That's a good point. Geomagnetic reversal is actually a relatively poorly understood phenomenon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal and it's hard to predict exactly what would happen.
I suppose there are a lot of scientists who'd be delighted to see one take place - it'd be the first chance to study the phenomenon up close.
So, I am not sure if China and the U.S. are really all of that different today.
I'd say there's more of a difference than you think.
Actually, I think that both of you have a point here... In China the people have little to no freedom - In the US people are losing their freedoms at an alarming rate. If we want to use the "slipperry slope" analogy, which I think suits this situation quite well, we could say that there is still a huge difference between the US and China "vertically" (i.e. China is already at the bottom of the precipice, while the US is standing close to the edge.) but there's not the much of a difference "horizontally" (a few more steps by the US in the wrong direction, and you'll find yourselves at the bottom a lot faster than you thought possible).
I don't know... Anyone remember Sun's fairly recent "Considering how slow and hot our competitor's servers run, it's no wonder their name rhymes with 'hell'"? Or how about Microsoft's (not so recent) add where they had a bunch of penguin-based chimeras lined up. (A penguin with a frog's head and moose horns, et.c. - the message was that Linux integrates poorly.)
I can't say I'm very fond of these "hate campaigns" either, but the marketing people seem to think they work...
If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it's a duck?
Well, you need to be careful and apply logical thinking here: There's also the possibility that it merely weighs the same as a duck, in which case it floats, and therefore is made of wood. You wouldn't want a wooden NEC, now would you?
From TFA: By the 9th century, many Muslim scholars took it for granted that the Earth was a sphere. The proof, said astronomer Ibn Hazm, "is that the Sun is always vertical to a particular spot on Earth". It was 500 years before that realisation dawned on Galileo.
The fact that the Earth was round (contrary to popular belief) was not big news in the 9th century. The ancient Greeks knew very well that the Earth was a sphere, and they too had calculated the circumference with surprising accuracy several centuries B.C. (not to mention before Mohammed). Also Galileo wasn't controversial because he claimed the Earth was round - it was because he claimed that the Earth revolved around the sun, and not vice versa. Sigh.
I've heard of these in the historic past that got real bright - even visible during the day. That would be cool!
Are you sure they weren't talking about the bright lamp in the big roofless room? I've heard that it's sometimes visible during the day as well, but that it's hot rather than cool...
Anyone know when the date is when MS will stop making security patches for Windows 2000?
Windows 2000 will be supported for 5 + 5 years since it's an enterprise product. Home level products are supported for 5 + 0 years (except XP Home which got two years more to live.) See http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy for details.
People have already pointed out how step one is to create an insecure product, etc. but one crucial step is missing:
1. Create shoddy product.
2. Let third parties fix the problems for you. This will accustom users to paying for these fixes, (after all the third parties aren't expexted to work for free, in order to patch something that they're not responsible for.)
3. Once people are fully accustomed to the fact that you need fixes, and these fixes cost money, present your own solution to the problem.
4. Aggressively market your own product. Make it difficult to run other companies products. Make people believe that since it's your OS, you know best how to fix it.
5. Watch 3rd parties go out of business. Remember to laugh all the way to the bank.
-US law is quite harsh on boards that take actions which could damage shareholder value, and Google was brave enough to do what made money, was good for shareholders, and safe for themselves.
-Google's competitors censor in China too: See everybody does it. It's no big deal.
-It's okay to screw people over as long as you tell them they're being screwed, and that it's not your fault.
-Even the west practices censorship - sure the Chinese practices are a teeny-weeny bit more draconian and all that, but still no need to worry.
-Google could now use its influence to make the political climate better in China. How? Um... By being the... WEATHER OF THE INTERNET! Yeah! That's it!
-"If we in the West, with our liberal political culture and our attempts to build open societies, do not engage with China then we lose the opportunity to influence them and convince them of the benefits that this brings. If the Chinese government fears instability then we should offer help and advice and support, not closed borders and locked doors." (Yeah, cause bending over backwards has always so well worked in the past...):-P
Slashdot Mirror
...or Windows ClusterFsck Edition. Oh wait, that's Vista. Nevermind.
On second thought I'm not sure that first part is really a good thing.
I suppose there are a lot of scientists who'd be delighted to see one take place - it'd be the first chance to study the phenomenon up close.
but governments always abuse their powers sometimes.
It was as if a million grammar Nazis suddenly cried out in horror... ;-)
...more specifically the entertainment value of being tazered, when you get caught trying to board a flight with it. ;-)
Now, that's what I'd call "hell frozen over". :-P
So, I am not sure if China and the U.S. are really all of that different today.
I'd say there's more of a difference than you think.
Actually, I think that both of you have a point here... In China the people have little to no freedom - In the US people are losing their freedoms at an alarming rate. If we want to use the "slipperry slope" analogy, which I think suits this situation quite well, we could say that there is still a huge difference between the US and China "vertically" (i.e. China is already at the bottom of the precipice, while the US is standing close to the edge.) but there's not the much of a difference "horizontally" (a few more steps by the US in the wrong direction, and you'll find yourselves at the bottom a lot faster than you thought possible).
I don't know... Anyone remember Sun's fairly recent "Considering how slow and hot our competitor's servers run, it's no wonder their name rhymes with 'hell'"? Or how about Microsoft's (not so recent) add where they had a bunch of penguin-based chimeras lined up. (A penguin with a frog's head and moose horns, et.c. - the message was that Linux integrates poorly.)
I can't say I'm very fond of these "hate campaigns" either, but the marketing people seem to think they work...
In tomorrwow's slashdot news:
Nanotube research set back several years, after janitor mistakes it for canneloni
If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it's a duck?
Well, you need to be careful and apply logical thinking here: There's also the possibility that it merely weighs the same as a duck, in which case it floats, and therefore is made of wood. You wouldn't want a wooden NEC, now would you?
If only this were possible in the US. People actually taking time out of their day to care about something other than what's on TV...
Yeah, well the Swedes seem to care about what's on The Pirate Bay...But what if I am my mom?!?
In that case I would say that you have some major issues, and needn't really worry about Google...It's Ballmer, right?
...and in related news, the spokesman for the MPAA is currently unable to comment due to suffering a heart attack.
No, no, no. You got it all wrong. Microsoft has shown true innovation for Vista. The correct link is here: http://images.google.fi/images?q=rsod&hl=fi&btnG=E tsi+kuvia
If MS have their astroturfers and paid shills to run their errands, why shouldn't the Chinese government?
I was't sold until I read about the L4/Fiasco microkernel, but then I realised that nothing could go wrong with this one...
From TFA: By the 9th century, many Muslim scholars took it for granted that the Earth was a sphere. The proof, said astronomer Ibn Hazm, "is that the Sun is always vertical to a particular spot on Earth". It was 500 years before that realisation dawned on Galileo.
The fact that the Earth was round (contrary to popular belief) was not big news in the 9th century. The ancient Greeks knew very well that the Earth was a sphere, and they too had calculated the circumference with surprising accuracy several centuries B.C. (not to mention before Mohammed). Also Galileo wasn't controversial because he claimed the Earth was round - it was because he claimed that the Earth revolved around the sun, and not vice versa. Sigh.
I've heard of these in the historic past that got real bright - even visible during the day. That would be cool!
Are you sure they weren't talking about the bright lamp in the big roofless room? I've heard that it's sometimes visible during the day as well, but that it's hot rather than cool...
Anyone know when the date is when MS will stop making security patches for Windows 2000?
Windows 2000 will be supported for 5 + 5 years since it's an enterprise product. Home level products are supported for 5 + 0 years (except XP Home which got two years more to live.) See http://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifepolicy for details.
People have already pointed out how step one is to create an insecure product, etc. but one crucial step is missing:
1. Create shoddy product.
2. Let third parties fix the problems for you. This will accustom users to paying for these fixes, (after all the third parties aren't expexted to work for free, in order to patch something that they're not responsible for.)
3. Once people are fully accustomed to the fact that you need fixes, and these fixes cost money, present your own solution to the problem.
4. Aggressively market your own product. Make it difficult to run other companies products. Make people believe that since it's your OS, you know best how to fix it.
5. Watch 3rd parties go out of business. Remember to laugh all the way to the bank.
Why can't they just be honest and say "this is the problem and this is what we're doing about it"
Because they don't want people to know there is a problem, and that they're not doing anything about it, maybe?
...whew. My first associations from the headline involved roadkills.
Summary of TFA:
-US law is quite harsh on boards that take actions which could damage shareholder value, and Google was brave enough to do what made money, was good for shareholders, and safe for themselves.
-Google's competitors censor in China too: See everybody does it. It's no big deal.
-It's okay to screw people over as long as you tell them they're being screwed, and that it's not your fault.
-Even the west practices censorship - sure the Chinese practices are a teeny-weeny bit more draconian and all that, but still no need to worry.
-Google could now use its influence to make the political climate better in China. How? Um... By being the... WEATHER OF THE INTERNET! Yeah! That's it!
-"If we in the West, with our liberal political culture and our attempts to build open societies, do not engage with China then we lose the opportunity to influence them and convince them of the benefits that this brings. If the Chinese government fears instability then we should offer help and advice and support, not closed borders and locked doors." (Yeah, cause bending over backwards has always so well worked in the past...) :-P
"NavelGazing"? I thought the booth-babes were banned?