The way I remember it, the buzz really started a couple months after the console actually went on the market. With the very low supply they sold out very quickly due to natural market demand, and that's when I really remember them becoming a big deal.
The only lost sales are those people who want one immediately and will not for whatever reason eventually buy one when it becomes finally available for them. Everything else is not lost revenue, just deferred. I would be so bold to say that the buzz which I (incorrectly or otherwise) attribute in large part to perceived "exclusivity" of the device easily offsets those actually lost sales by generating revenue in new markets previously untouched by console gaming. Again though, just my take.
I always figured the Wii supply shortage was intentionally manufactured in order to create buzz. At first I could see them maybe not having anticipated the demand, but after a couple months passed and they were still rarer than hens' teeth (hell, they still are to this day at least in my area), I've come to the conclusion that Nintendo is milking what's started for the social benefits. To many it makes their console much more "exclusive" seeming than the competitors, and to that end it seems to be working wonders.
Couldn't you just as easily say that Apple has grown by about 74% while Linux has grown by about 117%?
To be more to the point, however, OSX and Linux really fill VERY different markets in terms of end user it seems to me. I use Linux because I'm the kind of person who likes to have total control over my computer and fiddle around with all the little bits of everything that's doing anything. That makes Linux great for me and OSX a very (in my experience) poor choice. On the other hand, for people who want an OS that just handles everything for them with a shiny veneer, OSX is just the ticket.
Put it in a different perspective like so: currently roughly 8% of the desktop market is non-Microsoft. Among those non-Microsoft users, the ratio of Mac to Linux users is roughly 10:1. Now, as somebody who uses Linux, and when recommending computers will recommend Linux to anybody with strong technical skills and tendencies, and Macs to anybody without, that ratio seems just about right to me. What it says to me is that 90% of the population just DOESN'T want to have to fiddle with anything more complicated than a pretty point and click dialog (nothing wrong with that), while 10% enjoys more intimate control over their computer.
Now, if you take into consideration that OSX and Linux are much more similar--and compatible--on many levels than Windows and ____ (fill in the blank), hopefully the train wreck that is Windows will eventually just die quietly and we'll be left with two good operating systems that share a great deal of fundamental compatibility while catering to distinct market segments.
When you shoot yourself in the head with a shotgun after singing that you don't have a gun, you have more or less just actively defined irony. (Observe definitions 1, 5 and 6 in conjunction for those who can't be bothered to figure such a thing out on their own)
Balance is highly overrated. Well, let me ask you. In order to have a balanced discussion about evolution, should we have equal representation from the so-called "intelligent design" supporters? Under a strict definition of balance, I would argue that we do, but that doesn't mean that we would want such a thing, or that it would be productive of anything. The same, for the most part, holds true for the current Republican administration and Microsoft. The former are proven fascists, and the latter are proven abusive monopolists.
I would say, I suppose, that what is missing from TV news isn't so much balance as it is simple honesty. I don't care that they portray only one side of the issue, that's their prerogative. What I do care about is that they masquerade as something which they are not. Don't pretend you're giving me the full unbiased story if you are in fact doing no such thing. On/., in comparison as anybody who's been around for a while knows, you may be able to say something dishonestly, but you will SWIFTLY be corrected. You can bash Microsoft unfairly, but if you do so you WILL be corrected and such corrections are moderated +5 Insightful as often anything in my experience. That's what makes the bias here better than TV news--it's honest bias.
This will have no worse of an effect on you from the iPhone than it would with a Razr, LG whatever, etc. etc. It would be nice if the iPhone was 3G capable so that when AT&T gets the rest of the country 3G we would have WCDMA and not have to worry about it, but considering that my wife's Razr gets like 1/3 to 1/4 the battery life when 3G is available compared to EDGE I certainly can see why Apple used battery life as one reason they didn't do it yet.
Well, the point of my anecdote was actually that it does affect me more with the iPhone than with any previous phone. I probably should have made it a little more clear in the beginning, but I have had a few different brands of cell phones during the time that I've worked in the office I was commenting about, and none of them have noticeably interfered with the phones or the cheapo computer speakers. I don't know whether the iPhone is doing things that my other phones didn't, or whether it's just doing whatever it does more powerfully, but there is noticeable interference where previously there was none.
These days about the wildest pictures you're likely to find of me come out of our office parties. And I'm hardly the one dancing and whatnot on top of the bar...
In short, some employers are simply idiots and think this kind of thing matters.
While I do not have any idea the issue at hand here...
Just stop right there. There is no "ends justify the means" here. This is a charity event. There is no evil ulterior motive that could make a difference. The ends and the means are the same--people are donating toys to sick children. They're not being robbed blind, this is a willing donation. While it's true that the success has been going to their heads a bit, it's not exactly surprising considering they just raised over a million dollars of charity with their pet project. I think any of us might be a bit arrogant about that fact too.
As for the OP in this little thread... accusing somebody of being a raging egomaniac in comparison to Harlan Ellison is almost mind bogglingly ironic. If it's true this must have been a real case of unstoppable force meeting immovable object.
This is actually something that has started worrying me since I got my iPhone. It's not really anything I used to notice, but the iPhone has a habit of interfering with any and all electronic devices within I'd say a 3 foot radius. I'm not kidding, at work I sometimes have to make it sit in the far corner because it makes my business landline almost incomprehensible. Other times, I'll be standing at the reception desk with it in my pocket, only to hear the speakers on the other side of the desk start to emit your standard cell phone interference noises (actually, I've always found that pattern of interference interesting for some reason--it's like I can hear my phone thinking). Honestly, the fact the I carry it in my pants pocket is what worries me the most--I'd like to have children some day...
Um, I might point out that the last definition of "since" in the very page you cited is synonymous with because. To quote:
-conjunction ...
8. because; inasmuch as: Since you're already here, you might as well stay.
Now, regardless of whether you are of the opinion that this is an unacceptable neologism, they may, at least according to dictionary.com, absolutely be used synonymously in this context.
...any more so than "way" should be considered anything other than a piss poor if not bizarre unit of quantitative or qualitative measure.
Way out there? Actually, the use of "way" as a measure of degree seems to be derived from "away," and, again if dictionary.com is to believed, can be traced several centuries back (this use originating sometime around 1175-1225 according to that source).
To be blunt, the only thing wrong with either of these seems to be that you don't like them, as they are clearly recognized as acceptable English usage, and have been for a long time. Normally I would ignore grammatical nitpicking, but the combination of patronizing tone and outright incorrect assertions here got my goad.
Video News Releases have been around forever. The RIAA may be horrible leeches on society and all that, but pretty much any corporation with an agenda and a couple bucks can be counted on to do the same thing. This is one of many reasons not to ever use television news for anything meaningful. If you want real news, find a respectable paper (or internet) publication that cites sources and identifies authors of everything. May not be perfect, but television news is simply a vast wasteland in comparison. RIAA writes its own news--welcome to the status quo.
It seems to me that the first sale doctrine nullifies this sort of behavior. Though IANAL, I've heard of no recent Supreme Court decisions overturning anything of this sort. I'm not saying I don't believe you, obviously I can't keep up on all the developments in this much as I'd like to, but would you care to cite what decision it is you think changes all this? As far as I was aware this particular branch of antitrust law is still fairly strong.
This is just off the top of my head, but I believe he is 30-40 during the events of the Hobbit, and at the beginning of the LotR he is celebrating his 111th birthday. As seen in Gollum, not even the one ring can keep you young and hale looking forever.
If recently watching The Golden Compass has taught me anything, it's that bearmen are fucking badasses and clearly belong in any computer generated battles.
Ian Holm did an absolutely fantastic job as Bilbo. Honestly I think he gave the strongest performance of anybody in the cast in any of the three films. I would love to see him in The Hobbit, although I imagine they'd have to make him up to appear a bit younger.
Um, well, this post is anecdotal of course, but what you've just said, at least in my experience, simply isn't true. Now, before I relate my experiences, I'll say I have a dual core Athlon 4400 (I think that's the number) with 2 gigs of DDR2 800, and a SATA hard drive that's completely run of the mill. My system is set up with Windows and Linux (Arch variety) on separate physical drives. As far as cold start times, OpenOffice is a dog, but it's also a cross-platform Java program is it not? AbiWord, on the other hand, simply blows MS Word out of the water. Startup time for AbiWord is basically instantaneous--we're talking under one second, and that's cold started. The same is the case for Gnumeric vs. Excel. The EOG vs. image viewer comparison is kind of silly, at least on my system they both start so quickly there's no way I could tell the difference without actually instrumenting them and profiling. GEdit vs. Notepad/Write isn't really a fair comparison, considering GEdit is significantly more powerful than either. Even so, the difference in startup time is at most a quarter second on my system. My firefox experience is about even on both platforms too, maybe 2-3 seconds to cold start.
As for memory usage, I'm afraid I don't have my home computer available to compare that in task managers. I will say that with 2 gigs of ram (not hard to come by), neither system ever even approaches 100% memory usage unless I'm doing some serious work, in which case the overhead is in content, not programs (3D rendering or large Photoshop images for example).
In summary, completely disagree with your statement about cold start times, and have never noticed a significant discrepancy between memory footprints for comparable software. Really, part of the reason I stopped using Windows was because of how hideously slow and unresponsive I've always found the major software of the platform (read: Office) to be, and I still have to use the stuff every day at work:(
As for love... Given how many people cannot tell the difference between a human and a dog
I'm afraid to ask... but has this actually be statistically demonstrated? I mean... I wouldn't be surprised or anything if were true I guess... but where does that kind of research happen?
Well, I am going to toss this out there even though it may be a little inflammatory: Jordan was stylistically awful.
I've always thought the same thing about Asimov. Actually, I'd say I was able to keep reading the Foundation series for much the same reasons as the WoT series: underneath all the horrendously bland and repetitive prose there's a fascinating plot afoot. Then again, a single WoT book could swallow the entire Foundation series whole and still have room for dessert.
His argument, though he did not write it out in every detail, is I think quite safely assumed to be that in many cases open Wi-Fi access is a very useful and productive public convenience and resource in places where internet access would be frequently useful but otherwise unavailable. This is the valid reason for its existence, and I think quite a sound one at that.
I agree that some games definitely qualify as works of art. I'm not so sure Bioshock is really one of them. It's a perfectly pleasant experience, but strikes me as more of a kind of very well crafted pulp fiction of the video game world--perhaps the Stephen King of video games. I won't argue that its technical competence (graphics and such) was top notch, but as a work of art... meh... I could take it or leave it. Now, I realize I'm going far into the realm of subjective reality, and opinions are going to be all over the place, but to me I think Dreamfall was the last game I played that really felt like a genuine artistic accomplishment. And, as far as being a game goes, it was even easier and more accessible than Bioshock by a considerable degree. Even though a braindead monkey could probably manage to beat Dreamfall, its artistic edifice had me absolutely captivated from start to finish.
Slashdot Mirror
The way I remember it, the buzz really started a couple months after the console actually went on the market. With the very low supply they sold out very quickly due to natural market demand, and that's when I really remember them becoming a big deal.
The only lost sales are those people who want one immediately and will not for whatever reason eventually buy one when it becomes finally available for them. Everything else is not lost revenue, just deferred. I would be so bold to say that the buzz which I (incorrectly or otherwise) attribute in large part to perceived "exclusivity" of the device easily offsets those actually lost sales by generating revenue in new markets previously untouched by console gaming. Again though, just my take.
I always figured the Wii supply shortage was intentionally manufactured in order to create buzz. At first I could see them maybe not having anticipated the demand, but after a couple months passed and they were still rarer than hens' teeth (hell, they still are to this day at least in my area), I've come to the conclusion that Nintendo is milking what's started for the social benefits. To many it makes their console much more "exclusive" seeming than the competitors, and to that end it seems to be working wonders.
Couldn't you just as easily say that Apple has grown by about 74% while Linux has grown by about 117%?
To be more to the point, however, OSX and Linux really fill VERY different markets in terms of end user it seems to me. I use Linux because I'm the kind of person who likes to have total control over my computer and fiddle around with all the little bits of everything that's doing anything. That makes Linux great for me and OSX a very (in my experience) poor choice. On the other hand, for people who want an OS that just handles everything for them with a shiny veneer, OSX is just the ticket.
Put it in a different perspective like so: currently roughly 8% of the desktop market is non-Microsoft. Among those non-Microsoft users, the ratio of Mac to Linux users is roughly 10:1. Now, as somebody who uses Linux, and when recommending computers will recommend Linux to anybody with strong technical skills and tendencies, and Macs to anybody without, that ratio seems just about right to me. What it says to me is that 90% of the population just DOESN'T want to have to fiddle with anything more complicated than a pretty point and click dialog (nothing wrong with that), while 10% enjoys more intimate control over their computer.
Now, if you take into consideration that OSX and Linux are much more similar--and compatible--on many levels than Windows and ____ (fill in the blank), hopefully the train wreck that is Windows will eventually just die quietly and we'll be left with two good operating systems that share a great deal of fundamental compatibility while catering to distinct market segments.
Well, that's my take anyway.
When you shoot yourself in the head with a shotgun after singing that you don't have a gun, you have more or less just actively defined irony. (Observe definitions 1, 5 and 6 in conjunction for those who can't be bothered to figure such a thing out on their own)
Balance is highly overrated. Well, let me ask you. In order to have a balanced discussion about evolution, should we have equal representation from the so-called "intelligent design" supporters? Under a strict definition of balance, I would argue that we do, but that doesn't mean that we would want such a thing, or that it would be productive of anything. The same, for the most part, holds true for the current Republican administration and Microsoft. The former are proven fascists, and the latter are proven abusive monopolists.
/., in comparison as anybody who's been around for a while knows, you may be able to say something dishonestly, but you will SWIFTLY be corrected. You can bash Microsoft unfairly, but if you do so you WILL be corrected and such corrections are moderated +5 Insightful as often anything in my experience. That's what makes the bias here better than TV news--it's honest bias.
I would say, I suppose, that what is missing from TV news isn't so much balance as it is simple honesty. I don't care that they portray only one side of the issue, that's their prerogative. What I do care about is that they masquerade as something which they are not. Don't pretend you're giving me the full unbiased story if you are in fact doing no such thing. On
Yup, I was with ATT before the new phone. My old phones would interfere with some things, just not to the extent that the iPhone does.
You mean the iPhone isn't going to sterilize me??
These days about the wildest pictures you're likely to find of me come out of our office parties. And I'm hardly the one dancing and whatnot on top of the bar...
In short, some employers are simply idiots and think this kind of thing matters.
As for the OP in this little thread... accusing somebody of being a raging egomaniac in comparison to Harlan Ellison is almost mind bogglingly ironic. If it's true this must have been a real case of unstoppable force meeting immovable object.
This is actually something that has started worrying me since I got my iPhone. It's not really anything I used to notice, but the iPhone has a habit of interfering with any and all electronic devices within I'd say a 3 foot radius. I'm not kidding, at work I sometimes have to make it sit in the far corner because it makes my business landline almost incomprehensible. Other times, I'll be standing at the reception desk with it in my pocket, only to hear the speakers on the other side of the desk start to emit your standard cell phone interference noises (actually, I've always found that pattern of interference interesting for some reason--it's like I can hear my phone thinking). Honestly, the fact the I carry it in my pants pocket is what worries me the most--I'd like to have children some day...
To be blunt, the only thing wrong with either of these seems to be that you don't like them, as they are clearly recognized as acceptable English usage, and have been for a long time. Normally I would ignore grammatical nitpicking, but the combination of patronizing tone and outright incorrect assertions here got my goad.
Video News Releases have been around forever. The RIAA may be horrible leeches on society and all that, but pretty much any corporation with an agenda and a couple bucks can be counted on to do the same thing. This is one of many reasons not to ever use television news for anything meaningful. If you want real news, find a respectable paper (or internet) publication that cites sources and identifies authors of everything. May not be perfect, but television news is simply a vast wasteland in comparison. RIAA writes its own news--welcome to the status quo.
It seems to me that the first sale doctrine nullifies this sort of behavior. Though IANAL, I've heard of no recent Supreme Court decisions overturning anything of this sort. I'm not saying I don't believe you, obviously I can't keep up on all the developments in this much as I'd like to, but would you care to cite what decision it is you think changes all this? As far as I was aware this particular branch of antitrust law is still fairly strong.
Yeah, my circa 1998 Brother laser printer is still working like a champ, even after being given the occasional coffee bath.
This is just off the top of my head, but I believe he is 30-40 during the events of the Hobbit, and at the beginning of the LotR he is celebrating his 111th birthday. As seen in Gollum, not even the one ring can keep you young and hale looking forever.
If recently watching The Golden Compass has taught me anything, it's that bearmen are fucking badasses and clearly belong in any computer generated battles.
Ian Holm did an absolutely fantastic job as Bilbo. Honestly I think he gave the strongest performance of anybody in the cast in any of the three films. I would love to see him in The Hobbit, although I imagine they'd have to make him up to appear a bit younger.
Um, well, this post is anecdotal of course, but what you've just said, at least in my experience, simply isn't true. Now, before I relate my experiences, I'll say I have a dual core Athlon 4400 (I think that's the number) with 2 gigs of DDR2 800, and a SATA hard drive that's completely run of the mill. My system is set up with Windows and Linux (Arch variety) on separate physical drives. As far as cold start times, OpenOffice is a dog, but it's also a cross-platform Java program is it not? AbiWord, on the other hand, simply blows MS Word out of the water. Startup time for AbiWord is basically instantaneous--we're talking under one second, and that's cold started. The same is the case for Gnumeric vs. Excel. The EOG vs. image viewer comparison is kind of silly, at least on my system they both start so quickly there's no way I could tell the difference without actually instrumenting them and profiling. GEdit vs. Notepad/Write isn't really a fair comparison, considering GEdit is significantly more powerful than either. Even so, the difference in startup time is at most a quarter second on my system. My firefox experience is about even on both platforms too, maybe 2-3 seconds to cold start.
:(
As for memory usage, I'm afraid I don't have my home computer available to compare that in task managers. I will say that with 2 gigs of ram (not hard to come by), neither system ever even approaches 100% memory usage unless I'm doing some serious work, in which case the overhead is in content, not programs (3D rendering or large Photoshop images for example).
In summary, completely disagree with your statement about cold start times, and have never noticed a significant discrepancy between memory footprints for comparable software. Really, part of the reason I stopped using Windows was because of how hideously slow and unresponsive I've always found the major software of the platform (read: Office) to be, and I still have to use the stuff every day at work
That is untrue and unfair. Occasionally male character blushes in befuddlement.
His argument, though he did not write it out in every detail, is I think quite safely assumed to be that in many cases open Wi-Fi access is a very useful and productive public convenience and resource in places where internet access would be frequently useful but otherwise unavailable. This is the valid reason for its existence, and I think quite a sound one at that.
I agree that some games definitely qualify as works of art. I'm not so sure Bioshock is really one of them. It's a perfectly pleasant experience, but strikes me as more of a kind of very well crafted pulp fiction of the video game world--perhaps the Stephen King of video games. I won't argue that its technical competence (graphics and such) was top notch, but as a work of art... meh... I could take it or leave it. Now, I realize I'm going far into the realm of subjective reality, and opinions are going to be all over the place, but to me I think Dreamfall was the last game I played that really felt like a genuine artistic accomplishment. And, as far as being a game goes, it was even easier and more accessible than Bioshock by a considerable degree. Even though a braindead monkey could probably manage to beat Dreamfall, its artistic edifice had me absolutely captivated from start to finish.