One of the earlier Viking missions had a test that burned a small sample of soil to see if carbon were produced; if yes, Life! I have always thought this experiment was misconceived, as it would not have proved the existence of life on Mars. It would have proved there USED TO BE life on Mars-- we killed it!
If the heat gets high enough, Microsoft can decide that a changed motherboard doesn't change your machine into a new "device". They could even look at the hash code of non-motherboard items (SCSI cards, drives, etc.) to help them "decide" if you've merely changed your motherboard or are trying to install on a wholly new machine. By the way, I've heard MS sometimes takes the position even with XP that if a customer switches his motherboard, he must buy XP again (I remember reading a post, maybe not on/. , that a custom systems builder ran into this when trying to get MS to help him re-activate a customer's XP after he swapped the customer's motherboard).
This appears to work by giving tactile feedback when your mouse cursor touches one of the password elements (squares) so you click there and not elsewhere. At least, that's the simplest way I can imagine it would work.
I have always wondered whether consciousness is even possible in non-biological systems. Would it be a function of complexity of the system or impossible because biology is unique? If biology is not unique in this way, then there is no escaping the conclusion that consciousness is a characteristic of the universe and is present in some way in each instance of any biological (or electronic, or other) system. Is any self-sustaining process "conscious"? A chemical reaction? A tree? (Is a process even required?)
If biological systems are unique in supporting consciousness, our current science and physics are not only inadequate to tell us what it is, they may be irrelevant. This is actually fascinating because it suggests there is "more in heaven and earth" than we know of, or have dreamed of.
What about the strategy of admitting your guilt in your answer and filing for a hearing on damages at which you ask the Court to assess only the minimum penalty per recording? That's pretty low, I think.... $750.00
I'm not sure but I think the MPAA is suing under a statute that prescribes minimum damages for each "act of infringement". For instance, if the judge in an RIAA case finds you infringed copyright by downloading and making available one song, the minimum damages he can award under the relevant section of the US Code is $750.00. I think I remember hearing the bar is set higher for movies.
Wouldn't it be great if defendants in RIAA cases only had to worry about the same $1.00 in damages they would have paid ITunes for the title. The **AAs have some really nice sweetheart deals in the punitive statutes they've lobbied for.
Isn't it interesting none (so far as we've been told) of the defendants in the **AA suits have been attorneys? About now I'll bet they're wishing they screened by financial status too.
They can't drop the case if the defendant files a counterclaim. Or if they do, they're still in court on the counterclaim. If Hogan wants to teach them a lesson, he'll make sure his counterclaim litigates all of the issues they don't want litigated, including some they'd be forced to litigate if they actually took someone all the way to court.
US corporate interests (think of the massive Zaibatsu that chivvied Hiro Hito into starting WWII) have got so much power they've even gotten legislation to bar many class action lawsuits from state court. Are you a little guy victimized by widespread corporate contract oppression? Your burden just got a little heavier. Now, it's a Federal Case.
The Clerks and the Judges, in a proper case where the Defendant has lots of money (or access to legal talent), can be educated by the defense attorney in the brief or memorandum he would file. Of course in an ideal world all judges and clerks would be conversant with modern technology.
Speaking of access to legal talent, isn't it interesting out of twenty thousand or more lawsuits not a single attorney has been sued?
If only you were right. I really hope you are. But Microsoft has enough money to buy everyone except RMS and would if it wouldn't get them in monopoly trouble. I'm afraid they'll always be able to buy enough people and corrupt enough projects to keep their strangleholds.
Yes, but only after I've converted it to some version of a Word.doc.
Maybe that's how ODF will make its way into common use-- everyone's using it because it's free, and converting to a format Word will read before sending. We could all change to Open Office right now if we were willing to live with losing some of the formatting frills.
For instance, in an office of 50 computers, only one might need Word (it could be an unused workstation accessible to all by VNC or even MSTSC!)-- for the plain vanilla stuff, everyone uses OO and cranks out.doc-compatible files.
Well, considering if we believe Neal Stephenson that the only things the US is really good at are movies, music, software and pizza delivery, maybe piracy is good if we do it for ourselves but bad if the Chinese do? After all, it's our Gross National Product! Devaluing that would be a h*** of a culture undermining, wouldn't it?
From TFA:
"In Windows Vista, we are making it notably harder and less appealing to use counterfeit software, and we will work to make that a consistent experience with older versions of Windows as well."
This is an unmistakeable threat to hobble existing versions of XP.
I don't think there is a real prospect of MS's doing this, because even regarding Vista they've only said copies not verifying as genuine will not be disabled, but only lose Aero capability. Of course. that coupled with non-working XP could be an inducement to move us all to Vista, which will clamp down even more heavily on us in the future.
Probably everyone should reinstall windows with SP2 and never talk to Windows Update. That way no WGA issues will ever arise.
Slashdot Mirror
"I'm addicted to placebos" (Steven Wright?) ..I'd advise you to give them up, but it wouldn't make any difference.
...I can Articulate at all times, whether I have anything to Say or not.
with apologies to Father Guido Sarducci...
And just what is your authority for making this statement, please? It appears to be an unsupported opinion.
If the heat gets high enough, Microsoft can decide that a changed motherboard doesn't change your machine into a new "device". They could even look at the hash code of non-motherboard items (SCSI cards, drives, etc.) to help them "decide" if you've merely changed your motherboard or are trying to install on a wholly new machine. By the way, I've heard MS sometimes takes the position even with XP that if a customer switches his motherboard, he must buy XP again (I remember reading a post, maybe not on /. , that a custom systems builder ran into this when trying to get MS to help him re-activate a customer's XP after he swapped the customer's motherboard).
It is also right on the money.
This appears to work by giving tactile feedback when your mouse cursor touches one of the password elements (squares) so you click there and not elsewhere. At least, that's the simplest way I can imagine it would work.
If biological systems are unique in supporting consciousness, our current science and physics are not only inadequate to tell us what it is, they may be irrelevant. This is actually fascinating because it suggests there is "more in heaven and earth" than we know of, or have dreamed of.
Frank Herbert's DESTINATION: VOID is a bunch of interesting speculations on how to build a conscious AI.
Personally I prefer a hotkey....
Is it remotely possible that Gates and Allchin know this, and that's why they're fading into the sunset?
What about the strategy of admitting your guilt in your answer and filing for a hearing on damages at which you ask the Court to assess only the minimum penalty per recording? That's pretty low, I think.... $750.00
In some states (like mine, Massachusetts) it is legally OK to disclaim liability for your own negligence in a release. This is not true in all states.
It's easier to screen out the lawyers and the politicians than the millionaires. You don't always know.
Wouldn't it be great if defendants in RIAA cases only had to worry about the same $1.00 in damages they would have paid ITunes for the title. The **AAs have some really nice sweetheart deals in the punitive statutes they've lobbied for.
Isn't it interesting none (so far as we've been told) of the defendants in the **AA suits have been attorneys? About now I'll bet they're wishing they screened by financial status too.
They can't drop the case if the defendant files a counterclaim. Or if they do, they're still in court on the counterclaim. If Hogan wants to teach them a lesson, he'll make sure his counterclaim litigates all of the issues they don't want litigated, including some they'd be forced to litigate if they actually took someone all the way to court.
US corporate interests (think of the massive Zaibatsu that chivvied Hiro Hito into starting WWII) have got so much power they've even gotten legislation to bar many class action lawsuits from state court. Are you a little guy victimized by widespread corporate contract oppression? Your burden just got a little heavier. Now, it's a Federal Case.
Speaking of access to legal talent, isn't it interesting out of twenty thousand or more lawsuits not a single attorney has been sued?
If only you were right. I really hope you are. But Microsoft has enough money to buy everyone except RMS and would if it wouldn't get them in monopoly trouble. I'm afraid they'll always be able to buy enough people and corrupt enough projects to keep their strangleholds.
Maybe that's how ODF will make its way into common use-- everyone's using it because it's free, and converting to a format Word will read before sending. We could all change to Open Office right now if we were willing to live with losing some of the formatting frills.
For instance, in an office of 50 computers, only one might need Word (it could be an unused workstation accessible to all by VNC or even MSTSC!)-- for the plain vanilla stuff, everyone uses OO and cranks out .doc-compatible files.
Well, considering if we believe Neal Stephenson that the only things the US is really good at are movies, music, software and pizza delivery, maybe piracy is good if we do it for ourselves but bad if the Chinese do? After all, it's our Gross National Product! Devaluing that would be a h*** of a culture undermining, wouldn't it?
This is an unmistakeable threat to hobble existing versions of XP.
Probably everyone should reinstall windows with SP2 and never talk to Windows Update. That way no WGA issues will ever arise.
In this case you are hosed in a major way if someone else has bid, say, 5 times the value. Guess what your final contract price will be?