You views on evolution are wrong. I'm not saying that to be harsh, but your are making a common mistake in thinking that there are any sort of steps that humanity takes. There isn't a 'plateau' or ideal that something evolves to.
Rather than get into detail, the short of it is this; as long as people are reproducing, humans won't stop evolving.
Not when you phrase it like that. Of course you can't get the 'exact' data back, but you can get an approximation. And think about what a digital picture is in the first place. It is an approximation of an image in a pixelated form.
Exact doesn't matter in terms of identifying a person via a photograph. While 'how' exact is left to a jury, you cannot claim that ANY picture is an exact reproduction of the original image. There is ALWAYS loss.
The photograph or in this case, unblurred image only needs to be close enough. And 'enough' is defined by the person who will use the image. The user could be a jury, an investigator, a judge... each would have their own definition of how important the unblurred image is.
I generally have to plan ahead to attend a performance. 2-3 weeks is about as close as I can get. Often I will purchase a ticket months in advance. Yet when scalpers get a hold of unsold tickets, I don't usually have the option to puchase those tickets.
I can't call the box office, I can't go through ticketmaster, because according to them the venue is 'Sold Out'. Yet there are tickets floating around that Bob the scalper is holding onto in hopes of skimming some extra cash. Ticketmaster.com doesn't point me to Bob's online store.
People say I can go to Ebay, or show up at the door and look for someone holding up tickets. Here are why those options aren't really viable.
Risk.
1. With the 'ebay' option. I don't know the person selling those tickets. At scalper prices, we are looking at 200-300 per ticket. With the recent ebay scams, I'm not risking $500 on tickets for my wife and I. (Hell, I wouldn't risk 200-300).
2. I'm not going to plan 2-3 weeks ahead and just show up at the box office hoping some scalper is standing there with tickets. Call me crazy, but doing side deals in cash with some guy wearing a NY Giants jacket isn't exactly my idea of a fun evening. What if there isn't a scalper there? Looks like I just wasted the evening.
You are really grasping for straws in trying to find the 'added value' that comes from scalpers. No scalper did me a favor by 'acquiring' tickets for me.
And you brought up another aspect that goes beyond the simple nuts and bolts of POS operations. Who is responsible for creating the training programs for this POS software? COTS POS solutions typically have already spent the $ on developing training programs, or at the very least manuals for how to use the system.
Lots of things could come up that would rapidly blow your budget.
From Sutor's blog IBM adopted a new policy a year ago to sharply reduce business method patent filings and instead stress significant technical content in its patents.
Does this make IBM's new policy seem a bit less altruistic?
Though I would comment that the 'lack' of resources is a thing that may make the moon more attracive as a stopping point. It lacks enough that it's gravity is much less then that of Earth.
But, I don't know how a lunar base would be easier to design/build/use than a space station designed for launching craft to Mars.
Essentially the judge is saying that if I simply offer to make you an unauthorized copy, I've committed infringement regardless of whether or not I actually make you the copy.
It is worse than that. It is saying that if you simply forget to lock down your folder, you've committed copyright infringement. That is why this whole thing is so nasty. There is such a morass of 'what-ifs" that it is impossible to know if you ARE infringing.
Here is an interesting question. I prefer NOT to protect aspects of my personal media servers. It is easier for me to re-image from a secure backup, than it is to properly tunnel into them whenever I'm on the road. I've never published the addresses. In fact, I state now, to slashdot and the world, that no-one except myself is allowed to access those servers. I've taken the precautions by not advertising an entry point, and declaring them to be off limits.
ATTENTION: You may not access my files. I forbid it.
Am I making it available? Anyone who accesses those files would be breaking the law to do so (I have not granted them permission to use my network. Recent wi-fi cases can be used as precedent). Since you would have to break the law to access my files, am I still making them available?
Is a blank CD next to my server 'making available'?
That assumes you could do anything at all. Regardless of whether you are running Linux or Windows, sometimes there are errors you can't troubleshoot beyond the point of going: "The problem occured in this program".
I've diagnosed several errors down to a specific bug in a specific application, but there isn't a damned thing that editing a plain text config file is going to fix when the program is tripping over its own feet.
Afterall, its so easy to install programs on Windows that they practically do it themselves;) Sheesh! Would you PLEASE wake-up? The smiley face makes me think that this statement may be sarcasm, referring to the various virus and spy-ware 'applications' available for Windows, but the rest of the post contradicts this assumption. If you really want to see software install itself PROPERLY, you need to get someone to show you Adept or Synaptic or Yum or one of a dozen other similar solutions that various Linux distros have.
The smiley face was indeed there for that purpose. It's a joke.:)
Really? Sorry, but that's just not true. In fact, the famous Geek Squad usually fixes all Windows problems by re-imaging your box (which may solve the problem, but also wipes all your data, which is not cool at all, and not REALLY a true fix.)
I think that example has more to do with Geek Squad being a revenue stream for Best Buy rather than as a demonstration of how to 'fix' Windows. If Best Buy sold Linux systems, I would bet money that they would use the same method for 'fixing' the boxes they sold with Linux.
When something goes wrong with my mother's Windows-based computer, what does she do? I'll give you a hint: It doesn't involve fixing it herself.
Ignoring that what you described can be accomplished in Windows with some type of VNC, it doesn't matter that in your case your mother doesn't fix her computer. In those cases, it doesn't matter if your mother was using Linux, Windows, Unix, or MacOS. That class of computer users will ALWAYS call someone else to fix their computers. But what about the people with a slightly greater interest in maintaining a computer? For anyone whose level of computer troubleshooting is even slightly beyond 'I'll just call my son.' Windows is much easier to troubleshoot.
Pick a program that isn't native to Windows or Linux default installations. Then try to type in the instructions for installing such a program in both windows and linux. How would the average user install the program on their machine? Could you document the steps for Linux? How would those steps compare to a windows installation?
Any coincidence that this corporation erased the trail of a vote was over a plant that other large corporations/industries lobbied hard to have banned because it could be a competing product?
Its a shame that people have to attack this issue under the guise of 'medical'. I don't even smoke tobacco and this irrational fear of MJ gets under my skin.
Yes that is all you have to do to fix it, but what does she have to do to fix it? The problem isn't that linux is intimidating for the average/. poster. It is that Linux is pretty freaking intimidating for the average computer user.
If acceptance of linux is something that the community wants, then it needs to realize that Windows biggest flaws are also some of its best advantages. Afterall, its so easy to install programs on Windows that they practically do it themselves;)
The ubiquitous nature of windows makes it very easy to fix your machine should something go wrong. Part of it is due to the fact that there are very few versions of Windows, part of it has to do with the vast user base that windows has. You may not like how MS got there, but dislike of the situation won't change the problem.
To those of you who know how to use linux, remember this: While windows may have a steep learning curve when it comes to administrative work, with Linux the curve is a brick wall for most users.
If they were anything like the music industry, a little thing such as not being the actual company that produces the phone book wouldn't stop them from suing me.
But in this instance I can't. When confronted with such an asinine comment my gut reactions kick in and all I can think of is:
I want to throw a phonebook at her and knock her off the podium. Preferably mid-sentence with video footage. Big yellow book smacking her in the side of her head from out of nowhere. Sure, I'd go to jail for assault, but that video would be on the internet. Being shared (she would call it stolen) and laughed at by thousands of people. That would be my solace.
Sorry for my lapse of any real discussion, but some people just need a good old whack upside the head.
and just because a few wannabe greenies (which happen to be too stupid for their own good) are completely ignorant about the facts. I prefer the saying: "Smart enough to be dangerous."
Slashdot Mirror
You views on evolution are wrong. I'm not saying that to be harsh, but your are making a common mistake in thinking that there are any sort of steps that humanity takes. There isn't a 'plateau' or ideal that something evolves to.
Rather than get into detail, the short of it is this; as long as people are reproducing, humans won't stop evolving.
Not when you phrase it like that. Of course you can't get the 'exact' data back, but you can get an approximation. And think about what a digital picture is in the first place. It is an approximation of an image in a pixelated form.
Exact doesn't matter in terms of identifying a person via a photograph. While 'how' exact is left to a jury, you cannot claim that ANY picture is an exact reproduction of the original image. There is ALWAYS loss.
The photograph or in this case, unblurred image only needs to be close enough. And 'enough' is defined by the person who will use the image. The user could be a jury, an investigator, a judge... each would have their own definition of how important the unblurred image is.
Sadly they will CONTINUE molesting children and STOP photographing it. It pushes against my freedom of information beliefs...
Oh dear. I don't think I need to mention how that could be unintentionally misread.
Here is my issue.
I generally have to plan ahead to attend a performance. 2-3 weeks is about as close as I can get. Often I will purchase a ticket months in advance. Yet when scalpers get a hold of unsold tickets, I don't usually have the option to puchase those tickets.
I can't call the box office, I can't go through ticketmaster, because according to them the venue is 'Sold Out'. Yet there are tickets floating around that Bob the scalper is holding onto in hopes of skimming some extra cash. Ticketmaster.com doesn't point me to Bob's online store.
People say I can go to Ebay, or show up at the door and look for someone holding up tickets. Here are why those options aren't really viable.
Risk.
1. With the 'ebay' option. I don't know the person selling those tickets. At scalper prices, we are looking at 200-300 per ticket. With the recent ebay scams, I'm not risking $500 on tickets for my wife and I. (Hell, I wouldn't risk 200-300).
2. I'm not going to plan 2-3 weeks ahead and just show up at the box office hoping some scalper is standing there with tickets. Call me crazy, but doing side deals in cash with some guy wearing a NY Giants jacket isn't exactly my idea of a fun evening. What if there isn't a scalper there? Looks like I just wasted the evening.
I don't see how that would be a slip. My tax money paid for those cyphers as well. It is owned by the people, even if it isn't public.
You are really grasping for straws in trying to find the 'added value' that comes from scalpers. No scalper did me a favor by 'acquiring' tickets for me.
And you brought up another aspect that goes beyond the simple nuts and bolts of POS operations. Who is responsible for creating the training programs for this POS software? COTS POS solutions typically have already spent the $ on developing training programs, or at the very least manuals for how to use the system.
Lots of things could come up that would rapidly blow your budget.
I've got the points, but I already posted. But I think you did provide a good analogy in your post.
I wonder how this would affect Vonage's patent woes.
This ruling may have been a catalyst for IBM's new position and backtracking on their 'outsourcing' patent. http://www.sutor.com/newsite/blog-open/?p=1869 (posted on Slashdot just a few hours ago http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/10/05/0449218)
From Sutor's blog IBM adopted a new policy a year ago to sharply reduce business method patent filings and instead stress significant technical content in its patents.
Does this make IBM's new policy seem a bit less altruistic?
Change RSS to LSS and we'll call it even.
Though I would comment that the 'lack' of resources is a thing that may make the moon more attracive as a stopping point. It lacks enough that it's gravity is much less then that of Earth.
But, I don't know how a lunar base would be easier to design/build/use than a space station designed for launching craft to Mars.
Essentially the judge is saying that if I simply offer to make you an unauthorized copy, I've committed infringement regardless of whether or not I actually make you the copy.
It is worse than that. It is saying that if you simply forget to lock down your folder, you've committed copyright infringement. That is why this whole thing is so nasty. There is such a morass of 'what-ifs" that it is impossible to know if you ARE infringing.
Here is an interesting question. I prefer NOT to protect aspects of my personal media servers. It is easier for me to re-image from a secure backup, than it is to properly tunnel into them whenever I'm on the road. I've never published the addresses. In fact, I state now, to slashdot and the world, that no-one except myself is allowed to access those servers. I've taken the precautions by not advertising an entry point, and declaring them to be off limits.
ATTENTION: You may not access my files. I forbid it.
Am I making it available? Anyone who accesses those files would be breaking the law to do so (I have not granted them permission to use my network. Recent wi-fi cases can be used as precedent). Since you would have to break the law to access my files, am I still making them available?
Is a blank CD next to my server 'making available'?
That assumes you could do anything at all. Regardless of whether you are running Linux or Windows, sometimes there are errors you can't troubleshoot beyond the point of going: "The problem occured in this program".
I've diagnosed several errors down to a specific bug in a specific application, but there isn't a damned thing that editing a plain text config file is going to fix when the program is tripping over its own feet.
Afterall, its so easy to install programs on Windows that they practically do it themselves ;) Sheesh! Would you PLEASE wake-up? The smiley face makes me think that this statement may be sarcasm, referring to the various virus and spy-ware 'applications' available for Windows, but the rest of the post contradicts this assumption. If you really want to see software install itself PROPERLY, you need to get someone to show you Adept or Synaptic or Yum or one of a dozen other similar solutions that various Linux distros have.
:)
The smiley face was indeed there for that purpose. It's a joke.
Really? Sorry, but that's just not true. In fact, the famous Geek Squad usually fixes all Windows problems by re-imaging your box (which may solve the problem, but also wipes all your data, which is not cool at all, and not REALLY a true fix.)
I think that example has more to do with Geek Squad being a revenue stream for Best Buy rather than as a demonstration of how to 'fix' Windows. If Best Buy sold Linux systems, I would bet money that they would use the same method for 'fixing' the boxes they sold with Linux.
When something goes wrong with my mother's Windows-based computer, what does she do? I'll give you a hint: It doesn't involve fixing it herself.
Ignoring that what you described can be accomplished in Windows with some type of VNC, it doesn't matter that in your case your mother doesn't fix her computer. In those cases, it doesn't matter if your mother was using Linux, Windows, Unix, or MacOS. That class of computer users will ALWAYS call someone else to fix their computers. But what about the people with a slightly greater interest in maintaining a computer? For anyone whose level of computer troubleshooting is even slightly beyond 'I'll just call my son.' Windows is much easier to troubleshoot.
Pick a program that isn't native to Windows or Linux default installations. Then try to type in the instructions for installing such a program in both windows and linux. How would the average user install the program on their machine? Could you document the steps for Linux? How would those steps compare to a windows installation?
Any coincidence that this corporation erased the trail of a vote was over a plant that other large corporations/industries lobbied hard to have banned because it could be a competing product?
Its a shame that people have to attack this issue under the guise of 'medical'. I don't even smoke tobacco and this irrational fear of MJ gets under my skin.
Yes that is all you have to do to fix it, but what does she have to do to fix it? The problem isn't that linux is intimidating for the average /. poster. It is that Linux is pretty freaking intimidating for the average computer user.
;)
If acceptance of linux is something that the community wants, then it needs to realize that Windows biggest flaws are also some of its best advantages. Afterall, its so easy to install programs on Windows that they practically do it themselves
The ubiquitous nature of windows makes it very easy to fix your machine should something go wrong. Part of it is due to the fact that there are very few versions of Windows, part of it has to do with the vast user base that windows has. You may not like how MS got there, but dislike of the situation won't change the problem.
To those of you who know how to use linux, remember this: While windows may have a steep learning curve when it comes to administrative work, with Linux the curve is a brick wall for most users.
made of organics, rather than quartz sand
Since they are on Titan, isn't it a bit of a misnomer to refer to them as organics?
It makes me wonder how much of the Methane (or other organic compounds) on Earth were abiogenically created.
If they were anything like the music industry, a little thing such as not being the actual company that produces the phone book wouldn't stop them from suing me.
But in this instance I can't. When confronted with such an asinine comment my gut reactions kick in and all I can think of is:
I want to throw a phonebook at her and knock her off the podium. Preferably mid-sentence with video footage. Big yellow book smacking her in the side of her head from out of nowhere. Sure, I'd go to jail for assault, but that video would be on the internet. Being shared (she would call it stolen) and laughed at by thousands of people. That would be my solace.
Sorry for my lapse of any real discussion, but some people just need a good old whack upside the head.
this family of bacteria will eat everything from refined sugar to tree bark and cow manure!
What about polymer seals?
Looks like I've got to get back to drinking sterno.
The Incredibles Deathmatch.
Everything about the art direction in the game reminds me of that movie... and I love it.
Wouldn't it have to be untrue to be libel?
The only way that statement would be untrue is if it were an engine mounted in the rear. Then it would be thousands of explosions behind the driver.