You must not have got the letter from the White House. Even Bush now claims he has been saying global warming not only exists, but man is contributing to it, ever since he took office.
Also, the author really need to learn what the word "average" means. He sounds ridiculous making statements like - "So one awkward question you can ask, when you're forking out those extra taxes for climate change, is "Why is east Antarctica getting colder?" It makes no sense at all if carbon dioxide is driving global warming".
Maybe what makes it an awkward question is his limited understanding of simple scientific concepts, and common word meanings?
"As soon as one of the major mainstream vendors crack the MS monopoly and offer a linux on the consumer desktop large scale critical mass will be reached in short order."
Well, there is an orignal thought has been predicted over and over for the last 8 years on Slashdot! The $64,000 question is - exactly how does one do that? It's not like it hasn't been attempted in the past, Wal-Mart had their "Lindows" systems, hell even Dell offered some specialty Linux boxes... I think the whole thing is a large Catch-22 - vendors don't think it is worth it because the marketshare isn't big enough, but the marketshare will never get big enough if vendors don't offer Linux desktops. Kind of like the HDTV Catch-22 going on now...
Unless the association paid for and paved the streets, the streets are still public property. Distance isn't really an issue as at some point the land stops being private and telephoto lenses can take nice pictures of even far away objects. Hell, they could even ask permission of the association and be granted it if the rest of the owners decided they didn't care (isn't democracy great?). That is why I will never buy a townhouse - I don't want ANYONE telling me what I can or can't do on my own property... Well, that and the fact that you can never really "pay off" a townhouse completely - even after you pay 100% of the selling price, you still have the association fees. At least it sound like the townhouse owners are the association in your case. But I still wouldn't want all my "home improvement" money going into a general fund that other people decide how to spend.
I think what people really want is MULTICS. http://www.multicians.org/general.html
I mean, who wants a workstation sitting on their desktop that has real computing power when they can have a dumb terminal??
"I don't see how this is any different than sex offenders being required to register their address. Hell, it seems a lot less intrusive."
Because a person's address is easily verifiable, and may actually serve some purpose in tracking the offender. An online screenname is not easy to verify exactly WHO was using it, can be changed easily and frequently, and will do nothing to track sex offenders. Just another of the knee-jerk technically implausible political solutions that will have zero effect on sex offense crimes.
"Besides what makes Boston such a centre of education anyway? As you can tell, I'm from the UK and when I think of American Universities, I think of Harvard"
Looks like the UK didn't make the "most intelligent" cut either.
Conservativism (as practiced in the United States) does no such thing. It generally calls for the creation of some very large government agency (Department of Homeland Security) to Do Something (tap it's own citizens' phones and bank records) , and much of its existence is predicated to finding a Something (the threat of enemy terrorists) with which to terrorize the populace. The Cold War worked well toward that end, but there have been others. (Bush II is really a conserative, but nobody wants to tell him yet.)
"' CNet contacted the copyright holders for the videos (which range from NBC to Apple), and mostly received responses of 'we're looking into it.' At least two groups did confirm they did not give permission for this kind of advertisement."
The two groups went on to say "And we are kicking ourselves for not thinking of it first!"
"If I was a manager and an employee just up and quit one day, I certainly would mention that if someone called me to check a reference."
Depending on which state you live in, you may be breaking the law. Generally, the legal questions you are entitled to answer as an employer are -
1- From which dates did employee work
2- Job title/responsibilities
3- Rate of pay
4- Re-hire status - either they would or wouldn't re-hire you
So legally you could tell them the re-hire status is negative, but you usually can't give the reason why. One of my former bosses was sued by a former employee for divulging all kinds of information he shouldn't have.
The remarks about the abacus and leaded gas had nothing to do with the argument about being "easy". They didn't have anything at all to do with the argument. That was exactly my point. It doesn't matter how "easy" it used to be when you didn't have to activate Windows. We live in the present where you do if you choose to use XP. (Notice the word "choose" - no matter what anybody claims, no person is "forced" to use Windows XP.) If you long for the days of old, feel free to install Windows 98 or even (shudder) ME if you want - nobody is stopping you.
"I always advise people to build their own machines"
"That said, I'm still primarily a Mac guy"
So you like to recommend something to others that is impossible with the type of system you use? Could you give me some advice on how to build my own Mac??
Your backup image won't work if certain hardware (motherboard, processor, etc.) has changed. If your hard drive dies, no sweat. But if anything major fails, you are SOL.
And are you aware that complex calculations used to be done on an abacus? This fact, like yours about previous MS OS not needing activation, are both irrelevant. You used to be able to use leaded gas, and were NOT required to wear seatbelts too. What does that have to do with the price of tea in China, or what MS currently requires with XP? It is pretty common knowledge at this point that tinkering with your hardware may require you to re-activate your copy of XP. Don't like it or agree? Then use another OS that doesn't have those stipulations. I have never heard of someone who legitimately owned a licence to XP that couldn't get their OS re-activated with a simple phonoe call to MS. Because it is more of an inconvenience than people are used to, MS is surprisingly easy to deal with on this issue. I had to do it once for a customer I replaced a motherboard for - and I was up and re-activated within 5 minutes. That seems absolutely "easy" to me.
I expect to be modded down by the anti-MS crowd who would rather complain then face reality, so go ahead. I'll still sleep okay tonight...
"I guess that my point is that being incompetent in Linux is no worse than being incompetent in Windows."
Ahh, but my point is that most people know at least enough to be incompetent in Windows, while few know enough to be incompetent in Linux. But I do agree - people doing stupid things is a human trait not tied to any specific operating system.
"I have so many customers who are running pirated Windows or Office that it's not even funny. That or they are still running Office 97. If these people had to shell out $250-$400 for Office or $150 for XP Pro, they would switch in to OO and Linux in about the same time it would take to hear that it's free (as in beer)."
I'm not sure that lack of money = technical expertise in Linux. If your theory was true, Linux would own a much larger marketshare than they do now. How much money do you think someone's time is worth? And how much time do you think it would take your average office worker who can barely use Office 97 to learn how to install and use Linux? Seems to me it would still be a lot cheaper in the long run to buy the current software you are already familiar with than to try to re-train everyone on a new operating system...
"Imagine the accident and death toll related to flying cars and drunk driving for example."
I would actually imagine it would be less, due to having thousands of times more area to "drive" in than being confined to lanes and roads. Besides, they never had any problems on the Jetsons...
And calculate in that by the time flying cars are prevalent, alcohol will be long gone and we will all be enjoying Spice...
Slashdot Mirror
You must not have got the letter from the White House. Even Bush now claims he has been saying global warming not only exists, but man is contributing to it, ever since he took office.
Also, the author really need to learn what the word "average" means. He sounds ridiculous making statements like - "So one awkward question you can ask, when you're forking out those extra taxes for climate change, is "Why is east Antarctica getting colder?" It makes no sense at all if carbon dioxide is driving global warming".
Maybe what makes it an awkward question is his limited understanding of simple scientific concepts, and common word meanings?
Actually, most of the "left" doesn't believe in God, or flying spaghetti monsters either...
Yep, that is DeBeers new slogan-
"DIAMONDS - she'll pretty much have to"
"As soon as one of the major mainstream vendors crack the MS monopoly and offer a linux on the consumer desktop large scale critical mass will be reached in short order."
Well, there is an orignal thought has been predicted over and over for the last 8 years on Slashdot! The $64,000 question is - exactly how does one do that? It's not like it hasn't been attempted in the past, Wal-Mart had their "Lindows" systems, hell even Dell offered some specialty Linux boxes... I think the whole thing is a large Catch-22 - vendors don't think it is worth it because the marketshare isn't big enough, but the marketshare will never get big enough if vendors don't offer Linux desktops. Kind of like the HDTV Catch-22 going on now...
Ah (sigh) - I remember back when we were young Java couldn't wait to touch my local hardware... Now I'm lucky if Java even calls me anymore...
Unless the association paid for and paved the streets, the streets are still public property. Distance isn't really an issue as at some point the land stops being private and telephoto lenses can take nice pictures of even far away objects. Hell, they could even ask permission of the association and be granted it if the rest of the owners decided they didn't care (isn't democracy great?).
That is why I will never buy a townhouse - I don't want ANYONE telling me what I can or can't do on my own property... Well, that and the fact that you can never really "pay off" a townhouse completely - even after you pay 100% of the selling price, you still have the association fees. At least it sound like the townhouse owners are the association in your case. But I still wouldn't want all my "home improvement" money going into a general fund that other people decide how to spend.
"If they come anywhere near my house, then I'm phoning the police and pressing charges"
Unless they actually trespass on to your property, they are not commiting a crime. It isn't illegal to take pictures from public property (yet)...
Except possibly lawn and landscaping services...
I think what people really want is MULTICS. http://www.multicians.org/general.html
I mean, who wants a workstation sitting on their desktop that has real computing power when they can have a dumb terminal??
"I don't see how this is any different than sex offenders being required to register their address. Hell, it seems a lot less intrusive."
Because a person's address is easily verifiable, and may actually serve some purpose in tracking the offender. An online screenname is not easy to verify exactly WHO was using it, can be changed easily and frequently, and will do nothing to track sex offenders. Just another of the knee-jerk technically implausible political solutions that will have zero effect on sex offense crimes.
Are you kidding? Cops that walk around WITHOUT guns have to have balls! They know the criminals have guns...
That's due to an obscure Hennepin County law from the turn of the 20th century that keeps them out..
"Besides what makes Boston such a centre of education anyway? As you can tell, I'm from the UK and when I think of American Universities, I think of Harvard"
Looks like the UK didn't make the "most intelligent" cut either.
Conservativism (as practiced in the United States) does no such thing. It generally calls for the creation of some very large government agency (Department of Homeland Security) to Do Something (tap it's own citizens' phones and bank records) , and much of its existence is predicated to finding a Something (the threat of enemy terrorists) with which to terrorize the populace. The Cold War worked well toward that end, but there have been others. (Bush II is really a conserative, but nobody wants to tell him yet.)
"' CNet contacted the copyright holders for the videos (which range from NBC to Apple), and mostly received responses of 'we're looking into it.' At least two groups did confirm they did not give permission for this kind of advertisement."
The two groups went on to say "And we are kicking ourselves for not thinking of it first!"
"If I was a manager and an employee just up and quit one day, I certainly would mention that if someone called me to check a reference."
Depending on which state you live in, you may be breaking the law. Generally, the legal questions you are entitled to answer as an employer are -
1- From which dates did employee work
2- Job title/responsibilities
3- Rate of pay
4- Re-hire status - either they would or wouldn't re-hire you
So legally you could tell them the re-hire status is negative, but you usually can't give the reason why. One of my former bosses was sued by a former employee for divulging all kinds of information he shouldn't have.
The remarks about the abacus and leaded gas had nothing to do with the argument about being "easy". They didn't have anything at all to do with the argument. That was exactly my point. It doesn't matter how "easy" it used to be when you didn't have to activate Windows. We live in the present where you do if you choose to use XP. (Notice the word "choose" - no matter what anybody claims, no person is "forced" to use Windows XP.) If you long for the days of old, feel free to install Windows 98 or even (shudder) ME if you want - nobody is stopping you.
Bought Emachine - strike 1
Using Geek Squad - strikes 2 through infinity
"I always advise people to build their own machines"
"That said, I'm still primarily a Mac guy"
So you like to recommend something to others that is impossible with the type of system you use? Could you give me some advice on how to build my own Mac??
Your backup image won't work if certain hardware (motherboard, processor, etc.) has changed. If your hard drive dies, no sweat. But if anything major fails, you are SOL.
And are you aware that complex calculations used to be done on an abacus? This fact, like yours about previous MS OS not needing activation, are both irrelevant. You used to be able to use leaded gas, and were NOT required to wear seatbelts too. What does that have to do with the price of tea in China, or what MS currently requires with XP?
It is pretty common knowledge at this point that tinkering with your hardware may require you to re-activate your copy of XP. Don't like it or agree? Then use another OS that doesn't have those stipulations. I have never heard of someone who legitimately owned a licence to XP that couldn't get their OS re-activated with a simple phonoe call to MS. Because it is more of an inconvenience than people are used to, MS is surprisingly easy to deal with on this issue. I had to do it once for a customer I replaced a motherboard for - and I was up and re-activated within 5 minutes. That seems absolutely "easy" to me.
I expect to be modded down by the anti-MS crowd who would rather complain then face reality, so go ahead. I'll still sleep okay tonight...
WMD or not it will still ruin your day if one drops on you.
I know my last thought at seeing one coming for me would be "Well thank god I'm not being killed by a WMD or it would sure be tragic!"
"I guess that my point is that being incompetent in Linux is no worse than being incompetent in Windows."
Ahh, but my point is that most people know at least enough to be incompetent in Windows, while few know enough to be incompetent in Linux. But I do agree - people doing stupid things is a human trait not tied to any specific operating system.
"I have so many customers who are running pirated Windows or Office that it's not even funny. That or they are still running Office 97. If these people had to shell out $250-$400 for Office or $150 for XP Pro, they would switch in to OO and Linux in about the same time it would take to hear that it's free (as in beer)."
I'm not sure that lack of money = technical expertise in Linux. If your theory was true, Linux would own a much larger marketshare than they do now. How much money do you think someone's time is worth? And how much time do you think it would take your average office worker who can barely use Office 97 to learn how to install and use Linux? Seems to me it would still be a lot cheaper in the long run to buy the current software you are already familiar with than to try to re-train everyone on a new operating system...
"Imagine the accident and death toll related to flying cars and drunk driving for example."
I would actually imagine it would be less, due to having thousands of times more area to "drive" in than being confined to lanes and roads. Besides, they never had any problems on the Jetsons...
And calculate in that by the time flying cars are prevalent, alcohol will be long gone and we will all be enjoying Spice...