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User: Wellington+Grey

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Comments · 338

  1. Re:Not surprised on Time Warner Shutting Off Austin Accounts For Heavy Usage · · Score: 1

    If you're streaming 10hrs a day of music 7 days a week at home, you need to go get a job.

    You know, I don't have to be on the computer for it to be streaming. Computers are amazing devices that do work for us. One of the things mine does is near-constant uploads to a remote backup site... while I'm at work.

  2. Jobs on Lobby Groups Launch Full Assault For Canadian DMCA · · Score: 4, Insightful

    even claiming that the current rules are costing jobs to truck drivers delivering CDs and DVDs.

    You know what costs jobs? Technological change -- it's a good thing.

  3. Re:Good luck with that. on Quebec Says 'Non' To English-Only Video Games · · Score: 1

    Just like the way they all switched to Latin before, which was the common language of higher education on the continent 200 years ago, or to Frankish, which was the lingua franca of 1000 years ago (the term is even derived from it), just like the way all of eastern Europe switched to Russian in the 20th century? You monolingual and monocultural thinking people can't seem to imagine that there has always been a difference between the language you speak at home and the language you speak to outsiders without everyone inevitably having to become the same.

    I'm not arguing that languages don't change, I'm arguing that as a function increased time and increased interconnectedness the number of languages decrease.

    I don't think that's an unreasonable position. It has nothing to do with being 'monocultural' or 'monolingual'.

  4. Re:Good luck with that. on Quebec Says 'Non' To English-Only Video Games · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How about thousands of years? Almost every country in Europe has its own language. That can't last long, I'm sure they're all about to switch to English any day now.

    Firstly, the countries in Europe aren't enclaves -- none of them are completely surrounded by hundreds of miles of English speakers, as Quebec is.

    Secondly, they're switching to English anyway. As someone who has lived in Europe for the last six years I can say from my own anecdotal experience that the more the world gets connected, the more people speak English. (I predict that we'll end up in a world not too linguistically different from Firefly)

  5. Good luck with that. on Quebec Says 'Non' To English-Only Video Games · · Score: 1

    Language enclaves generally don't last very long.

  6. Re:Glad to see.. on Angry Villagers Run Google Out of Town · · Score: 1

    Don't want to have people seeing your private shit? Don't keep it out in the open, in public view. Don't want interlopers driving through your community? Make it gated and pay for your own maintenance instead of expecting the local government to take care of it for you.

    No kidding. Britain's response to Google's Street View has been crazy.

  7. Happy = Productive on Australian Study Says Web Surfing Boosts Office Productivity · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think this should be filed under the general maxim that happier workers are, generally, more productive workers.

    Plus, so many jobs now expect you to be working to some extent while you're at home (checking email, etc). If an employer wants an employee to work while at home, then it's reasonable for the employee to do some personal web surfing at work.

  8. Finish this joke on Volunteers Simulate Mission To Mars · · Score: 1

    A German engineer, a French airline pilot, and four Russians walk into a bar. The bartender says: ...

  9. Cxu vi komprenas? on Shouldn't Every Developer Understand English? · · Score: 1

    Long live Esperanto!

  10. Re:Completely agree on Managing Humans · · Score: 1

    Hell of an astroturf campaign to sign up for slashdot that many years ago, using my real name, just to pimp a book now

    Whoops.

    ::tucks tail and looks shamefaced at the 3 digit UID user::

  11. Re:Completely agree on Managing Humans · · Score: 1

    Plus, the book is an easy, engaging read that makes a lot of sense even the first time through. Highly recommended

    That sounds astroturf-tastic!

  12. Re:My Question is This on Free Skype Client Lands On the iPhone · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Skype will only use the WiFi network, not the 'unlimited' ATT data plan so you will only be able to use it while tethered to a local hotspot, not out roaming in the wild.

    You've got to start somewhere. Telcos are not easy companies to change. But if Skype gets a small toehold, people will get used to their free phone calls on their mobiles. Soon, when the market penetration gets high enough, they'll start complaining about being tethered to one spot. Hopefully, that will forces the telcos to (slowly) change.

  13. Re:Why should I care about foreign court orders? on UK Libel Law Is a Global Threat To Web Free Speech · · Score: 1

    Why should I care if you sue me in a UK court? You could get a court order entitling you to a million pound. How would you collect? Ask me to send you a cheque from the US?

    True, but just don't ever travel to Europe. Chances are you'll transfer at Heathrow...

  14. Re:European Model... on iPhone 3G Finally Available In US Contract-Free · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The UK must not be in Europe then.

    Ask any British person, and they'll tell you it isn't.

  15. Re:Skype, see Microsoft on Skype Courts Businesses With "Skype for SIP" · · Score: 1

    I guess my question is really what do VoIP applications like Quetcom or Twinkle have that Skype does not? Give me a good OS-X-vs-Windows-Vista reason why they are superior. I'm genuinely curious and would switch if there's a good reason to do so.

  16. Do or Do Not, There is No Try. on 20 Years After Cold Fusion Debut, Another Team Claims Success · · Score: 4, Insightful

    New Scientist is reporting that twenty years to the day since the initial announcement of a cold fusion discovery another Utah-based team is trying again

    Sorry, but anyone can try to achieve cold fusion, just as you can try to build a perpetual motion machine. Call me when you've actually achieved something.

  17. Re:Skype, see Microsoft on Skype Courts Businesses With "Skype for SIP" · · Score: 1

    Skype is like the Microsoft (MSN) of VoIP

    Then I feel like the typical Microsoft user: I'm unaware of any alternatives. What other VoIP clients do you recommend?

  18. Re:Air quality is for socialists. on Lower Air Pollution Means Longer Life · · Score: 1

    Pollution is the textbook example where even a libertarian needs to compromise to some extent.

    You, Sir, have not had a conversation with a libertarian. Their One True Idea knows no compromise.

  19. Re:Top Places ... on Places Where the World's Tech Pools, Despite the Internet · · Score: 1

    Err... does the author not understand the difference between cities and countries? Japan is the size of the BosWash corridor -- it's not a small place.

  20. Re:What do we need the bandwidth for? on BT Shows First Fiber-Optic Broadband Rollout Plans · · Score: 1

    what are we going to use 60Mbps for - checking Email?

    The Internet is more than email and HTML websites. I use my connection for videoconferencing with clients and a slow connection is a real detriment. Even if I'll only use 10Mbps for a really high quality connection, there are three other people in my house. Asking what people are going to use fast connections for is like asking what they'll use bigger hard drives for.

  21. Re:Paying $500 for an OS that works, however... on Ballmer Scorns Apple As a $500 Logo · · Score: 1

    How is OS X which is certified Unix (http://www.apple.com/macosx/technology/unix.html) not Unix?

    Because the Unix nerds want to be hard-core about their system. Something that is easy to use and super unix-powerful offends them.

  22. Re:Hardly surprising... on Ballmer Scorns Apple As a $500 Logo · · Score: 1

    No kidding. There are so many single features of OS X that are worth a couple hundred bucks alone. Time Machine has probably saved me literally thousands of dollars in time.

  23. Re:I support this on Sony Charges Publishers For DLC Bandwidth Usage · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Hopefully this will keep publishers from shipping broken/empty games with plans of patching them up later (*cough* UT3 *cough*); and we could go back to actually getting a working game on the disk, not a game in need of a patch and more content.

    Don't worry, they'll just charge you for the patches.

  24. Re:Ahem, nonsensical sense much? on Website Does Homework For Kids · · Score: 1

    Yet, some teachers (not necessarily you) insist on giving large amounts of busy work, just to make sure that the students have hours of work after school to accomplish

    Meanwhile, other teachers advice their students not to do their homework.

  25. Re:Wise choice on White House Ditches YouTube · · Score: 1

    I just hope they block overseas views so our taxes don't pay for that bandwidth. Just like the the BBC does with it's feeds.

    You do realize that nearly four million Americans live overseas, don't you?

    -Grey