I suppose it's not surprising that we're losing in Iraq given that the people in charge of the military seem to be idiots. Our men and women and Iraqi civilians dying over there because of idiot officers and politicians.
I remember reading about the military's cheating a while back.
Here's a little background about how the US spent $253 million dollars on Middle East war games in 2002 and fixed it so they would win.
I've been using a billing service for the last six or seven years that essentially does this. They have an address where your bills are sent to. When they receive a bill, they scan everything in and then you can view your bills on-line and pay them. At the end of the year you can order a CD-ROM with images of all of your bills. This is perfect if you travel a lot.
An added benefit is that they sort through and toss all your junk mail that you would normally get addressed to you.
I'm a member of the Cal State University Employees Union which includes technical and professional employees. Yes, that's programmers, system adminsitrators, analysts, DBA's, and the like.
Our contract is up for renegotiation this year and I'm wondering if there are any other union contracts that direct their employers to make a move to Open Source as a cost saving measure to save jobs during budget cuts.
Also, can anyone recommend the most accurate reports that detail cost savings per workstation by moving to an Open Source OS or OpenOffice?
You may be hearing more politics wherever you go if this catches on. Political ringtones, here to stay?
I personally like the idea of people presenting their political colors. You can strike up conversations with complete strangers and know exactly what to say in order to piss them off:-)
Would this make a good model for Open Source Textbooks? If we get the $100 laptops to all kids, and they can downlaod Open Source Textbooks/Learning Software, we can eliminate a major expense for school districts in our country and around the world.
Free text books means more money can be put into teacher salaries so we get the best and the brightest, and so children can have facilities that don't look like they've been abandoned for 25 years.
I've actually been in an argument about this with my chemical engineer friend. He swears that you can't run it without modification. My understanding is that the only modification needed is for people who live where it snows.
And since I've sworn to never live anyplace where a palm tree cannot exist outside year round, I was thinking I wouldn't have to convert anything.
I'm glad to know that my suspcions about not needing to do a conversion are confirmed by everyone here.
Thank you!!! And thanks for the advice on automobiles.
I think it's important to practice safe sex even in automobiles. I can see Honda supporting a safe driving and safe sex advertising campaign.
Maybe something along the lines of Sex is Safer in a Honda? And they could give a glove box full of condoms with Honda logos for each new auto purchase.
I've been trying to find an alternative fuel car that matches my lifestyle.
I've had several people, including my father and brothers, who are supposed to be trying to find me an older $5,000 diesel convertible so that I can have it modified to run on biodiesel.
I don't think they are taking me seriously though, because it's been two years and they've still not found me a car to match my specifications!
There is nothing new created in the world that is not built upon the foundations of human history. What is created today in science, technology, and the arts, is built on the foundations of those who created before them.
As a recognition of this debt to society, intellectual property that is not in the public domain should be taxed. Just as our other physical property is taxed, why not intellectual property?
And the taxes can be used to invest in new science, technology, and the arts.
This has the added benefit of also moving a bunch of stuff into the public domain.
If the taxes aren't paid within two years, then the item moves into the public domain. If you aren't sure on the status of an item, see if it has had IP taxes paid in the last two years. If not, then it's free!
If scientific and technical minded people are supposed to be so smart, then why are they always losing out?
Good lord! If uneducated baboons, sorry I mean politicians and lobbyists, can manipulate the general public then why can't all the highly educated people in the world get with the program?
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read what marketers are doing to influence and create our thoughts about what we think we want and need every day.
But instead of figuring out how to win, the scientists complain about how nobody loves them, everybody hates them, and that they'll just go out and eat worms!
Wow, who would have thought having strong women roles would make women more interested in those shows?
We still have a long way to go to reach equality. I know some of you may disagree...but I've recently decided that a purely scientific measure of gender equality can be attained through clothing. Now if only some social scientist would work out the scale and do the research. Following is an example of what I mean.
What is your reaction to seeing a man in clothing traditionally reserved for women, such as a skirt? If it illicits no different a reaction, apart from sexual attraction, than seeing a woman in pants then that's when you'll know you have achieved true equality.
When women are viewed as having equal power with men, then women's clothing will carry the same status as men's clothing for any gender.
I believe that in a truly free market everything, except labor, would reach a point where it has no cost. And that's why I have Linux installed on my PC at home and have tried to learn a little bit about it. To show my support for free markets.
Obviously, software is one of the easiest markets for this to happen in because the resources needed to produce software are very cheap.
Probably the most important first step in reducing the cost of material things to $0 is free energy. That's where we should concentrate.
I think blogs without user comments are destined to failure.
I know I'd sure like to comment on Hastert's mention of fiscal responsbility. It's refreshing to know that cutting money to find deadbeat dads is top on the Republican's fiscal responsibility list.
Flame Warning
Heaven forbid we cut corporate welfare to the most profitable corporations in the country. I wonder how many of them are actually headquartered in the country?
Returning to anti-flame levels
My own personal opinion is that this is something we've brought upon ourselves. Both citizens and corporations who are not in the electricity business.
I've never understood why some industries allow things to happen that cause themselves to suffer while a small set of industries make enormous profit.
I like Google's version better. How do we sign on as supporters to their version of the project? Do they have something set up already for local public and school libraries to be able to use? That seems like one way that they could get a lot of endorsements and awareness from the public about what they're doing.
I tried to install a second drive on my Windows Media PC, but it wouldn't work.
Eventually I broke a nail and had to abandon the project before any more damage was sustained.
That's why we need to promote labor laws overseas
on
The H-1B Swindle
·
· Score: 0, Offtopic
If we worked to promote comparable labor protections in other countries, it wouldn't be cheaper for companies to outsource jobs from the US. It also wouldn't be cost-effective to bring in visa holders.
I'm in agreement with this statement. I have both a pocketPC and a 40GB Ipod. I don't use the PocketPC that much, one because it's one of those HP IPAQ 5400's and is huge, and the other is because it doesn't hold much.
If you want to hold management accountable, then unionize.
Blue collar = Organized Labor
White collar = Disorganized Labor
But you have to remember that unions are like any other democratic institution. They're only as good as the amount of participation their members put into it. Most people are not eternally vigilant. You can see how that ends up with the existing state of most unions and our democratically elected government officials.
Slashdot Mirror
I remember reading about the military's cheating a while back. Here's a little background about how the US spent $253 million dollars on Middle East war games in 2002 and fixed it so they would win.
I've been using a billing service for the last six or seven years that essentially does this. They have an address where your bills are sent to. When they receive a bill, they scan everything in and then you can view your bills on-line and pay them. At the end of the year you can order a CD-ROM with images of all of your bills. This is perfect if you travel a lot.
An added benefit is that they sort through and toss all your junk mail that you would normally get addressed to you.
Check out paytrust.com.
Our contract is up for renegotiation this year and I'm wondering if there are any other union contracts that direct their employers to make a move to Open Source as a cost saving measure to save jobs during budget cuts.
Also, can anyone recommend the most accurate reports that detail cost savings per workstation by moving to an Open Source OS or OpenOffice?
I personally like the idea of people presenting their political colors. You can strike up conversations with complete strangers and know exactly what to say in order to piss them off:-)
Woohoo!
Free text books means more money can be put into teacher salaries so we get the best and the brightest, and so children can have facilities that don't look like they've been abandoned for 25 years.
And since I've sworn to never live anyplace where a palm tree cannot exist outside year round, I was thinking I wouldn't have to convert anything.
I'm glad to know that my suspcions about not needing to do a conversion are confirmed by everyone here.
Thank you!!! And thanks for the advice on automobiles.
Maybe something along the lines of Sex is Safer in a Honda? And they could give a glove box full of condoms with Honda logos for each new auto purchase.
I've had several people, including my father and brothers, who are supposed to be trying to find me an older $5,000 diesel convertible so that I can have it modified to run on biodiesel.
I don't think they are taking me seriously though, because it's been two years and they've still not found me a car to match my specifications!
If things were too efficient and easy to change, you could waking up in a police state overnight.
As a recognition of this debt to society, intellectual property that is not in the public domain should be taxed. Just as our other physical property is taxed, why not intellectual property?
And the taxes can be used to invest in new science, technology, and the arts.
This has the added benefit of also moving a bunch of stuff into the public domain.
If the taxes aren't paid within two years, then the item moves into the public domain. If you aren't sure on the status of an item, see if it has had IP taxes paid in the last two years. If not, then it's free!
Good lord! If uneducated baboons, sorry I mean politicians and lobbyists, can manipulate the general public then why can't all the highly educated people in the world get with the program?
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read what marketers are doing to influence and create our thoughts about what we think we want and need every day.
But instead of figuring out how to win, the scientists complain about how nobody loves them, everybody hates them, and that they'll just go out and eat worms!
Watch out for the Devolutionists. They look like men, but think like apes.
We still have a long way to go to reach equality. I know some of you may disagree...but I've recently decided that a purely scientific measure of gender equality can be attained through clothing. Now if only some social scientist would work out the scale and do the research. Following is an example of what I mean.
What is your reaction to seeing a man in clothing traditionally reserved for women, such as a skirt? If it illicits no different a reaction, apart from sexual attraction, than seeing a woman in pants then that's when you'll know you have achieved true equality.
When women are viewed as having equal power with men, then women's clothing will carry the same status as men's clothing for any gender.
Obviously, software is one of the easiest markets for this to happen in because the resources needed to produce software are very cheap.
Probably the most important first step in reducing the cost of material things to $0 is free energy. That's where we should concentrate.
I know I'd sure like to comment on Hastert's mention of fiscal responsbility. It's refreshing to know that cutting money to find deadbeat dads is top on the Republican's fiscal responsibility list.
Flame Warning Heaven forbid we cut corporate welfare to the most profitable corporations in the country. I wonder how many of them are actually headquartered in the country? Returning to anti-flame levels
My own personal opinion is that this is something we've brought upon ourselves. Both citizens and corporations who are not in the electricity business.
I've never understood why some industries allow things to happen that cause themselves to suffer while a small set of industries make enormous profit.
I like Google's version better. How do we sign on as supporters to their version of the project? Do they have something set up already for local public and school libraries to be able to use? That seems like one way that they could get a lot of endorsements and awareness from the public about what they're doing.
Eventually I broke a nail and had to abandon the project before any more damage was sustained.
If we worked to promote comparable labor protections in other countries, it wouldn't be cheaper for companies to outsource jobs from the US. It also wouldn't be cost-effective to bring in visa holders.
I'll say once again:
Blue Collar = Organized Labor
White Collar = Disorganized Labor
Democracy is about working together to be treated fairly. Why should corporate profits leap by huge percentages while employee salaries do not?
I'm in agreement with this statement. I have both a pocketPC and a 40GB Ipod. I don't use the PocketPC that much, one because it's one of those HP IPAQ 5400's and is huge, and the other is because it doesn't hold much.
I can type 85 WPM and answer phones!
Blue collar = Organized Labor
White collar = Disorganized Labor
But you have to remember that unions are like any other democratic institution. They're only as good as the amount of participation their members put into it. Most people are not eternally vigilant. You can see how that ends up with the existing state of most unions and our democratically elected government officials.
It would be a sad thing if we've already lost our democracy.
Sometimes late at night I wonder if I'm a modern reinvocation of a Greek Goddess.