Author: fozbaca

Roadside America your online guide to offbeat tourist attractions.
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Monty Widenius interviewed. He is the “Da MySQL Man.”

“… They are talking about setting aside a percentage of the profits, approximately 10%, and distributing it evenly among the employees based on how many hours they worked. ‘A janitor will get just as much as a
programmer,’ based on hours, says Widenius. ‘We try to keep all salaries open. In the long run we think that should be fair to everyone.”

Good point about the ‘one click buying’ patent, Foz. You know, most of the ideas on the internet are not new ideas, they are extentions of current ideas made digital instead of made flesh.
People have been running tabs for thousands of years. What makes Amazon think that because it is now done digitally instead of physically it can patent an idea that has been around since the beginning of history?
A phrase that was overused a few years ago but makes sense: “Right now the internet is us writing on the digital cave.”
That’s right, and let’s face it, Amazon got a patent on painting.

Click once to buy…
Here is a test of prior art.

During spring break of ’94 I spent one glorious evening in Key West. Me and some friends, the three amigos, went to the Hog’s Breath for some drinks. Apon walking up to the bar the bartender collected one of our credit cards. When we wanted a drink, or to buy one for a pretty senorita, one would just, “Hey another margerita over here!” and low and behold there was a margerita at the table. At the end of the evening my amigo got his credit card, or I think he did everything is fuzzy at that point.

For those of you that didn’t make the connection I call it “1 shout drinking.” We setup an agreement with the bar to pay for anything we ordered with the credit card, just like Amazon but they sell books not drinks.

Finally ordered an I-Opener from Cricuit City today. I don’t mutch care for Circuit City, too expensive and the “sales people” are generally very unknowledgable, but it beats paying $40 for shipping.

Biting The Bullet: Publishing And The Net

“As the Net traumatizes one institution after another, some appear to be eating their young.

…

People selling things on the Net — whether books, newspapers, chocolates, banking or ideas — interact with their customers in jarring, often invasive ways. But both sides can benefit.

…

It is no accident that the companies that have managed to profit most from the information revolution are the ones that devote the most energy to maximizing customer responsiveness.”

That would be mean neither the newspaper nor publishing industries, both of which have made it a sacred virtue to be disconnected from and unresponsive to their customers.

The old industries <voice=”Doctor Evil”>Just don’t get it&lt/voice>.

fuck you
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The Offical Johnny Cash Page The Man In Black. My most regreted missed opportunity while a college student, not seeing Johnny Cash when he preformed on campus.

Guru of Internet never made millions off it
About Michael Hart Porject Gutenberg creator with a little about the Powers That Be(tm) fighting the free flow of information even in Gutenberg’s time.

Ramen Recipe Page
Too bad I didn’t know about all these Ramen recipes bach in The Slum days. We started, tried, a tradition of “Ramathom” where the week before finaly was a Ramen only diet for the slumites. It would all kick off with a party around a big pot of Ramen and some friends.
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