I've looked into Bibble too. I downloaded the demo of one of the more recent versions for both Mac and Linux. It doesn't bother me at all that it's not open-source. An open-source solution would be great, but I know that companies have to license the raw-format decoders (if that's the right word) from the camera companies. Given that fact, there may never be an OSS solution to the problem.
That having been said, Bibble was (in my experience) pretty darn slow and crashy under both Ubuntu 6.06 and FC 4. I'm nearly positive it wasn't hardware issues either, although I'm not professionally in IT/Linux admin.
I will reiterate that I am interested in having a hand in making a pro-photo friendly linux distro or bundle of (free) software. Even putting together a Web site that focuses on making one distro pro-photo ready. I'm just not sure where to begin or who to talk to. Nor do I have the programming/admin background to piece it all together myself. If anyone has any suggestions on how best to start the process, by all means let me know.
Re:For people who complain about GIMP
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KOffice 1.6 Released
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· Score: 4, Interesting
Not really, because a lot of the people I know that use Pshop and other Win/Mac only photo software can't get the linux stuff to do what we want easily enough.
I need simple support for camera raw files, multiple (including uncommon) colorspaces, exif and IPTC/XMP support and respect, and better image browsing/sorting tools.
I am a professional photographer and have tried to put together a linux system that would meet ALL the requirements of the job, and have been as yet unable to do so. And I don't mean "I took a weekend" kind of trying.
Show me a combination of linux software packages that work as well as (not use the same cpu cycles, not use less memory, not play well with t'0pen s0-urse' file formats) or better than (that's where I get concerned with hardware requirements, hardware compatibility and system overhead) the industry standard Photoshop+PhotoMechanic+NoiseNinja (or some other noise correction software) combo, and I will be frucking amazed.
This actually raises a good question. I'm a professional photographer (news, commercial, portrait and event) and I need to be able to quickly and easily dump a CF card onto a computer, apply IPTC/XMP information to them while or after ingesting the photos, browse collections of these photos (.NEF [Nikon RAW file format], jpeg and tif files), and edit them in or convert them between industry-standard colorspaces such as (but not limited to) CYMK, Adobe 98, and of course, some flavor of sRGB.
Oh yeah, and the software/OS need to support hardware-level or equally good color profiling as well as a general high quality photo scanner, negative scanner (for digging into the older, pre-digital work) and photo printer.
So how do I do it?
PS, I am totally willing to help/advise an ambitious Linux zealot put together a Linux distro or software package that steps it up to the professional level. I and others would love to stop giving Adobe $800 every time they drop a new Pshop. I can't code, but I sure as hell know what needs to be accomplished with the software and am willing to help with look and feel. I'm serious.
Until there is support for the nitty-gritty necessary to the job, pros won't care and consumers will continue to use the 'easier' Win/Mac stuff.
I have a feeling that we (as a country) are still trying to figure out whether the First Ammendment applies to video games. For me, and likely many others, I think they are covered under the First Ammendment as an expressive, albeit interactive, means of communicating.
Working in the news business, I am fairly well aquainted with the notion of prior restraint.
Generally (speaking to the US), prior restraint is allowable (at a court's discretion) only in a VERY narrow margin of cases where publishing certain information could result in a catastrophe of great magnitude. As my old media law prof described, such a piece of information could include a newspaper publishing strategic battle plans which could tip off the enemy and result in great loss of life. The holding of 1931's Near v. Minnesota (also the first case in which prior restraint was really challenged) sets this precedent.
The rule-of-thumb that is applied is to allow nearly anything to publish (be it libelous, inflammatory or even illegal) and let the people/courts sort it out after the public has a chance to view it.
The above-linked Wikipedia article also gets into (surprisingly) the court's ruling on 2600 'publishing' DVD Jon's DeCSS program on their site. Although this doesn't directly correlate to a videogame, the courts DID rule that prior restraint would be allowed here, because the code was not an expression of thought or concept, but rather an actual instrument designed to violate the DMCA.
I don't necessarily agree with that assertion, because publishing the actual text of the code (as opposed to an executable or compiled binary) allows for anyone to see how the code works. Think of it as education. If a person decided to do a copy 'n' paste job and compile the code HIMSELF, I could see where that gets into illegal territory (at least in terms of the DMCA).
My fear is that someone could essentially argue that a videogame is a collection of code designed to inflame, defame or otherwise 'do harm' intentionally and, using the above principles, prevent it from ever seeing the light of day.
I don't see how a videogame could be argued to produce a catastrophe of great magnitude, and I'm sure judges don't either. We can all hypothesize about games where the goal is to kill a teacher or fly a plane into a building, but there would have to be some compelling evidence that the game CAUSES people to do such things or otherwise incites them to act out the game in real life. And that is the crux of the argument against violent videogames. No one knows, as a matter of legal certainty or probability, what effect videogames have on their users.
What I get from seeing this recently renewed interest in 'banning' or regulating videogames is that the courts have taken over ruling where families/society/parents/guardians/siblings/etc. used to.
I don't have children, but you can bet dollars to cents that my child would only be playing games that I feel are appropriate for his age and, more importantly, maturity level. I wouldn't worry about whether my kid's xbox 360 had parental controls because certain games wouldn't be allowed in my house; or at least wouldn't allowed to be played without supervision. But that's my decision and not the courts'.
All this being said, the US doesn't recognize children as full citizens, nor does it afford them the same application of the law as adults. That is a good thing. I'm all in favor of making it a crime to sell games/movies/etc. with certain ratings to minors. We already do it with some publications (teh pr0n).
From a legal standpoint, I am anxious to see where all this goes.
If only putting an "I support the Sudan thingy" icon in your profile could enter you to win concert tickets AND the option to buy a rubber-ish wrist bracelet in a fashionable color for $3.99, then people would REALLY support the whole Sudan thing and look cool doing it. Plus, good ol' Rupert might be able to make a few bucks in addition to helping their PR image.
Would you be talking about the Government whose constituents refer to the Web as "A system of tubes, not trucks?"
The few in the employ of Uncle Sam (or likely many other governments out there)spend their time doing stuff WAAAYYY more interesting than tracking down script kiddies.
As for the police, you really think they have the resources and want to track/stop digital crimes beyond criminal copyright violations and pedopr0n?
It would seem to me that double-clicking Setup.exe and then a handful of "Next" buttons is easier (and more intuitive for non-power-users than sudo apt-get install program (and then hoping that your repository list is correct).
It would also appear that dragging an icon (oddly enough, labeled "Drag this icon to your Applications folder") into your Applications folder is easier and more intuitive for non-power-users than./configure --> make --> make install --> then trying to figure out how/where to execute the program you just compiled and installed.
It's entirely possible that installing software in Linux is very easy to you. I'm also not saying that the process is illogical. It's just that for users who have been using Mac or Windows for the last 10 years, it's a rather long jump to the protocols and processes of modern Linux.
I'm a professional photographer by trade and use very highly complicated systems that allow me full control over the camera and the subject. I can understand why my wife likes her 'push the button and get a pretty decent result' camera way better than my large, heavy and complicated camera that has strange buttons and symbols and requires a fairly deep knowledge of the system to use well.
My point is, I accept that while easy and intuitive for me, my $5000 professional camera is not geared or aimed at everyone. I don't think my wife and my friends are dumb for not being able to use it as well as I.
All that having been said, I have been using Linux off and on since RedHat 6.2 Seawolf, and I think, even today, most Linux distros are BARELY USEABLE for anyone in either of these categories: a) A relatively experienced Win/Mac user and b) people with generally low computer skill.
Why is NASA/the Government/the Public so quick to shut down the space program every time something bad/fatal happens?
I respect the hell out of anyone who has a job that takes them into harm's way. I also think it's amazing that the US has yet to lose one astronaut IN SPACE. However, how many test pilots have been killed jockeying experimental aircraft for NASA and private companies? Should we not build new aircraft because someone might get killed flying it?
We do need to take a serious look at shuttle safety (or the safety of any system used by someone on a dangerous job), but we also need to understand that shit happens, and sometimes people die when it does. That's not a very consoling thing to tell the family, but it's a necessary evil of the business.
Not only would it be a terrible thing to science to lose the manned space program, but it would also mean that all the people related to space exploration who HAVE been killed in accidents related to space exploration died in vain.
Think about where civilization would be today had not men put out to sea without knowledge of whay lie beyond the horizon.
Space tourists aside, most of the astronauts were/are military personnel. They're not unaccustomed to the fact that their jobs might kill them.
There be monsters beyond the edge of the map, and I'm pretty sure the astronauts know it, accept it and would give their lives for it, so that others could return safely.
I agree that the media can be very derelict in their duties these days, but blaming media for everything is a cop-out.
Blaming the media is just another excuse John Q. Public can use to cover his own unwillingess/inability to carry out his civic duties.
People are more than willing to stand in the streets holding signs, but how many spend a similar amount of time researching candidates, becoming involved in their political party, writing to elected officials, VOTING, going to city council meetings, etc?
All those things take time, though, and come with little glory. It's easier to sit around bitching about how bad things are and blaming The Media for your own lethargy, ignorance and failure to actively participate in your own governance.
And even moreso, how popular will this phone be when it costs $600 to take a chance at a 'hack' that might render the phone inoperable?
I don't doubt that some will buy it to play, the market volume isn't there to support a $600 phone with less features than the freebie phones given away with new contracts.
It's only another chapter of the book they can throw at you when you're indicted for tax evasion, being a deadbeat parent or some other Federal-level financial crime.
Also, when will someone get the power of line-item veto so that our ratfucking legislators will stop tacking 'It's ok to remove civil liberties' measures onto bills 'opposed to the wholesale murder of schoolchildren and cute little puppies'?
WTF does port protection have to do with online gambling? No, really, I'd love to hear about it.
I cannot comment on the new SAT. I took it nearly a decade ago.
I can, however comment on the GRE (graduate record exam; like the SAT, but for graduate school admissions), which I took for laughs last fall.
It is my understanding that the new writing portions of the SAT are graded similarly to the written portions of the SAT. Indeed, it is unlikely that any significant portion of the population is able to write The Perfect essay in 25 minutes; especially on a subject not of their choosing.
I am of the belief that a vast majority of my peers, being 20- and 30-somethings, are unable perform adequately in written English. I am not speaking strictly to grammar, punctuation and spelling. In fact, when reading a well-crafted and logical statement, I am all but entirely willing to ignore most syntax and punctuation errors. The problem lies in the fact that every day I am confronted with emails, letters, Web pages, memos and other documents that are not only entirely devoid of technically correct English, but also of coherent thought and logical arguments.
Back to the GRE (and my suppositions about the new SAT). I knew basically nothing about the prompt on which I was asked to expound. I DID know that the GRE graders wouldn't really be looking at what I said, but how I said it. I came up with a logical outline of points to be made and paid close attention to spelling and grammar. I received nearly a perfect score.
I cannot say that I would base someone's college admission on how he performed on the impromptu SAT/GRE written exams, but I would certainly take them as a measure of his critical thinking and organizational skills. After all, nitpicking aside, most people should be well-enough versed in grammar and punctuation after middle school that writing technically correct sentences should be nearly second-nature. However, if one only has a modest grasp on the principles of written language AND a lack of critical/logical thinking abilities, well, that's the deal-breaker. Such deficiencies can at least be partly visualized in such test results.
Of course, some people are 'not good test-takers' and others may have 'had a bad day' while testing. Again, these things do happen. However, life is full of under-pressure situations and bad days. Those who can perform well on exams like these might not be the smartest people in the world, but they are certainly good at beating the system, thinking logically, have intestinal fortitude worth mentioning and will likely do well in real life (that is, life after school).
If a client sends me an email or memo that I have to take extra measures to decipher, I bill for the service. When one of my contractors sends out garbage, I simply don't read it. If it is a consistent problem, I stop 'remembering' to pay them.
No matter what your profession, it is critical to be able to express your thoughts clearly and logically in written language. I'm quite sure I'm not the only person who takes this skill quite seriously.
To the best of my knowledge, I think the US is way behind the times on this. I can't say I am familiar with the practices of every bank in the US, but I know that neither of the two I use have ANYTHING even remotely resembling this brilliant "temp card" scheme.
As yet, my bank doesn't even offer electronic transaction protection on my debit/check card, only on my credit card.
Somewhat offtopic, but I think the reason for the failure of media PCs are that people simply do not have the technical aptitude/want to use them.
The average person doesn't even want to learn that a PC is a possible way to watch a DVD on their TV. They have DVD players with less than 10 buttons to do this.
People don't want to worry about which TV will work with their computers either.
I really can't believe it is the aesthetics of the case keeping them away from media PC's.
Many companies have caught on to the notion that a brand loyalty along the lines of "my team is better than yours" helps sell product.
Commercials will have you believe that Ford is 'worse' than GM because GM is helping the environment, not because they make a better car. In fact, buying a GM is 'helping' to defeat evil Ford.
All the same with Apple and Windows. Instead of buying a Mac because it runs the software you need, or because it is a less virus-prone OS (currently, at least), they want you to buy one to support the company that is working to defeat Microsoft's uptight fascism.
It's not about finding a need for your product in your customer and showing that need to them. It's all about making them feel a certain benevolence towards your company/product.
All though I'm sure a small minority exists, I doubt very seriously that most people still using Win98 or WinME either don't know that there's anything else out there, or don't know what it means that 'support has ended.'
I'd go so far as to hypothesize that many of those still running Win98/ME are running old, unpatched versions of the OSes too.
There are two kinds of people running Win98. Some use it because their expensive enterprise software only runs on 98 (enter VM) and others do it because they don't need anymore functionality, or don't know that something better is out there.
Admittedly, most of the machines that run 98 won't run XP well, but those running 98 can almost definitely run Win2k acceptably; if not as well as 98.
Long story short, there is basically NO incentive for anyone currently running 98/ME to run out and say "OMG, I h4v3 t0 h4v3 teh Linux" or let alone know what linux is, know how to install it, or even where to get it. For the enterprise software folks, Linux doesn't solve anything and Granma is too busy writing letters about holes in the sidewalk to care about OSS.
Without forgetting the possibility that an election was or in the future could be easily rigged, let's take some of the time we're spending throwing around wild accusations and conspiracy theories and spend it seeking out candidates that will pull the US out of its current spiral.
If we have candidates available to us that are not as dumb/evil/corrupt/ignorant, we'll all be better off.
The disenfranchisement, bickering and schoolyard 'my-team's-better-than-yours' mentality are ruining America faster than Bush can.
...And sadly, it doesn't matter. Many CCD and CMOS chips (sensors used in digital cameras) are manufactured by Sony, regardless of whether it's a Panasonic or a Nikon.
I can't speak directly to computing components, but I'll bet Sony has a death-grip on many of the home theater components (by which I mean the pieces-parts inside the TV, cable box, DVD player, etc.).
I totally agree with your post, except for one key factual error.
Running alcohol/ethanol/gasohol or whatever they're calling it these days in your car WILL damage the engine and exhaust unless the car is specifically designed to run alcohol.
The first things to go will be gaskets and seals. They are designed for petroleum-based fuels; not alcohol.
Secondy, newer engines have more computer in them than my office does. Because alcohol burns differently than dino bones, the computers will detect problems and can cause the vehicle to run poorly or cause other systems to overcompensate for the loss of power, thereby wearing stuff out.
Also, burning alcohol in an engine changes the thermodynamics of the cooling system. Plain and simple, it will make your car run cooler. Unlike computers, cooler cars are not better cars. Engines need to run in a certain temperature range for optimal efficiency.
All that being said, I would love to see a law stating that ALL non-diesel cars and trucks need to be FlexFuel capable.
The key to conservation, though, no matter what the fuel source is driving less.
Unfortunately, with or without this registry accusations are often enough to ruin lives.
That being said, if this stands up in the courts, it sets a dangerous precedent that we should all fear.
I believe, in certain cases anyway, that such action would constitute 'obstruction of justice'.
Besides, in this case, it's not the gov't I'm worried about but rather the damn insurance companies.
"We get to ping your car 3 times a day and see how you're doing. Rates will adjust accordingly."
I wanted to play the guitar because it was cool. After a while, my mom got tired of me pounding on it in the basement, so she signed me up for lessons.
Every week my teacher, Paul, wrote out tabs or sheet music for a few songs and expected me to learn them by the next lesson. Typically it was old blues tracks or Beatles or other older stuff with the occasional Nirvana track in there.
I really wish I knew where Paul was these days so I could call the RIAA and work out a deal for a reward for turning in Paul because he violated their IP copyrights by not only being so bold as to teach other people's songs, but also for being so willfully infringing as to write them down for his students.
In all seriousness, RIAA, this goatse's for you: ()0()
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Incorrect. Dell and Gateway shipped millions of computers with Windows ME installed.
Ok, mod me down now.
I've looked into Bibble too. I downloaded the demo of one of the more recent versions for both Mac and Linux. It doesn't bother me at all that it's not open-source. An open-source solution would be great, but I know that companies have to license the raw-format decoders (if that's the right word) from the camera companies. Given that fact, there may never be an OSS solution to the problem.
That having been said, Bibble was (in my experience) pretty darn slow and crashy under both Ubuntu 6.06 and FC 4. I'm nearly positive it wasn't hardware issues either, although I'm not professionally in IT/Linux admin.
I will reiterate that I am interested in having a hand in making a pro-photo friendly linux distro or bundle of (free) software. Even putting together a Web site that focuses on making one distro pro-photo ready. I'm just not sure where to begin or who to talk to. Nor do I have the programming/admin background to piece it all together myself. If anyone has any suggestions on how best to start the process, by all means let me know.
Not really, because a lot of the people I know that use Pshop and other Win/Mac only photo software can't get the linux stuff to do what we want easily enough.
I need simple support for camera raw files, multiple (including uncommon) colorspaces, exif and IPTC/XMP support and respect, and better image browsing/sorting tools.
I am a professional photographer and have tried to put together a linux system that would meet ALL the requirements of the job, and have been as yet unable to do so. And I don't mean "I took a weekend" kind of trying.
Show me a combination of linux software packages that work as well as (not use the same cpu cycles, not use less memory, not play well with t'0pen s0-urse' file formats) or better than (that's where I get concerned with hardware requirements, hardware compatibility and system overhead) the industry standard Photoshop+PhotoMechanic+NoiseNinja (or some other noise correction software) combo, and I will be frucking amazed.
This actually raises a good question. I'm a professional photographer (news, commercial, portrait and event) and I need to be able to quickly and easily dump a CF card onto a computer, apply IPTC/XMP information to them while or after ingesting the photos, browse collections of these photos (.NEF [Nikon RAW file format], jpeg and tif files), and edit them in or convert them between industry-standard colorspaces such as (but not limited to) CYMK, Adobe 98, and of course, some flavor of sRGB.
Oh yeah, and the software/OS need to support hardware-level or equally good color profiling as well as a general high quality photo scanner, negative scanner (for digging into the older, pre-digital work) and photo printer.
So how do I do it?
PS, I am totally willing to help/advise an ambitious Linux zealot put together a Linux distro or software package that steps it up to the professional level. I and others would love to stop giving Adobe $800 every time they drop a new Pshop. I can't code, but I sure as hell know what needs to be accomplished with the software and am willing to help with look and feel. I'm serious.
Until there is support for the nitty-gritty necessary to the job, pros won't care and consumers will continue to use the 'easier' Win/Mac stuff.
I have a feeling that we (as a country) are still trying to figure out whether the First Ammendment applies to video games. For me, and likely many others, I think they are covered under the First Ammendment as an expressive, albeit interactive, means of communicating.
Working in the news business, I am fairly well aquainted with the notion of prior restraint.
Generally (speaking to the US), prior restraint is allowable (at a court's discretion) only in a VERY narrow margin of cases where publishing certain information could result in a catastrophe of great magnitude. As my old media law prof described, such a piece of information could include a newspaper publishing strategic battle plans which could tip off the enemy and result in great loss of life. The holding of 1931's Near v. Minnesota (also the first case in which prior restraint was really challenged) sets this precedent.
The rule-of-thumb that is applied is to allow nearly anything to publish (be it libelous, inflammatory or even illegal) and let the people/courts sort it out after the public has a chance to view it.
The above-linked Wikipedia article also gets into (surprisingly) the court's ruling on 2600 'publishing' DVD Jon's DeCSS program on their site. Although this doesn't directly correlate to a videogame, the courts DID rule that prior restraint would be allowed here, because the code was not an expression of thought or concept, but rather an actual instrument designed to violate the DMCA.
I don't necessarily agree with that assertion, because publishing the actual text of the code (as opposed to an executable or compiled binary) allows for anyone to see how the code works. Think of it as education. If a person decided to do a copy 'n' paste job and compile the code HIMSELF, I could see where that gets into illegal territory (at least in terms of the DMCA).
My fear is that someone could essentially argue that a videogame is a collection of code designed to inflame, defame or otherwise 'do harm' intentionally and, using the above principles, prevent it from ever seeing the light of day.
I don't see how a videogame could be argued to produce a catastrophe of great magnitude, and I'm sure judges don't either. We can all hypothesize about games where the goal is to kill a teacher or fly a plane into a building, but there would have to be some compelling evidence that the game CAUSES people to do such things or otherwise incites them to act out the game in real life. And that is the crux of the argument against violent videogames. No one knows, as a matter of legal certainty or probability, what effect videogames have on their users.
What I get from seeing this recently renewed interest in 'banning' or regulating videogames is that the courts have taken over ruling where families/society/parents/guardians/siblings/etc. used to.
I don't have children, but you can bet dollars to cents that my child would only be playing games that I feel are appropriate for his age and, more importantly, maturity level. I wouldn't worry about whether my kid's xbox 360 had parental controls because certain games wouldn't be allowed in my house; or at least wouldn't allowed to be played without supervision. But that's my decision and not the courts'.
All this being said, the US doesn't recognize children as full citizens, nor does it afford them the same application of the law as adults. That is a good thing. I'm all in favor of making it a crime to sell games/movies/etc. with certain ratings to minors. We already do it with some publications (teh pr0n).
From a legal standpoint, I am anxious to see where all this goes.
If only putting an "I support the Sudan thingy" icon in your profile could enter you to win concert tickets AND the option to buy a rubber-ish wrist bracelet in a fashionable color for $3.99, then people would REALLY support the whole Sudan thing and look cool doing it. Plus, good ol' Rupert might be able to make a few bucks in addition to helping their PR image.
Would you be talking about the Government whose constituents refer to the Web as "A system of tubes, not trucks?"
The few in the employ of Uncle Sam (or likely many other governments out there)spend their time doing stuff WAAAYYY more interesting than tracking down script kiddies.
As for the police, you really think they have the resources and want to track/stop digital crimes beyond criminal copyright violations and pedopr0n?
Are you sure about that?
It would seem to me that double-clicking Setup.exe and then a handful of "Next" buttons is easier (and more intuitive for non-power-users than sudo apt-get install program (and then hoping that your repository list is correct).
It would also appear that dragging an icon (oddly enough, labeled "Drag this icon to your Applications folder") into your Applications folder is easier and more intuitive for non-power-users than ./configure --> make --> make install --> then trying to figure out how/where to execute the program you just compiled and installed.
It's entirely possible that installing software in Linux is very easy to you. I'm also not saying that the process is illogical. It's just that for users who have been using Mac or Windows for the last 10 years, it's a rather long jump to the protocols and processes of modern Linux.
I'm a professional photographer by trade and use very highly complicated systems that allow me full control over the camera and the subject. I can understand why my wife likes her 'push the button and get a pretty decent result' camera way better than my large, heavy and complicated camera that has strange buttons and symbols and requires a fairly deep knowledge of the system to use well.
My point is, I accept that while easy and intuitive for me, my $5000 professional camera is not geared or aimed at everyone. I don't think my wife and my friends are dumb for not being able to use it as well as I.
All that having been said, I have been using Linux off and on since RedHat 6.2 Seawolf, and I think, even today, most Linux distros are BARELY USEABLE for anyone in either of these categories: a) A relatively experienced Win/Mac user and b) people with generally low computer skill.
Why is NASA/the Government/the Public so quick to shut down the space program every time something bad/fatal happens?
I respect the hell out of anyone who has a job that takes them into harm's way. I also think it's amazing that the US has yet to lose one astronaut IN SPACE. However, how many test pilots have been killed jockeying experimental aircraft for NASA and private companies? Should we not build new aircraft because someone might get killed flying it?
We do need to take a serious look at shuttle safety (or the safety of any system used by someone on a dangerous job), but we also need to understand that shit happens, and sometimes people die when it does. That's not a very consoling thing to tell the family, but it's a necessary evil of the business.
Not only would it be a terrible thing to science to lose the manned space program, but it would also mean that all the people related to space exploration who HAVE been killed in accidents related to space exploration died in vain.
Think about where civilization would be today had not men put out to sea without knowledge of whay lie beyond the horizon.
Space tourists aside, most of the astronauts were/are military personnel. They're not unaccustomed to the fact that their jobs might kill them.
There be monsters beyond the edge of the map, and I'm pretty sure the astronauts know it, accept it and would give their lives for it, so that others could return safely.
It's almost as if the Internet is a part of real life!
Even Washington is beginning to at least see, if not accept that fact.
I agree that the media can be very derelict in their duties these days, but blaming media for everything is a cop-out.
Blaming the media is just another excuse John Q. Public can use to cover his own unwillingess/inability to carry out his civic duties.
People are more than willing to stand in the streets holding signs, but how many spend a similar amount of time researching candidates, becoming involved in their political party, writing to elected officials, VOTING, going to city council meetings, etc?
All those things take time, though, and come with little glory. It's easier to sit around bitching about how bad things are and blaming The Media for your own lethargy, ignorance and failure to actively participate in your own governance.
And even moreso, how popular will this phone be when it costs $600 to take a chance at a 'hack' that might render the phone inoperable?
I don't doubt that some will buy it to play, the market volume isn't there to support a $600 phone with less features than the freebie phones given away with new contracts.
How is this possibly enforceable?
Wait! I know! It's not!
It's only another chapter of the book they can throw at you when you're indicted for tax evasion, being a deadbeat parent or some other Federal-level financial crime.
Also, when will someone get the power of line-item veto so that our ratfucking legislators will stop tacking 'It's ok to remove civil liberties' measures onto bills 'opposed to the wholesale murder of schoolchildren and cute little puppies'?
WTF does port protection have to do with online gambling? No, really, I'd love to hear about it.
I cannot comment on the new SAT. I took it nearly a decade ago.
I can, however comment on the GRE (graduate record exam; like the SAT, but for graduate school admissions), which I took for laughs last fall.
It is my understanding that the new writing portions of the SAT are graded similarly to the written portions of the SAT. Indeed, it is unlikely that any significant portion of the population is able to write The Perfect essay in 25 minutes; especially on a subject not of their choosing.
I am of the belief that a vast majority of my peers, being 20- and 30-somethings, are unable perform adequately in written English. I am not speaking strictly to grammar, punctuation and spelling. In fact, when reading a well-crafted and logical statement, I am all but entirely willing to ignore most syntax and punctuation errors. The problem lies in the fact that every day I am confronted with emails, letters, Web pages, memos and other documents that are not only entirely devoid of technically correct English, but also of coherent thought and logical arguments.
Back to the GRE (and my suppositions about the new SAT). I knew basically nothing about the prompt on which I was asked to expound. I DID know that the GRE graders wouldn't really be looking at what I said, but how I said it. I came up with a logical outline of points to be made and paid close attention to spelling and grammar. I received nearly a perfect score.
I cannot say that I would base someone's college admission on how he performed on the impromptu SAT/GRE written exams, but I would certainly take them as a measure of his critical thinking and organizational skills. After all, nitpicking aside, most people should be well-enough versed in grammar and punctuation after middle school that writing technically correct sentences should be nearly second-nature. However, if one only has a modest grasp on the principles of written language AND a lack of critical/logical thinking abilities, well, that's the deal-breaker. Such deficiencies can at least be partly visualized in such test results.
Of course, some people are 'not good test-takers' and others may have 'had a bad day' while testing. Again, these things do happen. However, life is full of under-pressure situations and bad days. Those who can perform well on exams like these might not be the smartest people in the world, but they are certainly good at beating the system, thinking logically, have intestinal fortitude worth mentioning and will likely do well in real life (that is, life after school).
If a client sends me an email or memo that I have to take extra measures to decipher, I bill for the service. When one of my contractors sends out garbage, I simply don't read it. If it is a consistent problem, I stop 'remembering' to pay them.
No matter what your profession, it is critical to be able to express your thoughts clearly and logically in written language. I'm quite sure I'm not the only person who takes this skill quite seriously.
To the best of my knowledge, I think the US is way behind the times on this. I can't say I am familiar with the practices of every bank in the US, but I know that neither of the two I use have ANYTHING even remotely resembling this brilliant "temp card" scheme. As yet, my bank doesn't even offer electronic transaction protection on my debit/check card, only on my credit card.
Somewhat offtopic, but I think the reason for the failure of media PCs are that people simply do not have the technical aptitude/want to use them. The average person doesn't even want to learn that a PC is a possible way to watch a DVD on their TV. They have DVD players with less than 10 buttons to do this. People don't want to worry about which TV will work with their computers either. I really can't believe it is the aesthetics of the case keeping them away from media PC's.
Many companies have caught on to the notion that a brand loyalty along the lines of "my team is better than yours" helps sell product.
Commercials will have you believe that Ford is 'worse' than GM because GM is helping the environment, not because they make a better car. In fact, buying a GM is 'helping' to defeat evil Ford.
All the same with Apple and Windows. Instead of buying a Mac because it runs the software you need, or because it is a less virus-prone OS (currently, at least), they want you to buy one to support the company that is working to defeat Microsoft's uptight fascism.
It's not about finding a need for your product in your customer and showing that need to them. It's all about making them feel a certain benevolence towards your company/product.
All though I'm sure a small minority exists, I doubt very seriously that most people still using Win98 or WinME either don't know that there's anything else out there, or don't know what it means that 'support has ended.' I'd go so far as to hypothesize that many of those still running Win98/ME are running old, unpatched versions of the OSes too. There are two kinds of people running Win98. Some use it because their expensive enterprise software only runs on 98 (enter VM) and others do it because they don't need anymore functionality, or don't know that something better is out there. Admittedly, most of the machines that run 98 won't run XP well, but those running 98 can almost definitely run Win2k acceptably; if not as well as 98. Long story short, there is basically NO incentive for anyone currently running 98/ME to run out and say "OMG, I h4v3 t0 h4v3 teh Linux" or let alone know what linux is, know how to install it, or even where to get it. For the enterprise software folks, Linux doesn't solve anything and Granma is too busy writing letters about holes in the sidewalk to care about OSS.
"It's amazing people still don't understand what a griefer is." Isn't a griefer one of the Sutherlands?
Mutha f*ckin' LASERS on a CHIP
Without forgetting the possibility that an election was or in the future could be easily rigged, let's take some of the time we're spending throwing around wild accusations and conspiracy theories and spend it seeking out candidates that will pull the US out of its current spiral. If we have candidates available to us that are not as dumb/evil/corrupt/ignorant, we'll all be better off. The disenfranchisement, bickering and schoolyard 'my-team's-better-than-yours' mentality are ruining America faster than Bush can.
...And sadly, it doesn't matter. Many CCD and CMOS chips (sensors used in digital cameras) are manufactured by Sony, regardless of whether it's a Panasonic or a Nikon. I can't speak directly to computing components, but I'll bet Sony has a death-grip on many of the home theater components (by which I mean the pieces-parts inside the TV, cable box, DVD player, etc.).
I totally agree with your post, except for one key factual error. Running alcohol/ethanol/gasohol or whatever they're calling it these days in your car WILL damage the engine and exhaust unless the car is specifically designed to run alcohol. The first things to go will be gaskets and seals. They are designed for petroleum-based fuels; not alcohol. Secondy, newer engines have more computer in them than my office does. Because alcohol burns differently than dino bones, the computers will detect problems and can cause the vehicle to run poorly or cause other systems to overcompensate for the loss of power, thereby wearing stuff out. Also, burning alcohol in an engine changes the thermodynamics of the cooling system. Plain and simple, it will make your car run cooler. Unlike computers, cooler cars are not better cars. Engines need to run in a certain temperature range for optimal efficiency. All that being said, I would love to see a law stating that ALL non-diesel cars and trucks need to be FlexFuel capable. The key to conservation, though, no matter what the fuel source is driving less.
Unfortunately, with or without this registry accusations are often enough to ruin lives. That being said, if this stands up in the courts, it sets a dangerous precedent that we should all fear.
I believe, in certain cases anyway, that such action would constitute 'obstruction of justice'. Besides, in this case, it's not the gov't I'm worried about but rather the damn insurance companies. "We get to ping your car 3 times a day and see how you're doing. Rates will adjust accordingly."
I wanted to play the guitar because it was cool. After a while, my mom got tired of me pounding on it in the basement, so she signed me up for lessons. Every week my teacher, Paul, wrote out tabs or sheet music for a few songs and expected me to learn them by the next lesson. Typically it was old blues tracks or Beatles or other older stuff with the occasional Nirvana track in there. I really wish I knew where Paul was these days so I could call the RIAA and work out a deal for a reward for turning in Paul because he violated their IP copyrights by not only being so bold as to teach other people's songs, but also for being so willfully infringing as to write them down for his students. In all seriousness, RIAA, this goatse's for you: ()0()