Posts by BanjoPaterson 19 publicly visible posts • joined 12 May 2010
This is a basic point in information science and statistics. Raw data (e.g. temperature points across time at one or more locations) has little value until it is processed into something that allows one to use it, e.g. predict future temperatures. It's that use, or potential use, that has value.
As correctly pointed out, Waterstones UK and Amazon may both have data about my book spending habits, but I'll lay a wager it'll be Amazon that will process the data better and gain information from it allowing them more future sales from me (I know this from experience. Amazon are good at predicting what I'm keen to buy next. Damn them).
Agree. Science is not about"believing" warmest or deniers, but about observation and data to support(or otherwise) ones hypothesis or climate model. Belief plays no part. And the climate models are continuing to improve and a stable temperature for a period of time means our current models, as they always will, need improving.
As for myself. I'm a failed mathematician cum software engineer, and I hold no "belief" since I'm not qualified to speak on climate models. I've looked at the mathematics behind some of them when I was doing post graduate research, and found myself struggling to make sense of it. So much for a BSc.
Surely that would kill a person? I can't imagine that a week's enough time for the skin on the back to heal from 50 lashes -- and with each week the new whipping will open old wounds.
Not that I'm proud of the fact, but I did get a few of the cane on the backside once in high school (during the 70s, when corporal punishment was allowed and seen as part of a good, solid education). It was a bendy cane, although not 7 foot, but an old fashioned one about the width of a person's finger. Luckily, I got caned with my trousers on and from the memory two things stand out.
1. Even 2 lashes of a thin cane wielded by an old school master hurts like anything; and
2. The welts took a while to heal
I remember coming back to the boarding house and being asked how many I got, and after I replied "Two" being told "You're a teacher's pet, aren't you? I got six last week."
A real "Life of Brian" moment.
I've got an HTC X One too and quite like it. I like the larger screen, although the image of holding Ghetto Blasters on ones shoulders came to mine. The only issue I have is its bluetooth and my car's don't seem to get along and I don't know why. Still, it connects to the earpiece, so a livable downside (ie this is not a strong enough reason to return it).
I've only seem one WP7 in the wild -- my niece's phone last year! Couldn't believe it. I played with it for a bit before handing it back. However, early this year when I saw that my niece had an HTC with Android. I asked her what happened to her old phone and she said it's now her backup phone and she replaced it with an Android one because it didn't have enough software. I didn't ask what specific software so not sure. So there you go -- the only WP7 in the wild I've seen and it got ditched after 6 months.
Uhh - Florian himself in his blog. From the wikipedia entry for him:
In October 2011 Müller announced on his blog that Microsoft had commissioned him to conduct a study on patents.
... and you can follow the link to his blog. I'd say this puts him on the Microsoft payroll -- at least for the duration of their commission.
What about his claims Google owes Oracle "billions" of dollars in the current Java patent case? Currently, most of the patents have been ruled invalid and the Oracle expert in coming up with the damages has had his report thrown away twice by the judge (and is on attempt number 3). Even the judge has said questioned Oracle's strategy by stating : "Given that the examiners have issued final rejections on patents ’720, ’702, ’476, and ’205, and Oracle has only withdrawn the ’476 patent [... snip .. ] would it be better to postpone trial until after final decisions by the PTO on administrative appeal?"
Paris, because I believe she knows more about patent law than Florian.
She was the lady who put the chalk into the ink bottle to show how not brushing your teeth was bad. Turns out her ads helped sell the toothpaste despite a survey showing a large percentage of Australians actually hating the ad and disliking the character of Mrs Marsh. Fact is, brand recognition is all and Apple have given Samsung free advertising.
As an ex-Barcap contractor from way-back (and ex IT contractor in banking... gave it up to have a life), this type of move is par for the course if you work in banking. The idea is during the good times, when projects are on the go, salaries go up; but as an IT contractor you know, in the back of your mind, that once the bad times happen it will be your head/salary on the chopping block. You take the higher pay, you wear the risk.
I left after 20 years in the industry. It was fun, allowed me to buy my house, but now I find that having my life back and working a government contract much better. Hours are good, so instead of leaving the house at 06:30 and getting home after 2000 I actually get to see the kids. My initial drop in salary was 20-30%, but have been able to raise my wages by 4% each year over the last two years. This year my contract was renewed for 12 months and where I work we're doing a new project, so funding is good. Change of bosses is good, with the potential for greater moral fibre (in Banking people at my level were vetted for honesty and integrity so, I suppose, we wouldn't actually compete with the Banking executives for their positions).
All in all - I understand why the banks do it (easy savings); and I understand why banking IT contractors accept it (hard to get jobs this time of year, still a good salary, may be able to make it up with extra hours); but I'm very glad to be out of it.
I hope someone from Sony's reading this, because their sheer, utter bastardry in this matter actually changed my purchasing decision for a top of the line LCD TV and Blu=Ray player. I WAS going to get a Sony, but have opted for a SAMSUNG instead.
This is the only way large, idiotic companies like Sony learn. They act like prats, people don't buy their stuff. Sure, I'm only a single person and they wouldn't even miss my individual purchase as it probably doesn't even count as a rounding up error; but multiply my decision by, say, a thousand, and you have a six figure loss. Multiply it by more and then, and only (sadly) then, do companies like Sonly "get it".
Paris, because she has more brains than the whole board of executives of Sony.
One of the consequences of the Torrens System is that a purchaser who acquires land through a forged or fraudulent instrument, but is not a party to the fraud, will receive an indefeasible title on registration of the forged or fraudulent instrument, and the former owner will not be entitled to have the title restored or to monetary compensation from the new owner/purchaser unless the owner has been deprived of title as a result of forgery or other fraud, then his or her right to recover the land is converted to right to compensation. Also, the former owner is not entitled to have the title restored and is statute barred from commencing an action to recover Torrens title land against the registered proprietor - go figure.
Mine's the beer because if I was that fellow, that's what I'd be drinking... now... and lots of it.
Just because it's Linux doesn't mean you don't pay for proprietary software. Me - just use OpenOffice or Google Docs if you want a reasonable office suite for free.
Of couse, I wonder how long MS will be able to charge with Google Docs biting at their heels?
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