks just fine next to my brand-new T40, while my 6-year-old Toshiba Satellite looks like something destined for Goodwill.
A friend just got his new 5Mbps cable service installed and found that his 802.11b network was actually interfering with his speed tests from DSLReports.com.
Plugged directly into his router and got 4.7Mbps. Needless to say, he's pretty pleased (for CDN$45/month!)
What?!? That's outrageous!
Take it from me, my friend. Don't let these airlines push you around. Get yourself a pringle can setup, point it straight at the flight path and take out THEIR wireless communications.
That'll teach 'em!
...then underpaid geniuses in the far East add a thousand features, mass-manufacture it and sell it for 1/10th the cost.
Look, look... can I finish? Can I finish?
Look, Canada has already apologized for Brian Adams AND Celine Dion, and... can I finish? Can I finish?
(I love Canada, but you gotta hand it to the Americans for coming up with South Park.)
Okay, stop everything.
The parent is the geekiest post I have EVER seen. Congratulations to tux_deamon, you'll be receiving the home version of our game...
Oh come on - noble Nixon resigned for the good of his office while Clinton was selfish in fighting impeachment?
Nixon was going to be thrown out for covering up a crime. None of us knows what was going through his head, but there's a reasonable possibility that he realized he was GOING to be thrown out, and decided to save himself the humiliation. You can't make the blanket statement that this was a selfless act (from an otherwise very self-serving individual). You just don't know that.
And as for Clinton - following a multiyear, $70M witch hunt, they finally caught him lying about a blowjob. Should he have resigned for that? You could certainly make the argument that it was a frivolous charge, even though his lie was technically a crime. I think it's telling that he survived the impeachment where Nixon almost certainly would have not.
Honestly, before making sweeping, self-serving generalizations, think about what facts you know vs. what "facts" you just don't know.