Slashdot Mirror
Low Cost Cinema Through Dynamic Pricing
cinesprocket writes "EasyJet, the European pioneer of LowCost airline travel has broadened its horizon into the entertainment field. easyCinema is to open tomorrow in Milton Keynes, England, offering cinema-goers cheap rate tickets as low as 20 pence (33 cents) using the same formula that made their airline company revolutionise the industry in Europe. However, according to the the BBC, easyCinema is being given the bird by Hollywood who will not allow it to show it's high cost movies for a low price for fear that it will create a domino effect in the future, like the airline industry has felt (in Europe). Given that easyCinema is willing to pay the movie producers the same price as the other multiplexes, it shouldn't matter what price they sell on the tickets at for we poor folk? Their success depends upon showing the big films and their lawyers are reported to be already mounting a case. Given that the case will be heard in England, where the MPAA have less of a hold on the government, it will be interesting whether they can bring the behemoth to its knees."
It's reasonably up to date.
Safari, feel the word sliding over your lips. Do you feel the rhythm, sure you do. It's definitely gay.
IPod, feel the word sliding over your lips. Do you feel the rhythm, sure you do. It's definitely gay.
Gay, feel the word sliding over your lips. Do you feel the rhythm, sure you do. It's definitely Apple.
[ed. note: in the following text, former FreeBSD developer Mike Smith gives his reasons for abandoning FreeBSD]
When I stood for election to the FreeBSD core team nearly two years ago, many of you will recall that it was after a long series of debates during which I maintained that too much organisation, too many rules and too much formality would be a bad thing for the project.
Today, as I read the latest discussions on the future of the FreeBSD project, I see the same problem; a few new faces and many of the old going over the same tired arguments and suggesting variations on the same worthless schemes. Frankly I'm sick of it.
FreeBSD used to be fun. It used to be about doing things the right way. It used to be something that you could sink your teeth into when the mundane chores of programming for a living got you down. It was something cool and exciting; a way to spend your spare time on an endeavour you loved that was at the same time wholesome and worthwhile.
It's not anymore. It's about bylaws and committees and reports and milestones, telling others what to do and doing what you're told. It's about who can rant the longest or shout the loudest or mislead the most people into a bloc in order to legitimise doing what they think is best. Individuals notwithstanding, the project as a whole has lost track of where it's going, and has instead become obsessed with process and mechanics.
So I'm leaving core. I don't want to feel like I should be "doing something" about a project that has lost interest in having something done for it. I don't have the energy to fight what has clearly become a losing battle; I have a life to live and a job to keep, and I won't achieve any of the goals I personally consider worthwhile if I remain obligated to care for the project.
Discussion
I'm sure that I've offended some people already; I'm sure that by the time I'm done here, I'll have offended more. If you feel a need to play to the crowd in your replies rather than make a sincere effort to address the problems I'm discussing here, please do us the courtesy of playing your politics openly.
From a technical perspective, the project faces a set of challenges that significantly outstrips our ability to deliver. Some of the resources that we need to address these challenges are tied up in the fruitless metadiscussions that have raged since we made the mistake of electing officers. Others have left in disgust, or been driven out by the culture of abuse and distraction that has grown up since then. More may well remain available to recruitment, but while the project is busy infighting our chances for successful outreach are sorely diminished.
There's no simple solution to this. For the project to move forward, one or the other of the warring philosophies must win out; either the project returns to its laid-back roots and gets on with the work, or it transforms into a super-organised engineering project and executes a brilliant plan to deliver what, ultimately, we all know we want.
Whatever path is chosen, whatever balance is struck, the choosing and the striking are the important parts. The current indecision and endless conflict are incompatible with any sort of progress.
Trying to dissect the above is far beyond the scope of any parting shot, no matter how distended. All I can really ask of you all is to let go of the minutiae for a moment and take a look at the big picture. What is the ultimate goal here? How can we get there with as little overhead as possible? How would you like to be treated by your fellow travellers?
Shouts
To the Slashdot "BSD is dying" crowd - big deal. Death is part of the cycle; take a look at your soft, pallid bodies and consider that right this very moment, parts of you are dying. See? It's not so bad.
To the bulk of the FreeBSD committerbase and the developer community at large - keep your eyes on the real goals. It'
Don't got much to say, but I'd figure I'd get in a quick troll before I went to bed. It's almost 1:30am here in good ol' EDT.
Well, good night!! See you all tommorrow!!!
Getting out to LHR or Gatwick from central london is like a £3.50 tube ride, or if you want you can check in at paddington, leave your luggage there and get the admittadly expensive heathrow express. Depending on how much luggage I have and the time of my flight its worth it though just for the extra hour's sleep you can get in the morning.
i do want allocated seating. i fly at least twice per month and know damn well which seats in which planes will give me the best leg-room/laptop tray space. cool that a 15" tibook fits perfectly into the slots of an airbus seat btw.
BA's prices are often the same or less than EJ for trips between amsterdam and london. especially if you book early. And BA let you check in online and choose your seats etc 12 hrs before your flight. I can't speak for EJ's other destinations but I know for the amsterdam to london run BA can't be beat.
I have been delayed by an hour almost every time I have tried to fly easyjet. All airlines cancel flights - i've had it happen - occasionally and suffer delays due to weather and whatnot, but this has happened very rarely with BA in my experience. I have known of friends whose EJs flights have been cancelled for no reason they can work out other than insufficient bookings.
I used to have a better sig than this, but I got tired of it
"right pricing"?
That's OK. I almost gagged when I read this clause:
it shouldn't matter what price they sell on the tickets at for we poor folk?
It's not a Slashdot thing. My wife gets really ticked off at me for pointing out grammatical errors on TV. It's bad enough on commercials and news, but when even Data uses bad grammar you know that there's a crisis.
This morning I just got an error message from Windows stating "The data has not been saved."
Grammar is a lost art.
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.