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Comment Re:Do you believe in magic? (Score 1) 51

Because then you wouldn't be able to use any platform specific features. Also BB didn't exactly profit from that approach. If they re-compile for the native platform they are more likely to actually add a few specific features as they go like live tiles while they've got it 'open' so to speak.

Comment Re:SAVE US AND THE WEB FROM MOZILLA! (Score 1) 324

All available evidence indicates the board of directors of the Mozilla Corporation, a subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation, did not oust him from his position as CEO of the Mozilla Corporation. He left on his own. The guy has been a technical leader of the Netscape codebase for literally decades, and I'm sure he wanted to do what was best for the organization.

Comment Re: SAVE US AND THE WEB FROM MOZILLA! (Score 1) 324

By all accounts, the board of directors at Mozilla absolutely did not pressure or force him to resign. He resigned on his own because /he/ thought the issue was distracting, and it would be better for him to go.

This is believable: Eich is the inventor of JavaScript and has been with the Netscape code base almost since day 1. He has a lot invested in Firefox and I'm sure doesn't want a bunch of idiots bringing it down because they don't personally like him, which is what was happening.

Comment Re:Best of intentions (Score 3, Insightful) 226

This is a local-to-me company and I casually know one of the founders/owners. Since the message isn't "signed" and doesn't have a name attributed I can't say for sure if you are right or wrong... of course, even with his name on the message, it wouldn't be a "for sure" thing...

Comment Re:Lucky bastards (Score 1) 182

I'm right on the edge of the distance limit according to an old router firmware I had at the time. 1.5m down w/ 384 up is rock solid, 3m down w/ 512 up had too much S:N going on and would disconnect every 3-30 minutes.

Two weeks ago the local telco (windstream) drug a new fiber line past my house, but it comes from the opposite town exchange... and it is on the other side of the road. Don't care if I get fiber hookup direct, but I'd like faster DSL service...

Comment Re: Ted Lieu (Score 1) 174

Indeed. There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty, and they need to be used in order. Right now we are at the soap box stage. Next is the ballot box stage, and there isn't a lot being done there now. Then the jury box - much like the ballot box, not a lot going on there, and there needs to be. The last choice is the ammo box, a desperate measure.

If 1946 is contemporary enough, you may want to read up on the Battle of Athens - http://jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/at...

I think McVeigh was a terrorist - there are LOTS of other targets out there for "an attack against the government" or even a particular branch or department of the government where there would've been a lot less civilian "sucks to be you" casualties esp with the daycare center.

Comment Re:Rely on the counterfactual. (Score 1) 211

Yes, in practice it's usually a mix of the two, so the principle is more an abstract model than an argument about real, concrete thresholding.

But the general idea is that by the time someone stops being promoted, if they continue in the job that they are in while not being promoted for an extended period of time, it means that they are likely not amongst the highest-merit individuals around for that particular job and responsibility list—because if they were, they'd have been promoted and/or would have moved to another job elsewhere that offered an equivalent to a promotion.

Comment Rely on the counterfactual. (Score 5, Informative) 211

The best way to understand the principle is to imagine the counterfactual.

When does a person *not* get promoted any longer? When they are not actually that great at the position into which they have most recently been promoted. At that point, they do not demonstrate enough merit to earn the next obvious promotion.

So, the cadence goes:

Demonstrates mastery of title A, promoted to title B.
Demonstrates mastery of title B, promoted to title C.
Demonstrates mastery of title C, promoted to title D.

Does not manage to demonstrate mastery of D = is not promoted and stays at that level indefinitely as "merely adequate" or "maybe next year" or "still has a lot to learn."

That's the principle in a nutshell—when you're actually good at your job, you get promoted out of it. When you're average at your job, you stay there for a long time.

Comment Re:Odd definition of "disruptive" (Score 1) 253

They aren't replacing the local Peso with Bitcoin. They're just using Bitcoin as a transactional currency to run an unregulated currency exchange. Bitcoins in this instance are essentially a proxy for US dollars.

If I have $100 USD and I want to convert it to Pesos I can either go to a regulated currency exchange which apparently is attempting to combat inflation by keeping the peso value low or you can exchange your $100USD for say 0.5 bitcoins on the open bitcoin market. Then you find someone who wants "bitcoins" aka USD and you sell them your bitcoins in exchange for pesos at market rates.

The person who sold you pesos for Bitcoins really just wants USD (or Euros).

Now doing this is almost certainly illegal if the government has mandated exchange rates since all you're doing is adding an intermediary step but ultimately performing a currency exchange illicitly. All you've done is employed Bitcoin as an escrow service.

Comment Re:Kind of sad, really. (Score 2) 253

But as the article points out... it's really just a way to streamline an existing black market in money changing. And the reason the black market has to exist at all is because legal money changing it a bad deal.

So as soon as bitcoin actually becomes popular enough to disrupt the existing black-market it'll also be popular enough to attract government intervention as has been done to the banks.

Essentially all this article is saying is "Look at this awesome black market full of illicit goods! Look at how great it is!" Which is true of every black market until it actually grows large enough to warrant a response from the government.

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