Just ask a Canadian to go "out and about" and you'll pick up that accent loud and clear, eh?
Actually, the best thing the Detroit Red Wings did was to import their play-by-play man from the CBC a few years back (Ken Daniels). Before that they had a generic American talking head for a year or two who was absolutely pathetic (although if I recall he might be doing Minnesota Wild games now).
That said, having spent the first 28 years of my life in the Detroit area, I'll give the average CBC sportscaster the nod over any American network easily. They actually come to the event with a solid background in whatever subject they are covering, instead of merely reading off the teleprompter and trying to out-chuckle the other guy...
Except for the fact that our water is now laden with all sort of pharmaceutical enhancements, which often makes its way through wastewater treatment systems. If enough people keep taking Viagra and Prozac, we'll all be walking around with smiles on our faces and woodies down below...
Since people specifically look for OnStar as a feature when they're buying a car, I'd hardly call that "spying." The sad thing about most people who post knee-jerk screeds about spying fears is that they don't realize something very important...
That's an excellent point - at first, I didn't see this as a big deal, but you're right that this sort of material usually ends up as DVD filler anyway. You're starting to see studios take a more enlightened attitude towards using the internet as a medium for engaging fans (i.e. the LotR films' cooperation with fan sites), which is a very good thing...
If you want to see deflation at work, just look at Japan over the last decade. Deflation usually leads to declining demand - after all, why buy something today when it will probably cost less in the near future?
When lower prices on specific goods are driven by productivity gains (i.e. fewer workers required to produce the goods, therefore the lessened revenue can still support the workforce), then society can really gain. The one thing the American economy does better than any other is constantly destroying unproductive jobs and creating new ones in more dynamic areas...
The difference that you're talking about here isn't the difference between public vs. private trading, but rather investing vs. speculating. Investors act like owners of the companies that they are buying into, whereas speculators merely buy on the expectation that a greater fool will come along shortly.
In short, the model of public investing works very, very well - providing a massive pool of capital that is put to amazingly good use. The wealth that's been created in large part due to the availability of investment capital over the last several decades is staggering. Are there areas for improvement? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean that the system as a whole works better than anything else come up with so far...
I don't think there's been any significant change regarding the emphasis on continously growing profits over time. Investors have always look for earnings growth - the only difference today is the broadening of the investor class. Through 401K's and other programs, a larger portion of the populace owns stock than ever before, and they want strong growth just as much as the next guy. That can lead to an overemphasis on short-term profits, i.e. companies cooking their books to make sure they meet quarterly targets.
Layoffs when a company is making record profits can make sense - a company flush with cash may take that opportunity to invest in labor-saving improvements, for example, and position themselves better for the long term.
The economy is usually the biggest factor in any given election (remember Bush the elder's plummet from 90% approval ratings after Gulf War I due to a recession?), out of all proportion to the actual "power" that a president does have. Probably the most important single person in terms of the monetary policy and the US economy is Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve (yes, he's appointed by the president, but for a 4-year term that staggers the presidential one). In terms of fiscal policy, the main power lies with Congress, which approves budgets. The president has very little formal power in that area, but uses political influence to push proposals into law.
The best thing IS-types can do is to get out from their cubicle and get engaged in their place of work. I've seen too many colleagues who just wanted programming requests left in their intray and didn't want to work actively with the users. That kind of relationship is easily outsourced, as opposed to the person who understands not just the code but the working process that it supports. Once you've achieved that goal, users will want to have you in the room when critical decisions are discussed, as opposed to being thousands of miles and several time zones away...
The Oscars have been irrelevant for years, much like the Grammy's, the Heisman Trophy, etc., and any other award granted by a cadre of geezers too out of touch to bother with actually perusing the candidates. Personally, I thought Fellowship was very deserving, but A Beautiful Mind pushed all the right Academy buttons (Oscar winning actor portraying a mentally ill genius, cha-ching!).
Probably the worst part for Jackson's chances is that most of the Academy members likely haven't read the books, and there is a popular perception that the movies are more geared to appeasing Tolkein fans instead of a broader audience. All the same, I'll be watching in March, hoping against hope that he wins. Why? Because it will give him that much more clout with the studios on future projects...
I'd say put away your tin foil hat - coming up with accurate pricing data for a national economy is a very tough thing to do, and by definition some things will rise by more than the index, and some less (consider consumer electronics and PC-related goods, which constantly fall in price). And as far as Wall Street and its clients preferring Bush to win a 2nd term, it's been noted that if you look back over time, the stock markets have done much better during Democratic presidencies than during Republican ones.
That said, of course the pedal is being pushed to the floor to ensure a growing economy over the next 12 months. But that has to do more with massive amounts of fiscal stimulus (read: taking us from a healthy budget surplus to a massive deficit) and continued low interest rates.
Actually this is probably a better gauge on inflation than the fictitious numbers they're feeding us from the goverment statistics.
If you want a real-world measurement, The Economist uses a Big Mac index, tracking the price of Big Mac's not just in the US but around the world, as a means of measuring inflationary trends and foreign currency movements...
The question is, were people writing multisession CD's back in 1995 when they filed for the patent? I wasn't trolling, it's a legitimate question.
That said, I agree that a firm shouldn't be allowed to wait for several years before attempting to enforce a patent. It would be interesting to find out when Optima first approached Roxio about it...
If, as it initially appears (I'm no expert in this area), this patent represented a useful step forward in CDROM technology at the time, and the technology was picked up and used by Roxio and others without license, then why shouldn't Optima get due credit and compensation?
I figured after Return of the King, that was it for my life, and I was ready to commit suicide.
Dude, what are you thinking? At least wait for the DVD to come out next summer. Or if you want to really hang around, Peter Jackson has discussed the possibility of filming "The Hobbit" after he completes his King Kong remake.
Personally, I think they could keep the WETA Workshop busy by doing a TV series of various storylines from the Silmarillion & Book of Lost Tales...
Slashdot Mirror
Doesn't he also get presented with his own coconut?
Simple solution - put these windmill farms up near poultry packing facilities. At least our feathered friends won't die in vain...
Just ask a Canadian to go "out and about" and you'll pick up that accent loud and clear, eh?
Actually, the best thing the Detroit Red Wings did was to import their play-by-play man from the CBC a few years back (Ken Daniels). Before that they had a generic American talking head for a year or two who was absolutely pathetic (although if I recall he might be doing Minnesota Wild games now).
That said, having spent the first 28 years of my life in the Detroit area, I'll give the average CBC sportscaster the nod over any American network easily. They actually come to the event with a solid background in whatever subject they are covering, instead of merely reading off the teleprompter and trying to out-chuckle the other guy...
But what if I just escape by hitting the clutch and use my speed to go downhill?
Um, this is in England, right? I don't think you'll get too far, then. It's not like driving on a highway through the mountains...
Except for the fact that our water is now laden with all sort of pharmaceutical enhancements, which often makes its way through wastewater treatment systems. If enough people keep taking Viagra and Prozac, we'll all be walking around with smiles on our faces and woodies down below...
Since people specifically look for OnStar as a feature when they're buying a car, I'd hardly call that "spying." The sad thing about most people who post knee-jerk screeds about spying fears is that they don't realize something very important...
Nobody really gives a shit what they're doing.
You're making me VERY angry...
Or better yet - LawQuest! You could choose from classes such as Intellectual Property Lawyer, Personal Injury Lawyer, or the lowly Public Defender...
I think you could split the award evenly... give the court filings the Worst, and Darryl's PR screeds the Best - he's truly revived the fantasy genre!
That's an excellent point - at first, I didn't see this as a big deal, but you're right that this sort of material usually ends up as DVD filler anyway. You're starting to see studios take a more enlightened attitude towards using the internet as a medium for engaging fans (i.e. the LotR films' cooperation with fan sites), which is a very good thing...
If you want to see deflation at work, just look at Japan over the last decade. Deflation usually leads to declining demand - after all, why buy something today when it will probably cost less in the near future?
When lower prices on specific goods are driven by productivity gains (i.e. fewer workers required to produce the goods, therefore the lessened revenue can still support the workforce), then society can really gain. The one thing the American economy does better than any other is constantly destroying unproductive jobs and creating new ones in more dynamic areas...
The difference that you're talking about here isn't the difference between public vs. private trading, but rather investing vs. speculating. Investors act like owners of the companies that they are buying into, whereas speculators merely buy on the expectation that a greater fool will come along shortly.
In short, the model of public investing works very, very well - providing a massive pool of capital that is put to amazingly good use. The wealth that's been created in large part due to the availability of investment capital over the last several decades is staggering. Are there areas for improvement? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean that the system as a whole works better than anything else come up with so far...
I don't think there's been any significant change regarding the emphasis on continously growing profits over time. Investors have always look for earnings growth - the only difference today is the broadening of the investor class. Through 401K's and other programs, a larger portion of the populace owns stock than ever before, and they want strong growth just as much as the next guy. That can lead to an overemphasis on short-term profits, i.e. companies cooking their books to make sure they meet quarterly targets.
Layoffs when a company is making record profits can make sense - a company flush with cash may take that opportunity to invest in labor-saving improvements, for example, and position themselves better for the long term.
Actually, you've got it wrong on both counts.
The economy is usually the biggest factor in any given election (remember Bush the elder's plummet from 90% approval ratings after Gulf War I due to a recession?), out of all proportion to the actual "power" that a president does have. Probably the most important single person in terms of the monetary policy and the US economy is Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve (yes, he's appointed by the president, but for a 4-year term that staggers the presidential one). In terms of fiscal policy, the main power lies with Congress, which approves budgets. The president has very little formal power in that area, but uses political influence to push proposals into law.
The best thing IS-types can do is to get out from their cubicle and get engaged in their place of work. I've seen too many colleagues who just wanted programming requests left in their intray and didn't want to work actively with the users. That kind of relationship is easily outsourced, as opposed to the person who understands not just the code but the working process that it supports. Once you've achieved that goal, users will want to have you in the room when critical decisions are discussed, as opposed to being thousands of miles and several time zones away...
The Oscars have been irrelevant for years, much like the Grammy's, the Heisman Trophy, etc., and any other award granted by a cadre of geezers too out of touch to bother with actually perusing the candidates. Personally, I thought Fellowship was very deserving, but A Beautiful Mind pushed all the right Academy buttons (Oscar winning actor portraying a mentally ill genius, cha-ching!).
Probably the worst part for Jackson's chances is that most of the Academy members likely haven't read the books, and there is a popular perception that the movies are more geared to appeasing Tolkein fans instead of a broader audience. All the same, I'll be watching in March, hoping against hope that he wins. Why? Because it will give him that much more clout with the studios on future projects...
Don't forget breast implants...
Obviously, instead of sealing of ports, some poor yoeman went and sealed portholes...
yuk yuk yuk
I'd say put away your tin foil hat - coming up with accurate pricing data for a national economy is a very tough thing to do, and by definition some things will rise by more than the index, and some less (consider consumer electronics and PC-related goods, which constantly fall in price). And as far as Wall Street and its clients preferring Bush to win a 2nd term, it's been noted that if you look back over time, the stock markets have done much better during Democratic presidencies than during Republican ones.
That said, of course the pedal is being pushed to the floor to ensure a growing economy over the next 12 months. But that has to do more with massive amounts of fiscal stimulus (read: taking us from a healthy budget surplus to a massive deficit) and continued low interest rates.
Actually this is probably a better gauge on inflation than the fictitious numbers they're feeding us from the goverment statistics.
If you want a real-world measurement, The Economist uses a Big Mac index, tracking the price of Big Mac's not just in the US but around the world, as a means of measuring inflationary trends and foreign currency movements...
The question is, were people writing multisession CD's back in 1995 when they filed for the patent? I wasn't trolling, it's a legitimate question.
That said, I agree that a firm shouldn't be allowed to wait for several years before attempting to enforce a patent. It would be interesting to find out when Optima first approached Roxio about it...
If, as it initially appears (I'm no expert in this area), this patent represented a useful step forward in CDROM technology at the time, and the technology was picked up and used by Roxio and others without license, then why shouldn't Optima get due credit and compensation?
In case anybody is tempted to RTFA, here's a synopsis.
1) Guy finds out he can get paid to play games, can't believe his luck.
2) Guy discovers that he is actually expected to play all the time, and very, very well, in order to keep getting paid.
3) Guy stresses out under the pressure and ponders his sorry fate.
I say, quit your crying, kid! You should come over to the US of A, and see how talented youth are really exploited...
1MB??? You've got to be kidding - why should anyone need more than 640K?
I figured after Return of the King, that was it for my life, and I was ready to commit suicide.
Dude, what are you thinking? At least wait for the DVD to come out next summer. Or if you want to really hang around, Peter Jackson has discussed the possibility of filming "The Hobbit" after he completes his King Kong remake.
Personally, I think they could keep the WETA Workshop busy by doing a TV series of various storylines from the Silmarillion & Book of Lost Tales...