Quite humbling, I think. The other day I was thinking about how I don't have those dreams about flying anymore. I guess it's part of coming of age? In any case, sometimes I wish I was able to fly like a bird - and imagine being able to do so for thousands of kilometers (though the godwit does land, from time to time, I think).
And the other thing that came to my mind: the world is full of wonderful creatures that would be a shame if disappeared because of the changes in the environment - mostly destructive - that are happening.
The ability to produce monatomic sheets of gold (gold leaf) has been around for thousands of years
Please tell me more about this. I do research in nanoscience and monoatomic layers are part of that, so I feel ignorant for not having known this, I need educating. Unless your statement is pure BS, which is what I suspect.
Ah, but you see, they've changed the nomenclature on us. 'Beta code' no longer means 'computer code that is mostly usable, but still in testing', but rather means 'beta is code for never saying that you promised usability, uptime, or data retention'.
To be perfectly frank, the former does imply the latter; so the nomenclature is still valid.
With so many bald decisions regarding their own x86 roadmap, it's a miracle they're still around!
Uh.... I shouldn't be posting minutes after waking up from an afternoon slumber:o) Obviously, I meant bold decisions! Oh well - at least it's a funny typo!
Looks like VIA is really serious about this whole x86 business - they are the little (compared to Intel and AMD) thorn in the side to the big boys. With so many bald decisions regarding their own x86 roadmap, it's a miracle they're still around!
What I mean is: AMD has been on the razor's edge for many years already, always in danger of unprofitability due to the thin or sometimes non-existent margins they had in order to keep with the top-dog. And AMD has a substantial slice of the x86 market, definitely way bigger than VIA. Imagine what sort of creative management it takes for VIA to stay competitive.
S3's role in VIA's x86 plans could be crucial. I can definitely see them help VIA into the emerging netbook market. Cheap and low-power, is what VIA and S3 are good at, and that's exactly what netbooks are all about.
I must admit: this is funny. I picture the whole situation, and the mariachi music coming out of the speakers of the laptop, and I laugh my ass off. Just imagine those CCIEs with the WTF look on their faces.
Have you wondered why some less technically talented coworkers are able to influence management and, even worse, make you the fall guy when things go wrong? I think this book gave me insight into that.
Because they are (corporate) psychopaths, and therefore very persuasive when lying, apt at manipulation and very charismatic.
I'm actually evaluating battery technologies for our buffer storage for fuel cells. As much as I personally like supercaps, their energy density is nowhere near Li+.It's still about two orders of magnitude off.
The only reason I'd really be worried about the magnetic field flipping is that a changing magnetic field induces a current in a conductor.
Really? And the fact that the Earth's magnetic field keeps us protected from extremely harmful cosmic radiation doesn't even register with you?
I am not saying the switch would cause a disruption of this field, but I guess that could happen. And if did happen, depending on how long it would last, it could have catastrophic consequences. It may not wipe out life as we know it, but something major would happen, something less than pleasant.
I bought my Eee PC with Xandros. It had a few extremely good applications, like the Asus 3G modem app, which is better than the one Huawei bundles with their 3G modems for Windows. Xandros works fine in general, too, but my big, huge gripe with it is that the default installation consumes more than 3/5ths of the SDD, and you cannot remedy this by removing apps (or games) which you don't need, because someone at Asus decided that Xandros has to be installed in UnionFS! Having less free space on the SSD, apart from the obvious disadvantage, also diminishes the places where dynamic wear levelling can spread out the writes.
Anyhow, my point is that Xandros COULD have been a very decent OS for the Eee PC, if only Asus had a fricken clue. Have a minimum installation with OpenOffice and Firefox, and let the user remove and install what they want. This goes to the heart of the OP, rather than the topic of the original submission.
to get a reliable 1 Mb/s connection to their office, right here in the middle of Los Angeles.
They are currently paying $150/mo for a DSL line that ain't working.
You must be shitting us. How can a 1 Mb/s DSL line cost $150/month anywhere??? Crazy stuff.
I completely agree! When I was a kid, I knew I'd be a scientist one day - I just couldn't imagine otherwise. I am lucky I found my passion early on, and it never let me go, never. Being a scientist sucks bigtime if we look at salary, job security or social standing. But it's what I enjoy, and wouldn't want it any other way.
do you honestly think that greed and corruption are distinctly Portuguese characteristics? you don't think Swedish or Finnish CEOs embezzle from their companies or exploit the economic system to their advantage?
I don't like it when people distort my words, especially in such flagrant way. I did not say corruption is a distinct Portuguese characteristic. I said it's more likely to happen in Portugal than Finland or Sweden.
Finnish, Swedish or Norwegian CEOs are less likely to embezzle or corrupt, or be corrupted (you can argue that it's all the same) than one from southern Italy, Spain or Bosnia. And the interesting thing is, most Italians, Spaniards or Bosnians will admit that, themselves.
I probably would have more fun at a party in Bosnia (for example) than in Finland, I generally connect easier with people from southern contries, because they are more extrovert, so it's easier to make friends. But for everyday life, Finland is much less stressful.
But don't believe me: ask the thousands of italians or hundreds of spaniards that live here in Finland. Heck, there's even a poster in this thread that will tell you so.
Yep. That's the "secret" formula. I got myself the Eee PC 701, and while the KB and screen are barely enough, they _are_ enough for reading my e-mails and do short edits to papers or presentations.
So you have never been to Europe, but you "guarantee that it's just as likely to happen" in countries you have never been to, than in another country you have never been to - let alone lived in. To any neutral observer will, at this point, be clear that you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. But that's OK, because there's little to no neutral observers around here, so your BS gets a pass.
Also, notice that I said every culture has its pros and cons , so I don't look down on one or the other - just point out differences in one aspect, an aspect that for me is important, hence I decided to live in Finland - after having lived in many European countries. Another contry I could settle in is Norway, for example, for the same reasons.
I think it's you who is naive, if you think it's just as likely to happen in Sweden or Finland. Your naivity can be explained with lack of knowledge. I have lived in various parts of Europe, and have lived for almost 40 years. And I have seen the level of corruption in southern and eastern europe. I have learned the various cultural traits of the people of Europe. Each has its pros and cons. I just prefer living in Finland, after seeing the rest. A culture that leads to corruption also leads to a weaker economy (which may or may not be important for you) and a general lack of order and accountability. It's really stupid to say that there are no cultural differences between countries, and that those cultural differences don't contribute to certain behavioural patterns - like, for example, gaming the system. I was born in a country where everyone tries to game the system, to screw up his/her fellow. I have seen other countries, seen shades of grey. One can see a lot of stuff, if he/she travels and lives in various places in his/her lifetime, like I did.
But you know what: your kind of delusion is popular around here. A lot of people who are just as naive as you are. So, you're preaching to the choir and perhaps you get kicks out of that. You're still wrong, though. There are differences between cultures, differences conducive to behavioural patterns, whether that fits into your worldview or not.
It's just more likely to happen in Portugal than in Sweden or Finland. I don't know enough about the US to say one way or the other. And in fact, the post you are attacking does not mention anything regarding the US.
Exactly. Before, when the sub-notebooks were selling for US$1200+ (many models being US$2000-3000), there wasn't a thriving netbook category. Asus, whether you like their first models or not, broke the ice, bigtime, thanks to the low price of the Eee PC.
What worked then, will work now: keep the prices low. Most people don't give a shit about high-end graphics and fingerprint readers, in a netbook. They want it small and cheap. And that's pretty much it!
Why was this post modded flamebait? It was just stating something the OP feels to be a fact. And I tend to agree - kids are, actually, getting stupider. At least in western countries.
Stupider in the sense of knowing less than previous generations, and at the same time being less curious about the world they recently inhabit, while quick gratification and shallowness are the hit.
It's being sold to kids in primary school for 50 euros and it comes with an option for mobile internet, which you can buy from mobile carriers. If you're not a primary school student, well you've got to pay 285 euros for one.
The little I know about Portuguese culture brings me to expect a lot of these machines will be sold for %= EUR, but not to kids only. There's ways to abuse the system, and I suspect it will be abused.
Slashdot Mirror
Quite humbling, I think. The other day I was thinking about how I don't have those dreams about flying anymore. I guess it's part of coming of age? In any case, sometimes I wish I was able to fly like a bird - and imagine being able to do so for thousands of kilometers (though the godwit does land, from time to time, I think).
And the other thing that came to my mind: the world is full of wonderful creatures that would be a shame if disappeared because of the changes in the environment - mostly destructive - that are happening.
The ability to produce monatomic sheets of gold (gold leaf) has been around for thousands of years
Please tell me more about this. I do research in nanoscience and monoatomic layers are part of that, so I feel ignorant for not having known this, I need educating. Unless your statement is pure BS, which is what I suspect.
Ah, but you see, they've changed the nomenclature on us. 'Beta code' no longer means 'computer code that is mostly usable, but still in testing', but rather means 'beta is code for never saying that you promised usability, uptime, or data retention'.
To be perfectly frank, the former does imply the latter; so the nomenclature is still valid.
With so many bald decisions regarding their own x86 roadmap, it's a miracle they're still around!
Uh.... I shouldn't be posting minutes after waking up from an afternoon slumber :o)
Obviously, I meant bold decisions! Oh well - at least it's a funny typo!
Looks like VIA is really serious about this whole x86 business - they are the little (compared to Intel and AMD) thorn in the side to the big boys. With so many bald decisions regarding their own x86 roadmap, it's a miracle they're still around!
What I mean is: AMD has been on the razor's edge for many years already, always in danger of unprofitability due to the thin or sometimes non-existent margins they had in order to keep with the top-dog. And AMD has a substantial slice of the x86 market, definitely way bigger than VIA. Imagine what sort of creative management it takes for VIA to stay competitive.
S3's role in VIA's x86 plans could be crucial. I can definitely see them help VIA into the emerging netbook market. Cheap and low-power, is what VIA and S3 are good at, and that's exactly what netbooks are all about.
I must admit: this is funny. I picture the whole situation, and the mariachi music coming out of the speakers of the laptop, and I laugh my ass off. Just imagine those CCIEs with the WTF look on their faces.
I wish I was there, with a camera.
And yet, the GP may have a point. Because, it works for IBM - they are both fabbing ICs for others and for themselves.
Have you wondered why some less technically talented coworkers are able to influence
management and, even worse, make you the fall guy when things go wrong? I think this book
gave me insight into that.
Because they are (corporate) psychopaths, and therefore very persuasive when lying, apt at manipulation and very charismatic.
STATIC wear levelling works that way, not DYNAMIC! Can't you see bolded text?
I'm actually evaluating battery technologies for our buffer storage for fuel cells. As much as I personally like supercaps, their energy density is nowhere near Li+.It's still about two orders of magnitude off.
The only reason I'd really be worried about the magnetic field flipping is that a changing magnetic field induces a current in a conductor.
Really? And the fact that the Earth's magnetic field keeps us protected from extremely harmful cosmic radiation doesn't even register with you?
I am not saying the switch would cause a disruption of this field, but I guess that could happen. And if did happen, depending on how long it would last, it could have catastrophic consequences. It may not wipe out life as we know it, but something major would happen, something less than pleasant.
I bought my Eee PC with Xandros. It had a few extremely good applications, like the Asus 3G modem app, which is better than the one Huawei bundles with their 3G modems for Windows. Xandros works fine in general, too, but my big, huge gripe with it is that the default installation consumes more than 3/5ths of the SDD, and you cannot remedy this by removing apps (or games) which you don't need, because someone at Asus decided that Xandros has to be installed in UnionFS! Having less free space on the SSD, apart from the obvious disadvantage, also diminishes the places where dynamic wear levelling can spread out the writes.
Anyhow, my point is that Xandros COULD have been a very decent OS for the Eee PC, if only Asus had a fricken clue. Have a minimum installation with OpenOffice and Firefox, and let the user remove and install what they want. This goes to the heart of the OP, rather than the topic of the original submission.
to get a reliable 1 Mb/s connection to their office, right here in the middle of Los Angeles.
They are currently paying $150/mo for a DSL line that ain't working.
You must be shitting us. How can a 1 Mb/s DSL line cost $150/month anywhere??? Crazy stuff.
"how much you could actually do and perform in two hours is debatable"
Are you kidding me? 10 minutes should be enough for everyone!
Nope, I give up. I can't decide which I want to lose.
For me it's easy: I want the MPAA to be bitchslapped. As much as I hate Realplayer, I hate the MPAA 50 times more.
MEMS.
I completely agree! When I was a kid, I knew I'd be a scientist one day - I just couldn't imagine otherwise. I am lucky I found my passion early on, and it never let me go, never. Being a scientist sucks bigtime if we look at salary, job security or social standing. But it's what I enjoy, and wouldn't want it any other way.
do you honestly think that greed and corruption are distinctly Portuguese characteristics? you don't think Swedish or Finnish CEOs embezzle from their companies or exploit the economic system to their advantage?
I don't like it when people distort my words, especially in such flagrant way. I did not say corruption is a distinct Portuguese characteristic. I said it's more likely to happen in Portugal than Finland or Sweden.
Finnish, Swedish or Norwegian CEOs are less likely to embezzle or corrupt, or be corrupted (you can argue that it's all the same) than one from southern Italy, Spain or Bosnia. And the interesting thing is, most Italians, Spaniards or Bosnians will admit that, themselves.
I probably would have more fun at a party in Bosnia (for example) than in Finland, I generally connect easier with people from southern contries, because they are more extrovert, so it's easier to make friends. But for everyday life, Finland is much less stressful.
But don't believe me: ask the thousands of italians or hundreds of spaniards that live here in Finland. Heck, there's even a poster in this thread that will tell you so.
Yep. That's the "secret" formula. I got myself the Eee PC 701, and while the KB and screen are barely enough, they _are_ enough for reading my e-mails and do short edits to papers or presentations.
What's your poison?
This is what you said:
i guarantee it's just as likely to happen in Sweden or Finland or any other nation for that matter as it is to happen in Portugal.
I copy/pasted this quote verbatim from your post in which you tried to refute me
So you have never been to Europe, but you "guarantee that it's just as likely to happen" in countries you have never been to, than in another country you have never been to - let alone lived in.
To any neutral observer will, at this point, be clear that you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. But that's OK, because there's little to no neutral observers around here, so your BS gets a pass.
Also, notice that I said every culture has its pros and cons , so I don't look down on one or the other - just point out differences in one aspect, an aspect that for me is important, hence I decided to live in Finland - after having lived in many European countries. Another contry I could settle in is Norway, for example, for the same reasons.
I think it's you who is naive, if you think it's just as likely to happen in Sweden or Finland. Your naivity can be explained with lack of knowledge. I have lived in various parts of Europe, and have lived for almost 40 years. And I have seen the level of corruption in southern and eastern europe. I have learned the various cultural traits of the people of Europe. Each has its pros and cons. I just prefer living in Finland, after seeing the rest. A culture that leads to corruption also leads to a weaker economy (which may or may not be important for you) and a general lack of order and accountability. It's really stupid to say that there are no cultural differences between countries, and that those cultural differences don't contribute to certain behavioural patterns - like, for example, gaming the system. I was born in a country where everyone tries to game the system, to screw up his/her fellow. I have seen other countries, seen shades of grey. One can see a lot of stuff, if he/she travels and lives in various places in his/her lifetime, like I did.
But you know what: your kind of delusion is popular around here. A lot of people who are just as naive as you are. So, you're preaching to the choir and perhaps you get kicks out of that. You're still wrong, though. There are differences between cultures, differences conducive to behavioural patterns, whether that fits into your worldview or not.
It's just more likely to happen in Portugal than in Sweden or Finland. I don't know enough about the US to say one way or the other. And in fact, the post you are attacking does not mention anything regarding the US.
it would include a price tag of below $300.
Exactly. Before, when the sub-notebooks were selling for US$1200+ (many models being US$2000-3000), there wasn't a thriving netbook category. Asus, whether you like their first models or not, broke the ice, bigtime, thanks to the low price of the Eee PC.
What worked then, will work now: keep the prices low. Most people don't give a shit about high-end graphics and fingerprint readers, in a netbook. They want it small and cheap. And that's pretty much it!
Why was this post modded flamebait? It was just stating something the OP feels to be a fact. And I tend to agree - kids are, actually, getting stupider. At least in western countries.
Stupider in the sense of knowing less than previous generations, and at the same time being less curious about the world they recently inhabit, while quick gratification and shallowness are the hit.
It's being sold to kids in primary school for 50 euros and it comes with an option for mobile internet, which you can buy from mobile carriers. If you're not a primary school student, well you've got to pay 285 euros for one.
The little I know about Portuguese culture brings me to expect a lot of these machines will be sold for %= EUR, but not to kids only. There's ways to abuse the system, and I suspect it will be abused.