Well, the BBC operates web sites. Clearly, anyone who uses any sort of web site should be obliged to subscribe, or at least pay something, to the BBC. Therefore, we are going to have a tax on Internet use, some or all of whose proceeds will go to the BBC, for it to operate its public service web sites.
I know you think you were joking, but a couple of years ago it was announced that the TV licence for DR (Danmark's Radio - the Danish equivalent of the BBC which is responsible for some radio stations, TV channels and websites just like the BBC) would become a "media licence", and it would be extended from radio and TV owners to anyone who owned a device with an internet connection (including mobile phones).
So, in Denmark if you have an internet connection you're paying for DR, whether you access their content or not.
Why on earth are states involved in producing media anyway? They don't make newsapers after all (although the USSR had Pravda).
I suppose another huge reason for the intelligence community to like FOSS is that they can audit source code and recompile any binaries as they see fit. That's difficult with closed source software and I imagine they'd be especially wary of foreign closed source software.
That's not going to happen unless governments use anti-monopolist legislation to force Microsoft's hand. In the past Microsoft has used the threat of forcing OEMs to pay for the retail version of Windows to prevent them from selling dual-boot systems.
This is what happens when a government realises it's large imported religious fundamentalist population has ideas that run counter to their modern progressive ones. See also: the UK
Apple is evil. Google is evil. Microsoft is evil. Any company that tries to lock you in or spy on you is evil.
I'm waiting for a good generic phone running open software with a good browsing experience. I expect one of the South Korean companies will come up with something reasonable soon.
Who modded this as flamebait? Pain is a fundamentalist Christian, and both believes in "end times" and that she'll see Jesus come back in her life time.
humans simply are not designed to hold their arms out in front of their bodies for long periods of time.
Well of course, since humans were not designed. If you'd said something like "humans simply have not evolved to hold their arms out in front of their bodies for long periods of time" I might have agreed with you.
I used to think a world government would be a good thing too, until I realised that it would have an absolute monopoly on power and that there would be nowhere to run to once it became corrupt and totalitarian (as it inevitably would).
IMHO the ideal would be a multitude of independent competing city states...
I think we should be thinking past recycling, and start thinking about making things last. We use so much in the way of natural resources, only to throw away or inefficiently recycle them 2 years later. If you look back to as recently as the 1950s, things were built to last, but trends in manufacturing and industry have conspired against that state of affairs. Wouldn't it be nice if we could design things to last 50 years instead of 5?
Any SUV owners reading this? Look forward to watching the second hand sale value of your vehicle plummet even while fuel costs rise to the point where you can no longer afford to drive your (now) useless vehicle.
I would advise SUV owners to sell their SUVs now if they want to avoid losing too much money. I also suggest that anyone who owns residential property outside an urban hub sell their property now and reinvest in property closer to their workplace and potential future workplaces. As the implications of rising fuel costs become clearer these places will rise in value. Expect more urban gentrification.
Sadly we can probably expect to see more countries in Europe pass these kind of laws as they realise the risks posed by their large Muslim populations. Sweden has a tradition of naively importing huge amounts of Muslims and then paying them very generous unemployment benefits (since they are usually ill equipped to work in a modern economy), and the effects are starting to be felt. Read more here.
That said, European governments are just treating the symptoms of the problem rather than the root cause: religious extremism (and some would argue religion generally). The sooner we realise that, the better.
Bullshit. You didn't know anything more than we did, you're just jumping in after the fact.
Nope, I definitely did think Iraq had no WMDs, as did everyone I spoke to in the UK. Don't you remember the yellowcake and the aluminum tubes? It's amazing that you presume to know what I thought better than I do.
And your link discusses an anti war rally that IN NO WAY says what you claim.
The anti war demo shows we were "screaming it from the top of our lungs right from the start", and that's why that was the text I put in the anchor tag.
You think there weren't anti war rallies in the US?
Sure, but none anywhere near that scale. Unless there was a 5 to 10 million people demo I didn't hear of (the US' population is about 5 times greater than the UK's).
I was in California when the invasion started, and I don't know if the people I spoke to were typical of Americans, but they were certainly poorly informed about international affairs compared to people in the UK.
Because the British government ignored the wishes of it's citizens. Anyway, the government knew it was all nonsense too - remember the "Dodgy Dossier"?
there is Iraq, which I initially supported until it became clear that the WMDs were about as real as the luminiferous ether
It was always clear to most of us in Europe (I was in the UK) that the WMDs were fictional and we were screaming it from the top of our lungs right from the start. For some reason it seems most Americans fell for the lies though. I blame your superficial news media...
Slashdot Mirror
I know you think you were joking, but a couple of years ago it was announced that the TV licence for DR (Danmark's Radio - the Danish equivalent of the BBC which is responsible for some radio stations, TV channels and websites just like the BBC) would become a "media licence", and it would be extended from radio and TV owners to anyone who owned a device with an internet connection (including mobile phones).
So, in Denmark if you have an internet connection you're paying for DR, whether you access their content or not.
Why on earth are states involved in producing media anyway? They don't make newsapers after all (although the USSR had Pravda).
I suppose another huge reason for the intelligence community to like FOSS is that they can audit source code and recompile any binaries as they see fit. That's difficult with closed source software and I imagine they'd be especially wary of foreign closed source software.
Check out Agent Ransack - it's a much better search program.
Don't forget Carriage Return+Line Feed line endings. Bah!
That's not going to happen unless governments use anti-monopolist legislation to force Microsoft's hand. In the past Microsoft has used the threat of forcing OEMs to pay for the retail version of Windows to prevent them from selling dual-boot systems.
Absolutely. In Finland, a leading critic of internet censorship had his website added to the list, and the list also contains:
Sweden regarded free? You must be joking.
All emails and phone calls are monitored in the name of national security
Sweden is second from bottom in the EU when it comes to protecting its citizens' private integrity
This is what happens when a government realises it's large imported religious fundamentalist population has ideas that run counter to their modern progressive ones. See also: the UK
Apple is evil. Google is evil. Microsoft is evil. Any company that tries to lock you in or spy on you is evil.
I'm waiting for a good generic phone running open software with a good browsing experience. I expect one of the South Korean companies will come up with something reasonable soon.
Palin's already tried to ban books from the library in the small town where she was mayor. Imagine what she might get up to if she became president...
Who modded this as flamebait? Pain is a fundamentalist Christian, and both believes in "end times" and that she'll see Jesus come back in her life time.
(Don't know who modded you Insightful)
All x86 chips have a RISC core these days.
The main reason why x86 gives more bang for the buck is because of competition, and is despite it's clunky architecture.
What an intellectual cop out! Religions that play fast and loose with logic like that must be particularly difficult to break out of.
Well of course, since humans were not designed. If you'd said something like "humans simply have not evolved to hold their arms out in front of their bodies for long periods of time" I might have agreed with you.
I used to think a world government would be a good thing too, until I realised that it would have an absolute monopoly on power and that there would be nowhere to run to once it became corrupt and totalitarian (as it inevitably would).
IMHO the ideal would be a multitude of independent competing city states...
I've never heard of this before. Could you explain what you mean or show some images that demonstrate it?
I think we should be thinking past recycling, and start thinking about making things last. We use so much in the way of natural resources, only to throw away or inefficiently recycle them 2 years later. If you look back to as recently as the 1950s, things were built to last, but trends in manufacturing and industry have conspired against that state of affairs. Wouldn't it be nice if we could design things to last 50 years instead of 5?
You're proving my point. The "Pennsylvania Dutch" were indeed German, and their name is a corruption of "Pennsylvania Deutsch".
See also: Danish != Dutch != Deutsch
I wasn't aware that Islam is a race.
Sadly we can probably expect to see more countries in Europe pass these kind of laws as they realise the risks posed by their large Muslim populations. Sweden has a tradition of naively importing huge amounts of Muslims and then paying them very generous unemployment benefits (since they are usually ill equipped to work in a modern economy), and the effects are starting to be felt. Read more here.
That said, European governments are just treating the symptoms of the problem rather than the root cause: religious extremism (and some would argue religion generally). The sooner we realise that, the better.
I was in California when the invasion started, and I don't know if the people I spoke to were typical of Americans, but they were certainly poorly informed about international affairs compared to people in the UK.
Because the British government ignored the wishes of it's citizens. Anyway, the government knew it was all nonsense too - remember the "Dodgy Dossier"?