I'm not sure the term "technophobe" describes such people. I would define a technophobe as someone who is afraid of technology. Most of my friends and family who are technically ignorant, asking for help, aren't really afraid of technology -- they just lack the ability to understand it.
I hate to see the demise of plain cell phones. I don't mind if others want to waste their money on these "services" (really, just methods to entice fools to part with their money), but as the phones get more complex, they are more likely to fail.
I'd hate to be in an emergency when I really need my phone, only to have it fail because of some bug in the software which is related to a game or the camera.
5. Discover China. They're not ascending, they're imploding.
I agree with most of your post except for the above statement. China is, indeed, ascending by all measurements. The Wall Street Journal had an excellent, lengthy article last Friday which talked about this and compared today's China with the China of 25 years ago. The most shocking fact in the article: the U.S. is in debt to China for over 120 billion dollars. That's right, we actually OWE China.
You say that like a diverse culture doesn't mean a unified one
You are correct. I believe that a diverse culture cannot be unified. Greater diversity leads to culture clashes which often lead to bitterness and violence. This "strength through diversity" stuff is nonsense. It doesn't exist.
Heaven is a place where: -- The lovers are Italian -- The cooks are French -- The mechanics are German -- The police are English -- The government is run by the Swiss -- The tourists are American.
Hell is a place where: -- The lovers are Swiss -- The cooks are English -- The mechanics are French -- The police are German -- The government is run by the Italians -- The tourists are American.
What I would like to have is an alarm clock that doesn't beep, but instead buzzes, like the old electric ones used too. It's much more pleasant to wake up to.
1. Be sure to talk loudly in restaurants. Laugh raucously. People will be impressed by how much you enjoy your cell phone.
2. In addition to the above, be sure your conversations include intimate, private details about your life. People love hearing about your lanced boil while standing in line to order their food.
3. Even though you talk loudly about the most confidential aspects of your life, be sure to complain often about invasion of privacy.
4. Find the most annoying ring tone available for your phone, then crank it up! Your ring tone says a lot about you, and everyone is keenly interested in your personal tastes. Best places to crank up your ring tone: Waiting rooms, church, funerals.
5. Don't turn your phone off when entering the movie theater or your child's music recital. You're an important person, and cannot be out of touch for any period of time. After all, they can catch that movie later on DVD, and it's not like they haven't heard their kid play that stupid song a million times.
6. When possible, always talk while driving. Multitask if possible: If you're female put on your makeup and chat on the cellphone. If you're male, cradle your teensy cellphone in the crook of your neck while making notes. Don't worry about concentrating on your driving. Signaling for lane changes and looking out for pedestrians are over-rated activities anyway.
7. Always choose a plan with "walkie-talkie" mode, if available. Nothing impresses the boss and your coworkers more than to have your wife loudly blurt "What are you doing?" in the middle of a business meeting.
8. Lastly, be sure to get a phone with a built-in digital camera. People love having their pictures taken and plastered all over the internet.
This article reads just like many articles written by so-called "experts" about the dire Y2K "bug". All the world's computers going down at once? Please.
It is really a better argument against underlying design flaws rather than simply an argument against monopolies.
Let me illustrate: I do a lot of work on the IBM iSeries (AS400) platform. One of the reasons this platform is not prone to viruses is that its underlying design is well-structured against them. Data files, executeable files, devices, drivers, etc. are all treated as separate objects. Data files are not executable. Executable files cannot be patched. This means that creating a self-replicating and stealthy virus on an iSeries is nearly impossible.
Yes, the problem is monopolies, if those monopolies are poorly designed. A well-designed monopoly would be easier to live with.
Poodles come in a wide variety of sizes, from the diminuitive "tea cup" variety weighing two pounds, to the standard, weighing as much as seventy pounds.
They also come in a wide variety of colors, including the mottled or parti-colored variety.
They are about the most versatile dog on the planet. Poodles make great companions; are show dogs; hunting dogs; retrievers; service dogs; protection dogs; law enforcement; therapy dogs; search and rescue; and poodles love to play games.
They are found almost everywhere in the world, and while the French claim them as their own, their origins are truly unknown and are probably a mixture of breeds from various places.
Poodles are about the smartest dogs anywhere.
Finally, who, WHO could possibly be offended by a poodle logo?
Give me a red poodle with a pitchfork and you've got your NetBSD logo.
Yes, I understand (being an amateur etymologist myself) but the average person doesn't have a clue. Look at all the hay made out of the simple word "niggardly", which has all but disappeared out of the language due to political correctness.
When it comes to a new logo, the questions to be asked are what makes NetBSD unique? then create a simple logo which represents that idea. OpenBSD uses the puffer fish, for example. I think the idea here is that it's "prickley", i.e., secure.
True, yet it always surprises me that people casually talk about "nuking" their food in the microwave (a non-nuclear device). Somehow the concept of the microwave being "noo-kew-ler" doesn't bother anybody.
And, to be useful, a space elevator would have to be very long. Long enough to wrap around the Earth more than once. Making that "crash" really devastating.
Slashdot Mirror
...If we could find a "purer" form of moving energy,..
Oh great, Thanks. Now all I can hear in my head is Spock saying "pure energy" over and over again.
I'm not sure the term "technophobe" describes such people. I would define a technophobe as someone who is afraid of technology. Most of my friends and family who are technically ignorant, asking for help, aren't really afraid of technology -- they just lack the ability to understand it.
How about "technilliterate" as a substitute term?
I hate to see the demise of plain cell phones. I don't mind if others want to waste their money on these "services" (really, just methods to entice fools to part with their money), but as the phones get more complex, they are more likely to fail.
I'd hate to be in an emergency when I really need my phone, only to have it fail because of some bug in the software which is related to a game or the camera.
5. Discover China. They're not ascending, they're imploding.
I agree with most of your post except for the above statement. China is, indeed, ascending by all measurements. The Wall Street Journal had an excellent, lengthy article last Friday which talked about this and compared today's China with the China of 25 years ago. The most shocking fact in the article: the U.S. is in debt to China for over 120 billion dollars. That's right, we actually OWE China.
Hmmm. Well, try this: go to India and whack a cow with a stick. See how tolerant they are.
The minute they get investors involved, they'll start doing all kinds of stupid stuff to increase their bottom line. They'll end up like Yahoo
You obviously don't see the same things I see.
I did a spit-take on that one. Great pun.
You say that like a diverse culture doesn't mean a unified one
You are correct. I believe that a diverse culture cannot be unified. Greater diversity leads to culture clashes which often lead to bitterness and violence. This "strength through diversity" stuff is nonsense. It doesn't exist.
Glad someone recognizes on here that American diversity is what makes us so strong.
While I agree that there are advantages to a diverse culture, strength is not one of them. There is strength in unity, not diversity.
This is the way I heard it:
Heaven is a place where:
-- The lovers are Italian
-- The cooks are French
-- The mechanics are German
-- The police are English
-- The government is run by the Swiss
-- The tourists are American.
Hell is a place where:
-- The lovers are Swiss
-- The cooks are English
-- The mechanics are French
-- The police are German
-- The government is run by the Italians
-- The tourists are American.
My job once consisted of hiding in a bunker while crazed Arabs lobbed mortar shells at me.
Chim-chiminy, chim-chiminy, chim-chim, cheroo.
I used to work on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. Not only was it cold and noisy, but there was always the possibility of getting killed too.
What I would like to have is an alarm clock that doesn't beep, but instead buzzes, like the old electric ones used too. It's much more pleasant to wake up to.
1. Be sure to talk loudly in restaurants. Laugh raucously. People will be impressed by how much you enjoy your cell phone.
2. In addition to the above, be sure your conversations include intimate, private details about your life. People love hearing about your lanced boil while standing in line to order their food.
3. Even though you talk loudly about the most confidential aspects of your life, be sure to complain often about invasion of privacy.
4. Find the most annoying ring tone available for your phone, then crank it up! Your ring tone says a lot about you, and everyone is keenly interested in your personal tastes. Best places to crank up your ring tone: Waiting rooms, church, funerals.
5. Don't turn your phone off when entering the movie theater or your child's music recital. You're an important person, and cannot be out of touch for any period of time. After all, they can catch that movie later on DVD, and it's not like they haven't heard their kid play that stupid song a million times.
6. When possible, always talk while driving. Multitask if possible: If you're female put on your makeup and chat on the cellphone. If you're male, cradle your teensy cellphone in the crook of your neck while making notes. Don't worry about concentrating on your driving. Signaling for lane changes and looking out for pedestrians are over-rated activities anyway.
7. Always choose a plan with "walkie-talkie" mode, if available. Nothing impresses the boss and your coworkers more than to have your wife loudly blurt "What are you doing?" in the middle of a business meeting.
8. Lastly, be sure to get a phone with a built-in digital camera. People love having their pictures taken and plastered all over the internet.
This article reads just like many articles written by so-called "experts" about the dire Y2K "bug". All the world's computers going down at once? Please.
I don't really understand your point. What is the problem with the command, and what does it have to do with the design being inherently more secure?
It is really a better argument against underlying design flaws rather than simply an argument against monopolies.
Let me illustrate: I do a lot of work on the IBM iSeries (AS400) platform. One of the reasons this platform is not prone to viruses is that its underlying design is well-structured against them. Data files, executeable files, devices, drivers, etc. are all treated as separate objects. Data files are not executable. Executable files cannot be patched. This means that creating a self-replicating and stealthy virus on an iSeries is nearly impossible.
Yes, the problem is monopolies, if those monopolies are poorly designed. A well-designed monopoly would be easier to live with.
I'm not buying into this.
Wait a minute. Hear me out.
Poodles come in a wide variety of sizes, from the diminuitive "tea cup" variety weighing two pounds, to the standard, weighing as much as seventy pounds.
They also come in a wide variety of colors, including the mottled or parti-colored variety.
They are about the most versatile dog on the planet. Poodles make great companions; are show dogs; hunting dogs; retrievers; service dogs; protection dogs; law enforcement; therapy dogs; search and rescue; and poodles love to play games.
They are found almost everywhere in the world, and while the French claim them as their own, their origins are truly unknown and are probably a mixture of breeds from various places.
Poodles are about the smartest dogs anywhere.
Finally, who, WHO could possibly be offended by a poodle logo?
Give me a red poodle with a pitchfork and you've got your NetBSD logo.
Yes, I understand (being an amateur etymologist myself) but the average person doesn't have a clue. Look at all the hay made out of the simple word "niggardly", which has all but disappeared out of the language due to political correctness.
When it comes to a new logo, the questions to be asked are what makes NetBSD unique? then create a simple logo which represents that idea. OpenBSD uses the puffer fish, for example. I think the idea here is that it's "prickley", i.e., secure.
True, yet it always surprises me that people casually talk about "nuking" their food in the microwave (a non-nuclear device). Somehow the concept of the microwave being "noo-kew-ler" doesn't bother anybody.
And, to be useful, a space elevator would have to be very long. Long enough to wrap around the Earth more than once. Making that "crash" really devastating.
Sure, he locks the doors, but then he leaves the windows rolled down.