Please create an account to participate in the Slashdot moderation system

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
United Kingdom

Government To Build 4G Into UK Rural Broadband Plans 40

judgecorp writes "The British Government is discussing a role for 4G in the project to extend rural broadband coverage beyond the reach of fiber. There is £250 million of public money to fill in the gaps left by the £530 Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) program — BDUK's efforts to extend fiber have been criticized because despite promises of a competitive process, all the BDUK money has gone to BT. At a meeting with mobile operators today, the Department of Culture Media and Sport hopes to set up a more competitive 4G fill-in effort."

Comment The point... (Score 1) 674

.... yes, technology does not kill jobs, and it creates new, better ones. But, those new, better jobs usually require more skill.

The telephone operator had to plug jumper wires into a board. But, a telemarketer needs to know how to use a computer, customer relationship software, a credit card interface, and other tools and utilities. A call center support technician needs to know even more.

So, unless and until people learn to increase their skills, they will be relegated to sitting on the couch bitching about technology eliminating their jobs.

Facebook

Facebook Building a Company Town 159

cold fjord writes "The Wall Street Journal reports, 'Facebook Inc.'s sprawling campus in Menlo Park, Calif., is so full of cushy perks that some employees may never want to go home. ... The social network said this week it is working with a local developer to build a $120 million, 394-unit housing community within walking distance of its offices. ... the 630,000 square-foot rental property will include everything from a sports bar to a doggy day care. Even in Silicon Valley, where tech companies compete to lure coveted engineers with over-the-top perks and offices that resemble adult playgrounds, Facebook's plan breaks new ground. A Facebook spokeswoman said employee retention wasn't a major factor in the real estate push. "We're certainly excited to have more housing options closer to campus, but we believe that people work at Facebook because what they do is rewarding and they believe in our mission," she said. Some employees had inquired about places to live near the corporate campus, she said ... The development conjures up memories of so-called "company towns" at the turn of the 20th century, where American factory workers lived in communities owned by their employer and were provided housing, health care, law enforcement, church and just about every other service necessary.'"

Comment Re:How's that working out for you? (Score 1) 527

I've been saying this for over a decade. We are living in complete and utter denial. The average American is more concerned with what's happening on their favorite TV show than they are about what's happening in their own government - and it is made obvious by the fact that we keep electing a Congress that only 10% of us approve of.

And to answer your question: No, I do not think it can be fixed at this point. There is too much debt, too much oppression, too much corruption, and above all too much apathy to ever be able to recover.

Comment Re:coincidence (Score 1) 620

It makes no sense to actually catch all the drug dealers. Then, there would be no reason for the government to spend billions of dollars militarizing local police forces to wage war on US Citizens.

The "war on drugs" is a money and power grab, and nothing more. It's an excuse to put local cops in control of armored personnel carriers, fully automatic machine guns, riot gear, and other weapons necessary to oppress The People.

Programming

The Changing Face of Software Development 173

CowboyRobot sends this excerpt from Dr. Dobb's: "Ten years of surveys show an influx of younger developers, more women, and personality profiles at odds with traditional stereotypes. Software development is an art and a science that is not attainable for just anyone. It takes a special type of person to write code. Developers are detail-oriented, very literal, and intelligent. Logic is paramount, and they share a passion for their craft that rises above the desire to make more money. They are also typically married, middle-aged, have children, and most likely a mortgage. In one of a series of surveys that we've performed every six months since 2001 (interviewing each time more than 1400 developers worldwide), we find the typical developer is a married, middle-aged male, who has two to three children. Males have dominated the profession for as long we've been tracking this; and during that time, they have accounted for anywhere from 84% to 94% of the workforce. The number of male developers is currently close to the low, at 86%, which might indicate more females are taking up programming."

Comment Most "shutdowns" are completely unnecessary (Score 5, Interesting) 565

The government is actually spending MORE money to close these resources than it is keeping them open.

An example is the closure of the memorials in DC. Normally there might be one parks officer roaming around them, but under the closure, there are dozens of park police manning the barricades to ensure nobody can go see them.

It's all political theater. The Administration (and don't get me wrong, I don't give a shit of an R or D is in the white house - they both would do the same thing) is doing today exactly what it did with the sequester - it's punishing the American people as much as it can.

Most of the sequester cuts were planned in a way to have the greatest negative effect on people, and these closures are being executed in the same way. Government is not happy that it has lost it's money source, and it figures the only way to get it back is to go around kicking people in the face to get them to scream at the people who control the purse strings.

It's despicable. Instead of doing their jobs and negotiating the best possible compromise between all interested parties, they've become a bunch of extremists (on both sides) who refuse to negotiate. It's "my way or the highway."

Obama in particular ought to be ashamed of himself. He campaigned on a platform of unity and leadership, and he has exemplified NONE of it. In fact he's the biggest one going on national TV proclaiming with pride that he refuses to negotiate.

Fire them all. Seriously. Every last despicable goddamn one of them.

United States

U.S. Spy Panel Is Loaded With Insiders 330

schwit1 writes "After a public backlash to government spying, President Barack Obama called for an independent group to review the vast surveillance programs that allow the collections of phone and email records. The members of the review group are:
Richard Clarke, the chief counterterrorism adviser on the National Security Council for Clinton who later worked for Republican President George W. Bush
Michael Morell, Obama's former deputy CIA director
Geoffrey Stone, law professor who has raised money for Obama and spearheads a committee hoping to build Obama's presidential library in Chicago
Cass Sunstein, law professor and administrator of information and regulatory affairs for Obama
Peter Swire, a former Office of Management and Budget privacy director for Clinton

'At the end of the day, a task force led by Gen. Clapper full of insiders – and not directed to look at the extensive abuse – will never get at the bottom of the unconstitutional spying,' said Mark Jaycox, a policy analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy advocacy group. The panel's meetings are closed after Clapper exempted it from the U.S. Federal Advisory Committee Act, which would have required it to keep the public informed and hold open meetings, for 'reasons of national security,' according to a statement from the group sent from Clapper's office. 'While we are exempt from the FACA, we are conducting this review as openly and transparently as possible.'"

Comment Re:Cool (Score 1) 119

Taxation has proved in the past to be a very effective and safe behavior modifier.

An annual $100/lb overweight tax would probably do the trick quite quickly and eliminate probably 80-90% of all new diabetes cases over the next 10 years (considering that 90% of all diabetes cases are of the voluntarily-acquired Type 2 variety).

Slashdot Top Deals

He has not acquired a fortune; the fortune has acquired him. -- Bion

Working...