Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 23rd Apr 2012 22:40 UTC
"The increase is a sign that the search engine can no longer afford to operate in a Silicon Valley vacuum. For years, Google had a reputation for indifference inside the Beltway. It took Google until May 2005 to set up a presence in Washington and even then, its headquarters consisted of a one-man lobbying shop in suburban Maryland." Do the Americans among you just accept this? Is this normal? Why aren't you guys turning to the streets when your country is quite clearly being bought left and right? I mean, I'm sure this happens everywhere, but on this scale? Gives me the creeps.
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RE: Comment by Flatland_Spider
by Fergy on Tue 24th Apr 2012 05:23
in reply to "Comment by Flatland_Spider"
Member since:2006-04-10
The US is a big country, and as such it makes sense to have a mechanism where the distant citizens can have a presence in the capital.
That is what voting is for.
Isn't it weird that you have to hire organizations to influence the people that you voted for to get them to do what you want?
If you take away normal democracy in the US you are left with how most of the world sees the US: the president is the guy that spend the most on his commercials, lobbying groups are directly in charge, huge corporations spend the most money and thus are in charge of the country.
RE[2]: Comment by Flatland_Spider
by Drumhellar on Tue 24th Apr 2012 10:03
in reply to "RE: Comment by Flatland_Spider"
Member since:2005-07-12
It isn't weird at all. The actual vote is only one way of many to participate in the democratic process, and only gives an affirmative or negative on an elected official's whole platform. Since you will never find a politician who's platform is both all encompassing and 100% identical to your platform, you have to be active in helping to shape what your representative does.
RE[2]: Comment by Flatland_Spider
by Flatland_Spider on Tue 24th Apr 2012 23:51
in reply to "RE: Comment by Flatland_Spider"
Member since:2006-09-01
That is what voting is for.
Right, because 1500 miles if just next door.
What the politicians want us to do is forget about them until the next election and let them vote without any oversight.
Lack of oversight is how we end up in this position in the first place. We let the politicians pass legislation whatever they felt like, and they passed bills that benefited them and whomever was prompting them.
If we want change, we're going to have to get in their face, and let them know what we want. Have you heard about the squeaky wheel that got the grease?
Pulling a lever and hoping everything works out isn't going to cut it. It's going to take a lot of effort, time, and diligence to right the ship, and casting a vote isn't the end of your responsibilities as a citizen. That's one day out of the year. There are 364 days, 365 in leap years, left in the year where you need to make sure your representative is serving your interests.
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
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Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
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Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
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Member since:
2006-09-01
Yes, it's a well established facet of the congerssional legislative process. We aren't revolting because it's a useful tool, which works fairly well. The US is a big country, and as such it makes sense to have a mechanism where the distant citizens can have a presence in the capital.
Hiring lobbyists isn't exclusive to large businesses. Anyone can hire a lobbyist. The EFF hires lobbyists, and support of lobbying efforts is one of the reason to donate to organizations that support personal causes. Lots of organization websites have written tools, so people can easily lobby their representatives in regards to causes they support. PETA and Downsize DC are two examples.
We do have problems, but we have so many leaks one weepy little leak isn't going sink the ship. We'll fix that one after we fix the basketball sized hole in the side of the ship.