This guy is no different than the chemical sensitivity people who try to manipulate those around them because they have control issues. They want everyone to jump through these hoops, which gives them a positive feeling of having controlled those around them.
The neighbor could have simply changed his wifi to not broadcast the network name. When the annoying guy fired up his laptop to see if the neighbor had fulfilled his request to shut off the wireless, it would appear as though it is shut off. Then after a year, he could ask the annoying guy if shutting off the wifi helped his allergy. When the guy said, "Yes." Then the neighbor could explain that he had been running the wifi the whole time, but without broadcasting the network name.
Last I checked, we haven't been lusting for this sort of thing.
And that, sir, is exactly why Apple is able to command such premium prices for their products. The company has the ability to develop products and features in areas where other companies were unable to detect a demand and opportunity. Innovation isn't just a matter of crossing a technological hurdle.
People mock Apple's products as being popular through marketing. That derision is too narrow in focus as it assumes 'marketing' is limited to slick ad campaigns. Advertising IS a component of marketing, but the real value is in analyzing consumer interests and creating products, identifying the feature sets to be included, and tightly managing the product lifecycle through upgrade paths.
The hype and anticipation surrounding this product release is justified because Apple has a strong track record of delivering products that define and energize categories. Apple didn't event the all-in-one computer. But the iMac made consumers take it seriously enough to buy into the notion of computing without a floppy drive or serial ports (USB & firewire only). Apple didn't invent the portable MP3 player, but they introduced a compelling enough product that it's become a standard to which third-party manufacturers cater (i.e. car stereos, clock radios, jogging shoes, etc.). iPhone- same thing.
So people are excited to see what Apple is going to do in the tablet category. They want to see what can be innovated in this category where other companies have failed to deliver excitement. Hence, "we haven't been lusting for this sort of thing."
No doubt before the iPod was released there was little talk about it in this CS department. If your CS program is worth a crap, there's little time spent on consumer products and trends. The business and marketing programs are more interested in things like the iSlate, not CS.
I don't mean to argue with your off-topic commentary here. I just got sucked into your budgetary exercise and would like to offer some other line items to help possibly explain the discrepancy. Many of these are carried in private schools as well.
Bus service to haul the kids to and from school
Insurance
Electricity, heating, and cooling
Janitors
Staff benefits (health care, retirement, paid vacations, etc.)
As for 'falling out of fashion,' I think that is an utterly false statement. If you look at the used resale prices for the clamshell iBook, you'll see it still commands between $130 to $200. Pretty strong demand for a 1999-era laptop with only a 300mhz processor. Try finding someone selling a Dell Latitude CPi A366XT for more than $60...
If it goes smoothly anyway, you might look like a whiner that didn't need the expensive toys to keep on the shelf.
Hence, you have the plug to the main router beneath your own desk. When the sailing looks smooth, you kick out the cord. While everyone freaks out, you open up a terminal window and begin typing nonsensical commands. Say, "Ahaaah! As you re-plug in the router.
Record companies are drawn to broken business models like moths to a flame.
This behavior can also be observed among big-box retailers. Note that Best Buy spent $121 million to acquire the Napster trademark September 2008, perhaps 5 years after the brand awareness would have been worth more than a dime. The demise of their competitor, Circuit City, may be attributable to similar blunders, including their partnership in the DIVX media distribution system.
So sure, Hot Coffee wasn't an issue in the UK. They don't have the same religious fundamentalists the US has to deal with.
The controversy in america was that the game was rated less than 'Mature 17+' and contained the racy content. In the UK it was rated for adults only, so the racy content didn't matter.
BTW, the governmental reaction to Hot Coffee was not to 'ban' video games. Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman (yes, they used to be pals) tried to pass legislation that would have added governmental oversight to the voluntary rating system in the video game industry.
Unlike the UK, entertainment such as films, are not banned by the federal government. Check this Wikipedia explanation:
The United States has no federal agency charged with either permitting or restricting the exhibition of motion pictures. Most instances of films being banned are via ordinances or proclamations by city or state governments. Some are instances of films being judicially found to be of an obscene nature and subject to specific laws against such material (i.e. child pornography). Such findings are usually only legally binding in the jurisdiction of the court making such a ruling.
The British Board of Film Classification has the legal authority to ban films and video games in the UK. In the US, video game classification is voluntary. Clinton and Lieberman tried to create a BBFC in America as a result of Hot Coffee.
Dude. That Pink Robots movie has been playing at the cineplex near Tannhäuser Gate for weeks. I went to see it a few nights ago, but was heavily distracted by the glittering c-beams. You should go see it ASAP.
I don't care what that girl says, Glenn Beck absolutely did not kill her in 1990. I can't attest to the rape rumors, but the murder is outlandish. I would appreciate it if he was given his day in court to answer the charges rather than become a victim of this media lynch mob.
This is a one-off idea, but you could meet with marketing and ask for a list of the various campaigns they've launched over the past year. Then you could parse the web server logs to see where traffic was coming from during the dates of those campaigns. It would give execs a metric by which to measure the effectiveness of the marketing efforts. This is important, because as your ship sinks, the execs will look to you for help in determining the ballast that needs to be dumped.
You come across well-reasoned and rational, and I fully respect you. Please understand that my original post was brief to get to the heart of my criticism of the article blaming faulty welding. I didn't feel like going into a lot of detail about my qualifications to defend the welders, but I can assure you that I'm not some armchair yahoo trying to talk about something I have no experience with. I used to work as a welder's helper in refineries. We used to do turnarounds where deadlines were intense. Three shifts were common to keep the work going round the clock. In my current construction work, I frequently weld, but I'm not certified and am self-taught. Nonetheless, all of my work is inspected by professional inspectors, so I can empathize with those working to fix that bridge.
I see, on a regular basis, 'trained and certified professionals' take shortcuts and break the rules. I know state road inspectors that will pass things that really are questionable in order to get a road open. I see the resulting road failures myself.
I don't mean to belittle your background or observations, but I have to say that typical road work and anything that supports humans or hangs over human heads is worlds different when it comes to liability. Remember those concrete panels that fell from the ceiling of that Boston tunnel? Criminal charges were filed that could have led to people going to prison over the negligence that led to people being killed in that tunnel collapse. Basic road work has significantly less risk of fatalities due to road failure. If subgrade isn't properly compacted, you'll see some potholes, but nobody is going to jail.
From my experience working on projects with intense time pressures and wildly demanding engineering where shit could blow up and hundreds of people could die, I am confident that this bridge project has had all kinds of scrutiny on the quality of the welds during the repair process.
As a hobbyist welder, and someone who has worked with welders in an industrial setting, I strongly doubt that the welding is the culprit. "Faulty welding" doesn't happen on something of the scale of a bridge. If it's one welder working, maybe. But this bridge repair would have had dozens of welders working. No one person's welding could have broken a bridge. Sure, they were under a time crunch, but that doesn't result in shoddy welds. It means more welders are put on task. Those guys are trained and certified and their work is defined by specs that they follow and then is inspected by city or state engineers. If the welding is the problem, it means the original spec was faulty.
I've seen several cars burning on the side of the road. Usually the fire begins under the hood. Once saw a mercedes on fire in a taco bell parking lot. When I'm on the highway and see one, I usually take advantage of the opportunity to speed for the next 50 or so miles. If I get pulled over by the highway patrol, the plan is to tell the cops I was rushing to a payphone to dial 911 about the fire.
My favorite parts were the brief glimpses of the sun surrounded by black space. That's a very rare sight and I feel like I might not have even seen that before. Every other image I've ever seen of the sun has the bluish atmosphere surrounding it. Very offputting to see the brightness of the sun surrounded by black.
This whole question is just ridiculous. Polar sells these kits that schools can buy to use for improving exercise programs. It includes a bunch of chest straps and a bunch of wrist watches. The kids wear the stuff while they run around in gym class. At the end of class, the kids turn their stuff in and the teacher can download the data from the watches via IR to a computer. Then the kids' heart rates can be tracked. It's really an method for optimizing the workouts. It also demonstrates progress over time of physical fitness.
It's the kind of thing that will help identify that baseball and kickball aren't good workouts while basketball, soccer, and field hockey are.
Slashdot Mirror
This guy is no different than the chemical sensitivity people who try to manipulate those around them because they have control issues. They want everyone to jump through these hoops, which gives them a positive feeling of having controlled those around them.
The neighbor could have simply changed his wifi to not broadcast the network name. When the annoying guy fired up his laptop to see if the neighbor had fulfilled his request to shut off the wireless, it would appear as though it is shut off. Then after a year, he could ask the annoying guy if shutting off the wifi helped his allergy. When the guy said, "Yes." Then the neighbor could explain that he had been running the wifi the whole time, but without broadcasting the network name.
Seth
And that, sir, is exactly why Apple is able to command such premium prices for their products. The company has the ability to develop products and features in areas where other companies were unable to detect a demand and opportunity. Innovation isn't just a matter of crossing a technological hurdle.
People mock Apple's products as being popular through marketing. That derision is too narrow in focus as it assumes 'marketing' is limited to slick ad campaigns. Advertising IS a component of marketing, but the real value is in analyzing consumer interests and creating products, identifying the feature sets to be included, and tightly managing the product lifecycle through upgrade paths.
The hype and anticipation surrounding this product release is justified because Apple has a strong track record of delivering products that define and energize categories. Apple didn't event the all-in-one computer. But the iMac made consumers take it seriously enough to buy into the notion of computing without a floppy drive or serial ports (USB & firewire only). Apple didn't invent the portable MP3 player, but they introduced a compelling enough product that it's become a standard to which third-party manufacturers cater (i.e. car stereos, clock radios, jogging shoes, etc.). iPhone- same thing.
So people are excited to see what Apple is going to do in the tablet category. They want to see what can be innovated in this category where other companies have failed to deliver excitement. Hence, "we haven't been lusting for this sort of thing."
Seth
No doubt before the iPod was released there was little talk about it in this CS department. If your CS program is worth a crap, there's little time spent on consumer products and trends. The business and marketing programs are more interested in things like the iSlate, not CS.
Seth
Mod down parent. Nokia's R & D dept is shrinking while Apple's is small, but generates a much larger profit relative to the R & D investment.
Seth
Seth
Actually, Apple released a few ruggedized portables that didn't stay on the market for long. The appeal is kind of a niche and Apple usually aims for the mainstream.
As for 'falling out of fashion,' I think that is an utterly false statement. If you look at the used resale prices for the clamshell iBook, you'll see it still commands between $130 to $200. Pretty strong demand for a 1999-era laptop with only a 300mhz processor. Try finding someone selling a Dell Latitude CPi A366XT for more than $60...
Seth
Hence, you have the plug to the main router beneath your own desk. When the sailing looks smooth, you kick out the cord. While everyone freaks out, you open up a terminal window and begin typing nonsensical commands. Say, "Ahaaah! As you re-plug in the router.
Job security.
Seth
This behavior can also be observed among big-box retailers. Note that Best Buy spent $121 million to acquire the Napster trademark September 2008, perhaps 5 years after the brand awareness would have been worth more than a dime. The demise of their competitor, Circuit City, may be attributable to similar blunders, including their partnership in the DIVX media distribution system.
Seth
The localized Apple commercials for the iPhone feature archival footage of Mothra and Gamera fighting and crushing Japanese cities.
"Need to call Godzilla for help, there's an APP for that."
Seth
The controversy in america was that the game was rated less than 'Mature 17+' and contained the racy content. In the UK it was rated for adults only, so the racy content didn't matter.
BTW, the governmental reaction to Hot Coffee was not to 'ban' video games. Hillary Clinton and Joe Lieberman (yes, they used to be pals) tried to pass legislation that would have added governmental oversight to the voluntary rating system in the video game industry.
Unlike the UK, entertainment such as films, are not banned by the federal government. Check this Wikipedia explanation:
The British Board of Film Classification has the legal authority to ban films and video games in the UK. In the US, video game classification is voluntary. Clinton and Lieberman tried to create a BBFC in America as a result of Hot Coffee.
Seth
Dude. That Pink Robots movie has been playing at the cineplex near Tannhäuser Gate for weeks. I went to see it a few nights ago, but was heavily distracted by the glittering c-beams. You should go see it ASAP.
Seth
How about if I'm:
This is the most sensible post in this whole topic. I can't believe so many people are completely buying into the defendent's story on this.
The big question mark here is why the FBI got interested in this guy to begin with. Conveniently, the suspect doesn't comment on that.
Seth
How does an article about a legal ruling regarding negligence over a flood constitute "your rights online?!?"
Seth
AutoCad would be nice to have on Mac OS X.
Whereas the tobacco companies have lost several huge lawsuits, I don't recall any magazines getting sued for running ads for cancer-causing products.
Seth
I don't care what that girl says, Glenn Beck absolutely did not kill her in 1990. I can't attest to the rape rumors, but the murder is outlandish. I would appreciate it if he was given his day in court to answer the charges rather than become a victim of this media lynch mob.
Seth
This is a one-off idea, but you could meet with marketing and ask for a list of the various campaigns they've launched over the past year. Then you could parse the web server logs to see where traffic was coming from during the dates of those campaigns. It would give execs a metric by which to measure the effectiveness of the marketing efforts. This is important, because as your ship sinks, the execs will look to you for help in determining the ballast that needs to be dumped.
Seth
You come across well-reasoned and rational, and I fully respect you. Please understand that my original post was brief to get to the heart of my criticism of the article blaming faulty welding. I didn't feel like going into a lot of detail about my qualifications to defend the welders, but I can assure you that I'm not some armchair yahoo trying to talk about something I have no experience with. I used to work as a welder's helper in refineries. We used to do turnarounds where deadlines were intense. Three shifts were common to keep the work going round the clock. In my current construction work, I frequently weld, but I'm not certified and am self-taught. Nonetheless, all of my work is inspected by professional inspectors, so I can empathize with those working to fix that bridge.
I don't mean to belittle your background or observations, but I have to say that typical road work and anything that supports humans or hangs over human heads is worlds different when it comes to liability. Remember those concrete panels that fell from the ceiling of that Boston tunnel? Criminal charges were filed that could have led to people going to prison over the negligence that led to people being killed in that tunnel collapse. Basic road work has significantly less risk of fatalities due to road failure. If subgrade isn't properly compacted, you'll see some potholes, but nobody is going to jail.
From my experience working on projects with intense time pressures and wildly demanding engineering where shit could blow up and hundreds of people could die, I am confident that this bridge project has had all kinds of scrutiny on the quality of the welds during the repair process.
Seth
As a hobbyist welder, and someone who has worked with welders in an industrial setting, I strongly doubt that the welding is the culprit. "Faulty welding" doesn't happen on something of the scale of a bridge. If it's one welder working, maybe. But this bridge repair would have had dozens of welders working. No one person's welding could have broken a bridge. Sure, they were under a time crunch, but that doesn't result in shoddy welds. It means more welders are put on task. Those guys are trained and certified and their work is defined by specs that they follow and then is inspected by city or state engineers. If the welding is the problem, it means the original spec was faulty.
Seth
I've seen several cars burning on the side of the road. Usually the fire begins under the hood. Once saw a mercedes on fire in a taco bell parking lot. When I'm on the highway and see one, I usually take advantage of the opportunity to speed for the next 50 or so miles. If I get pulled over by the highway patrol, the plan is to tell the cops I was rushing to a payphone to dial 911 about the fire.
Seth
Remember to park car in garage when visiting exoplanets.
Seth
My favorite parts were the brief glimpses of the sun surrounded by black space. That's a very rare sight and I feel like I might not have even seen that before. Every other image I've ever seen of the sun has the bluish atmosphere surrounding it. Very offputting to see the brightness of the sun surrounded by black.
Seth
This whole question is just ridiculous. Polar sells these kits that schools can buy to use for improving exercise programs. It includes a bunch of chest straps and a bunch of wrist watches. The kids wear the stuff while they run around in gym class. At the end of class, the kids turn their stuff in and the teacher can download the data from the watches via IR to a computer. Then the kids' heart rates can be tracked. It's really an method for optimizing the workouts. It also demonstrates progress over time of physical fitness.
It's the kind of thing that will help identify that baseball and kickball aren't good workouts while basketball, soccer, and field hockey are.
Seth
Ok. So the bad guys add it to their malware installed on millions of computers around the globe. Pull the trigger and the lights go out.
Seth