Thanks for the head's up. I actually felt "Ringworld" by Niven (almost done reading it) had excessive "sensual" mention in it. I am not a prude, it just seemed out of place; it really added absolutely nothing to the story or the character development and thus was unnecessary.
Then again, it was very slight, and the rest of the story made up for it (easily.) Something of a "violent pornography" is EXACTLY why I can't stand most fantasy novels. I don't care to read details about how the ultimate dragon slayer spent his honeymoon slaying his bride.
Loved the Fifth Element, loved the show Firefly (not the movie Serenity - I really don't like Summer Glau and her part was rather overplayed and corny/silly in the movie.). SG1 I watched over the period of two weeks (all 10 seasons) - awesome. I'm current on Atlantis, too. Futurama is my fav. cartoon, can't wait for new episodes.:D
I'll check out those books, too. Thanks!
Hard sci-fi would be my preference. I can deal with some soft, but most of it seems more on the fantasy side of the fence.
I checked out Gaiman on the suggestion of a friend, and couldn't stand it. I just read a book by Larry Child (deep storm) which was pretty good.
I'm currently reading Ringworld (chapter 3) by Niven, so far it seems "ok", if a bit "jumpy." We'll see how that one goes.:)
Thanks!
I read about this early this morning, and I'm quite sad to see him go. I fondly remember watching Ben-Hur as a child.
I never thought about him in relation to sci-fi, but I can see it thanks to this read.:)
As a side note, sci-fi related - but a bit OT, where on earth do you find out about good sci-fi nowadays? I went to the bookstore nearby, and the sci-fi section was 100% fantasy. I'm not into dragon slaying.
I miss Asimov, Clarke, and all the greats. I've already read all their works, I'm ready for some new authors! Same goes for movies, it seems like Sci-Fi died in the 80s.:/ If people can point me in the right direction, I'd be very much appreciative!
I'm looking for something like a forum, or a "club". I tried searching, but I only found a few sites (and the television network sci-fi's forums - which suck.):( I'm especially interested in written material.
Mr. Heston, wherever you are - thank you for your contribution to entertainment, as well as politics. Oh, and Sci-Fi!
Right, because *obviously* social security and medicare aren't going to be bankrupt and defunct by then...
I'd rather be spending the money I spend on ss/medicare on something that will benefit my family/myself - not throw it away willy-nilly into a big pot, with no control over whom utilizes it. No offense to people in general, but I value my family highly - as I rightfully should. I don't see why I (a responsible person, btw) am forced to pay ss/medicare, when my family is self-sufficient through years of hard work - especially considering the current state of social security in particular. You ever burned money? That's pretty much the feeling I get when I'm putting money into ss/medicare. Hey, worst case, I'd rather have the option to *donate* the money to the cause of my choice - at least then I'd have a *little* control.
He could easily be getting paid for it, without CHARGING for the software. There is nothing that says by working on OSS software, you can't be paid. Look at all the RH employees. Hell, if he'd lose the piss poor attitude, I'd hire him and let him just continue coding on his merry way. I use enough of the software he's written/written due to his project to justify a mighty hefty salary in fact. I bet there are *tons* of companies out there that would, and could pick him up and support him/his project financially IF he wasn't such an ass. He is absolutely un-hirable at this point though. I wouldn't even want to be within a 5000km radius of the guy.
I find this rather funny. He's obviously a good programmer (excellent even...) How on EARTH can he have a problem finding 300 bucks???
I'm no programming god by any means (he's pretty damn close to being one.) Yet somehow, I've found a way to earn quite a nice living, filling a niche, doing something I love. I am nowhere near as technically capable as Theo. He's a genius compare to me.
It's his personality. Any sociable person with the talent he has could be earning hudreds of thousands of dollars a year doing what they loved. Theo puts himself (his project) in the position it's in. Don't donate and support his insanity. Let him figure out what life is like in the "real world". Maybe he'll learn social skills in the process. OpenBSD would have no financial problems if this occured, and I dare say - it would probably become far more popular.
Actions speak volumes. People who can't figure out society have no place in it as far as I'm concerned. If they want to work in a basement office and live their lives in voluntary solitary confinement, that's fine. I just don't respect people like that asking for *donations*. I'd rather give to a charity full of poverty stricken kids in the US who would and could use the money for MUCH better things than writing OpenSSH and pissing off the world at the same time. Maybe they'd grow up to be the ones to take over openssh once Theo eradicates himself.
I have put my money where my mouth is, I haven't donated to OpenBSD. I'm not a hypocrite, I did exactly as I said. I didn't say I would not use a good product, I simply said I would not reward an ass with money. That's the beauty of open-source. I don't have to reward assholes, and I can still reap the benefits. That's why you'll notice the projects run by polite/social people tend to have plenty of donations to continue operation, and those run by assholes do not. It's almost irrespective of the project/product. People who do good work and are civil/kind are the people I want leading countries into the future. I don't care how good you are at what you do, if you can't be civil - you're worthless in the big picture. Stick 'em in a dungeon somewhere and let them code while isolated, that's what they seem to want.
When I have a choice, I do not. Obviously things out of my control are out of my control. That being said, I go out of my way to purchase products/services from companies I feel are morally/ethically correct as a whole. Obviously I can't judge each individual person, but for instance, I know Sony is evil. I do not buy Sony products. I'm sure there are some sony-made products in my home (possibly chips inside my phone, or who knows what...) but I have intentionally avoided them. I do not wish to reward their behavior with a check. You can do as you please, and argue semantics all you like.:) Don't be mad when your root-kit infested computer goes up in a puff of smoke. I'll stick to doing my best to reward goodness, and not evilness.
There is no irony. I'm not the one who has been an ass. Go read my (relatively short) post history. I don't have a track record of being an ass to everyone. I'm not a pot calling a kettle black. Even most OBSD supporters will admit to Theo's rather... abrasive... ways. See DARPA posts below. I don't see how explaining Theo is the root of the funding problems makes me an ass.
How about teaching Theo manners and how to deal with *other people*. *Huge gasp*. Funding issues are a direct result of his insane attitude. Of course companies would donate money like niagra falls if Theo didn't piss EVERYBODY off. Who wants to donate large sums to an asshole? Not I.
Sorry, but I don't reward nearly intolerable behavior with my hard earned money. You feel free to do so, but where I come from, we pay people who do good work, do it well, and do it with a smile. I don't care if you cure cancer, if you're an ass to EVERYONE about it, you won't ever see a dime from me. I'll wait for an implementation from somebody who understands society is important, and is how you progress. Screw Theo, screw his piss poor attitude. I hope he has to get a job at McDonalds. Maybe that'll teach him some manners. Actually, just lock him and RMS up in a room and let them fight it out for a year or so. They should both come out pretty decent people in the end.
Re:yep, great benchmarks, but lacking in features.
on
MacBook Pro Benchmarks
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· Score: 1
That's not the core of who they are trying to please. They're trying to please the people who have no clue what they are doing on a computer, but know they want one. Meaning 99.99% of the population, which in turn means the majority of the CASH. That is what Apple wants, and that is who they are trying to please. If they have to piss off all 10 mac users who NEED FW800 to get the millions who do not, I say good for them. You're silly to think they give a rats ass more about the "power users." "Power user" where I come from means "jackass know-it-all who drives up support costs." Again, it's all about the money, and the money is in the masses, not the niche. Apple is living in the niche, they are trying to attract the masses. iPod, Mac Mini, etc - it's all baby steps. Moving to Intel for higher yield/production capacity, maybe some more consumer trust (they KNOW Intel), again baby steps. They are working on converting the masses, not the FW800 freaks that will still buy a mac for their next computer regardless of whining like stuck pigs about the lack of the port, wanting 1cm size increases, etc.
Nope, I meant 60/hour. I'm talking about industrial forklifts, not the little Walmart ones. Here in Hawaii they actually earn more. Look up backho/forklift/etc operator jobs, and look at salary ranges. It's crazy.
"When we hire C programmers, we give a programming test. Most applicants don't realize it's not good to lose a reference to allocated memory, have no problem passing stack variables back to the calling function, and can't spot a variable that's used before initialization."
The issue is people with little or no experience. (I.E. kids graduating from college/university.) What are they supposed to do? They need money to live, and a job is how you earn money (short of starting your own business.) Do you expect them to get a masters and spend 4 years writing software while living on the street just to ENTER the job market? You don't get experience of the type required to realize some of the issues with your above mentioned programming errors, without writing a lot of code, something you won't do until you get into the "real world", in which you need a JOB to survive.
That's catch-22. You're gleefully claiming to laugh at these people who come and interview and don't know some things you want them to know, but I bet some of those people you are laughing at have never been given the opportunity to learn. You can talk all you want about "oh but they should have spent every spare moment writing code for OSS projects during university" or whatever, but that's not realistic to expect. People have to have a way in to GET the experience you laugh at people for not having.
This is the fundamental problem we are facing right now, and it's becoming really apparent. Go spend some time on monster/dice/etc. Look up system administrator. There are a lot of job listings (in some areas) but most want 15 years of experience, every certification known to mankind, government clearance, and various other things. ALL of which is impossible to get if you don't get your first job. Are people who spent time in university supposed to apply for janitorial jobs and "work their way up"? That's about the only way they'll make it in.
Here's the real kicker! A HS dropout with absolutely horrid social skills and language skills, can get a job driving a forklift around for 60 bucks an hour. I've seen it happen MANY times. Hell, a lot of them don't even know English. The good ones (read: social) get paid even more, that's why they like to hire the cheapy dropouts.
Something is majorly wrong with this picture. Guys who dropped out of HS are being trusted with million dollar backhoes and such, and people who went to college can't even get an entry level job, and get laughed at because they don't know things that you can only learn through experience (which they aren't given an opportunity to get.)
What's sad, is most of these guys that I've met out there with the 15+ years of experience and all these certs and so forth, never graduated college. They got some entry level position at a data center/ISP/whatever doing basic things while being trained, and since most of them liked their jobs, they learned on their own as well. Now they are laughing at kids who never get that chance. Sad how this role reversal worked out.
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Thanks for the head's up. I actually felt "Ringworld" by Niven (almost done reading it) had excessive "sensual" mention in it. I am not a prude, it just seemed out of place; it really added absolutely nothing to the story or the character development and thus was unnecessary. Then again, it was very slight, and the rest of the story made up for it (easily.) Something of a "violent pornography" is EXACTLY why I can't stand most fantasy novels. I don't care to read details about how the ultimate dragon slayer spent his honeymoon slaying his bride.
Thanks, great link!
Great sites! Too bad the hardsf site moved away from real forums, the javascript ones suck. Thanks. :)
Loved the Fifth Element, loved the show Firefly (not the movie Serenity - I really don't like Summer Glau and her part was rather overplayed and corny/silly in the movie.). SG1 I watched over the period of two weeks (all 10 seasons) - awesome. I'm current on Atlantis, too. Futurama is my fav. cartoon, can't wait for new episodes. :D
I'll check out those books, too. Thanks!
Hard sci-fi would be my preference. I can deal with some soft, but most of it seems more on the fantasy side of the fence. I checked out Gaiman on the suggestion of a friend, and couldn't stand it. I just read a book by Larry Child (deep storm) which was pretty good. I'm currently reading Ringworld (chapter 3) by Niven, so far it seems "ok", if a bit "jumpy." We'll see how that one goes. :)
Thanks!
I read about this early this morning, and I'm quite sad to see him go. I fondly remember watching Ben-Hur as a child. I never thought about him in relation to sci-fi, but I can see it thanks to this read. :)
As a side note, sci-fi related - but a bit OT, where on earth do you find out about good sci-fi nowadays? I went to the bookstore nearby, and the sci-fi section was 100% fantasy. I'm not into dragon slaying.
I miss Asimov, Clarke, and all the greats. I've already read all their works, I'm ready for some new authors! Same goes for movies, it seems like Sci-Fi died in the 80s. :/ If people can point me in the right direction, I'd be very much appreciative!
I'm looking for something like a forum, or a "club". I tried searching, but I only found a few sites (and the television network sci-fi's forums - which suck.) :( I'm especially interested in written material.
Mr. Heston, wherever you are - thank you for your contribution to entertainment, as well as politics. Oh, and Sci-Fi!
Right, because *obviously* social security and medicare aren't going to be bankrupt and defunct by then... I'd rather be spending the money I spend on ss/medicare on something that will benefit my family/myself - not throw it away willy-nilly into a big pot, with no control over whom utilizes it. No offense to people in general, but I value my family highly - as I rightfully should. I don't see why I (a responsible person, btw) am forced to pay ss/medicare, when my family is self-sufficient through years of hard work - especially considering the current state of social security in particular. You ever burned money? That's pretty much the feeling I get when I'm putting money into ss/medicare. Hey, worst case, I'd rather have the option to *donate* the money to the cause of my choice - at least then I'd have a *little* control.
He could easily be getting paid for it, without CHARGING for the software. There is nothing that says by working on OSS software, you can't be paid. Look at all the RH employees. Hell, if he'd lose the piss poor attitude, I'd hire him and let him just continue coding on his merry way. I use enough of the software he's written/written due to his project to justify a mighty hefty salary in fact. I bet there are *tons* of companies out there that would, and could pick him up and support him/his project financially IF he wasn't such an ass. He is absolutely un-hirable at this point though. I wouldn't even want to be within a 5000km radius of the guy.
I find this rather funny. He's obviously a good programmer (excellent even...) How on EARTH can he have a problem finding 300 bucks??? I'm no programming god by any means (he's pretty damn close to being one.) Yet somehow, I've found a way to earn quite a nice living, filling a niche, doing something I love. I am nowhere near as technically capable as Theo. He's a genius compare to me. It's his personality. Any sociable person with the talent he has could be earning hudreds of thousands of dollars a year doing what they loved. Theo puts himself (his project) in the position it's in. Don't donate and support his insanity. Let him figure out what life is like in the "real world". Maybe he'll learn social skills in the process. OpenBSD would have no financial problems if this occured, and I dare say - it would probably become far more popular.
Actions speak volumes. People who can't figure out society have no place in it as far as I'm concerned. If they want to work in a basement office and live their lives in voluntary solitary confinement, that's fine. I just don't respect people like that asking for *donations*. I'd rather give to a charity full of poverty stricken kids in the US who would and could use the money for MUCH better things than writing OpenSSH and pissing off the world at the same time. Maybe they'd grow up to be the ones to take over openssh once Theo eradicates himself.
I have put my money where my mouth is, I haven't donated to OpenBSD. I'm not a hypocrite, I did exactly as I said. I didn't say I would not use a good product, I simply said I would not reward an ass with money. That's the beauty of open-source. I don't have to reward assholes, and I can still reap the benefits. That's why you'll notice the projects run by polite/social people tend to have plenty of donations to continue operation, and those run by assholes do not. It's almost irrespective of the project/product. People who do good work and are civil/kind are the people I want leading countries into the future. I don't care how good you are at what you do, if you can't be civil - you're worthless in the big picture. Stick 'em in a dungeon somewhere and let them code while isolated, that's what they seem to want.
When I have a choice, I do not. Obviously things out of my control are out of my control. That being said, I go out of my way to purchase products/services from companies I feel are morally/ethically correct as a whole. Obviously I can't judge each individual person, but for instance, I know Sony is evil. I do not buy Sony products. I'm sure there are some sony-made products in my home (possibly chips inside my phone, or who knows what...) but I have intentionally avoided them. I do not wish to reward their behavior with a check. You can do as you please, and argue semantics all you like. :) Don't be mad when your root-kit infested computer goes up in a puff of smoke. I'll stick to doing my best to reward goodness, and not evilness.
There is no irony. I'm not the one who has been an ass. Go read my (relatively short) post history. I don't have a track record of being an ass to everyone. I'm not a pot calling a kettle black. Even most OBSD supporters will admit to Theo's rather... abrasive... ways. See DARPA posts below. I don't see how explaining Theo is the root of the funding problems makes me an ass.
How about teaching Theo manners and how to deal with *other people*. *Huge gasp*. Funding issues are a direct result of his insane attitude. Of course companies would donate money like niagra falls if Theo didn't piss EVERYBODY off. Who wants to donate large sums to an asshole? Not I.
Sorry, but I don't reward nearly intolerable behavior with my hard earned money. You feel free to do so, but where I come from, we pay people who do good work, do it well, and do it with a smile. I don't care if you cure cancer, if you're an ass to EVERYONE about it, you won't ever see a dime from me. I'll wait for an implementation from somebody who understands society is important, and is how you progress. Screw Theo, screw his piss poor attitude. I hope he has to get a job at McDonalds. Maybe that'll teach him some manners. Actually, just lock him and RMS up in a room and let them fight it out for a year or so. They should both come out pretty decent people in the end.
That's not the core of who they are trying to please. They're trying to please the people who have no clue what they are doing on a computer, but know they want one. Meaning 99.99% of the population, which in turn means the majority of the CASH. That is what Apple wants, and that is who they are trying to please. If they have to piss off all 10 mac users who NEED FW800 to get the millions who do not, I say good for them. You're silly to think they give a rats ass more about the "power users." "Power user" where I come from means "jackass know-it-all who drives up support costs." Again, it's all about the money, and the money is in the masses, not the niche. Apple is living in the niche, they are trying to attract the masses. iPod, Mac Mini, etc - it's all baby steps. Moving to Intel for higher yield/production capacity, maybe some more consumer trust (they KNOW Intel), again baby steps. They are working on converting the masses, not the FW800 freaks that will still buy a mac for their next computer regardless of whining like stuck pigs about the lack of the port, wanting 1cm size increases, etc.
Nope, I meant 60/hour. I'm talking about industrial forklifts, not the little Walmart ones. Here in Hawaii they actually earn more. Look up backho/forklift/etc operator jobs, and look at salary ranges. It's crazy.
"When we hire C programmers, we give a programming test. Most applicants don't realize it's not good to lose a reference to allocated memory, have no problem passing stack variables back to the calling function, and can't spot a variable that's used before initialization."
The issue is people with little or no experience. (I.E. kids graduating from college/university.) What are they supposed to do? They need money to live, and a job is how you earn money (short of starting your own business.) Do you expect them to get a masters and spend 4 years writing software while living on the street just to ENTER the job market? You don't get experience of the type required to realize some of the issues with your above mentioned programming errors, without writing a lot of code, something you won't do until you get into the "real world", in which you need a JOB to survive.
That's catch-22. You're gleefully claiming to laugh at these people who come and interview and don't know some things you want them to know, but I bet some of those people you are laughing at have never been given the opportunity to learn. You can talk all you want about "oh but they should have spent every spare moment writing code for OSS projects during university" or whatever, but that's not realistic to expect. People have to have a way in to GET the experience you laugh at people for not having.
This is the fundamental problem we are facing right now, and it's becoming really apparent. Go spend some time on monster/dice/etc. Look up system administrator. There are a lot of job listings (in some areas) but most want 15 years of experience, every certification known to mankind, government clearance, and various other things. ALL of which is impossible to get if you don't get your first job. Are people who spent time in university supposed to apply for janitorial jobs and "work their way up"? That's about the only way they'll make it in.
Here's the real kicker! A HS dropout with absolutely horrid social skills and language skills, can get a job driving a forklift around for 60 bucks an hour. I've seen it happen MANY times. Hell, a lot of them don't even know English. The good ones (read: social) get paid even more, that's why they like to hire the cheapy dropouts.
Something is majorly wrong with this picture. Guys who dropped out of HS are being trusted with million dollar backhoes and such, and people who went to college can't even get an entry level job, and get laughed at because they don't know things that you can only learn through experience (which they aren't given an opportunity to get.)
What's sad, is most of these guys that I've met out there with the 15+ years of experience and all these certs and so forth, never graduated college. They got some entry level position at a data center/ISP/whatever doing basic things while being trained, and since most of them liked their jobs, they learned on their own as well. Now they are laughing at kids who never get that chance. Sad how this role reversal worked out.