Posts by Don Jefe

Re: People forget the key point here ...

I hate to support such a bleak view as yours but you are correct. Any privacy we currently have is only there because large corporations don't like to share too much between themselves. Unless you deal solely in cash (doable but inconvenient) don't use the Internet or have a mobile phone or a drivers license (or at least not buying age restricted products) you're being observed.

Re: 12 Years - a lot can happen...

The Mars habitat people knew that on the other side of a 1/2" plywood wall their friends and civilization were out there & if something went terribly wrong medics would be there to help and an ambulance could take them to the nearby hospital.

There is no valid way to test what a marooned group will do on Mars without sending them to Mars. Any attempt to simulate the experience on Earth will have to be heavily rigged to even get close & I'm pretty sure that no one is going to allow and experiment where someone will enevitably die to take place when help was actually available. Knowing that at least one person in the group is doomed and no help is coming will significantly change the group dynamics. Behaviorists are going to love studying them.

Re: Solution

No, Capitalism is the pursuit of wealth. It says nothing about a fair or open market. You are defining a way to play within the bounds of capitalism: A laissez faire arrangement, two different things.

Re: Evil.

That's precisely why it was smart. They can be complete dicks if they want but they aren't betraying the ultra high (low?) bar they set with 'evil'.

I doubt if individual employees take notice though. Do you really buy into your company mission statement? I don't think I've met anyone who really believes all that crap. They should say "Our mission is to make money" & skip the bullshit.

Re: Or...

Maybe you were fired...

I know people who found out they were let go when their dongle didn't open the office door anymore.

Re: Two choices with the interwebs economy...

The most feasible sort of industry to move "somewhere else" is manufacturing. The equipment can be moved & locals trained for the bulk if the work. What are not very feasible to move are service, marketing or sales operations. Those are extremely difficult because they demand a local presence with a finger on the pulse of the locals. No amount of connectivity or virtual presence will ever replace face to face meetings, especially in high value deals.

What I'm getting at is these companies are not going to pack up & go somewhere else. They have be there and the governments can force them to play by the rules. They won't like it but they'll play.

Re: "Germans are ..."

According to South Park Germans are also the unfunniest people in the world.

Re: I'm not sure what the point it.

Attaching jets and rockets to anything that is not a jet or rocket is its own point. It's just cool.

Re: “advance the bold vision”

Bold vision is always used when the mistake has already been made. Prior to the mistake it is innovative or disruptive.

We don't recognize that tax bill.

Re: Block by IMEI

I've never understood the reluctance/refusal to do it either. The tech does exist and not using it to sell a few extra phones (it's really not a big number when tens of millions are sold every year through legitimate venues) simply isn't much of a sales strategy. There's obviously a significant advantage to not doing it but I can't figure out what it is.

Re: soam..

But that's where everything gets weird. The Chinese will never believe that companies are blocking them of their own volition, they'll think the Govt is behind it. I'm sure the Chinese have conspiracy fans too, like the 'Utah' comment up there. It would end up causing a big mess I'm afraid.

So what's Gartner paying for a supporting comment campaign these days?

Re: I immediately triggered an idea of another application

#ShadyAcresRetirement says Grandfather Deceased @11:51 - Claim body & possessions within 8hrs to avoid fine.

Re: Crossbow!

You can make a fabulous crossbow with a leaf from the leaf spring of a car, some steel cable from Home Depot and a piece of black metal pipe (also from the DIY home store) & the catch from a fence gate latch and some angle aluminum for a guide rail. You need some mechanical help to cock it but it will fire gutter nails with the heads sawn off completely through both doors of a car or round hay bale. It is loads of fun.

For less dangerous fun you can also make a small crossbow using the metal hanging strips from legal size hanging file folders and laminating them together with light epoxy.

Re: The real problem

+10 for the correct use of 'moot'. People rarely use it correctly anymore.

Re: Israel's naked selfishness is gross to behold

I just thought I'd inject a bit pendentrary into this wholly logical and completely rational conversation to point out that being anti-Semitic would mean being prejudiced/biased against anyone of a Semitic culture which includes Arabs, Jews and Palestinians and such. The term anti-Semite is often used incorrectly to exclusively define a single people.

But don't let semantics get in the way of this enlightening dialogue about Semitic countries.