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Comment: Re:two suggestions (Score 1) 402

by reimero (#38608750) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Mirrorless, Interchangeable Lens Camera Advice?

I wouldn't necessarily recommend the *best*, but I'd definitely go with *good*. Believe it or not, there is such thing as too much camera. That said, a solid DSLR will serve you well, and will allow you to step from point and shoot down to fully manual controls. One of the things I like about the DSLRs over their mirrorless counterparts is that you get more precise focal and lighting information as you become more and more experienced. Mine allows for various types of light readings and user-selectable autofocus points (or simply going full manual on the focus.) Taking courses helps, but there's no substitute for getting out there and taking pictures and experimenting with different settings and finding out what works for you. As time goes on, you'll start paying attention to the elements that make a good photograph, and you'll get better at it.

When it comes to photography, though, your camera is really only a small part of the total equation. Photographer skill is even more essential, and that comes with practice.

Comment: You get what you pay for (Score 1) 188

by reimero (#38595116) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Tech For Small Library Automation?

As previous posters have mentioned, ILS software has been done to death, and it's complex enough that it's consolidated down to probably half a dozen to a dozen serious products. There are a couple of FOSS products out there and several that are not. In my experience, the ones that are not are more full-featured and require less configuration and less day-to-day management. I have a preferred ILS vendor I'd recommend (Innovative Interfaces), but they're almost certainly far too expensive (and far too powerful) for a small church library. Personally, I'd contact OCLC and see if they have a low-cost remote solution.

Comment: Re:a hypothetical (Score 1) 477

by reimero (#38403266) Attached to: Congress's Techno-Ignorance No Longer Funny

I might call it a form of treason, except for the fact that the Robert's court endowed corporations with personhood for all intents and purposes, and the representatives to which you refer are simply serving their true constituents....

That wasn't the Roberts court. The Roberts court simply reaffirmed (and possibly expanded) a legal standing that dates back to the 1800s (I don't recall the case offhand.) It was a minor throwaway line in an early opinion (something like, "of course we consider corporations to be persons, therefore...") but it stuck as legal precedent.

Comment: Re:Why did everyone else pay? (Score 4, Informative) 332

by reimero (#38101718) Attached to: B&N Pummels Microsoft Patent Claims With Prior Art

Essentially it went down like this:
MS> Android infringes some of our patents, but if you pay our fee, you can use it.
Potential licensee> What patents does Android infringe?
MS> You'll need to sign an NDA for further discussion.

Companies sign the NDA, and then they're legally obligated not to comment on the specific patents. Microsoft likely doesn't actually expect to win this one. Microsoft expects to send a message that they're willing to enter costly litigation, which would likely be more expensive and more of a hassle than simply paying the licensing fee.

Comment: Re:Double Standard? (Score 1) 258

by reimero (#36609440) Attached to: Video Game Free Speech Ruling Aftermath

Fuzzyfuzzyfungus got it exactly right. The Supreme Court basically ruled that video games are to be afforded the same protections as books, movies, TV shows, music and works of art, because video games are a legitimate form of creative expression (seriously, play the original Deus Ex and tell me that doesn't qualify.) California can't discriminate against violent video games because California also can't discriminate against violent books, TV shows, movies, paintings and what have you.

Comment: Re:Terrible name (Score 1) 110

by reimero (#32191644) Attached to: Peppermint OS One Review

Actually, one of the lead Peppermint developers is also the lead developer for the LXDE and Fluxbox editions of Mint, and is (to the best of my knowledge) a member of the Mint team.

In other words, it's neither a rip-off nor an homage: it's practically a fork, and future development will likely occur alongside Mint.

Comment: I'm not sure there are any Free templates... (Score 4, Interesting) 164

by reimero (#30516858) Attached to: Best Open Source Business Tools?

I'm not an expert in this field, but it would surprise me greatly if there were Free templates of the sort you seek. For starters, most business law is governed by state law rather than federal law, so the requirements will depend in large part on where you are incorporated.
Second, the sources for those templates would generally be the experts who derive their living from selling that sort of information (i.e. lawyers, accountants, tax firms, etc.) It is in their own financial best interests not to give away that which they need to make their own ends meet. Business law and tax law are very convoluted and generally require quite a bit of specialization.

I can see the possibility of Free tools for W2s and meeting minutes, but I'm skeptical as to the availability of legal and taxation materials. Also, even if they were available, I would go in with both eyes open because as a business owner, you're on the hook for making sure you're using correct and current information, and taxes in particular change with alarming regularity.

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