Microsoft has been fined $32m (£18.4m) by South Korean regulators and ordered to separate its instant messaging service from its Windows software.
The FTC, ... said the bundling of Windows with the media player and instant messenger service were creating a monopoly and blocking out PC Server and other operating system makers.
Microsoft announced yesterday that it will invest $1.7bn in India over four years to build ...
Dan MilmoThursday December 8, 2005
The Guardian
read full article here
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Friday, January 27, 2006
"Deferred Success" is new term for failure?
By Arthur Spiegelman Fri Nov 18,10:26 AM ET
In 2005, some people wanted the word "brainstorming" replaced by "thought shower" so as not to offend people with brain disorders, and they also wanted "deferred success" to replace "failure" so as not to embarrass those who don't succeed.
Both phrases appear on a tongue-in-cheek list released on Thursday of the year's most politically correct words and phrases issued by Global Language Monitor, a nonprofit group that monitors language use.
The phrase that topped this year's list was "misguided criminals," one of several terms the British Broadcasting Corporation used so as not to use the word "terrorist" in describing those who carried out train and bus bombings in London that killed 52 people in July, according to Paul JJ Payack, the head of Global Language Monitor.
He added, "The BBC attempts to strip away all emotion by using what it considers 'neutral' descriptions when describing those who carried out the bombings in the London Tubes."
Second on the list was "Intrinsic Aptitude," a phrase used by Harvard University President Lawrence Summers to explain why women might be underrepresented in engineering and science. The phrase met with "deferred success" and Summers had to fight to keep to his job.
"Thought shower" was third and a French word for riff-raff or scum, "la racaille," was fourth thanks to being used by French Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy to describe rioters of Muslim and North African descent in suburbs outside of Paris.
"Out of the mainstream," which Payack said was used to describe the ideology of any political opponent, was fifth and in sixth place was "deferred success" the euphemism for "fail" that Britain's Professional Association of Teachers considered using to bolster students' "self-esteem." The move met with "deferred success."
Seventh on the list was "womyn" for women in order to distance the word from men and eighth was using C.E. (Common Era) for A.D (Latin for "Year of Our Lord") so as to be more neutral in dates.
Ninth on the top 10 list was words and phrases that either de-Christianize the Christian holidays or neuter their genders. For example "God Rest Ye Merry Persons" replaces "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Seasons Greetings" replaces "Merry Christmas."
In 10th place was a move aimed at the heart of Australian culture when security staff were banned from using the word "mate" to address members of parliament. The MPs rebelled and said not being called "mate" was unpatriotic.
Copyright © 2005 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Saturday, January 21, 2006
From Dark Ages to PDA's
What's a man to do about a PDA today? I'm sure I'm not the only one that has been in the dark ages, and is now looking at getting a PDA.... but I look and look and look, and can't find anyone that has a good review on, basically, all the PDA's, like a history outline. Tell me when they came out, what features they have, pro/con, comparisons, PDA Brands – HP, Dell, Toshiba, Sony, Palm, Acer, ...
I'd like to get something older on eBay, but there's so many out there, where do you start??? How old are some of these things out there? What are their differences? That's what I'd really like to know. I know what I need one to do, but where do I find a listing of what they do, all in one place, so I don' t have to look up every model. And where would that end?! HP has so many different PDA models, and prefixes, what's the deal? At least with Dell you have an idea on what model is newer. Aagh!
I can see a website that needs to be created here, if I only knew about PDA’s I'd do it. Anyone want to help me with that leave a comment.
I'd like to get something older on eBay, but there's so many out there, where do you start??? How old are some of these things out there? What are their differences? That's what I'd really like to know. I know what I need one to do, but where do I find a listing of what they do, all in one place, so I don' t have to look up every model. And where would that end?! HP has so many different PDA models, and prefixes, what's the deal? At least with Dell you have an idea on what model is newer. Aagh!
I can see a website that needs to be created here, if I only knew about PDA’s I'd do it. Anyone want to help me with that leave a comment.
Friday, January 20, 2006
Our role is to inform the public
Marvin Kalb, a longtime broadcaster now with Harvard's Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, says "some tilting toward a sympathetic view of the American soldier at war" is "a natural phenomenon in this context," one that had not prevented the public from getting "very good coverage on television."
But Mark Hertsgaard--whose books about U.S. foreign policy include "On Bended Knee: The Press and the Reagan Presidency"--strongly criticizes what he calls the "false patriotism" of the networks.
"It is not our role to revere or applaud the government or the military. Our role is to inform the public and thereby serve the country," he says. "The government is not the country, and so when you see reporters talking about 'we' and essentially following the good-guy script, they are...betraying the real principles of journalism and American democracy."
But Mark Hertsgaard--whose books about U.S. foreign policy include "On Bended Knee: The Press and the Reagan Presidency"--strongly criticizes what he calls the "false patriotism" of the networks.
"It is not our role to revere or applaud the government or the military. Our role is to inform the public and thereby serve the country," he says. "The government is not the country, and so when you see reporters talking about 'we' and essentially following the good-guy script, they are...betraying the real principles of journalism and American democracy."
Bias in the media
I'm watching Fox News, (for entertainment I guess.) Is this Conan I'm watching? Letterman?
They're certinaly not trying to pass this off as NEWS are they? Whatever happened to the BBC's stand on being non-biased in reporting? Even the BBC has vered from that lond held moto. You don't get news anymore, you get a politically corrected spin to it, but you're not supposed to notice they're spinning it.
It's one thing to be an alive, thinking, real personality, another to take up the chat show persona on news events, to sway your viewers toward your side of the issues.
Remember one mans freedom fighter or patriot - is another mans terrorest. Terrorist is a word the BBC wouldn't use years ago. It's not because there weren't any, it's because it's a biased word. It's not reporting -- it's biasing!
They're certinaly not trying to pass this off as NEWS are they? Whatever happened to the BBC's stand on being non-biased in reporting? Even the BBC has vered from that lond held moto. You don't get news anymore, you get a politically corrected spin to it, but you're not supposed to notice they're spinning it.
It's one thing to be an alive, thinking, real personality, another to take up the chat show persona on news events, to sway your viewers toward your side of the issues.
Remember one mans freedom fighter or patriot - is another mans terrorest. Terrorist is a word the BBC wouldn't use years ago. It's not because there weren't any, it's because it's a biased word. It's not reporting -- it's biasing!
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
The Panopticon: A Mass Surveillance Prison For Humanity
Latest trends in Big Brother outstrip Orwell's worst nightmare
The Panopticon is defined as a prison so constructed that the inspector can see each of the prisoners at all times, without being seen. ...
The Panopticon is defined as a prison so constructed that the inspector can see each of the prisoners at all times, without being seen. ...
Monday, January 02, 2006
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