Let's see...
bad law: Any law concerning technology.
There needs to be environmental laws to make sure we don't destroy the environment.
Other than that, everything else concerning technology should be nothing more than suggestive guidelines.
So much time and money is spent on regulating technology. The problem with that is the fact that technology changes too fast.
There is no point in arguing about what we can or cannot do with certain technologies because in a few years when the specific technology is extinct/obsolete, no one will care and we will have a bunch of pointless laws on the books that do nothing but hinder the advancement of technology.
I can certainly understand the need for wheelchair access and other amenities for the disabled, but you're talking to the internet community here. You can't require all of us to program everything with the disabled in mind. Time is better spent looking for solutions to cure actual disabilities than to rewrite everything on the internet.
The internet was not designed with the disabled in mind. Sorry to say, but I don't believe the future internet(s) will be either.
Your best hope is going to be technology that helps the disabled adapt to the world rather than forcing the world to adapt to the disabled.
Addicts or fun lovin' groovy cats that are on to your "restrictions" and "morals" bah
I hate to point you to a NORML page, but take a look at this: http://www.norml.com/index.cfm?Group_ID=7073
If we just legalize it, then I wouldn't need anything harder. The government is capable of making some really premo stuff. lol
Besides, for me, harder stuff isn't for when pot won't cut it. It's for when I want to dance all night and get laid.
Caffeine is a hell of a drug.
But health care is the problem. We could build more hospitals. We can help people treat their problems instead of out casting them into an unwanted sub-culture which just gets worse every day. The big line for major surgery is not caused by Canada's relaxed views on drugs. Are you saying that your medical needs are to be put above everyone else's? I envision a future where our children are free to make their own choices (as long as they don't hurt others or jeopardize the freedom of others) and where everyone is able to get equal medical attention when they really need it. Don't you see? You won't pay more in taxes because what you're paying for now requires a ridiculously large amount of taxpayer money and it obviously doesn't work.
It sounds like you're implying that being a "stoner" is a bad thing. The big picture is that countries with relaxed drug laws traditionally have lower crime rates and lower drug usage among its citizens.
A good part of the reason (yes reason, not problem) why people habitually smoke marijuanna cirgarettes is because it is illegal. There are some countries where you can legally buy your meds in brown paper bags which takes away the thrill and excitement of obtaining it illegally. Initial drug use would certainly rise if legalized, but would eventually drop down below where it stands now. People are going to use drugs weather it's legal or not. There's no way around that.
One of my best friends initially became interested in smokin' bud because of all the neat bongs they had to show him at the DARE program. My little sister came home once after attending the DARE program and was excited to tell everyone about all the different drugs she had learned about. I feel that keeping them illegal and educating kids about them is the wrong way to go. There was a quote I once saw on/. that went something like "There are three ways to get things done: Do it yourself, hire someone else to do it, or tell your kids not to do it." Teenagers, by nature, will find ways to rebel and will do things just to spite you. Making it illegal and telling them not to do it is just as bad as giving it to them.
How about educating them on addiction and abuse rather than telling them that daddy had to go to jail because he needs a little pick-me-up during the day? I drink 4 to 5 cups of coffee every morning which I feel is worse than doing a little coke every once in a while. Believe me - both are equally addicting. I would even say that coffee is worse. Man, a nice hot cup of freshly brewed coffee - balanced, smooth, yet rich in flavor - sure sounds good right now. Way better than the cocaine "drip" I would have to deal with otherwise.
"enhanced drugs" eh? I for one can't wait for the government to legalize it so we can really get some good drugs up in here. Get the FDA to impose quality standards. Let the tobacco companies fight over selling higher quality strains for competing prices. After all, everyone knows that the government's stuff is pretty damn good.
"okay, so it will be replaced by a shifty gun dealer or a shifty pimp. your point?"- The point is that I will no longer have to work with shady drug dealers. I pray for the day where I won't need to be concerned about weather or not these shrooms' will kill me.
And for your thought on depression - Good ol' Mary Jane cured my depression. I'll tell ya, I was a depressed little kid on the verge of suicide before I was introduced to mother nature. It helps me sleep, it helps me eat, and it helps me socialize. I find nothing wrong with laughing uncontrollably.
"You can obviously get them, so why do you care so much if everyone else can?" - It's not that I care about anyone else's ability to get them, it's that I don't feel drug users should be discriminated against because of their addictions, or in my case, hobbies.
And one more thing I'd like to talk about is your fear of inflated prices due to legalization. If we didn't dump all of our hard earned tax dollars into the criminalization of drugs (police forces, courts, prisons) then we would certainly be able to afford health care for every American citizen. We would then be able to clean up this great nation and get people out of prison and back to work where they can have a positive influence on our society.
justinlee37 - sorry about responding to this idiot for you - I hope you don't mind.
I never said it was IBM's fault that we hadn't applied updates for several years. I just suggested that if you do operate one of these things, it's a good idea to stay updated so as to avoid days of updates when your current system no longer fills your needs.
On our old AS/400 - you could hold down F5 and it would eat away at CPU until the system was unresponsive - No longer possible on the i5 though. Must have been an update somewhere along the line.
We're now using java based 5250 emulation on some things, not green screens, but point and click buttons - which basically just select option 1 on the menu item.
Except it crashes every once in a while. I'm not a big fan of java anymore. Client Access is great; you don't need a GUI for what you do in OS/400. Besides, it would be impossible to convert everyone's third party software to implement some sort of GUI.
I seriously don't see IBM's AS/400 as the wave of the future. For those of you who get to support these green screen monsters - keep up on your PTF's. I had the unpleasant task of migrating from an AS/400 to an i5 shortly after I started working for a university. We hadn't applied any updates in a few years and it was a nightmare trying to get our different software packages to run on the new system. If it wasn't a licensing issue then it was a hardware compatibility problem. Turns out the new i5's ship with gig ethernet controllers built into the motherboards that don't support older protocols. Fun for all - especially since most OS/400 applications are horribly old. It's solid as a rock over all - as long as you don't hit refresh too many times and lock up 99% of the cpu.
I will gladly pay an extra 3 bills for richer content and the ability to load everything off of one disc. In fact, if the average person's internet was fast enough - I would suggest getting rid of cd's all together. It's hard enough keeping track of one cd as it is, and then you still have to worry about scratches on all of them. I've been fighting an xbox with a messed up drive tray; the only game that will still play is halo 2 and then only sometimes. weak. I can't wait until we have no moving parts. That would be awesome.
Why is this guy modded as insightful? Sounds like he should go buy some old pos off of eBay if he likes disc-swapping so much. He could probably buy two of them with the $300 he will save on not investing in the future.
It just seems stupid to me that anyone would want to put any kind of restrictions on technology whatsoever. New technology is based on other previously developed technologies - a lot of which keeps us alive and healthy. Sure, there is a definite need for standards, but let's not dumb down the collective intelligence of the human race by limiting ourselves with restrictions.
Some technology development, stem cell research for example, may be deemed immoral; however, it shouldn't be illegal. What if no one had illegally dug up cadavers for medical research? We would still be living in the 18th century! I say that if we are burdened by technological restrictions imposed by governments (or whomever) then we should move to develop better technology that obsoletes their stupid rules. Take DRM and similar copy protection - Why go to all the trouble of making laws that restrict people from copying stuff when 20 years from now, these forms of media and restrictive technologies will most likely be as out of date as those punch cards your grandma used to program?
Let the Chinese have their own little internet with all their content restrictions. I could see a new Internet taking hold around the world, but not from a country that goes around beating dogs to death with large sticks. I just won't have any part of it!
--
I'm right, even if you don't know it yet. I'm super cereal you guys.
Sure, building up your resume is an important thing - but just because you have some MS certs doesn't mean that I'm gonna trust you to know what the hell you're talking about. I see too many people nowadays digging themselves into a pit of student loans just to get a degree in whatever last minute major they're able to grab. Then, hoping that a crappy bio degree will land them a high paying job, -- I'll stop here.
Employers need to take a look at what you are actually capable of doing (especially in the IT field) and ignore all of the hyped-up watermark embedded paper. If you can't do the job, then why hire you? If you can, show me.
--
Do what you love people, otherwise it's just not worth it.
Nothin' new. I've worked in the computer repair industry for about 10 years now and I've had this happen to about 6 or 7 drives in my time. Never straight out of the box though. I always assumed it was from dust. Yes, mostly Maxtor drives, a couple of WD's and an IBM. Still, not as cool as a good ol' power supply explosion.
Slashdot Mirror
Let's see...
bad law: Any law concerning technology.
There needs to be environmental laws to make sure we don't destroy the environment.
Other than that, everything else concerning technology should be nothing more than suggestive guidelines.
So much time and money is spent on regulating technology. The problem with that is the fact that technology changes too fast. There is no point in arguing about what we can or cannot do with certain technologies because in a few years when the specific technology is extinct/obsolete, no one will care and we will have a bunch of pointless laws on the books that do nothing but hinder the advancement of technology.
I can certainly understand the need for wheelchair access and other amenities for the disabled, but you're talking to the internet community here. You can't require all of us to program everything with the disabled in mind. Time is better spent looking for solutions to cure actual disabilities than to rewrite everything on the internet.
The internet was not designed with the disabled in mind. Sorry to say, but I don't believe the future internet(s) will be either. Your best hope is going to be technology that helps the disabled adapt to the world rather than forcing the world to adapt to the disabled.
Let's see -
Coke: Because I'm a party animal.
Meth: Nah, not my drug. too dirty.
Heroine: Same as meth, not a big needle fan.
Pot: Willie Nelson seems fine.
Shrooms: I like to trip balls every now and then.
E: I never knew techno music had a purpose until now.
--
Drugs are bad mmkay - you shouldn't do drugs. You shouldn't tell me not to do them either.
Addicts or fun lovin' groovy cats that are on to your "restrictions" and "morals" bah
I hate to point you to a NORML page, but take a look at this: http://www.norml.com/index.cfm?Group_ID=7073
If we just legalize it, then I wouldn't need anything harder. The government is capable of making some really premo stuff. lol
Besides, for me, harder stuff isn't for when pot won't cut it. It's for when I want to dance all night and get laid.
Caffeine is a hell of a drug.
But health care is the problem. We could build more hospitals. We can help people treat their problems instead of out casting them into an unwanted sub-culture which just gets worse every day. The big line for major surgery is not caused by Canada's relaxed views on drugs. Are you saying that your medical needs are to be put above everyone else's? I envision a future where our children are free to make their own choices (as long as they don't hurt others or jeopardize the freedom of others) and where everyone is able to get equal medical attention when they really need it. Don't you see? You won't pay more in taxes because what you're paying for now requires a ridiculously large amount of taxpayer money and it obviously doesn't work.
It sounds like you're implying that being a "stoner" is a bad thing. The big picture is that countries with relaxed drug laws traditionally have lower crime rates and lower drug usage among its citizens.
A good part of the reason (yes reason, not problem) why people habitually smoke marijuanna cirgarettes is because it is illegal. There are some countries where you can legally buy your meds in brown paper bags which takes away the thrill and excitement of obtaining it illegally. Initial drug use would certainly rise if legalized, but would eventually drop down below where it stands now. People are going to use drugs weather it's legal or not. There's no way around that.
/. that went something like "There are three ways to get things done: Do it yourself, hire someone else to do it, or tell your kids not to do it." Teenagers, by nature, will find ways to rebel and will do things just to spite you. Making it illegal and telling them not to do it is just as bad as giving it to them.
One of my best friends initially became interested in smokin' bud because of all the neat bongs they had to show him at the DARE program. My little sister came home once after attending the DARE program and was excited to tell everyone about all the different drugs she had learned about. I feel that keeping them illegal and educating kids about them is the wrong way to go. There was a quote I once saw on
How about educating them on addiction and abuse rather than telling them that daddy had to go to jail because he needs a little pick-me-up during the day? I drink 4 to 5 cups of coffee every morning which I feel is worse than doing a little coke every once in a while. Believe me - both are equally addicting. I would even say that coffee is worse. Man, a nice hot cup of freshly brewed coffee - balanced, smooth, yet rich in flavor - sure sounds good right now. Way better than the cocaine "drip" I would have to deal with otherwise.
"enhanced drugs" eh? I for one can't wait for the government to legalize it so we can really get some good drugs up in here. Get the FDA to impose quality standards. Let the tobacco companies fight over selling higher quality strains for competing prices. After all, everyone knows that the government's stuff is pretty damn good.
"okay, so it will be replaced by a shifty gun dealer or a shifty pimp. your point?"- The point is that I will no longer have to work with shady drug dealers. I pray for the day where I won't need to be concerned about weather or not these shrooms' will kill me.
And for your thought on depression - Good ol' Mary Jane cured my depression. I'll tell ya, I was a depressed little kid on the verge of suicide before I was introduced to mother nature. It helps me sleep, it helps me eat, and it helps me socialize. I find nothing wrong with laughing uncontrollably.
"You can obviously get them, so why do you care so much if everyone else can?" - It's not that I care about anyone else's ability to get them, it's that I don't feel drug users should be discriminated against because of their addictions, or in my case, hobbies.
And one more thing I'd like to talk about is your fear of inflated prices due to legalization. If we didn't dump all of our hard earned tax dollars into the criminalization of drugs (police forces, courts, prisons) then we would certainly be able to afford health care for every American citizen. We would then be able to clean up this great nation and get people out of prison and back to work where they can have a positive influence on our society.
justinlee37 - sorry about responding to this idiot for you - I hope you don't mind.
kz45 - don't knock it till' ya try it.
--
One word: Freedom.
I never said it was IBM's fault that we hadn't applied updates for several years. I just suggested that if you do operate one of these things, it's a good idea to stay updated so as to avoid days of updates when your current system no longer fills your needs. On our old AS/400 - you could hold down F5 and it would eat away at CPU until the system was unresponsive - No longer possible on the i5 though. Must have been an update somewhere along the line. We're now using java based 5250 emulation on some things, not green screens, but point and click buttons - which basically just select option 1 on the menu item. Except it crashes every once in a while. I'm not a big fan of java anymore. Client Access is great; you don't need a GUI for what you do in OS/400. Besides, it would be impossible to convert everyone's third party software to implement some sort of GUI.
I seriously don't see IBM's AS/400 as the wave of the future. For those of you who get to support these green screen monsters - keep up on your PTF's. I had the unpleasant task of migrating from an AS/400 to an i5 shortly after I started working for a university. We hadn't applied any updates in a few years and it was a nightmare trying to get our different software packages to run on the new system. If it wasn't a licensing issue then it was a hardware compatibility problem. Turns out the new i5's ship with gig ethernet controllers built into the motherboards that don't support older protocols. Fun for all - especially since most OS/400 applications are horribly old. It's solid as a rock over all - as long as you don't hit refresh too many times and lock up 99% of the cpu.
I will gladly pay an extra 3 bills for richer content and the ability to load everything off of one disc. In fact, if the average person's internet was fast enough - I would suggest getting rid of cd's all together. It's hard enough keeping track of one cd as it is, and then you still have to worry about scratches on all of them. I've been fighting an xbox with a messed up drive tray; the only game that will still play is halo 2 and then only sometimes. weak. I can't wait until we have no moving parts. That would be awesome. Why is this guy modded as insightful? Sounds like he should go buy some old pos off of eBay if he likes disc-swapping so much. He could probably buy two of them with the $300 he will save on not investing in the future.
It just seems stupid to me that anyone would want to put any kind of restrictions on technology whatsoever. New technology is based on other previously developed technologies - a lot of which keeps us alive and healthy. Sure, there is a definite need for standards, but let's not dumb down the collective intelligence of the human race by limiting ourselves with restrictions.
Some technology development, stem cell research for example, may be deemed immoral; however, it shouldn't be illegal. What if no one had illegally dug up cadavers for medical research? We would still be living in the 18th century! I say that if we are burdened by technological restrictions imposed by governments (or whomever) then we should move to develop better technology that obsoletes their stupid rules. Take DRM and similar copy protection - Why go to all the trouble of making laws that restrict people from copying stuff when 20 years from now, these forms of media and restrictive technologies will most likely be as out of date as those punch cards your grandma used to program?
Let the Chinese have their own little internet with all their content restrictions. I could see a new Internet taking hold around the world, but not from a country that goes around beating dogs to death with large sticks. I just won't have any part of it!
--I'm right, even if you don't know it yet. I'm super cereal you guys.
Sure, building up your resume is an important thing - but just because you have some MS certs doesn't mean that I'm gonna trust you to know what the hell you're talking about. I see too many people nowadays digging themselves into a pit of student loans just to get a degree in whatever last minute major they're able to grab. Then, hoping that a crappy bio degree will land them a high paying job, -- I'll stop here.
Employers need to take a look at what you are actually capable of doing (especially in the IT field) and ignore all of the hyped-up watermark embedded paper. If you can't do the job, then why hire you? If you can, show me.
--
Do what you love people, otherwise it's just not worth it.
Nothin' new. I've worked in the computer repair industry for about 10 years now and I've had this happen to about 6 or 7 drives in my time. Never straight out of the box though. I always assumed it was from dust. Yes, mostly Maxtor drives, a couple of WD's and an IBM. Still, not as cool as a good ol' power supply explosion.