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Comment He's an MBA, right? (Score 2) 343

by Rambo Tribble (#47141073) Attached to: Comcast CEO Brian Roberts Opens Mouth, Inserts Foot
For some time MBA training has concentrated on offering the least while charging the most. Ethics, social responsibility, even just basic human decency have no ROI, so they've been thrown overboard. The goal is to control a market, then milk it for all it's worth. Part and parcel of that is letting QoS degrade while consistently undercutting your labor force. As the C-whatever, you make your quaterly bonuses, the shareholders are delighted, and the company gradually degrades until it is a mere shell. Of course, you've moved on and the collapsing hulk you left behind is someone else's problem. Then it's time for the government bailout. Welcome to the modern business model.

Comment Charge them ... (Score 4, Insightful) 185

by Rambo Tribble (#47140993) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Taking a New Tack On Net Neutrality?

... and they will flee. If those who provide services are charged more, they will pass those costs to the students. If the students are forced to pay more, they'll do their online ordering on free wifi at the coffee shop, (and look for a cheaper place to live). By providing network access, you are providing a useful service that enhances the appeal of you rentals. Diminish the quality or value of that service, and you diminish the value of your rental.

Submission + - Daniel Ellsberg criticizes Kerry for calling Snowden a coward and traitor (theguardian.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Daniel Ellsberg, the former Defence Department staff who leaked the Vietnam War Pentagon Papers to the New York Times has some harsh criticism of Kerry's recent call for Snowden to come back to USA and "man up".

"Nothing excuses Kerry's slanderous and despicable characterisations of a young man who, in my opinion, has done more than anyone in or out of government in this century to demonstrate his patriotism, moral courage and loyalty to the oath of office the three of us swore: to support and defend the Constitution of the United States," he concludes.

Submission + - Congressman Introduces Bill to Limit FCC Powers

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Representative Bob Latta (R-OH) introduced a bill on Wednesday that would limit the FCC's power to regulate ISPs in a supposed effort to keep the internet free. The bill's text is currently not available on the Library of Congress webpage or on congress.gov, but a purported copy has been spotted on scribd. Representative Latta's press release nevertheless indicates that the bill is intended to prevent the FCC from re-classifying ISPs as common carriers under Title II. Latta is one of the 28 representatives who lobbied the FCC earlier this month and were shown to have received double the average monetary donations given to all House of Representative members from the cable industry over a two year period ending this past December.

Submission + - Oregon vs. Oracle: The Battle of Blame Heats Up

Submitted by Rambo Tribble
Rambo Tribble writes: The ongoing efforts to assign responsibility for the disastrous attempts to create the Cover Oregon health exchange, the primary contractor for which was Oracle Corporation, have entered a new round, with Governor John Kitzhaber calling on State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum to initiate legal action against the firm. Kitzhaber has also sought the help of Washington D.C. in sanctioning Oracle, though Oregon's own management of the project and the terms of their contract with Oracle muddy the waters, considerably. Although the AG's office hasn't committed to filing suit, yet, AG Rosenblum has said, 'I share your determination to recover every dollar to which Oregon is entitled.' Although the outcome of this is uncertain, it is likely heads, both corporate and political, will roll.

Submission + - The Light Might Make You Heavy

Submitted by Rambo Tribble
Rambo Tribble writes: Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers have found that sleeping with high ambient light levels may contribute to obesity [Abstract; paywall]. In a large survey, of 113,000 women, a high correlation was found between higher bedroom light levels and increased propensity to overweight or obesity. Excess light in the sleeping environment has long been known to adversely affect melatonin production and circadian rhythms. It is posited that such an interference with the "body clock" may be behind these results. Although there is not yet enough evidence to call this a smoking gun, as one researcher put it, 'Overall this study points to the importance of darkness.' The BBC offers its take on the story, here.

Submission + - Wikipedia Medical Articles Found to Have High Error Rate

Submitted by Rambo Tribble
Rambo Tribble writes: A group of researchers publishing in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association found that 90% of the articles they sampled contained errors regarding common medical conditions. Unsurprisingly, they recommend your General Practitioner as a more reliable source, while noting, '... 47% to 70% of physicians and medical students admitting to using it [Wikipedia] as a reference.'

At issue in the study is the small sample size used in the study, 10 medical conditions, and ongoing efforts to improve the quality of Wikipedia's articles, according to a Wikipedia spokesman, '... especially in relation to health and medicine.'

The BBC has more approachable coverage, here.

Submission + - Is Too Much Computer Time Killing Kids' Ability to Learn?

Submitted by Rambo Tribble
Rambo Tribble writes: A teacher's union in Northern Ireland is asserting that children spending too much time on computers are impairing their ability to learn. The asserted excessive computer use is being blamed for an inability to concentrate or socialize. As one teacher puts it, '... these gadgets are really destroying their ability to learn.' One question no one seems to be asking is whether the kids showing these symptoms are getting enough sleep.

Submission + - Google Buys Android Security Firm

Submitted by Rambo Tribble
Rambo Tribble writes: Google is reported to be buying Divide, (formerly Enterproid), a firm focused on providing enterprise-grade security enhancements to the Android platform. This comes after Motorola acquired a similar company, 3LM, but it's unclear but what that entity might be going to Lenovo, with it's purchase of Motorola. Divide's technology is said to employ, '... a container approach, in which corporate information is separated from personal information on a device.'

Submission + - Radioactivity Cleanup at Hanford, 25 Years On

Submitted by Rambo Tribble
Rambo Tribble writes: The cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington was supposed to be entering its final stages by now. The reality is far from that. The cleanup was to be managed under the 'Tri-Party Agreement', signed on May 15, 1989, which was supposed to facilitate cooperation between the agencies involved. Today, underfunded and overwhelmed by technical problems, the effort is decades behind schedule. Adding to the frustrations for stakeholders and watchdogs is a bureaucratic slipperiness on the part of the Federal Department of Energy. As one watchdog put it, 'We are constantly frustrated by how easily the Department of Energy slips out of agreements in the Tri-Party Agreement.'

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