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Comment Re:Good. (Score 2, Insightful) 284

A company is not a conscious entity and acts of capitalism are not "evil" on their own. You have witnessed Microsoft make money in a society based around the freedom to make and lose money. If Microsoft sold weapons to a foreign country that they knew were going to be used to kill innocent people, because it paid well, then the people who approved such deals would be evil, or at least morally wrong. Microsoft furthering it's company's agenda in the global marketplace is capitalism. And open source is included in the global marketplace always, not just when convenient. You can't run away crying because you played with the big kids and got hurt.

Comment Re:Scientists are human. (Score 1) 1747

Interesting. Of all the "skeptics" I've read, you're one of the few I've seen that actually looks at the data and produces a convincing argument based on it. I wish more people (on both sides) would forgo the name calling and just present rational arguments. Have you done more research into how those adjustments were created, or looked at other areas where the stations were more dense?

It would really be pretty cool if AGW, and GW in general turned out to not be happening.

Comment AV Detection (Score 0, Offtopic) 186

according to TFA:

Malware description
Threatname: Backdoor.Win32.Buzus.croo
Aliases: Trojan-PWS.Win32.Lmir (Ikarus, a-squared); TR/Hijacker.Gen (AntiVir); Trojan/Win32.Buzus.gen (Antiy-AVL); W32/Agent.S.gen!Eldorado (F-Prot, Authentium); Win32:Rootkit-gen (Avast); Generic15.CBGO (AVG); Trojan.Generic.2823971 (BitDefender, GData); Trojan.Buzus.croo (Kaspersky, QuickHeal); Trojan.NtRootKit.2909 (DrWeb); Trj/Buzus.AH (Panda).

Comment To Facebook's Credit... (Score 1) 446

When user's stage a revolt, much like this Slashdot posting is doing, they typically listen to the users and make some changes. All it takes a group or two with a few hundred thousand users (the site has 350 million) and they take notice.

My only complain would be if Facebook listed me in the search engine results, which they currently allow me to disallow this. The reason being is I prefer my person website to rank 1st in Google over all these other sites I'm on.

Comment Technology vs Regulation (Score 1) 250

This could be an interesting fight.

Technically, a switch to VoIP (whatever that really is) could be a good thing for both the customer and telco. But currently, digital telephone service, as provided by cable companies, over telco fiber to the home systems, or wireless broadband providers falls into a different regulatory regime than POTS. And I anticipate that the sellers of these services will fight to keep it that way.

In reality, your voice telephone service is becoming more digital as time goes by. Although the addressing and packet switching functions are separate from the IP networking, they often travel over the same infrastructure (fiber, pipes, tubes, whatever) and capacity is dynamically allocated between the two functions by the operators as needed. The transition to the copper loop typically occurs at the central office, but sometimes in a cabinet in your neighborhood. In the near future, in areas served by fiber to the home, its conceivable that your copper loop will terminate inside the little box (the NID) on the side of your house and, from that point on, travel right along with broadband, digital TV and telephone, etc.

What will keep all of this from happening is the legal status that POTS and "digital" services have. Actual digital telephone service (VoIP from Skype, Vonnage, FiOS telephone service, etc.) are subject to different and fewer regulations than copper loops. And the big players in this business will fight to keep it this way. In my neighborhood Verizon has just finished installing a FiOS system. And they are peppering everyone with adverts to switch to their new digital telephone service (and TV and broadband in the bundle). They are also planning on selling off their POTS infrastructure to a local telephone company. Once they are out of the POTS business, issues like universal service, long distance and regulated rates no longer apply to them. This is their (4) ???? just before (5) Profit!.

If the FCC steps in and begins applying standards of reliability, universal access and others to broadband similar to what POTS has today, most of the infrastructure would switch to digital technology quite rapidly, with the holdouts for the copper loop service transitioned to an interface at the curb. But that will never happen so long as the digital 'last mile' remains unregulated. No company (either the fiber operator or some third party purchasing wholesale digital access) could provide regulated service on unregulated infrastructure.

Comment Re:So we don't anticipate any blackouts, ever? (Score 1) 250

Excellent post. From reading the RFC I pulled this choice quote which I've been spewing all over this article's comments:

<quote>
For example, one line of questioning that a Notice of Inquiry may pursue is how to continue ensuring appropriate protections for and assistance to people with disabilities in the transition to an IP-based communications world.
</quote>

I think the FCC is indeed looking to do last-mile VoIP, and with it the commensurate move to IPv6. This may be the regulatory kick-in-the-pants we've needed to force the move. The technology is there - we just lack the will.

Comment Re:Censorship? (Score 4, Insightful) 173

I believe it was tagged "censorship", not because this exhibit is being censored, but because the existence of the satellites themselves is denied. He is lifting the 'veil of censorship' to show that, yes they do. The government is not yanking his photos, but they are replying "I don't know what you are talking about" when asked about the subject of each picture.
Portables (Apple)

Submission + - How Steve Jobs Played Hardball in iPhone Birth

Carl Bialik from WSJ writes: "Apple bucked the rules of the cellphone industry when creating the iPhone by wresting control away from normally powerful wireless carriers, the Wall Street Journal reports. From the article: 'Only three executives at the carrier, which is now the wireless unit of AT&T Inc., got to see the iPhone before it was announced. Cingular agreed to leave its brand off the body of the phone. Upsetting some Cingular insiders, it also abandoned its usual insistence that phone makers carry its software for Web surfing, ringtones and other services. ... Mr. Jobs once referred to telecom operators as "orifices" that other companies, including phone makers, must go through to reach consumers. While meeting with Cingular and other wireless operators he often reminded them of his view, dismissing them as commodities and telling them that they would never understand the Web and entertainment industry the way Apple did, a person familiar with the talks says.'"
Patents

Congress Tackles Patent Reform 261

nadamsieee writes "Wired's Luke O'Brian recently reported about Congress' latest attempt to reform the patent system. In the article O'Brian tells of how 'witnesses at Thursday's hearing painted a bleak picture of that system. Adam Jaffe, a Brandeis University professor and author of a book on the subject, described the system as 'out of whack.' Instead of 'the engine of innovation,' the patent has become 'the sand in the gears,' he said, citing widespread fears of litigation. The House Oversight Committee website has more details. How would you fix the patent system?"
User Journal

Journal Journal: [parenting] Immunizations 8

I guess I'll start my own tag of [parenting] to let folks know, incase they are severely brain damaged and don't want to hear about the [mis]adventures that my wife and I experience raising our son.

Todays topic: Immunizations.

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