I am using a 6 yr. old computer, a 6 year old cell phone and a basic flat-screen TV w/ a $99 cheapo surround system.
And I'm just as happy with the results today as I was 6 yrs. ago when I bought most of it.
I just don't understand why people subject themselves to the BULLSHIT these companies impart on their customers just for a few SMALL incremental improvements in service. I won't even get into how much more money it would have cost me to stay "caught up" with so-called "improvements".
The temperature in Fairbanks, Alaska, where I lived for 10 years, varies 160 degrees F. from season to season. It was 95F. the day I moved there and I've seen -65F. in winter.
On the other hand, I've froze my ASS off in the Mojave Desert on numerous occasions. Woke up to snow one morning.
That being said, the inconsistency of the weather in these two locations is probably more of a hindrance then help. An island, with a dry climate(desert island), far from usual jet-stream tracks is probably more realistic. Too bad all the islands that fit this description are off the heavily-populated, downwind California coast.
At the rate technology is advancing, I don't expect that to be TOO far in the future. The current nuclear technology is not a pinnacle, but rather another step towards one.
If the announced service, and the associated software, is anything like the homicidal obstacle course they have for what passes as Customer Service, then expect it to be the use-it-until-you-have-to-deal-with-a-human disposable technology that most mass-produced electronics have become.
It's great until it breaks, at which point it is tossed and replaced with the newest iteration of the same technology. Exactly as planned. Only thing different this time around is that they have integrated the strategy into SERVICE as well as physical products.
Far worse when your locked in by a Machiavellian contract that renews when you ask for a copy of your bill.
My personal belief is that if we LEARNED from Three-Mile Island and Chernobyl and made the NEEDED modifcations to nuclear facilities--high-level redundancy, human error modification/compensation, etc., that nuclear energy is probably the way to go for supplementing renewable resources. Until we find something better.
One thing you may not be taking into account is that small-scale energy production(solar, wind) can be located closer to where it is used, requiring far less infrastructure to move the energy around(as well as minimize transmission loss/inefficiency).
"Crazy people are everywhere. Stop giving them attention."
Crazy enough to claim an allergy to Wi-Fi, then surround themselves with all sorts of interesting electronics (see photo in summary).
I suspect this guy is either a complete idiot, or has some ulterior motive...like maybe trying to get a study done to finally shut up all the assholes that are actually claiming injury from Wi-Fi.
Big Oil is investing in such tech because it will continue to squeeze revenue out of the distribution systems the oil companies have spent many billions creating.
They will do anything to keep people from switching to electrical grid/self-generation systems for their energy needs. They really don't care WHAT they are selling as long as they can do it at a profit and do it from the existing stations. There is an entire industry based simply on the middle-man aspect of distribution. People make money from it, so it remains. But it also cost the consumer more, in the long run.
The electrical grid already exists, is in the public realm for the most part, and the middlemen have no part in it. Granted, the electrical grid needs some improvement in order for everyone to switch to it for ALL our energy needs, but it is not, by any means, impossible.
Biofuels do NOT solve many problems. In fact, they simply create new ones.
And, yeah. Snake oil. Hrmm...now that I think about it...I wonder what the energy storage of a snake is...
I specialized in automotive computer systems for over 15 years. It sounds like you have not.
YOU tell me how to get body codes (3-digit, OBDII) out of a 2007 GM product without a scanner. I'd love to hear how you do it.
You entirely missed my point. My point was that unless you have access to all those data files that GM (and other manufacturers) try so hard to keep out of the public eye, your screwed. Even if you COULD get those codes out, WTF are you going to do with them once you have them? I assume you have memorized all the flow charts and wiring schematics?
Even though I had access to all that, I STILL quit the business because I knew it was going to suffer deeply when the economy changed. And it did. And the "Big Three", once they have been bailed out are going right back to business-as-usual.
The device itself does NOT provide feedback. It outputs to another device (opaquely, as it does so without being apparent to the user), and, in addition, no information is relayed back TO the touchpad.
I hate to say it folks, but this particular patent trolling is the first one that I have seen that actually has merit, regardless of the fact that no action was taken for 6 years.
Just because other companies are "all using it" does NOT mean they (the manufacturers) shouldn't have done patent searches and licensed the tech once they found it.
This is the exact sort of nonsense that SHOULD have killed all three of the "Big Three."
Automobiles have become a vehicle (pun intended) for delivering a bunch of packaged non-essentials to the consumers. Hell, even Microsoft has gotten into the game and started putting their software in cars.
The other day a friend asked me to look at the driver door window switch on her GM-built SUV. It wasn't a switch problem. It had a fucking processor running the WINDOWS of the vehicle and I couldn't access the damn thing without a scanner/interface. Simply more shit to drive up the price and TOTALLY unnecessary for the functioning of electric windows, all the while ensuring that it more then likely has to go back to the DEALER for repairs.
I was wondering about all the OTHER stuff as well.
Once all this starts piling up, I wonder if Australia is going to experience what I call the "Lynden" syndrome.
Near where I live there is a small town called Lynden that has pretty much made everything illegal. You get a ticket if you don't mow your lawn once a week. I'm not kidding.
The end result is all the kids that grow up there are eagerly awaiting the day of emancipation--the day they move the fuck out of town.
Because of this, there are no younger people to support the town in terms of fresh tax-base or EMPLOYEES. It has turned into this quasi-ghost town with no real means of supporting itself outside of the dwindling population of farmers.
Interestingly enough, changing my preferences (and saving them) to simple view, low-bandwidth, no icons did ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOTHING.
Same garbage all over my screen.
I am thoroughly convinced this is a Phishing site and all of our passwords are now being used to pound our Karma into the mud so NewYorkCountryLawyer looks even better then he already did.
When purchasing products, I have never really considered the fact that it may, or may not be, copyrighted.
When the day comes that copyright violation is a criminal offense, I will be looking for that little mark on products AND AVOID THEM LIKE THE PLAGUE.
Why? Because I don't want to take the risk of jail time just so I can buy a product. I know that may sound reactionary, but think about it. How many times have you heard of people being jailed for violating a law unintentionally? Am I to know and understand the whole of copyright law in order to protect myself?
It is far easier to just not purchase the products that are marked as copyrighted and avoid the whole mess.
When are these companies/Corporations going to realize that they are killing their own businesses by alienating their customers?
At one time the thought of bandwidth caps irked the shit out of me. I am a Comcast customer, and about 3 months ago, Comcast dropped a notice on me that pretty much nullified my original contract with them. It instituted a 250GB/Month cap, after which point the additional bandwidth would be subject to a fee (reasonably priced, IMHO).
I ranted and raved. I reread all my paperwork. I ranted some more.
Then I actually installed a bandwidth meter on my machine and let 'er rip for a month. Turns out that with heavy e-mail use, daily MMO play, regular torrenting, plenty of streaming video and near constant VoiP connections, I used less then a third of the cap.
In other words, the cap had ZERO effect on me.
I suspect the only people (that don't have business connections) that are still bitching about caps ARE the ones using up the lion's share of bandwidth. Why doesn't that surprise me?
If nothing else, caps are an additional factor that the ISPs have take into account in order to compete against each other. Those with the highest caps get the business. Competition is good, right?
Ok...So, lets pretend I am currently constructing an entirely creative re-creation of myself on social networking sites, from the e-mail up. I am not using my real name in any way, nor am I using anything that directly links me by any official identification. I am phrasing everything in such a way that the nickname I use sounds like it is from me, but ambiguous enough to provide some plausible deniability.
Would I be breaking any laws if I provided these addresses/passwords to a potential (and eventual) employer? Would I simply be subject to a brisk firing, or would laws be broken and penalties possibly applied?
It seems to me that this rediculous behavior, on the part of these City Stooges, could simply be countered by everyone using social networking sites to glorify themselves. Eventually employers would realize this was happening and no longer bother to check them.
Or, alternatively, not create the accounts in the first place...or not apply for jobs in Bozeman, Montana.
While I can see the merit of this from the perspective of the city having to deal with the upkeep of such lands, my mind keeps coming back to the idea that this is more a move to increase, or bolster, declining property values by simply adjusting supply in regards to demand.
Is this a move on the part of the "haves" trying to maintain the value of property that they will be selling/renting to the "have-nots"?
Despite the common-sense this proposal appears to be based on, I cannot seem to shake the feeling that this may not be in the best interests of those most hurt by the current recession. Sure, maybe this will free up tax dollars for more important programs, but will it drive up rent prices and nullify any savings for the low-income familys? Will those freed-up tax dollars simply be spent on rent subsidies?
The one good thing in all this, something I have no doubt about, is the return to nature. Now, THAT is something I have a hard time finding fault with.
All in all, maybe we should give it a little more time to examine the long-term results of this plan before throwing the rest of the country into 'dozer mode.
I suspect that the "homeopathic" tag was put on the product to avoid the costs associated with bringing to market a medication that would otherwise have to go through the FDA approval process, a lengthy and costly venture.
To be honest, with the amount of crap sold on TV ads these days, I would be perfectly happy if the FDA put the kibosh on "natural supplements" and homeopathic remedies. Snake-oil salesmen all. As far as my own research can tell me, most of these products do nothing but make money for the people selling them.
If the product actually did something, SAFELY, then these people would be trying to get FDA approval as it would greatly increase their credibility. Even after millions of dollars of profit, the makers of Zicam STILL don't seek FDA approval...because they know it wouldn't make it through the process.
This stuff needs to be treated like nuclear weapons in terms of international condemnation. It is much harder to determine if a rogue country is trying to build such technology and is therefore MORE dangerous then nuclear weapons.
Drone weaponry, especially the microscopic crap they are dreaming about (but seriously working on), are just as dangerous as biological weaponry. Borders will mean nothing to the people that have this capability.
I don't care if it IS us that will have this technology. It needs to be stopped before we have ourselves another Cold-War, or worse, a real war.
Slashdot Mirror
I am using a 6 yr. old computer, a 6 year old cell phone and a basic flat-screen TV w/ a $99 cheapo surround system.
And I'm just as happy with the results today as I was 6 yrs. ago when I bought most of it.
I just don't understand why people subject themselves to the BULLSHIT these companies impart on their customers just for a few SMALL incremental improvements in service. I won't even get into how much more money it would have cost me to stay "caught up" with so-called "improvements".
Nice idea, but a little too romantic for reality.
The temperature in Fairbanks, Alaska, where I lived for 10 years, varies 160 degrees F. from season to season. It was 95F. the day I moved there and I've seen -65F. in winter.
On the other hand, I've froze my ASS off in the Mojave Desert on numerous occasions. Woke up to snow one morning.
That being said, the inconsistency of the weather in these two locations is probably more of a hindrance then help. An island, with a dry climate(desert island), far from usual jet-stream tracks is probably more realistic. Too bad all the islands that fit this description are off the heavily-populated, downwind California coast.
"Until we find something better."
At the rate technology is advancing, I don't expect that to be TOO far in the future. The current nuclear technology is not a pinnacle, but rather another step towards one.
If the announced service, and the associated software, is anything like the homicidal obstacle course they have for what passes as Customer Service, then expect it to be the use-it-until-you-have-to-deal-with-a-human disposable technology that most mass-produced electronics have become.
It's great until it breaks, at which point it is tossed and replaced with the newest iteration of the same technology. Exactly as planned. Only thing different this time around is that they have integrated the strategy into SERVICE as well as physical products.
Far worse when your locked in by a Machiavellian contract that renews when you ask for a copy of your bill.
Same here.
That is precisely why I asked. Seems an efficient way to do it. Post ONE article (real, or NOT) and let Slashdot do the rest.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not comparing Slashdot readers to Zombie Machines, but it is certainly an amusing thought.
Umm. No.
Further Corn subsidies are a bad idea, from my point of view.
Grow what people need, not what you want to sell them.
I wonder. (Sometimes too much.)
Has anyone ever been accused/found guilty of using an article post on /. as a means to perpetrate a DDoS attack on a website?
A website being "Slashdotted" may not always be a good thing...especially if you were not wanting/expecting the sudden influx of viewers.
Just curious...
My personal belief is that if we LEARNED from Three-Mile Island and Chernobyl and made the NEEDED modifcations to nuclear facilities--high-level redundancy, human error modification/compensation, etc., that nuclear energy is probably the way to go for supplementing renewable resources. Until we find something better.
One thing you may not be taking into account is that small-scale energy production(solar, wind) can be located closer to where it is used, requiring far less infrastructure to move the energy around(as well as minimize transmission loss/inefficiency).
"Crazy people are everywhere. Stop giving them attention."
Crazy enough to claim an allergy to Wi-Fi, then surround themselves with all sorts of interesting electronics (see photo in summary).
I suspect this guy is either a complete idiot, or has some ulterior motive...like maybe trying to get a study done to finally shut up all the assholes that are actually claiming injury from Wi-Fi.
Big Oil is investing in such tech because it will continue to squeeze revenue out of the distribution systems the oil companies have spent many billions creating.
They will do anything to keep people from switching to electrical grid/self-generation systems for their energy needs. They really don't care WHAT they are selling as long as they can do it at a profit and do it from the existing stations. There is an entire industry based simply on the middle-man aspect of distribution. People make money from it, so it remains. But it also cost the consumer more, in the long run.
The electrical grid already exists, is in the public realm for the most part, and the middlemen have no part in it. Granted, the electrical grid needs some improvement in order for everyone to switch to it for ALL our energy needs, but it is not, by any means, impossible.
Biofuels do NOT solve many problems. In fact, they simply create new ones.
And, yeah. Snake oil. Hrmm...now that I think about it...I wonder what the energy storage of a snake is...
...quickly followed by medical prescription heirocalliglyphics.
I always hated that font.
I specialized in automotive computer systems for over 15 years. It sounds like you have not.
YOU tell me how to get body codes (3-digit, OBDII) out of a 2007 GM product without a scanner. I'd love to hear how you do it.
You entirely missed my point. My point was that unless you have access to all those data files that GM (and other manufacturers) try so hard to keep out of the public eye, your screwed. Even if you COULD get those codes out, WTF are you going to do with them once you have them? I assume you have memorized all the flow charts and wiring schematics?
Even though I had access to all that, I STILL quit the business because I knew it was going to suffer deeply when the economy changed. And it did. And the "Big Three", once they have been bailed out are going right back to business-as-usual.
Wrong.
The device itself does NOT provide feedback. It outputs to another device (opaquely, as it does so without being apparent to the user), and, in addition, no information is relayed back TO the touchpad.
I hate to say it folks, but this particular patent trolling is the first one that I have seen that actually has merit, regardless of the fact that no action was taken for 6 years.
Just because other companies are "all using it" does NOT mean they (the manufacturers) shouldn't have done patent searches and licensed the tech once they found it.
I smell out-of-court settlements.
This is the exact sort of nonsense that SHOULD have killed all three of the "Big Three."
Automobiles have become a vehicle (pun intended) for delivering a bunch of packaged non-essentials to the consumers. Hell, even Microsoft has gotten into the game and started putting their software in cars.
The other day a friend asked me to look at the driver door window switch on her GM-built SUV. It wasn't a switch problem. It had a fucking processor running the WINDOWS of the vehicle and I couldn't access the damn thing without a scanner/interface. Simply more shit to drive up the price and TOTALLY unnecessary for the functioning of electric windows, all the while ensuring that it more then likely has to go back to the DEALER for repairs.
Do what all the bankers and arms manufacturers are doing.
Load up on tax-payer dollars then move to Monaco or one of the many Caribbean islands (especially those that cater to "offshore investors").
What you seek requires vast sums of money. Some people are simply willing to go to great lengths, or great crimes, to get that money.
And if you care, I don't like it much myself.
I was wondering about all the OTHER stuff as well.
Once all this starts piling up, I wonder if Australia is going to experience what I call the "Lynden" syndrome.
Near where I live there is a small town called Lynden that has pretty much made everything illegal. You get a ticket if you don't mow your lawn once a week. I'm not kidding.
The end result is all the kids that grow up there are eagerly awaiting the day of emancipation--the day they move the fuck out of town.
Because of this, there are no younger people to support the town in terms of fresh tax-base or EMPLOYEES. It has turned into this quasi-ghost town with no real means of supporting itself outside of the dwindling population of farmers.
Yep. That is exactly what was happening. Needed to clear my cache.
I logged in this morning and all is well. Sort of. While there are no longer vagrant graphics on my screen, it is STILL butt ugly.
Interestingly enough, changing my preferences (and saving them) to simple view, low-bandwidth, no icons did ABSOLUTELY FUCKING NOTHING.
Same garbage all over my screen.
I am thoroughly convinced this is a Phishing site and all of our passwords are now being used to pound our Karma into the mud so NewYorkCountryLawyer looks even better then he already did.
When purchasing products, I have never really considered the fact that it may, or may not be, copyrighted.
When the day comes that copyright violation is a criminal offense, I will be looking for that little mark on products AND AVOID THEM LIKE THE PLAGUE.
Why? Because I don't want to take the risk of jail time just so I can buy a product. I know that may sound reactionary, but think about it. How many times have you heard of people being jailed for violating a law unintentionally? Am I to know and understand the whole of copyright law in order to protect myself?
It is far easier to just not purchase the products that are marked as copyrighted and avoid the whole mess.
When are these companies/Corporations going to realize that they are killing their own businesses by alienating their customers?
Only a fool would consider advertising a means to assess the credibility of medications.
Where else is this "credibility" you speak of coming from?
Citation, please?
At one time the thought of bandwidth caps irked the shit out of me. I am a Comcast customer, and about 3 months ago, Comcast dropped a notice on me that pretty much nullified my original contract with them. It instituted a 250GB/Month cap, after which point the additional bandwidth would be subject to a fee (reasonably priced, IMHO).
I ranted and raved. I reread all my paperwork. I ranted some more.
Then I actually installed a bandwidth meter on my machine and let 'er rip for a month. Turns out that with heavy e-mail use, daily MMO play, regular torrenting, plenty of streaming video and near constant VoiP connections, I used less then a third of the cap.
In other words, the cap had ZERO effect on me.
I suspect the only people (that don't have business connections) that are still bitching about caps ARE the ones using up the lion's share of bandwidth. Why doesn't that surprise me?
If nothing else, caps are an additional factor that the ISPs have take into account in order to compete against each other. Those with the highest caps get the business. Competition is good, right?
Ok...So, lets pretend I am currently constructing an entirely creative re-creation of myself on social networking sites, from the e-mail up. I am not using my real name in any way, nor am I using anything that directly links me by any official identification. I am phrasing everything in such a way that the nickname I use sounds like it is from me, but ambiguous enough to provide some plausible deniability.
Would I be breaking any laws if I provided these addresses/passwords to a potential (and eventual) employer? Would I simply be subject to a brisk firing, or would laws be broken and penalties possibly applied?
It seems to me that this rediculous behavior, on the part of these City Stooges, could simply be countered by everyone using social networking sites to glorify themselves. Eventually employers would realize this was happening and no longer bother to check them.
Or, alternatively, not create the accounts in the first place...or not apply for jobs in Bozeman, Montana.
Good luck with that, Cowboys.
While I can see the merit of this from the perspective of the city having to deal with the upkeep of such lands, my mind keeps coming back to the idea that this is more a move to increase, or bolster, declining property values by simply adjusting supply in regards to demand.
Is this a move on the part of the "haves" trying to maintain the value of property that they will be selling/renting to the "have-nots"?
Despite the common-sense this proposal appears to be based on, I cannot seem to shake the feeling that this may not be in the best interests of those most hurt by the current recession. Sure, maybe this will free up tax dollars for more important programs, but will it drive up rent prices and nullify any savings for the low-income familys? Will those freed-up tax dollars simply be spent on rent subsidies?
The one good thing in all this, something I have no doubt about, is the return to nature. Now, THAT is something I have a hard time finding fault with.
All in all, maybe we should give it a little more time to examine the long-term results of this plan before throwing the rest of the country into 'dozer mode.
I suspect that the "homeopathic" tag was put on the product to avoid the costs associated with bringing to market a medication that would otherwise have to go through the FDA approval process, a lengthy and costly venture.
To be honest, with the amount of crap sold on TV ads these days, I would be perfectly happy if the FDA put the kibosh on "natural supplements" and homeopathic remedies. Snake-oil salesmen all. As far as my own research can tell me, most of these products do nothing but make money for the people selling them.
If the product actually did something, SAFELY, then these people would be trying to get FDA approval as it would greatly increase their credibility. Even after millions of dollars of profit, the makers of Zicam STILL don't seek FDA approval...because they know it wouldn't make it through the process.
This stuff needs to be treated like nuclear weapons in terms of international condemnation. It is much harder to determine if a rogue country is trying to build such technology and is therefore MORE dangerous then nuclear weapons.
Drone weaponry, especially the microscopic crap they are dreaming about (but seriously working on), are just as dangerous as biological weaponry. Borders will mean nothing to the people that have this capability.
I don't care if it IS us that will have this technology. It needs to be stopped before we have ourselves another Cold-War, or worse, a real war.
I don't trust ANYONE with this tech.