Slashdot Mirror


User: BIGELLOW

BIGELLOW's activity in the archive.

Stories
0
Comments
57
First seen
Last seen
Profile
(view on slashdot.org)

Comments · 57

  1. Propaganda on The End of .Mac and Google Apps? · · Score: 0

    I have a home server. I also use Google Apps. If it is assumed that Google Apps is only for those who don't have the capacity to keep a computer at home on 24/7, then it ignores the fact that corporations that have many servers are also switching to Google Apps. The fact of the matter is, email servers have problems... computers have problems... new security holes are found... new security patches are released... new security patches introduce new problems. On top of this, computers in general have problems. The power can go out. Etc, etc, etc...

    Google has a bunch of data centers distributed throughout the world. Each has generators for power backup, redundant servers, high bandwidth, etc, etc, etc... They take care of keeping up-to-date with security problems and glitches in the system. And, on top of this, they continually update the software/services with new features.

    People switch to Google Apps not because they don't have the capacity to be admins, but because they are tired of being admins. They are essentially hiring Google (for free) to be the admin for them. As for the paid-version of Google Apps, the only benefit is for companies with an existing Intranet that wishes to tightly integrate their Intranet with Google Apps. Otherwise, everyone should just be using the free version.

    I could run my own email server at home, but I don't want to have to deal with making sure I (and nobody else) can connect to my email server if I am away from home. I also don't want to have to deal with long term power outages and expanding hard drive space, or hard drives that slowly start to die and need replacement. The only "problem" solved by putting a server in one's home is by having a single source of truth for all of your shared information, such as MP3s, photos, videos, etc... The problem with this is if you want 24/7 access to this information from inside AND from outside of your home, then you run into the problems mentioned before. As Google rolls out more and more hosted applications and services (say, for instance, a hosted virtual drive... maybe a repository for your personal music... etc...), Google becomes a much more enticing option than using the home server. If you stay in your home 24/7 or are only concerned about accessing your stuff while within your home, then using a home server and something like Open Office is probably a better bet. But, these days, everything is about portability... and I think this will only continue to become more true as we delve further into the future.

  2. Re:Wonderful on Viral Fossil Brought Back To Life · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Yes, but the further away from the center of gravity you get, the weaker the gravitational pull. And, the closer you get to the center of gravity the greater the gravitational pull. I understand your point, though, that as you dig down into the Earth, the gravity of the matter above you would begin to counteract the gravity of the matter below you. Reaching the center causes you to meet the equilibrium. However, if one were to assume the gravitational pull at the center of the Earth was actually zero, there would be no reason for the matter at the center of the Earth to remain where it is... EXCEPT for the fact that the matter above it is pulling it down. The same could be said about all layers of matter until you reach the surface. It goes against logical thinking that the only reason the Earth is being held together is due to the weaker gravitational forces at the surface pushing down on the matter at the depths of stronger gravitational forces. If you were to over-think this process, by digging a hole to the center of the Earth, you would essentially be changing the center of gravity's location. A little like chasing the end of the rainbow to me. Perhaps there is also something to be said by the density of the atmosphere. Since the density of the atmosphere is less dense the higher you go, wouldn't it become more dense the further you get to the center of the Earth? If that's the case, what kind of buoyant effect would it have to counteract the pull of gravity? Perhaps due to this, it would be impossible to drill down so far since the densities would become presumably greater and greater as would the atmospheric pressure. Anyway, I still think it's a bad idea to tinker around with otherwise inactive organisms or viruses.

  3. Wonderful on Viral Fossil Brought Back To Life · · Score: 1

    Next, scientists (out of sheer curiosity) will see what happens when a black hole is created at the very center of Earth. After all, the theory behind gravity itself is that the gravitational pull is infinite at the center of gravity. So, even something as powerful as a black hole coexisting at the center of Earth should only make a minimal impact, right? Right?

  4. Not the red pill again... on Google and the CIA? · · Score: 1

    ...sometimes... just sometimes... I wish everyone had just taken the blue pill. Sometimes.

  5. An important lesson to learn about Google on Google Violates Miro's Copyright? · · Score: 1

    I think there is an important lesson to learn from this incident, in regards to Google's motivations. When the Department of Justice tried to acquire tons of search-engine usage information from Google, they fought hard at the expense of a drastic decline in their stock price. When the Miro family contacted Google over their recent logo, they promptly removed it.

    Without trying to debate whether Google's DoJ battle was over their own privacy, or the privacy of their users. And, without trying to debate whether the Miro family over-reacted or not. An underlying message that can be derived from all of this is - Google is on the side of its users and/or the underdog. Google didn't really need to remove the image legally. Furthermore, it would have been automatically removed by the next day anyway. Nonetheless, they acted promptly over the concerns of the Miro family. In my not-so-humble opinion, some of those other corporations that handed over information to the DoJ without a blink would also have likely ignored the Miro family entirely - for the remaining 12 hours or so.

    So, I think this little incident, no matter which side you are on, proves an elusive point. Google may not be perfect, but there is certainly a level of well-intended thinking and compassion behind Google's corporate reactions to pressing and not-so-pressing issues.

  6. Cease & Desist use of consonants and/or vowels on Google Violates Miro's Copyright? · · Score: 1

    To Whom It May Concern,

    Your use of consonants and/or vowels violates the copyrights held by my client Sony Pictures Digital Inc., owner of the popular Wheel of Fortune gameshow. In the future, if you wish to use consonants and/or vowels you may wish to license the use of specific letters including, but not limited to, "E" and "T" from my client.

    Additionally, my client maintains a patent on the terms "buy", "spin", "Pat", and "White".

    Please cease and desist using consonants and/or vowels and/or the terms mentioned above without prior approval. Thank you.

    ©2006 Veni, Vidi & Vici, LLC.

  7. Re:Google/China Relationship on Google's China Problem · · Score: 1

    >>> Thanks to this "optimization", this is no longer the case.

    Why is that? They didn't "optimize" Google.com in China at all. Google.com in China is exactly the same as it has always been in China, uncensored and all. The only censored version of Google is the new Google.cn site. Somehow, people keep missing this.