But diamonds are so rare!

It's not like there are thousands of tonnes of diamonds just sitting in vaults somewhere that could be used for this purpose...

/SARCASM

I like your idea. I wonder how much of a business need there is in the world to have a random number generator card..

Actually.. if things go the way they are in encryption becoming more used and relevant in daily computing.. perhaps there could be something in this idea.. hmm..

Finally, at last, this office has in-house IM. Thanks Notes Sametime. We also have email, can walk around to speak to people (assuming that they are anywhere near you.. lots of people are in other states..) and can phone... or fax.. or if desperate send a letter or Memo[tm] (long story, don't ask).

IM does not replace email. IM is 'instant on' the person needs to actually be online to have a synchronous 'conversation'. Generally, you only have a conversation with one person at a time. Rarely, two or three people.

Many times I need to type up information, wrap it up with colours and hyperlinks and send it to 5, 10 or 50 people. Email does this. Nothing else matches it.

Maybe I could do the same in a .doc and then... email.. or IM.. the doc?

Perhaps I could create a wiki page and then.. email? IM? the page to everyone? but how would everyone know who to reply to? Hmm.

While I can agree with the statement in the OP that only a small percentage of emails are directly relevant to 'business' .. it's also true to it is a primary communication channel for customers and currently has the best software install base.

The only way to reduce email I have found is to install Service Desk software - which reduces problem, incident, request and change emails.. and consolidates them into one place. Reduces. Does not stop. When you need to communicate, then regardless of your help desk solution, it still comes back to email, phone, IM, fax or posted letter (and probably in that order).

Now, I have to get back to this email that I've been drafting all day which should have been sent yesterday..

The Japanese government is doing it too.

I'd love to go to Japan, wander around, see some of the places I've read about.. have a nice vacation and experience a culture I've been peripherally connected to for more than a decade.. but I won't.

I see taking a person's fingerprints as a violation. An admission that they are believed to be a thief, murderer or other criminal who should be locked up.

I don't oppose to recording the fingerprints of convicted criminals, or suspected criminals while an investigation is pending. Get convicted though and you are in the system for life.

So.. I am not going to Japan while these laws are in place.

I wonder how this has affected their tourism industries.

âoeBut are these people just making noise just because thereâ(TM)s no version or because itâ(TM)s a game they actually want to play? Would they buy it if we made it?â

Now, correct me if I'm wrong here.. but let's say they make this game for the cost of 12 devs over 3 months, and sell $50,000 copies.. and they break even .. but lose the opportunity to potentially make more money if the game does take off.. doesn't this mean that this is a bad business decision?

Isn't this akin to saying "I'm not going to go for a walk, even though I know there are health benefits, because I may get mugged".

For the record, I have absolutely loved some Ubisoft games. I would love them even more without the stupid DRM which absolutely killed the experience. Horrible memories of Raven Shield locking up, freezing and crashing due to the software trying to phone home. Stupid stupid people. How am I suppose to trust you and buy more of your games when you have screwed me so badly in the past?

In relation, limiting the number of players in multiplayer Ravenshield was, in my opinion, a sin that can not be forgiven. Die, die, die. :-)

he idea of the classic fantasy epic, but where the "hero" sucks so much--not in an evil anti-hero way, but just as a plain old asshole--is part of the novelty of the series.

Exactly. This is the whole point.. which a lot of people miss on the first pass. I read the first book, and toss it. Much much later read the second.. and then re-read the first.

Conevant goes on a trip through his own little lunatic asylum .. and for those of us who wake up in the morning and think "what the hell am I doing here".. this is quite educational.

For a start, there is the whole "I don't believe this is reality, so I'm going to go nuts for a while.. but I won't just in case it is real".

The serious makes a some very good points about making mistakes ... watch carefully though.. in this case it isn't really the characters who learn but the ready.

Yes, he's a prick.

Other things like the insane disappearing scrollbars I won't hold too much of a grudge over because they can be turned off, but its still indicative of the basically stupid ideas about UI that Ubuntu seems to be embracing.

I still haven't gotten over that Windows 7 hides folder navigation icons in Explorer, and hides drives it thinks are not in use.

Still haven't gotten over not seeing the DVD ROM drive in the drive list. Extremely irritating.

Hate having the folder navigation icons appear and disappear in Explorer.

Speaking of interface atrocities, one nut job I work with is a fan of spouting that 'Lotus Notes crashes due to Microsoft withholding API information' crap all of the time. While nothing like what is being discussed in this court case, it is very interesting how much he can get wound up by the answer of 'It's an OS. Write your application software according to the rules specified, or get off the platform".

I feel for WP. Really, I do. However, this is most likely just the first of many gravestones on the MS highway to hell.

I can't wait for the W7 rollout at work. XP rollout was hilarious - still haven't ironed out all of the problems and bugs. This is going to be worth buying an extra large tub of popcorn for :-)

I second the "The Door into Summer" as a good starting point; as well as "To Sail Beyond the Sunset".

I've now gone through 4 copies of Time Enough for Love.

I'd second that - "Friday" for the best standalone novel.

On the other hand, I still have my first Pern book - The White Dragon - picked up in a yard sale around 1993... my first step into Sci Fi / Fantasy.

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."

James Nicoll

This is the second time in two days that this quote is (probably) appropriate. I wonder at what point it becomes worthwhile to write a macro :-)

Meanwhile, I take your point but persist in the notion that the Covenant novels are, in my opinion, a good worthwhile read. Just takes a couple of reads to get everything :-)

Better than Tolkien though.. that could be a real slog.

I will miss Anne McCaffrey's writing style. Good thing is that there will always all of the books she left behind for all of us.
What I like about her writing is that it is understandable, clearly defined and easy to process. I can open just about any of her books and enjoyably pick up the story, even if only for a chapter. Good to unwind your mind before sleep.

While I quite enjoyed the first two books in the Singer series I can re-read the third any time.

I always expected a fourth.. or a prequel.. to explain where Ballybran crystal originally came from.

I'm glad she made Crystal Singer into a trilogy.

I'm sad that there will be no more

It isn't really that hard, it just takes a bit of effort.

I have found this to be the root cause of so many problems .. and many disturbances.

It's amazing what people do when they reach that point in their job where it takes a significant level of knowledge to understand ... that they are not doing their job well .. and sometimes not at all.

I tend to equal the $$$ in my bank account with the "effort" I put in at work.

And, in relation to the article, I am looking forward to using this functionality from work :-)

Good advice.

I have just booked a meeting with a manager in another area, and am researching roles in another related area.

You are right. It is time to leave.

The problem with the threats is actually getting someone else to witness and verify. Rather, should I say, I have a list of 10 people .. most of whom know that retaliation will go against them.. and that their job can be on the line.

Ah yes, HR. Want a good one? From management here: If this goes to HR (as a Code of Conduct or similar complaint) then we will raise a CoC against you.
I actually fell for that. Yes, I know. I know.
What I know now is that given that they don't have any basis at all against my conduct.. I should have pushed it. It's in the system.. logged as a Code of Conduct more than once.. and management refuse to take it further and HR want management to deal with it.
Absolutely lovely.

For the record, yes, I know it isn't 'my' system. I just have a hard time watching people deconstruct what I have built. You are absolutely correct.

Thank you for your thoughts. I take your advice on the practical application of karma in the workplace. You have helped greatly. It's nice to know I am not alone with this.

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."

James Nicoll

Whose duty was it to correctly declassify and release documents?

FTFY

Good question.

It matters not if documents are incorrectly classified higher than what they need to be. It only matters who, or what, has the authority or delegation to declassify them; and who, or what, has the authority to distribute them.

In this case, on both counts, obviously not Private B.M.

If they can prove he distributed documents.. of any kind.. then he's sunk. The only question is.. what will his punishment be.