Larry Kuperman

Larry Kuperman

Joined Member # 581
27 Posts 77 Replies 28,332 Reputation
Reply to Exxon Mobil Posts Highest US Corporate Profit Ever at $9.9B in Current Events JoeUser Forums

Most of my driving is to work and back. Cutting down is not an option. The rise in gas prices occured after Hurricane Katrina, in response to reduced supply...or so we have been told. But Exxon Mobil was not the only oil company to post record profits. If the Big Oil companies acted in collusion to artificially raise prices, that is illegal. Moreover it is against American interests. Check out Bill Frist's comments today: "If there

58 Replies 16,668 Views
The Google Universe in Internet JoeUser Forums

...Google. News of a new Google service that takes aim at eBay has been leaked. The service, called Google Base, would allow people to sell goods and services without paying for advertising. Google has also confirmed that it is working on an on-line payment service, but denies that that service will compete with PayPal. (Editor's comment: Cough cough. And Goo

12 Replies 23,774 Views
Reply to Whose Internet Is It, Anyway? in Internet JoeUser Forums

Hmm, well a last last thought. -OZZY-, you have not added anything thoughtful. "yeah right.....time to wake up !!!" is not going to persuade anyone. You asked if Europe has free speech. The answer from both me and BakerStreet, was "no, not to the same extent as in the US." Like it or not, that is true. Moreover, Europe as a whole has a history of allowing dictatorships. Not only Hitler and Mussolini during World War II, but more recen

52 Replies 60,445 Views
Reply to Whose Internet Is It, Anyway? in Internet JoeUser Forums

Not a problem, BakerStreet. Please note that France was NOT a nation involved in the original petition; Iran was. We only need to think of the Mullahs of Iran having control over the domain names of the entire Internet...well, no need to belabor that. sunwukong, the proposal was never intended to correct technical issues of DNS. The proposal is simply about control. Let me also add, sunwuking an un-official JoeUser/WinCustomize greet

52 Replies 60,445 Views
Reply to Whose Internet Is It, Anyway? in Internet JoeUser Forums

Hi, Crae. Nice to see you here. "So what it boils down to is a couple of questions: 1. What weighs stronger: national or international interests? 2. Don't fix what ain't broken; or: try to make the system better (which could also end up worse)?" Add a third issue. Does the act of creation and investment of time and money, convey rights? And do "users" (as opposed to creators) get to take those rights away because they find the

52 Replies 60,445 Views
Reply to Whose Internet Is It, Anyway? in Internet JoeUser Forums

sunwukong, allow me to summarize the arguments for Internationalization of the Internet: The United States created a wonderful tool, which had its origins in a Federally funded program, as you yourself pointed out. American corporations invested substantial amounts of capital and research in growing this tool and establishing the protocols that make it successful. Other countries have used this tool as a means of creating wea

52 Replies 60,445 Views
Reply to Whose Internet Is It, Anyway? in Internet JoeUser Forums

sunwukong, I did not detail the Internet's origins from ARPANET simply because it is not germane to this issue. If anyone wants, they can read all about the history of the Internet here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet You further stated: "The problem for other countries is that a hostile US government can effectively shut down Internet access that relies on DNS to their countries (or selective parts)." I think that I

52 Replies 60,445 Views
Reply to Whose Internet Is It, Anyway? in Internet JoeUser Forums

Jafo and Baker, thanks for the comments...slightly off topic, but still.... Much of the world's "information assets" run on the Internet and those assets are, in one wise or another, controlled by companies based in the US. That makes some parts of the world nervous, not without justification. But if not the US, then who? Will anyone speak for the UN controlling it? I think not. The point is that there is no more qualified nation or o

52 Replies 60,445 Views
Whose Internet Is It, Anyway? in Internet JoeUser Forums

If you browse the Internet (and if you don't you're not reading this!) the websites that you visit ultimately get their names from ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.) ICANN is a non-profit agency, based in California. Which means that they are regulated to one degree or another by the US Commerce Department, a part of the US Government. <B

52 Replies 60,445 Views
The Works of Neil Gaiman in Books JoeUser Forums

First, I must thank AJCrowley for turning me on to this author. The Skinners among us will recognize AJCrowley as one half of the team (along with GreenReaper) responsible for BlackComb, one of the best skins ever made. His nom de skin (heh! I made that up. It means the alias that he uses for skinning) has it's origins in the Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett book "Good Ome

3 Replies 14,144 Views
Reply to Koop's Birthday Blog in Blogging JoeUser Forums

Moderateman, I went to Taft for a year. That is where I met chuck, referenced in the blog. Then to Bronx HS of Science. Thomas and Cerebro, I also wanted to thank the Gadget Guys, yourselves included, who are changing the desktop. I should also mention PJPowell. Developers omitted (but not forgotten) include JeffB. And Danilloc needs to be added the Skinners List. Also, Treetog and Alexandrie, who have helped me so much. Thanks Pixtud

18 Replies 7,279 Views
Koop's Birthday Blog in Blogging JoeUser Forums

Tomorrow, I turn fifty years old. How did that happen? Mickey Mantle, one of my childhood heroes though with feet of clay, said: "If I had known that I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself." Ah, the Mick. It was a good year and overall I am well content with where I find myself, though sometimes puzzled as to how exac

18 Replies 7,279 Views
Reply to Can Politics Remain Secular? in International JoeUser Forums

An EXCELLENT and thought provoking article. A clarification for some of the comments, if you will. Secularism is a belief in the laws of the natural world and that codes of conduct (ethics) are dictated by those natural laws. It is a simple as saying "If you lie, soon no one will believe you" as opposed to saying "Lying is a sin." The latler may be true, but is not required. I am a secularist, because it makes sense. Neither a belief in God n

24 Replies 13,686 Views
Reply to President George Bush and Katrina in Politics JoeUser Forums

"inclucding Cuba." Do you have any information that Cuba has offered aid? Given that Cuba is an impoverished dictatorship that spends most of it's resources preventing it's own people from fleeing to freedom (in the United States) what could they possibly offer? To send a flotilla of refugees in tires?

4 Replies 2,806 Views
Google Releases the New Google Desktop in Windows Software JoeUser Forums

Google has released Version 2 (Beta) of the Google Desktop. Fast and powerful as ever, it now includes a customizable sidebar. You can check out the screenshots at http://desktop.google.com/screenshots.html and download the desktop from http://desktop.google.com/ It is as fast

13 Replies 11,305 Views
Reply to Ford Breaks Ups w/ Eminem Over Foul Language in Entertainment JoeUser Forums

I must admit that I got a laugh out of this story. At what point exactly did Ford realize that Eminem's lyrics were often....ahem....risque? Had they actually ever listened to them before? Of course the auto industry is not known for choosing the best spokespeople lately. Chrysler had a brief affiliation with former football player Lawrence Taylor (LT), who admitted being a crack addict. LT's arrest record might have been a clue, had they look

3 Replies 3,869 Views
Reply to should Microsoft be using our skins for future generations? in Microsoft WinCustomize Forums

I must beg to differ with with my esteemed colleague, BakerStreet who said: "Microsoft has the ability to hire people vastly more trained and talented than most of us." When it comes to GUI, there are NO people more talented than those who frequent WinCustomize. WinCustomize is the home of the best of the best. Now, we can carry on with the silliness.

50 Replies 11,754 Views
Reply to Partners vs. lone founders in Business JoeUser Forums

The best-written and most temperate article on a volatile subject. Thanks for the clarity. Here's to Jark and Matteo and the visionaries everywhere. Without vision, there are no profit centers, no products, no innovations. Lets face it, without vision, there is no business.

15 Replies 19,128 Views
Reply to The Truth About Violent Youth and Video Games in PC Gaming JoeUser Forums

How could Florence Cohen, the litigant in the suit against Take Two, have thought GTA: San Andreas suitable even WITHOUT the unlocked content? Here is a quote from the CNN coverage of the story: "Cohen said in the suit that she bought the game in late 2004 for her grandson when it was rated "M" for mature, for players 17 and older ." (Bold added by me.) Her grandson was 14 at the time. So she bought a game intended and

19 Replies 81,530 Views