Slashdot Mirror
Slashback: Wal-Modem, Culpability, Misquotes
There must be some mistake; this is what I wanted. Masem writes: "The review of the OS-less PCs sold through Wal-Mart brought out a lot of comments on the inclusion of a WinModem, effectively requiring Windows to make the computer work correctly. However, NewsForge reports that shortly after that posting, Microtel, the makers of these computers, wrote back to the reviewer and indicated that new versions of the systems will ship with Linux-friendly modems from now on. Nice to see a company that knows its target audience and how to make them happy."
Thanks, Microtel!
Next: ethernet cable manufacturers. cpt kangarooski writes: "For those tuning in late, Harlan Ellison sued AOL (among others) for having the temerity to permit users to upload copies of his copyrighted works across their networks on the Usenet. As it turns out, AOL was in the right, and got a summary judgment against Ellison.
The opinion by Judge Cooper is located here in PDF format Given his reputation, Ellison will likely appeal."
Welcome to Ix, please take off your shoes. cayle clark writes "A few months back I asked slashdot about shopping in the Akihabara, Tokyo's famous "electric town," and got lots of good advice. Well, now I been and went there, took some pictures, and posted an illustrated account here. Netting it out, it's a keen place to wander, and prices are in some (but only some) cases lower than in the USA."
Hacking at the ties that bind Following up on the new venture in wireless from the LinuxCare crew, Dave Sifry writes "802.11b Networking News wrote up a summary of the new Sputnik Gateway release today, codenamed Stagecoach. The Community Gateway code runs from CD and turns a computer with an ethernet card and Prism 802.11b card into a secure authenticating firewalled 802.11b Access Point. New features of this release include support for desktop cards, like the Linksys WMP11 PCI card, which means that you can turn your old 486 in a closet into a cheap secure wireless router."
I'd rather they save Futurama, but gift horse, teeth, etc. Remik writes "Yahoo News is carrying this story letting Simpsons creator Matt Groening set the record straight that the Simpsons isn't winding down and that it isn't on the ropes. He claims he was misquoted and misunderstood in a Financial Times of London article that came out earlier this week and that he does indeed has stories for years and years. What if Marge became a robot? Hmm..."
Has anyone detected the envelope with the winner's name yet? SoundGuy666 writes "Looks like SETI made it past that 500 million milestone - wonder who won the $500 prize..."
OH YEAH!
How come when I watch it's always a rerun?
If you post it, they will read.
Funny, the episode last night showed a huge lack of imagination. The network may want to beat the horse for more cash, but that doesn't mean that it's not in deep trouble.
Classic 1 HIT ME IN THE SHITTER BABY, UGH HUH
Classic 2 Oh yeah, in the shitter some more, in the shitter.
Classic 3 More Ass stretchin goodness.
Female Goater My pussy is too small for this melon.
Goatse Grandpas - GRANPA GOAT S3X0R5
Son of a Goat - Holy fucking son of a goat.
1 Oh, pardon me sir, would you happen to have any ANAL LUBE?
2 UNGH FART, pssssbt, ungh, tweeep, squeaaaaaak ungh
3 PFFFFFFFFFFT AHH pffft
4 FOOOOOOOOOOOOF blud dribble dribble
Prime Number Shitting Goatse SE THE Prym3 number flow like the river SHIT
Goatse Returns! Fuck yeah, the goat man is a coming back to Trollaxor
Goatsex goatsex GOATSEX Goat Sex animal sex bestiality
Of all the animal sex in the world, the one that suffers the most abuse from modern sexual habits is the large barnyard, otherwise known as the animalsex Our animals were intended by nature to function as a smoothly flowing sex systems, in order to promptly flush digestive wastes from the body.
The large barnyard is one of the four main elimination systems of the world. In Chinese medicine allthe internal sex are paired. The large barnyard is paired with the zoo. Your puppy (dog/horse) is made up of four main sections:
(1) ascending, (2) transverse, (3) descending sex & the (4) sigmoid. It's total length is approximately 5 to 5 1/2 feet and it ends at the anus where feces eliminated from the body. The small pony's length is approx. 26 ft. long. They are called large and small not because of their length but because of their width & diameter.
Come on man, get with it! Suing over usenet piracy is so 90's. It's all about suing p2p now!
Next thing you know, he'll start railing off on the evils of DOOM.
-Denor
Last night's episode made some sort of reference to the cancellations rumours and I kind of had to wonder what that was all about. I guess now I know.
Hey, they're just starting out. We can look at all the errors of every computer manufacturer in their first models. The Altair 8088 and Apple 1 were both kits, requiring a great deal of know-how (especially then) and allowed for a large deal of Human error (This was in the days of shag carpetting). Microtel is going to have a large amount of future successes for freeing us from the evil tyrant of Microsoft! Thank you, Microtel for having the balls to stand up!
Surprise surprise! Someone got it wrong and sold a lot more issues by misquoting the Simpson's creator, saying that he was going to stop making new episodes. How convenient. It is such a rarity too, that a magazine would misquote someone to have a big story. Of course, I'm sure that it was entirely unintentional...
For encouraging piracy with these OS-free PCs. I mean, how many Wal-Mart customers are going to run an Open Source operating system ? Not many I'll bet most of them simply pirate a copy of Windows!
And Rob Malda eats shit.
Come to Kuro5hin for great Justice!
Ellison is without doubt the most pompous jackass I've ever seen in my life.
would you like some hot gravy and meat?
--
pants ahoy
I just got this email a min ago. What I'd like to ask Slashdot, is, why can't they take the money from just one of these TWO HUNDRED W2K Pro licences they are about to purchase, and give it to me so I can buy a blowjob from my boss?
Better yet, explain "#6" to me... ?
And why is Win98 unsutable for being on a "new network"?
(I make $10/hr.)
BEGIN
As you may have heard, (we) are migrating to a new local area network (LAN) this spring. In addition to replacing our LAN server and using a different operating system on it, we will be upgrading the operating system on your desktop PC to Windows 2000 Pro.
Why are we doing this?
1. We have to make major changes in our network to accommodate Reference as they move to XXXX. The separate but linked LAN at Reference Service must be taken down, and all of their files have to be merged into the XXXX LAN, with appropriate passwords and access rights.
2. Many of our LAN services are Microsoft-based, and Andy will have to do less gerryrigging to make things work with the new operating system.
3. You will have your own desktop configuration at any PC in our building, not just at your desk.
4. The new LAN should be more stable and easier to administer, making us all more productive.
5. Support for Windows 98, which we all have on our PC's, is being phased out.
6. We have some funding available to undertake this project and need to do so.
How will this be implemented?
1. We are planning to make the transition as easy as possible, especially since we know everyone is facing a lot of change this spring with the remodeling project and Reference's move. Our IT consultant, XYZ, is working with Andy, who is being retrained to work with the new operating system. Together they have selected, purchased, and installed the new hardware and software in the computer room.
2. They have also installed Windows 2000 Pro on a PC, and next week IT staff start the process of testing. Our major concerns are that the response time on staff PC's be acceptable and that all necessary software required to do our work function well with the new desktop operating system. Meanwhile, XYZ and Andy will continue to work on the migration, setting up the new print queues, etc.
3. Assuming all goes well, the next step is to install Windows 2000 Pro on the PC's used by IT staff. This is a continuation of the testing process, since IT staff tend to use a broad range of software and frequently have 5-8 windows open all at the same time. This step is also to learn the new environment well enough that we can develop training materials for all staff.
4. IT staff plan to conduct training for staff in late May. We don't expect there will be a lot to learn. The desktop looks the same, for example, but the login process will be different, and everyone needs a chance to ask questions. We are thinking to start the week of May 24, and there were will be multiple opportunities over several weeks.
5. Soon after training, Andy will upgrade each PC at XXXX, and staff will start to use the new LAN.
6. Reference staff will move to the new LAN when they come to XXXX. Meanwhile, we are planning for uninterrupted communication between their LAN and ours, just as we have now.
What does this mean to me?
Very little, really. The look of your desktop will change a bit, but this migration is minor compared to the changes we face when learning a new software application or migrating to a new version of Word or whatever. But we do need for you do to some preparation.
What do I need to do to prepare?
The most important thing you can do is to work with Andy to clean up your desktop. It is time to do a good spring cleaning of your files. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
1. Do I really need multiple versions of a file? We often keep them for works-in-progress, but when the project is done, do you really need the whole history?
2. Are there files you haven't used in some time and cannot imagine needing in the future?
3. Are there better ways to organize your files? We do more and more collaborative work. Would it be better to have files in a shared directory than on your desktop?
4. Look especially at programs and files on your C:\drive. Andy is going to move as much as possible to a drive on the LAN server. This means it will get backed up automatically and you will have access from any part of the LAN (and hopefully from off-site soon).
What else do I need to know?
1. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask me or Andy. In turn, we'll provide project updates as the testing and migration continues.
2. In case you are interested, this is only one project IT staff are engaged in this spring. Andy and XYZ are also installing a new backup system in the computer room for the LAN and all our network services (not SWAN). What's so great about it? It has an automated tape carousel so that the only time someone needs to feed in tapes is once a week. Besides this, X, XX, XXX, and I are working on a new Web environment. With new software we are going to be able to move ahead with the extranet and further intranet development, improve the Calendar, and have online access to the union list of serials. But more about those projects later.
END
Clean PC... Wal-Mart...
Clean PC... Wal-Mart... Aaaaaagh!
I spent a year in Iraq looking for WMD and all I found was this lousy sig.
Is it possible to hook an external antenna up to a desktop WiFI card for increased range?
When did it jump? I think I know, but everyone agrees it's happened already.
As soon as I saw the episode where Marge is
kidnapped by a biker gang, I said "This is so
incredibly forced and predictable. They're not
trying any more. I bet this show ends soon."
I got 2 out of 3.
Austin is more fun than Dallas.
While they might have cheap, Linux-friendly PCs, I would urge everyone to avoid shopping at Wal-Mart at all costs. Wal-Mart is well known for their globalization tactics, their use of third-world labor, and their opression of competition in small-towns.
A large portion of Wal-Mart's merchandise is produced in third-world countries under sweatshop conditions. This immoral and unethical business practice may save you a few pennies at the checkout but it exploits children and exaggerates the distance between socioeconomic classes. Even the processor in the "linux-friendly PC" sold at Wal-Mart is manufactured from child labor in third-world countries. It is a well known fact that AMD Duron processors are made in a sweatshop in Maylasia. I would urge everyone concerned with the exploitation of the poor children to purchase only American-made genuine Intel processors. Furthermore, using third-world labor for manufacturing causes significant harm to the American economy because of the tens of thousands of blue collar manufacturing jobs which have been moved overseas. Wal-Mart portrays a patriotic image in its advertising campaigns, but in reality is an evil corporate monster who exploits children for the sake of its own bottom line. The best way to fight this is with our dollars. Don't spend any money at Wal-Mart and support their evil globalised empire. If we all band together, we can stop this evil menace.
-atrowe: Card-carrying Mensa member. I have no toleranse for stupidity.
Never heard of 'em.
Hey, they're just starting out. We can look at all the errors of every computer manufacturer in their first models. The Altair 8088 and Apple 1 were both kits, requiring a great deal of know-how (especially then) and allowed for a large deal of Human error (This was in the days of shag carpetting). Microtel is going to have a large amount of future successes for freeing us from the evil tyrant of Microsoft! Thank you, Microtel for having the balls to stand up!
--
pants ahoy
Hmm, you mean like the "Wall Street Journal of New York"?
I'm not aware of any other Financial Times publications. Certainly not with the distinction and eminence of the one that everyone knows. The Financial Times is published and printed throughout the world, as is the Wall Street Journal.
If articles like this continue to treat their readers as inward-looking morons, that's probably what they'll become.
Matt made the message clear in more than just an interview. The last new episode that aired, in the opening scene where Bart is writing on the chalkboard, Bart was writing something along the lines of "A will never lie about being canceled again..."
Gotta love finding out like that!
Now, that said,
I WANT MY GOD DAMNED FUTURAMA BACK YOU BASTARDS!!!
Lightning always seems to strike antennas. It should work but if your guitar amp starts sounding like a modem you should probably turn your wattage down before the FCC gets you.
Nice trolling, now write something legible.
What do you propose to do with them if you take away their jobs? Those countrys are going through the "sweatshop phase" just like all the other first-world countries did. Oh, I know, give them AK-47's and teach them how the mean of production should be operated by the state? You asswipe...
globalization...third world labor
Gosh break out the moral dilemna rags!
Good grief. Globalization itself is not evil, no more than capitalism or socialism is evil.
And what the heck is wrong with employing third world labor? You mean they should go without jobs?
Hey buddy, my truck was built in Indiana and North Carolina by a Japanese company. Should I refuse to buy any truck not built within 50 miles of where I live, and not built by locals?
Get a grip. Nothing is local any more. Any Wal Mart driving out inefficient mom-and-pop stores, well, too bad, but that's how progress works. The downside is the newly unemployed have to find a new job. The upside is costs drop, and society finds other uses for previously inefficient workers. They have been fred upt o do something NEW. Got a problem with that?
Yeh, let's all go back so damn far that everyone is employed locally, say, all the way back to when everyone had their own garden, made their own clothes, and so on.
I personally dislike Wal-Mart for their extreme penny puinching attitude, I always feel like they are squeezing the last penny out of every thing, and like I should go shower after leaving the place. I don't shop there much. But they have done a hell of a lot of good in keeping prices low for the great unwashed majority. I say Go Wal-Mart!
Infuriate left and right
If this exceeds $400 (or $800 for a couple travelling together)
Why the distinction for couples? Couldn't they just say $400/person?
I mean, isn't it obvious that, if it's $400 for one person, it will be $800 for a couple?
Withdrawal before climax is very ineffective and those who try this are usually called "parents."
Hi RecipeTroll!!! Here's a little recipe that everyone's bound to love!!! You might post Chinese recipes but none of them feature their favorite game: KITTY
1 cat
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cube of beef boullion
1 clove of garlic
1 can of stout, preferably Guinness
Cover and soak your cat in salt water for twenty four hours. Drain the water, cover and then soak in the stout for six hours. Drain the pot and place the cat in a crock pot with your cans of soup. Add a whole clove of garlic and a cube of beef boullion to the mixture. It's best to start cooking your cat in the morning so when you come home there's a tempting feline stew piping hot and ready to eat.
If you don't have a crock pot, and shame on you for lacking such a wonderful kitchen contrivance, a cat can be baked for two to three hours in a conventional oven with tasty results. Just serve with mashed potatoes, collard greens and piping hot rolls! Eating leftovers are not suggested because cat does not keep well in the refrigerator.
Serves Three.
The only thing I have to say is:
"Oh, me sooo hongry! Me hongry long time, Joe!"
Either support a monopoly that exploits children, violates the basic human rights of its workers, and bankrupts small businesses or support another monopoly that abuses its monopolistic power in anti-competitive ways, stifles innovation, and limits comsumer choice.
--Metrollica
Come on man, get with it! Suing over usenet piracy is so 90's. It's all about suing p2p now!
Next thing you know, he'll start railing off on the evils of DOOM.
-Denor
--
pants ahoy
Before everyone jumps for joy over a window-less pc from wal-mart think about this who would buy a pc from wal-mart, I realy dought that anyone who buys PCs from wal-mart is going to install linux, I would immagin that wal-mart hopes that people who buy these PCs will most likly be surprised when they try to boot up and see an error messege insted of a WindowsXP welcome screen, and I would think there first response would be for them to call tech support and hear that they need to purchase " Windows XP Home ed." from there local wal-mart for 200$. Nothing like saving 50$ on a computer to be charged 200$ on an OS
The actual text of what he said wasn't even very specific, and more or less reiterated what everyone else already knows: The Simpsons has had a long and successful run, but it's winding down to the last few seasons. It's not a news magazine, sports showcase, or other kind of program that is constantly fed with new material. The show has limitations, and it's already explored just about every comedic nuance of its characters.
It will of course be sad when it finally leaves the air, but the show is 13 seasons old. It's not going to go on forever!
Two cock in my pussy! It feel so good!
Please subscribe me to your mailing list.
You and the ten other loosers that watched Futurama should get together in your poorly made Star Wars Storm Trooper costumes and discuss how pissed off you are that they cancelled a fucking cartoon. Maybe if you hurry you can catch an episode of Sesame Street or something.
I wish Mr Ellison would just realize the futility and injustice of doing what he is doing and fight his fine cause elsewhere.
No, not the articles not about Larry Ellison, it's about Harlan Ellison.
The Simpsons jumped the shark in the season that ended with the Behind The Laughter episode.. Season 12, I think? The characters have been rather 'off' since then.. and 'Behind The Laughter' was worst episode ever anyway.. so it's a good point to mark.
mogorific carpentry experiments
....Anybody wanna help me rape a penguin?
reality timed out @ 11:11
SETI@home changed the prize to a T-shirt shortly after the /. article.
So no one won the $500 prize...
It is a well known fact that AMD Duron processors are made in a sweatshop in Maylasia.
- i have never read anything about AMD making their processors in sweatshops...do you have any information to back that up? even if they are, does that mean we should stay away from all stores that sell AMD processors...jeez, i dunno where i'm gonna shop for electronics anymore...
A large portion of Wal-Mart's merchandise is produced in third-world countries under sweatshop conditions
- i dunno about your Wal-Mart, but in my Wal-Mart they sell tons of brand name merchandise...the same brand name merchandise that you can find in any mall, toy store, electronics store, etc...if you have a problem with the business practices of a particular brand of merchandise (e.g. Nike), then i suggest you protest their company in particular, rather then make a dangerous blanket statement like you did...
-if you were gonna slam Wal-Mart for anything, you could've slammed them from not hiring union workers (atleast i don't think they still do)...that would be a legitimate complaint (although, i don't have a problem with it)...that is one of the ways they keep their prices down, in fact...but instead, you came in with unsubstantiated claims about AMD, and a bunch of "evil" talk about Wal-Mart...nice try...
here's a link to the MENSA comment form, i think we should send them a copy of your post, and protest your membership...
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
Can somebody enlighten me?
What is his copyrighted work for which he sued AOL?
I think this product is targeted towards the advanced users out there, as much of the "mainstream" users would at least think twice before buying a PC, then have to install an OS. However, most of the people I know who install and configure their own operating systems (whether windows or linux) tend to want to build their own systems themselves. Personally, I never purchase manufactured computers because I want to make sure I get "top quality" components, such as a versitile/highly configurable motherboard (like asus, i'm not endorsing). Especially when you install Linux, it's good to know exactly the hardware specs, and the easiest way to do that is to put it all together yourself.
Despite this, I feel Walmart & Microtel are doing a good job at showing that Windows isnt the only way to compute. The Microtel SYSMAR506 - Athlon 1.4 seems a good deal at around $500 for budget consious families who want to expose technology affordably to their children or for geeks who need a computer fast and cheap. It would be nice if they included both Windows and Linux drivers, but i know that 1.) Just the fact that it includes windows drivers is a much better improvement than Compaq's "recovery cd" that doesn't have drivers, and 2.) a lot of hardware is automatically detected under Linux, so it may not be necessary
$cat
...but you knew that.
If you actually read Ellison's original rant, he sued AOL because the infringing postings were "received as part of his subscription to AOL."
That's right kids, Ellison was connecting through AOL. The alleged infringer's ISP (Tehama County Online) rolled over immediately, and was thus spared inclusion in the lawsuit. AOL got sued because they carried the infringing bits to him at his request.
At worst, they failed to proactively remove the posts from their news spools.
You have violated Robot's Rules of Order and will be asked to leave the future immediately.
When /. discussions, which used to be highly informative, degenerate into namecalling, it's a sure sign that linux is dying.
Okay actualy I think I like ONCE stepped foot in one 10 or so years ago for maybe half a second, but shit; uh;
worlds largest corporation?
Within 5 or 6 miles of me there are 3 Safe-Ways (used to be 4, but two of them consolidated into one building), but I have no idea where in the hell a walmart would be found at (or what the hell they even stock, though from what I read apparently everything).
I honestly think that there are more K-marts in Seattle (okay actualy there are only three or four) then walmarts.
Who the hell goes to walmart anyways? Fuck, I don't even KNOW ANYBODY WHO HAS EVER BEEN INSIDE OF A WALMART . How f*cking huge am I supposed to believe that they are?
Need help treating your acne? Come here!
http://www.eveeieyhfgfcdoosammgwsnboivvbsczxlzg
--Metrollica
please remove me from this mailling list
i get over 50 email miessageas a day
thanks
Globalization itself is not evil...
Globalization often means that products are produced in one part of the world and shipped to another part of the world. This requires energy, often through the use of fossil fuels, which when used produce gases that harms the atmosphere.
This fact is often sadly neglected.
Mats
In that case, the court said this: "The court does not find workable a theory of direct infringement that would hold the entire Internet liable for actions that cannot reasonably be deterred." The worst possible outcome from a Scientologist's perspective.
Judge Cooper upheld this precedent with her current summary judgement. Way cool.
Yet again, the Scientologists shoot themselves in the foot!
When I moderate, I only use "-1, Overrated". That way, I never get meta-moderated!
dividing time between Knoxville (small-big or big-small town, depending how you see things) and Dandridge, which is small no matter how you look at it.
... YSmalltownMV.
Walmart has its bad points -- fake congeniality, bland mainstream culture (not) elevated to an artform, some dreariness which cannot be erased, employees who mostly seem far left on the bell curve of indifference.
However, for many of the thigns that Walmart provides *there was no competition from local merchants* -- at least, not in the way fantasized by some Walmart opponents. 24-hour grocery? Moderate selection of electronics? A music / video / software store? Around here, there were some low-grade groceries and a low-performing Radio Shack, some pawnshops if you wanted to find stereo equipment that wasn't by Realistic or Optimus. Now there's a better Radio Shack --- across from Walmart, which brings enough traffic to support it, evidently.
I'm not trying to downplay all criticism of Walmart (I agree with some of it, in fact), but a) there's a fantasy world of small-town home-cooked goodness with friendly, cheap pharmacists on every corner who would give you free candy corn and fix your glasses for free while talking sports scores, and there's the reality of depressed, empty downtowns with listless or empty businesses which can't afford to keep open enough hours to be convenient
There's also the larger point that despite any griping which may ensue, people don't generally go to a store and spend their money because they know they could be getting a better bundle of satisfactions elsewhere. Walmart is *not* the best grocery store in driving range, but it's the only one I've stopped in to pick up combinations like bananas and Mandrake. (The distro, not the weird plant.)
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
I use linux everyday, been doing it for sometime. Last 2 or 3 computers I've bought have been ~ 1 - 2 year old for $500. I'd buy a new PC if it was cheap. I dont need the latest greated fire breathing computer to suit my needs ... building my own I've found is uaually ne cheaper and takes sometime on my part -- time that I ususlly dont have.
Mod down, this is not funny. This person just have "mod"down-syndrome. HAHAHA now that is funny.
Sorry not trying to be an ass. Even though it is running at 1.4GHz, the PR 1600 rating is validated by every benchmark out there. I only which Intel chips came with PR ratings. $498 for an XP1600 with DDR is O.K., I could obviously build it for less, but all in all its a decent price. Definitely better than a Dell Celeron with is what you get in this range.
Plus your not putting money is M$'s pockets which is a plus.
And what the heck is wrong with employing third world labor? You mean they should go without jobs?
No, I think third world laborers should go without having to work in the disgusting conditions they work in. I think they should go without breathing filthy air. I think they should work ten (not 14) hour days. I think they should get at least their country's minimum wage so that they can begin to take care of their own health.
I think you should read this story if you haven't already.
Will I retire or break 10K?
Last time I checked the venerable 486 didn't have any PCI slots, it does do mighty fine with isa nic's and Smoothwall/IPCOP though.
The one with Furious D was one of the funniest episodes ever. You're nuts.
"And what's this? A horse abusing a jockey? Could this be the start of a terrifying Planet of the Horses? In this announcer's opinion, almost certainly yes! And away I go!"
Sorry but My Compaq EVO and my E500 both have winmodems and they work perfectly with linux, both slackware and redhat 7.2 and 7.3..
A major type of winmodem chipset is happily supported by linux.. Maybe the one in the walmart computer is a el-cheapo version of a winmodem that isnt supported, I dont know what chipset it is.
but saying that winmodems are unsupported by linux is pure FUD and has no place on slashdot.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I mean, isn't it obvious that, if it's $400 for one person, it will be $800 for a couple?
It's not as obvious as you might think. In the travel business, there's often a substantial discount on per-person rates for double occupancy, meaning that if it costs $X for one person, it'll cost less than $2*X for a couple.
Will I retire or break 10K?
There is a Wal-Mart in the mall closest to me, and it is rather large. However, it took over the retail space vacated by Woolworth if I'm not mistaken.
If you would like to see the biggest big-box that you have seen in a while, take a trip up the I-5. I can't remember where it is but there's a goddamn huge Wal-Mart on the right side of the highway coming down from Vancouver.
Wal-Mart sucks ass. I bought an egg beater there and it broke within a week. It was a gift too, so I felt so embarassed that I bought a tweleve dollar egg beater as a replacement.
Yes, Durons are fabbed at Fab 25 in Austin, Texas. However, by the highly scientific process of glancing at any AMD processor, you will find the code words "ASSEMBLED IN MALAYSIA".
I am told this is Malaysian for "Assembled in Malaysia".
Granted, I don't think most sweatshops are up to the task of packaging processors, as a couple of water molecules will kind of screw them up. And I doubt the people working for AMD are getting slighted by local standards - their work environment must be clean because of the job done there. But saying that AMD processors are not made in Malaysia is obviously wrong, as the die that is fabbed in Austin is packaged there.
Ellison is without doubt the most pompous jackass I've ever seen in my life.
Harlan or Larry?
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
I'd bet big money linux users aren't Walmart's primary target for "Clean PCs". I'd guess a large portion of those PCs are used with illegal copies of Windows... Which work fine with winmodems.
It really is an evil company. More evil than M$ IMHO.
Globalization is just a word people like to throw around. And the use of 3rd world labour in and of itself is not the real problem.
But Walmart, like many other western companies, use cheap labour economies without really giving anything back to them. This isn't really the problem, it's just the after effects of the problem which was originally created by some corrupt government, the IMF and the WTO.
This aside, Walmart is also one of the worst abusers of child labour. It's right up there (if not worse than) with Nike.
And to be honest, I feel that this goes against everything freedom and the open source movement stands for. Which is why I'll never support Walmart. I don't care if they start supporting the open source market. I don't even care if they donate a million dollars to the FSF (though that would be cool, however unlikely). They're not a moral company and will never have my support.
The worst part is Walmart is a supporter for a website to report exploitation of children...
oh the Enrony of it all!!!
This is left as an exercise for the reader.
88 +1 or better posts and not a single mention of the Akihabara bit. I wonder if this is a record.... either way, I just broke the streak, so ha! :-)
Laugh at stupidity: mod idiots +1 Funny.
Q: what do you do if it's 3am, and you just got called in to work because your work's mail server cpu fan decided to die?
A: you haul your ass down to wal-mart, pick up the best microtel machine you can put on your credit card, and take it up to work. switch out the drives and maybe the network card, and you're back in business. figure about 2 hours total work.
Why read the article when I can just make up a snap judgement?
I'm typing on a Japanese computer right now. The keyboard is just fine for typing in English. I don't understand the problem with getting a Japanese keyboard. There are a few extra keys and Japanese letters (hiragana) in addition to the usual letters, but I'd say it's way cooler, not a problem.
Japanese Windows, of course, requires you to be able to read, but all good geeks can install an English operating system on their computers.
Post your address, and I'll send you a motherboard. PCI was out with 486's. What, you think it's a Pentium only connection?
later,
Jess
I am programmed for etiquette, not destruction!
You may have mixed opinions about using famous literature/film/theatre for the basis for Simpsons episodes, but I, for one, think that's what makes the show intelligent. Most of the best material is a parody of great works. Rosebud (the episode where Burns searches for his bear Bobo) is often shot for shot a copy of Citizen Kane.
I will be the first to agree that the Simpsons has gone down hill, but I would contend that it is because they've stopped alluding to famous works.
Also, this was an opportunity for me to be pedantic, which I would hate to miss. ;)
You can't get a blue screen on a black and white monitor.
See - you lose the Simpsons either way. Either Groening takes your advice and stops the episodes, or you stop watching because it's not fun anymore. You can say it "jumped the shark" all you want, but it's not going to change how it's produced one bit.
I've personally noticed that it's changed, but I don't think that it's for better or for worse. Yes - they've overdone Homer being stupid, as they overdid Bart-the-smartass in seasons one and two. They'll move on to something else when people get bored of this. Hopefully concentrating on the fringe characters a bit more - I mean, the newest one is what? Disco Stu? And he's been around for years now.
There are very few episodes I've watched that weren't worth watching. There have been one or two every season for the past 4 or 5 years that have just been a waste of my time, but there have also been the one or two brilliant ones. In any case, I'm just glad there's still something to watch on Sundays. I think we all know in our heart of hearts that when the Simpsons is gone, it won't be replaced by quality.
Last post!
Harlan or Larry?
Yes.
Error: PANTS NOT FOUND. Press <F1> to continue.
Since we know Google spiders /., it would be helpful if you'd make Scientologists a link to xenu.net instead of some random phrase. After all, we all know where to go to get information on Scientology, but your casual Google queryist might not. Right?
--
E_NOSIG
nt
OK, since there seems to be next to no posts regarding the Akihabara page, here I go... (sorry to be harsh, but I spend a lot of time there, so it sort of gets my goat to see someone come along, go around a few shops, write up a single-page report, and get that posted to /.).
The Akihabara district of Tokyo is world-famous as a shopping district specializing in electrical and electronic equipment. I had the chance to visit the Akihabara while on an Elderhostel tour of Japan in April, 2002. (The name is pronounced ah-kee-ha-ba-rah, with no stress on any syllable. It is not, as English speakers want to say, aki-HAbara or akiha-BAra. The syllables just roll out all at the same level.)
Not really. Spoken Japanese does not use stress as a marker, but rather pitch. 'Akihabara' declines in pitch towards the end of the word.
Akihabara is a station on the Japan Railways line and on the Tokyo subway. The railway station is a bit more convenient. This is what you see as you start down from the station platform.
A bit more convenient, if you happen to be using a JR line - if you're on a subway line, the subway exit is the way to go.
There are lots of people on the street (but that's true everywhere in Tokyo). This was Sunday morning at 11AM.
Akihabara's main street is closed to traffic on most Sundays.
The district is roughly 6 city blocks square. Some of the streets are wide, as above, and some are narrow and have that "oriental bazaar" feel to them.
It's quite considerably larger than that - certainly, most of the larger stores are toward the station, but if you head down the road in the direction of the Suehirocho station, there's many smaller shops in the back streets.
This place also sold a variety of CPU and memory chips. Here is the price list. Multiply Yen by 0.008 to get dollars (as of 4/02). Thus the 2.4Ghz P4 was selling for about $575. These prices, as with most prices in the Akihabara, did not strike me as wonderful bargains. Good prices, but not good enough to cover the airfare to Tokyo!
Gee, I'm so sorry... strange as it may seem, shops in Akihabara don't take your plane fare into account when setting their prices.
Notice the number of clerks. Like every Japanese retail store, there are many, many clerks, all eager to be helpful. Japanese retail stores are grossly overstaffed by American standards.
...which could easily be rewritten to say, "American stores are grossly understaffed by Japanese standards." How often have I seen people complaining that they can't find a clerk in a US Fry's?
The prices for Apple stuff seemed to be about the same as US prices.
That's because Apple engages in price-fixing in Japan (they were actually convicted of it once, but it's obvious that it still goes on).
Many stores sold games. This one is advertising the Nintendo for about $200. There were also Sega and Sony game stores. I don't know what the game is that is featured in the window display. The box was all Japanese except for the line "The voices of a distant star."
It's called 'Hoshi no Koe' ('The Voice of the Stars' is close enough).
When I looked closely at these PDAs I found the screen display was all in Japanese.
OH MY GOD!!! You're KIDDING!!!! Japanese PDAs in Japan... who would have thought it?!?
Most of the larger stores devoted much floor space to items of interest to local people, especially appliances: washing machines, microwaves, rice cookers and the like. And some absolutely gorgeous, 16:9-format TVs, which, or course, would be useless in the US.
Obviously, these stores should immediately devote a minimum of 70% of their floor space to items that are of interest to Americans.
There were lots of laptops to be seen, but alas, almost all had Japanese keyboards and the Japanese version of Windows. The prices for most laptops seemed to be pretty close to US prices for comparable models. The only bargains were on closeouts (clearly marked in English, "last one").
...I don't need to hammer the point any more, do I? (BTW, the reason you didn't find any 'bargains' was because you were looking in the wrong place - if you want a cheap laptop, the best way to find one is either online or check some of the smaller shops for weekend specials).
The only place you find English keyboards is in the big stores, in what are advertised as "Duty Free" departments. "Duty Free" is a misnomer -- all the goods were made in Japan, so there is no question of avoiding an import duty.
The 'Duty Free' in this case refers to the lack of the 5% consumption tax on items (which he does mention later on, although he doesn't link the two facts).
All in all, about what I'd expect from a tourist on a quick spin through the larger shops...
Just about everything you need to know about Harlan can be found on harlanellison.com. And check out the quote on the first page. Way to make friends, Harlan.
www.lucernesys.comHorizon: Calendar-based personal finance
486-66 and 486-100 boards often have PCI slots. Sometimes the bus is a little on the flaky side, but I have used 10/100 nics in 486-66 and better with good results.
Fuck, I hate that phrase.
I bet you were one of those fucking morons during the dotcom madness saying things like 'clicks-and-mortar' and shit like that, right?
FUCK OFF.
CPUs are NEVER hand-made. The proccess from start to finish is 100% machine/robotics. There is no human interventation during this process execpt managing the machines, which is done a very highly filtered enviroment. And they get paid well over what most Americans make. I hardly call it a sweatshop.
Namely, forbid interstate commerce. Forbid intercounty or even intercity or especially interneighborhood commerce.
Where do you draw the line?
Here's a thought. Money is the great equalizer. If someone can build something halfway around the world and ship it to me cheaper than I could make it myself, that's a win.
Here's another thought. If that ship / train / truck / plane carries cargo to me from halfway around the world, it probably carries something back in the other direction.
Infuriate left and right
If someone else can make something cheaper than we can, then that frees us up to do something NEW and BETTER. Would you still have us making buggy whips just to keep the jobs?
Infuriate left and right
Well just because I haven't seen one does not mean much. I build firewalls (free to good homes) out of 486 desktops for cable modem or dsl users, assisited living facitiies etc. It would be nice to recycle as much of the old stuff as possible, wireless is one more option.
:) gomadtroll@nospamoperamail.com
ps. If anyone wants to get rid of any 3com 3c509 cards...go for it
Where did I say anything about monopolies being good?
Next time you post, try interspersing some facts or at least reasoning in amongst the rants.
For instance, one benefit of globalization is more competition, such as third world steel mills. They can make steel a whole heck of a lot cheaper than the first world. Look up some facts on how much overcapacity there is among steel mills. Half could go out of business -- the inefficient half, mind you -- and the world would be better off because (1) those workers would find something more productive to do, and (2) the crappy inefficient mills would go out of business and stop polluting.
Isn't that something! More and better work, less pollution -- bingo! Competition!
Now what was it you liked so much about localization?
Infuriate left and right
I had a Gigabyte GA-486?? with a AMD DX4 120MHz CPU and it had 3 pci slots.
It was the fastest 486 I ever owned..
rm -r windows
"I bow to no man" - Riddick
What I want to see is Mandrake Linux 8.2 sitting on the shelf beside one of those naked machines ... Why not?!? I think it would be a great seller, considering the targeted demographic: slashdotters, M$-haters (is there a difference?), nerds in general, tight-wads, Christina Ricci in a thong.
:O)
As far as the modem issue goes, I don't use the damned things anyway so there's no big loss.
I think a large floating billboard featuring Christina Ricci in dental floss bikini might drive traffic too. I hope she does a Playboy issue soon
Harlan Ellison is an excellent example of why one should never know what one's favorite authors are like as people.
I loved Alone Against Tomorrow and his [imho] groundbreaking novella The Region Between. He was my undisputed king of unapologetically weird 70's-era sci fi.
I would say "love" but it's impossible to pick them up again without thinking of his trite rants on the [old] Sci Fi Channel. Now he's suing AOL for serving up content he explicitly asked for.
Harlan, Harlan. Feh.
I think it would be more fair to say that Martin Guerre was based upon The Prince and the Pauper. The Principle and the Pauper takes more from Martin Guerre than from the Twain novel. The key pointed shared by both Martin Guerre and the Simpsons is that an individual is seemingly killed in battle and then later returns to claim his rightful place in a community. In The Prince and the Pauper the two characters voluntarily change places to see what the other's life is like.
</pedantic>
You can't get a blue screen on a black and white monitor.
Lest Slashdot readers be tempted to dismiss Harlan Ellison as a technophobic crank, be aware that he is one of the most financially successful writers working in Hollywood today. He got that way by fighting the studios who tried to rip him off.
Hollywood operates in large part on reputation fraud and misappropriation of other people's work, particularly screenwriters. Plot ideas and outlines are co-opted left and right. Writers in Hollywood do indeed work like dogs and end up getting treated about as well. Ellison stepped into these shark-infested waters many decades ago and has consistently and resolutely refused to allow himself to be fscked by the studios.
Ellison is widely recognized as one of the most litigious writers out there, suing studios when they misappropriate his work. What's more, Harlan wins these suits almost all the time. Writing is his vocation and his passion, and he stands among some of the first names in science fiction. But he has seen too many of his friends and colleagues screwed by the studio system, doing lame knock-offs of their work and making millions while the writer goes hungry. Most creative types -- me included -- would just roll over and go, "Oh, well, what can I do about it?"
Not Harlan. He bitch-slaps these creeps up Sunset Blvd. and back until they get the clue: You don't take a writer's work without paying for it.
Where Harlan has gone wrong, IMHO, is that he has misconceptualized the nature of the "wrong" against him. Ellison's entire experience of having his work copied has been in the context of Hollywood studios and publishers. Studios copy Harlan's work, and make money off it. So Harlan sues the studio. Then he sees copies of his work are, "all over AOL," and AOL's making money off it. Ergo, the same solution applies.
Except it doesn't.
I hope someone can explain this to Ellison. His stock and trade is science fiction. We need the imaginations of men like him to provide the ideas and invent a future where copying is ubiquitous and unconstrained, and artists still get handsomely remunerated.
Schwab
Editor, A1-AAA AmeriCaptions
I'm sure that the first documented case of a prion-based disease was among the cannibals of Papua New Guinea. I'm not sure if it was the same prion that causes Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, but they got it the same way the cows did: by eating brains. Don't assume that civilization invented any biological problem. Of course, your noble savage would probably not eat human brains, but sometimes you can't be particular.
later,
Jess
I am programmed for etiquette, not destruction!
I know for a fact that Malaysia has 2 silicon wafer foundries - Silterra and First Silicon. Neither make any processors for AMD (I don't think they even make CPUs of any kind, mostly communications/networking products). Secondly most Intel and AMD processors are packaged in Malaysia from chips make around the world - Intel with its 6 fabs worldwide and AMD chips from US of A and Dresden, Germany (yes, that University town that Le May almost bombed to oblivion half a century ago). They are packaged by the same packaging company that is listed on the KL Stock Exchange.
As of our children, they have to endure compulsory education until they are 15. And most Malaysian children who eventually go to colleges gets into government funded one where the fees are cheap and those who cannot afford it can even take low interest loans... and I know we don't have the majority of our college students having to work in the sweatshops bearing names like McDonald's to fund their studies...
I use an AMD processor and proud of it... as of American jobs going overseas, well, semiconductor manufacturing (most of it) are going down the profitability scale and even those in this part of the world will move to China eventually...
Thank God I am not a cary carrying member of an elitist, shamelessly self promoting organisation that admits people on the basis of intelligence defined purely by themselves, for themselves. I'd rather be just another Anonymous coward
Please could you modeate this post as score 5
Please repost this post 10 times
my user name is Icy Hot Stuntahz
my password is hRAKVSaP
I know for a fact that Malaysia has 2 silicon wafer foundries - Silterra and First Silicon. Neither make any processors for AMD (I don't think they even make CPUs of any kind, mostly communications/networking products). Secondly most Intel and AMD processors are packaged in Malaysia from chips make around the world - Intel with its 6 fabs worldwide and AMD chips from US of A and Dresden, Germany (yes, that University town that Le May almost bombed to oblivion half a century ago). They are packaged by the same packaging company that is listed on the KL Stock Exchange.
As of our children, they have to endure compulsory education until they are 15. And most Malaysian children who eventually go to colleges gets into government funded ones where the fees are cheap and those who cannot afford it can take low interest loans... and I know we don't have the majority of our college students having to work in the sweatshops bearing names like McDonald's to fund their studies...
I use an AMD processor and proud of it... as of American jobs going overseas, well, semiconductor manufacturing (most of it) are going down the profitability scale and even those in this part of the world will move to China eventually...
Thank God I am not a cary carrying member of an elitist, shamelessly self promoting organisation that admits people on the basis of intelligence defined purely by themselves, for themselves. I'd rather be just another Anonymous coward.
[Written following assumption that the self proclaimed resident genius meant 'Malaysia' when he typed 'Maylasia']
It is interesting to read the whole decision in Ellison v. AOL. IANAL, but apparently the issue of contributory copyright infringement (as opposed to direct infringement and vicarious infringement, which starts to explain why IANAL) would have gone to trial but for the fact that AOL met one of the "safe-harbor" provisions of the DMCA.
So Usenet is apparently saved by the DMCA. Depending on how you feel about Usenet, this is either an ironic victory or yet another reason to curse the day the DMCA was enacted.
Every one know that to shop smart, shop S-Mart. It's the only way to go..
... because in this house we obey the laws of thermodynamics!
Glenn
The Smrt way to trade CFDs on the ASX
if only you had logged in.
;)
Oh well, at least now I can look at the page source and steal the goatse code
Proof of the gay-linux conspiracy!
[switching to hardware modems] may not seem like it's very significant, but it is. Consider this: One of the world's largest retailers has decided that the Open Source community may be a viable marketplace. Wal-Mart has promoted products aimed at us. And that has opened the door for us to be heard, not as techies, but as consumers.
All true, and it also occurred to me that changing to a Linux-friendly modem is a very, very smart move on the part of Microtel.
If Microsoft were to sue Microtel and Walmart under some theory of contributory copyright infringement -- inducing people to buy computers for the purpose of pirating Windows, it would be difficult for Microtel or Walmart to make the argument that those computers were intended for Linux use, if they contained hardware that is designed to only work under Windows.
Proof of the gay-linux conspiracy!
Martin Guerre was a sixteenth-century French peasant who returned from war to find that he had "returned" years earlier and had been living tidily with his wife for some time.
There followed a great trial to determine which one was the "real" Guerre. The real one lost.
It's a famous historical episode in early modern history. Needless to say, it a) predates Mark Twain and b) is obviously the basis of the musical (and a movie with Gerard Depardieu).
All employees must wash hands before seeking equitable relief.
The latest Walmart controversy (as heard on NPR): they're running supermarkets in their stores and employing non-union butchers.
Good. You ever been forced to work in a closed shop (mandatory union membership)? It sucks.
Supposedly Walmart treats their employees like crap. Maybe you and I don't have to worry about getting a job as a cashier, but that's no reason to applaud paying people next to nothing just so you can get a better deal on paper towels.
Wal-Mart helped pioneer employee stock ownership plans. If you've ever been to a Sam's Club, they have the stock price posted next to the employee lounge. Wal-Mart means employment to a lot of people in a lot places more blighted than you'll ever see. Why do they pay people "next to nothing"? Why do you pay upwards of $1000 for an apartment in Silicon Valley? Because the cost of living is different in different places.
Which is better for the economy, a bunch of people in each city making good money selling goods at local stores, or a couple of guys in Texas making good money running a chain?
Arkansas, actually. And a lot of the "good money" is being made by the employees because they are shareholders, as per above.
There's the flip side of the coin, too - the price of everything going down by 20% means that everybody's purchasing power just went up by 20%. That means a lot of poor people can suddenly buy a lot more. Is that good for the economy? It means that a lot of people in rural America can suddenly breathe easier.
I'm not a rabid Wal-Mart apologist. My family business was one of the countless small stores destroyed by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. But the truth isn't as simple as "and then the giant came and destroyed everything".
All employees must wash hands before seeking equitable relief.
News to me. Everytime I've gone to Wal-Mart, the products produced by them bear a large sticker or label that says "Made in the USA" In fact, they've advertised that as a reason to shop there for quite some time.
If bad puns were like deli meat, this would be the wurst
So.. who cares what linux people think really from a marketing perspective. Less than 1% of consumer PCs are running linux. Big fucking deal.
It's late and maybe it's just my brain failing to do the math right, but how is 10% of 1026-400 == 26??
1026 - 400 = 626. 10% = 62.6 ($63)?
Of course, I'm probably wrong and I'm making an ass of myself. Please explain anyway.
-Kasreyn
Kasreyn: Cheerfully playing the part of Devil's Advocate to hairtrigger
I should be shot (and I will be shot if someone tells my wife how much I spent on it.)
It is about time the Simpsons was put out to pasture as they have clearly run out of ideas.
So to get a clean PC we have to buy from scum like Wal-Mart? Thanks, but I'd rather my money went to scum like MS instead.
What is Harlan Ellison's problem? Was he born a moron? Or just been falling on his head a lot?
Your post was one long anal rant and uttterly fucking pointless.
The origional review was just fine IMHO you added nothing of value in all your abusive and comments, which attempted to make something out of nothing.
All the points you made were FUCKING OBVIOUS given the context and were never the less useful even if YOU are too short sighted to see why.
So heres one from me: FUCK OFF and stop wasting bandwidth, fucking Karma Whores *grumble*.....
I even have a Pentium board with a VLB slot. Now that's rare; the VLB bus was basically an extension of the 486's internal CPU bus. It required quite a bit of bridge logic to make it work with a Pentium.
PHEM - party like it's 1997-2003!
where would /.ers get their clever sigs from?
That '70s Show??
hi!
Microtel winmodems work fine in Linux.
Maybe someone should have investigated this before raising a stink about it.
yeah, they aren't great modems, but I bought one (got it for free with the rebate at compusa). I put it in my linux machine and downloaded a kernal module for it. It works pretty well.
just fyi
room101 -- how much can you stand before they break you?
(they always break you eventually)
apparently the issue of contributory copyright infringement would have gone to trial but for the fact that AOL met one of the "safe-harbor" provisions of the DMCA.
This is (probably) true. Ellison misunderstands technology so much that he could have had it go to court. And he would have lost.
Usenet is apparently saved by the DMCA.
Umm, this is a VERY big leap.
The DMCA's "safe harbour" provisions in no way "saved" Usenet. All they did was provide a short-cut.
If the safe harbour provisions didn't exist, Ellison would have taken AOL to court, and would have lost - because in order to be found guilty of contributory copyright infringement, you must have knowledge that infringement is taking place.. this implies that AOL must know the copyright status of every piece of information on Usenet.
So (continuing the assumption that safe harbour didn't exist) when Ellison lost, it would have created a legal precident.. and effectively done the same thing.
The DMCA did not "save" Usenet, because even if the DMCA didn't exist, the end result would have been the same. It would just have taken longer.
Globalism is real. I found about the same prices at the Akihabara as I did Kyoto as I did in S'pore's "Electronic Malls." as I have in Fry's. It is fun to see so much consumer stuff in one place, but don't expect any super deals.
I think Douglas Adams had a line something like. "How come duty-free shops can sell things so much cheeper, but don't?"
OK, so I travel too much and don't go to the right tourest traps like I should.
Many 802.11b PCI cards are PCI 2.2 only though, which no 486 will be (in fact only quite recent boards are).
Blaming GW Bush for the Iraq war is like blaming Ronald McDonald for the poor quality of food.
I wasn't terribly interested in the article until I read your vituperative tirade. Having seen it myself, I must say you are needlessly spiteful and arrogant. The man wrote a throw-away piece, for the amusement of passersby, on a shopping excursion he took in Japan. There is no weight of authority in his description; he admits that he is an uninformed, Anglophone tourist. For those of us who have never been to Akihabara, or any of Japan, it is an innocent diversion.
While your critique of his narrative was interesting and informative, its tone was certainly unnecessary. You happen to have the benefit of experience but used this only for your own vainglorious self-adulation. The acerbity and dudgeon of your jeremiad betrayed a stunted and tawdry sense of worth.
"unsupported by linux is pure FUD"
FUD:
Fear
Uncertianty(sp?)
Doubt
In the context of the story, saying Linux doesn't support winmodems is a mistake, not FUD.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
You know, this makes me mad enough to return that giant omnibus edition of Ellison's stories to the store I got it from.
Oh wait, I shoplifted it from that store. Never mind.
OK, asshole, he wasn't *complaining* about half the stuff you berated him for. And he didn't claim to be an expert, either. He was simply relating his experience on his one trip there. Give him a break. This was actually very interesting to someone like me, who would like to go, but may very well never get to.