That's a decent idea. Unfortunately the other side of the street is a parking lot, except for where Comcast's junction box is, and there isn't another business within a reasonable range.
They ended up signing up for 3Mbps Qwest DSL, then ugpraded to 7Mbps when it became available.
(3Mbps for 25 employees, yikes... fortunately they only need e-mail.)
"Getting internet service" is not an inherent human right, and there are no trials involved, so your comment is pretty much irrelevant.
If a business considers something to be illegal, and they suspect a customer of doing that thing, they have no obligation to continue service to that customer, especially since the service contract most likely explains this.
Even if "getting internet service" were a right, then having one ISP cut them off doesn't violate that right - there's always dialup, or mobile connections, or they can go to a friend's house or the public library.
The ISP in question is being completely idiotic, but I think you're blowing this a little out of proportion.
If Verizon would bother to provide service in the areas where they advertise it, I would sign up. I called them to find out if they offered FiOS in my area (Kent, WA). Their system doesn't even think my address exists.
Meanwhile, Qwest advertises 7Mbps DSL, but although they provide service in my area, only 1.5Mbps DSL is actually available. At least my address exists in their system.
Due diligence doesn't protect partner companies from one partner deliberately screwing over all the other partner companies.
Company A is partnered with company B. Employee X, working for A, deliberately files a patent claim and ignores prior art.
Under my parent post's system, there is nothing company B can do to prevent getting hosed. It would automatically be punished because of one nefarious patent filer at company A.
Have you checked that they'd even let you pay for the infrastructure if you asked?
My dad tried to get Comcast to run cable across the street so he could get their service for his business. Literally across the street. (Not one of those six lane major roads - it's a lightly traveled one-lane-each-way road.) Comcast refused. My dad offered to pay for the work himself, up-front. Comcast refused.
Finally, they told him that if he could get six other businesses in his complex to agree to sign up for Comcast internet service, they'd run the cable across the street.
In my area you can usually get Time Warner to lower your rate if you threaten to move to DSL -- but if you live in an area where DSL isn't an option they refuse any sort of rate deal because they know they have you by the balls.
I was talking to my dad about Comcast the other day; I use them because it's them or 1.5Mbps DSL from Qwest or a 1.5Mbps shared T1 (read: 1.5Mbps shared with other subscribers) from some other company. I pay something like $43/month for Comcast's 12Mbps service.
Now, when the six months ends, my rate is going to jump to $80/month or something like that. Your comment was exactly my dad's advice - when the six months is up, call them and say I want to cancel because other people are cheaper. They'll offer lower rates. (Lower than $80/month, at any rate.)
This works with other companies, too... when I worked for DirecTV, even us lowly first-tier customer service reps could give people rather large discounts to get them to keep their service.
Somewhat off-topic, has anyone else seen those new Comcast commercials saying "we've doubled our customers' speeds for free"? Everyone I've talked to about this that has Comcast has said that their experience mirrors mine - as soon as Comcast started airing those commercials, my average download speeds dropped. So much for "doubled".
Most software companies have clauses like this in their employment contracts. The contract I signed with my current employer has a clause like it, for example.
That's why I think all patents should be automatically invalidated after two or three years if the original patent filer has not produced anything tangible that uses said patent.
So if MS knowingly files a patent with prior art, then under your system no "partner company" could file a patent for ten years? I don't think you realize how many companies that is. (No, I don't have a number handy.)
My point is, no system should let one nefarious patent-filer screw everyone else over simply by letting the law's punishment take effect.
I never thought I'd see a patent granted on stuff we pretty much learn in the first few introductory programming courses at $university.
Though they threw hashing into the mix... I'm not really sure how that's relevant to linked lists unless they're actually describing a hash table with chained buckets with on-the-fly removal of expired items. Which makes me wonder, how would you go about removing items in a manner that can't be described as "on-the-fly"? You'd have to go out of your way to ridiculous lengths to do that, I think.
It got worse when they put those little recesses and knobs on the molex connectors so not only are they stubborn, but you actually had to get them to bend a certain way just to get them out...
It's sad when the competent ones are driving tow trucks, and the incompetent ones are manning the dealership mechanic shop.
Seems backward.
That said, you're lucky you have a local garage you can trust; that requires knowing someone there you can trust, or you could just find yourself in the same situation. I wasn't so lucky.
I doubt I tipped him, unfortunately, because I did the whole thing through AAA and I never carried cash. I try not to give out my credit cards for tips;)
I didn't have a problem with them wanting to replace the wiring harness. If I had had the money, I might have even agreed to it; the wires did look corroded. My problem was with them saying "there's no other option" even when I specifically asked for a temporary, stop-gap solution, only to have the tow truck driver provide me with a $25 solution that has not proven temporary in any way.
Where do you suggest I go for an oil change that will do it in 45 minutes for $25, and will throw in a quick filter cleaning (read: vacuuming) for free?
I don't go to Jiffy Lube for stupid things like windshield wiper replacement; I do that myself (as I noted already). I go to them to replace oil in a jiffy (ba-dum chhh).
The rock chip repair wasn't a windshield replacement, he just put some stuff on my windshield to fill the chips/cracks and keep them from spreading. He did business with the people in line at Jiffy Lube, using Jiffy Lube's phone to call the insurance companies, so I have no reason to believe he didn't work for Jiffy Lube.
That sort of thing wouldn't hold up in court. All Best Buy would have to do is bring in the empty envelope you sent them - unopened. (That's assuming, of course, that they realized it was empty before opening it. Alternatively, a video recording of the envelope being opened would suffice.)
One crime does not justify another under our legal system.
Imaging the drive doesn't require opening images and videos, copying them to personal thumb drives, making multiple copies onto the thumb drives of coworkers, etc.
Heck, it doesn't even require booting into the user's OS.
Slashdot Mirror
That's a decent idea. Unfortunately the other side of the street is a parking lot, except for where Comcast's junction box is, and there isn't another business within a reasonable range.
They ended up signing up for 3Mbps Qwest DSL, then ugpraded to 7Mbps when it became available.
(3Mbps for 25 employees, yikes... fortunately they only need e-mail.)
Amazon S3 provides an API for getting a BitTorrent tracker for any publicly-readable file you have hosted on S3. Look! Yet another legitimate use :)
"Getting internet service" is not an inherent human right, and there are no trials involved, so your comment is pretty much irrelevant.
If a business considers something to be illegal, and they suspect a customer of doing that thing, they have no obligation to continue service to that customer, especially since the service contract most likely explains this.
Even if "getting internet service" were a right, then having one ISP cut them off doesn't violate that right - there's always dialup, or mobile connections, or they can go to a friend's house or the public library.
The ISP in question is being completely idiotic, but I think you're blowing this a little out of proportion.
If Verizon would bother to provide service in the areas where they advertise it, I would sign up. I called them to find out if they offered FiOS in my area (Kent, WA). Their system doesn't even think my address exists.
Meanwhile, Qwest advertises 7Mbps DSL, but although they provide service in my area, only 1.5Mbps DSL is actually available. At least my address exists in their system.
That depends, did you actually download anything NBC would consider illegal downloading, or were you just getting the latest WoW update?
Due diligence doesn't protect partner companies from one partner deliberately screwing over all the other partner companies.
Company A is partnered with company B. Employee X, working for A, deliberately files a patent claim and ignores prior art.
Under my parent post's system, there is nothing company B can do to prevent getting hosed. It would automatically be punished because of one nefarious patent filer at company A.
That would be a very broken system.
Have you checked that they'd even let you pay for the infrastructure if you asked?
My dad tried to get Comcast to run cable across the street so he could get their service for his business. Literally across the street. (Not one of those six lane major roads - it's a lightly traveled one-lane-each-way road.) Comcast refused. My dad offered to pay for the work himself, up-front. Comcast refused.
Finally, they told him that if he could get six other businesses in his complex to agree to sign up for Comcast internet service, they'd run the cable across the street.
Comcast just doesn't care.
In my area you can usually get Time Warner to lower your rate if you threaten to move to DSL -- but if you live in an area where DSL isn't an option they refuse any sort of rate deal because they know they have you by the balls.
I was talking to my dad about Comcast the other day; I use them because it's them or 1.5Mbps DSL from Qwest or a 1.5Mbps shared T1 (read: 1.5Mbps shared with other subscribers) from some other company. I pay something like $43/month for Comcast's 12Mbps service.
Now, when the six months ends, my rate is going to jump to $80/month or something like that. Your comment was exactly my dad's advice - when the six months is up, call them and say I want to cancel because other people are cheaper. They'll offer lower rates. (Lower than $80/month, at any rate.)
This works with other companies, too... when I worked for DirecTV, even us lowly first-tier customer service reps could give people rather large discounts to get them to keep their service.
Somewhat off-topic, has anyone else seen those new Comcast commercials saying "we've doubled our customers' speeds for free"? Everyone I've talked to about this that has Comcast has said that their experience mirrors mine - as soon as Comcast started airing those commercials, my average download speeds dropped. So much for "doubled".
Because the people running the patent office have little or nothing to do with the people running the rest of the government ;)
Most software companies have clauses like this in their employment contracts. The contract I signed with my current employer has a clause like it, for example.
That's why I think all patents should be automatically invalidated after two or three years if the original patent filer has not produced anything tangible that uses said patent.
That was your parent poster's point :P The people challenging the patent would have a rock-solid legal defense.
So if MS knowingly files a patent with prior art, then under your system no "partner company" could file a patent for ten years? I don't think you realize how many companies that is. (No, I don't have a number handy.)
My point is, no system should let one nefarious patent-filer screw everyone else over simply by letting the law's punishment take effect.
I never thought I'd see a patent granted on stuff we pretty much learn in the first few introductory programming courses at $university.
Though they threw hashing into the mix... I'm not really sure how that's relevant to linked lists unless they're actually describing a hash table with chained buckets with on-the-fly removal of expired items. Which makes me wonder, how would you go about removing items in a manner that can't be described as "on-the-fly"? You'd have to go out of your way to ridiculous lengths to do that, I think.
After that I took the initiative to replace a co-worker's job with a series of small shell scripts.
I wish I was joking.
It also happens that my co-worker was not opposed.
Then the Geek Squad can't help you.
Seriously.
It got worse when they put those little recesses and knobs on the molex connectors so not only are they stubborn, but you actually had to get them to bend a certain way just to get them out...
I'd mod you some combination of Funny, "Sad but True", and "Probably a Good Idea" if I could...
It's sad when the competent ones are driving tow trucks, and the incompetent ones are manning the dealership mechanic shop.
Seems backward.
That said, you're lucky you have a local garage you can trust; that requires knowing someone there you can trust, or you could just find yourself in the same situation. I wasn't so lucky.
I doubt I tipped him, unfortunately, because I did the whole thing through AAA and I never carried cash. I try not to give out my credit cards for tips ;)
I didn't have a problem with them wanting to replace the wiring harness. If I had had the money, I might have even agreed to it; the wires did look corroded. My problem was with them saying "there's no other option" even when I specifically asked for a temporary, stop-gap solution, only to have the tow truck driver provide me with a $25 solution that has not proven temporary in any way.
Where do you suggest I go for an oil change that will do it in 45 minutes for $25, and will throw in a quick filter cleaning (read: vacuuming) for free?
I don't go to Jiffy Lube for stupid things like windshield wiper replacement; I do that myself (as I noted already). I go to them to replace oil in a jiffy (ba-dum chhh).
The rock chip repair wasn't a windshield replacement, he just put some stuff on my windshield to fill the chips/cracks and keep them from spreading. He did business with the people in line at Jiffy Lube, using Jiffy Lube's phone to call the insurance companies, so I have no reason to believe he didn't work for Jiffy Lube.
Oh, and it's Honda, not Dodge :P
Birth? It's already several years old.
That sort of thing wouldn't hold up in court. All Best Buy would have to do is bring in the empty envelope you sent them - unopened. (That's assuming, of course, that they realized it was empty before opening it. Alternatively, a video recording of the envelope being opened would suffice.)
One crime does not justify another under our legal system.
Imaging the drive doesn't require opening images and videos, copying them to personal thumb drives, making multiple copies onto the thumb drives of coworkers, etc.
Heck, it doesn't even require booting into the user's OS.
That's why when I had my wife's expensive engagement ring repaired, I made sure to be there to watch the repair myself.