Then they will fail. Because, try as they might, we will all, at some point, reach terminus, or ground, or exit(). It's only assumed that we're all supposed to die in our beds of old age after having lived a full, meaningful life. Wishful thinking.
Is there a way back? Yes. But as T. Jefferson warned - search for "Tree of Liberty" and "Blood of Patriots" - it involves more than most "Americans" will risk.
I've seen that. Just grab a hefty tripod and a professional-looking camera - I use a Sony Z1U - and head toward the gate of whatever event you want to cover. Half the time, I don't even have to show the "press" card I made for myself.
Yeah, the tripod & camera get you the "rock star" treatment.
Yeah, I kind-of hope this marks a turning point where common Americans get fed up with the crap we're being fed - not just by the *AA, but also by Bush, et al - and we stop taking it like prison bitches and fight back. That's the _true_ American way.
My MBP works fine. My wife's MB works fine. My mother's MB works fine. My sister-in-law's MB works fine. My kid's MBP worked fine - until he got in a car accident from which he really shouldn't have walked away, but for which I'm very grateful he did. They put the car on the flat-bed in pieces - multiple pieces. That accident dented his case above the CD slot, but I was able to push it back enough to allow the CD / DVD to insert and eject, so I guess you could say it still works fine. All of these, except my MBP (9 mos, give or take), are over a year old.
I'm in a similar boat, having recently pulled the plug on my PC and switched completely over to the Mac. For me, my rationale is that it works - very well, I might add - I like it, and I'm very happy to pay for it. "nuff said.
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> a half drunk, coked-up deaf guy screaming HTML into a tin can on a string?
Ok, so you've nailed me almost to a 'T'.;-)
But, seriously, were being deaf just a choice - such as being coked up, or screaming into a can - I could see this being an acceptable slam. But, in my case, I didn't do anything - of which I'm aware - to end up deaf; it just happened. And, frankly, it's not really as much of a drawback as you think. For example, when I need to communicate with others, I can use my cochlear implant. When I want quiet solitude, I just turn it off. Stuck between screaming babies and the engine on a flight? No problem: set volume to 0. Or plug into my MD player with a 1/8" jack and shut out all of the other noise. Sweet.
Oh, of course, I can't let you get away without the obligatory, "you insensitive clod."
You're absolutely right, and I take your message to heart - because I've done that: fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed. Fortunately - very fortunately - I simply drove onto a snow bank on my side of the road. Totalled my crappy car - it somehow bent the frame - and scared the snit out of me. Now, given a second chance, I _do_ pull over when I don't feel up to driving.
Why couldn't the bus be filled with politicians? Or RIAA lawyers?;-)
Yeah, like I only start chucking things around when they won't let me use the remote control, or when we run out of Funyuns - which _really_ pisses me off...
I'm a drummer in need of a band. Music influences include AC/DC, Van Halen, Cheap Trick, Rush, Go-Gos, Queen, Aerosmith, Kiss, Judas Priest, Nazareth, Nickelback, etc...
Oh, I had to pay that much, and more, to Drive Savers, once, when a one-of-a-kind system bit it - hard. And, somehow, the backup tapes couldn't be found (I wasn't a daily on-site tech; they called me in when needed, and they _knew_ they were supposed to change tapes. "What tapes...?"). Anyway, because this software was so critical, and we had absolutely nothing else to recover with, we sent it off to Drive Savers - and they were worth every penny. They didn't get every file back, but they got enough of it so that I was able to piece it back together. That was a 29-hours-straight call; I drove home seeing flying hippos. After that, we got news tapes, made a master backup, and I set up a separate spare drive in the system for redundant backups. I'm not going through that again.
True, but it's disappointing to realize that our industry has now reached that level. I'm sure there has been some degree of this all throughout computing history, but that it's now being reported in the "mainstream press" means we've achieved some measure that I'd hoped we'd avoid. Welcome to "Bob's Transmission & 'Puter Fix-It Shop."
On the other hand, it makes those of us in the field that are recognized for being honest that much more dear to our clients. Of course, since we're honest, we won't take advantage of our clients. Damn this rotten conscience of mine...
Can I get an "Amen, Brother!" I don't freelance anymore - I'm content to suckle the teat of a fat corporate overlord - but I just got a call the other day from a former client-through-a-client looking to see if I would be willing to service them directly instead of working through my former client. I said I don't do that type of thing - freelance work, or stab former clients in the back - and suggested they work out whatever miscommunication they had.
Without tooting my horn, it suggests that it must be tough to find someone you can trust to work on your tech.
If our tools were as easy to understand as, say, an electrician's - not to belittle electricians in any way - then, yes, the number of choices would be trivial. But the difference is our toolsets require a substantial amount of investment - time and effort - to learn how to use them. To master them could take quite a while, because of all of the nuances and subtleties. In that case, most of us mere mortals can't afford to choose just any toolset willy-nilly, which is where the case of too many choices may seem problematic. Since it may be more than just the project at stake - possibly our careers in the immediate term - it's important to make the right choice in the first place. If there were only one toolset, then there'd be no problem: use that. Otherwise, do some research, ask around to find out what others use, and hope you make the correct choice.
Excellent points, and I agree. "Time outs" and "dialogue" don't do squat. You want to teach a kid not to do something? The judicious application of a bit of minor discomfort - aka "pain" - can go very far. Of course, you can take this to extremes, and it has been, which is why we have parents and other authority figures espousing "time outs" and other useless methods nowadays. "Hey! Teacher! Leave those kids alone!" they say.
My own anecdote: I was a little turd in school - nothing serious, but a typical wise-ass. One teacher, one time, lifted me by the hair on the back of my head - I deserved it - and that was it for screwing around in his class. I learned. Kids today learn a different lesson: that they can do whatever they want and no one can touch them. Wrong lesson to teach, in my view.
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Then they will fail. Because, try as they might, we will all, at some point, reach terminus, or ground, or exit(). It's only assumed that we're all supposed to die in our beds of old age after having lived a full, meaningful life. Wishful thinking.
If I ever run for President, can I hire you as my ersatz "Karl Rove"? :-)
Is there a way back? Yes. But as T. Jefferson warned - search for "Tree of Liberty" and "Blood of Patriots" - it involves more than most "Americans" will risk.
I've seen that. Just grab a hefty tripod and a professional-looking camera - I use a Sony Z1U - and head toward the gate of whatever event you want to cover. Half the time, I don't even have to show the "press" card I made for myself.
Yeah, the tripod & camera get you the "rock star" treatment.
Want to see what a person's really like? Give them a little bit of power.
You mean those voting Republican or Democrat?
Yeah, I kind-of hope this marks a turning point where common Americans get fed up with the crap we're being fed - not just by the *AA, but also by Bush, et al - and we stop taking it like prison bitches and fight back. That's the _true_ American way.
Oh, you still have your freedom: the freedom not to buy it, which is what I plan to do.
My MBP works fine. My wife's MB works fine. My mother's MB works fine. My sister-in-law's MB works fine. My kid's MBP worked fine - until he got in a car accident from which he really shouldn't have walked away, but for which I'm very grateful he did. They put the car on the flat-bed in pieces - multiple pieces. That accident dented his case above the CD slot, but I was able to push it back enough to allow the CD / DVD to insert and eject, so I guess you could say it still works fine. All of these, except my MBP (9 mos, give or take), are over a year old.
As they say, YMMV...
I'm in a similar boat, having recently pulled the plug on my PC and switched completely over to the Mac. For me, my rationale is that it works - very well, I might add - I like it, and I'm very happy to pay for it. "nuff said.
> I think if these vehicles ever see the light of day, we'll see Darwin step up to the plate in a major way due to people 'laughing at the weather.'
And this is bad because...?
Whether or not anyone shows up, I'm with you in spirit, bud. :-)
Have you tried Pages in iWork '08? ;-)
> a half drunk, coked-up deaf guy screaming HTML into a tin can on a string?
;-)
Ok, so you've nailed me almost to a 'T'.
But, seriously, were being deaf just a choice - such as being coked up, or screaming into a can - I could see this being an acceptable slam. But, in my case, I didn't do anything - of which I'm aware - to end up deaf; it just happened. And, frankly, it's not really as much of a drawback as you think. For example, when I need to communicate with others, I can use my cochlear implant. When I want quiet solitude, I just turn it off. Stuck between screaming babies and the engine on a flight? No problem: set volume to 0. Or plug into my MD player with a 1/8" jack and shut out all of the other noise. Sweet.
Oh, of course, I can't let you get away without the obligatory, "you insensitive clod."
You're absolutely right, and I take your message to heart - because I've done that: fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed. Fortunately - very fortunately - I simply drove onto a snow bank on my side of the road. Totalled my crappy car - it somehow bent the frame - and scared the snit out of me. Now, given a second chance, I _do_ pull over when I don't feel up to driving.
;-)
Why couldn't the bus be filled with politicians? Or RIAA lawyers?
Yeah, like I only start chucking things around when they won't let me use the remote control, or when we run out of Funyuns - which _really_ pisses me off...
I'm a drummer in need of a band. Music influences include AC/DC, Van Halen, Cheap Trick, Rush, Go-Gos, Queen, Aerosmith, Kiss, Judas Priest, Nazareth, Nickelback, etc...
Oh, I had to pay that much, and more, to Drive Savers, once, when a one-of-a-kind system bit it - hard. And, somehow, the backup tapes couldn't be found (I wasn't a daily on-site tech; they called me in when needed, and they _knew_ they were supposed to change tapes. "What tapes...?"). Anyway, because this software was so critical, and we had absolutely nothing else to recover with, we sent it off to Drive Savers - and they were worth every penny. They didn't get every file back, but they got enough of it so that I was able to piece it back together. That was a 29-hours-straight call; I drove home seeing flying hippos. After that, we got news tapes, made a master backup, and I set up a separate spare drive in the system for redundant backups. I'm not going through that again.
Some systems have beep codes or diagnostic lights, but they're far from infallible, and, unfortunately, they don't cover every situation.
True, but it's disappointing to realize that our industry has now reached that level. I'm sure there has been some degree of this all throughout computing history, but that it's now being reported in the "mainstream press" means we've achieved some measure that I'd hoped we'd avoid. Welcome to "Bob's Transmission & 'Puter Fix-It Shop."
On the other hand, it makes those of us in the field that are recognized for being honest that much more dear to our clients. Of course, since we're honest, we won't take advantage of our clients. Damn this rotten conscience of mine...
Can I get an "Amen, Brother!" I don't freelance anymore - I'm content to suckle the teat of a fat corporate overlord - but I just got a call the other day from a former client-through-a-client looking to see if I would be willing to service them directly instead of working through my former client. I said I don't do that type of thing - freelance work, or stab former clients in the back - and suggested they work out whatever miscommunication they had.
Without tooting my horn, it suggests that it must be tough to find someone you can trust to work on your tech.
If our tools were as easy to understand as, say, an electrician's - not to belittle electricians in any way - then, yes, the number of choices would be trivial. But the difference is our toolsets require a substantial amount of investment - time and effort - to learn how to use them. To master them could take quite a while, because of all of the nuances and subtleties. In that case, most of us mere mortals can't afford to choose just any toolset willy-nilly, which is where the case of too many choices may seem problematic. Since it may be more than just the project at stake - possibly our careers in the immediate term - it's important to make the right choice in the first place. If there were only one toolset, then there'd be no problem: use that. Otherwise, do some research, ask around to find out what others use, and hope you make the correct choice.
Somewhat like last week's MIT girl and her "bomb sweatshirt."
Excellent points, and I agree. "Time outs" and "dialogue" don't do squat. You want to teach a kid not to do something? The judicious application of a bit of minor discomfort - aka "pain" - can go very far. Of course, you can take this to extremes, and it has been, which is why we have parents and other authority figures espousing "time outs" and other useless methods nowadays. "Hey! Teacher! Leave those kids alone!" they say.
My own anecdote: I was a little turd in school - nothing serious, but a typical wise-ass. One teacher, one time, lifted me by the hair on the back of my head - I deserved it - and that was it for screwing around in his class. I learned. Kids today learn a different lesson: that they can do whatever they want and no one can touch them. Wrong lesson to teach, in my view.
Sorry you had to endure that crap as a youth.
Friends close, enemies closer.