JAL has a great solution for it's business and first class passangers that want video game entertainment. They just hand you a Nintendo DS. Problem solved.
A LOT of companies build out an absolute ton of fiber during the bubble. To this day much of those networks remain dark. The whole idea that we need to get rid of net neutrality is a total boondoggle.
Dell needs Windows to make money. Have you ever purchased a Dell? There is incredible amount of shareware and crippleware on a Dell. Do you think Dell is including this software out of the goodness of it's heart? No, everything icon added on the build was paid for. And if you've bought a Dell, specially Dell Home PC there's A LOT of paid placement.
I feel bad for the guys. The problem they are going to run into is that PayPal, for all that is evil about them, does one this really well. Running donation payment processing.
While they can look for alternitive payment systems, they will run into the issue that Donation systems have extremely high fraud rates. Why? Because donations have very little anti-fraud proceedures. So they are a megnet for people who want to test stolen credit card numbers out on. Most merchant solutions will shut you down if you hit 1-2% fraud against all your transaction rate. Since PayPal was both an aquiring bank, and payment processor, they were able to side step a lot of that. As well as set up a lot of anti-fraud stuff that kicked in before the merchant even noticed.
Last year I purchased two PCs. A mid range comsumer Dell Desktop, and a MacMini. The PC is actually spot on. The Dell was extremely annoying. You had two registrations just at initial boot. There was a boatload of crippleware pre-installed. At least a half dozen of them required additional registration. The desktop was filled with junk icons, most of which was for software and services that all wanted money. While I agree, most digital cameras would work with little additional driver installation, I found the same wasn't true for multi-function printer/faxs, laserprinters, etc. And don't even get me started on all the toolbars, and other crap you have to root around and remove.
And it's not like it's just Dell, HP/Compaq, Gateway/E-Machines, they all have these bloated install images that require a couple additional hours, not to mention a good dozen reboots, in order to rid the machine of crippled software you don't want.
It reminds me a bit of the TV Show Max Headroom. When Edison Carter was live and direct the cops didn't say boo to him. When his camera when off air things got a bit more ugly.
There was a lot of this happening in the late 90's when internet companies were using telephone billing. Basically, as them for proof. If it was over the phone, they needed to record your conversation affirming that you entered into the contract. Adding terms to the back of a manual (aka a shirnk wrape license) has never been shown in court as being binding.
When they can't offer proof file a formal complaint with your Attorny General. Usually a formal inquiry from the AG office gets fasts results.
I don't need to search for a citation, you already did it for me in your previous post:
"who regularly extend, or arrange for the extension of, credit which is payable by agreement in more than four installments or for which the payment of a finance charge is or may be required, whether in connection with loans, sales of property or services, or otherwise"
Just google T-Mobiles terms and conditions. T-Mobile allows you to purchase goods and services payable at a later dater. If you do not pay with in the period of time they assess a finance charge of 1.5% per month (about 18% APR) or $5, whichever is greater. Reading your own citation, it's very clear the FCBA is extremely broad and would cover this case.
If you can cite something in the terms that contradicts your first citation, please do so.
But we're not talking about you Bob. We're talking about a company that does a credit check before entering into a long term contract. The quality of your credit determines the number of "lines of service" you may have. Cell phone providers are in the business of extending credit my friend. The way they manage the phone plan is exactly like a tradional "Charge Card" (think standard Amex card.) Any way you slice it, it's not muddy.
In what ways is a the billing different from the revolving credit of a store charge account?
Both required a credit check in order to obtain the credit. Both have a limit (You can only charge X dollars on a card account, you can only have X number of phones on your cell account). Both allow you to purchase goods and service which must be paid at a later date. Both have fees, penalties and finance charges when payments are not received on time.
If you look at T-Mobiles terms of service they have a written dispute policy that mirrors the FCBA. It's pretty clear they know it applies and have structured their terms around it.
Simple writing a formal letter of dispute under as defined by the Fair Credit Billing Act. Send said letter to the billing dispute address (usually on the back of your statement.) Indicate the calls you do not beleive you made, and the adjustment you beleive you deserve. If T-Mobile does not reply, IN WRITING, to your dispute they automatically lose the right to collect $50 or the disputed fee. Which ever is less. Make sure to send in Payment for the portion you do beleive you owe. I suggest spending the extra couple bucks to get delivery confirmation.
If they do not comply, file a formal complaint with the FTC and your state AG office.
I've been told by several Qwest managers that when Tata first started bidding on contractors the sales executive said they could deliver consultants for 40% less than US consultants. The icing on the cake was the end of the sentance. "Even less if you hire a woman." Class act those Tata guys. Not only have they preyed on the LS1 system to avoid the equal salary requirments of H1B (not that the DOL actually enforces that), but they get to bring their sexist pay system to the US.
When power was deregulated in California Enron jumped right in to manipulate the market to raise prices. Creating energy shortages in places where there was no shortage. Cities like LA however had publically owned power plants. As such they didn't have a shortage, and didn't raise prices. The UK isn't exactly a shining example of empowered consumers. Keeping pounds sterling hides a lot of the over inflated prices UK people pay.
Basically, the premise of the tiered system is that companies like your tube, google, etc don't pay for all the bandwidth they consume. NPR's Market Place had a horrible story on last night claiming that with out extra cash from these large web sites, they can't expand bandwidth.
It's the dumbest argument ever. 1) Companies that large connect directly to top tier providers. These companies are paying hundreds of thousandsands of dollars to the top 10 internet back bone providers for fat pipes into the internet. 2) We have tons of dark fiber still running across the US. Companies liek Qwest invested millions upon millions of dollars in infrastructure for customers who still don't exist.
We don't have a bandwidth problem. We have a problem with a congress that doesn't understand infrastructure.
The tax laws have changed and SEP isn't the only pre-tax option out there. Single 401K is also an option to consider if you have a self employed business and won't have any other full time employees.
It didn't matter to me. However, the majority of canidates come from colleges where said company does Job Fairs. The fairs are staffed by both professional HR selections people, and regular full time employees (usually alums). Face time and initial impressions is a big deal getting past that stage. We're not talking about local colleges and universities either, it's a national program. Non-local canidates are flown up to the HQ for interviews.
I did intern interviews for a couple years at one of the largests companies in the US. Big companies are very popular for students. They usually pay very well for a relatively small ammount of work. Private companies are some of the best to get internships with because they are truely looking to make an investment in the next generation's work force. They don't have a bottom line to skimp on. They want to make a good impression because interns are often where college hires come from.
That being said, you'll be judged on two things. One, Grades. How close are you to 4.0? I've seen a lot of college transcripts. The canidates who make it past the selection department are VERY close to perfect. Since most canidates have pretty much the same grades and classes, really what will set you appart is personal skills. Not only how likable you are, but how you react under presure.
All that being said 3rd and 4th year is were most companies really start drawing interns from.
The crack pipe of working in the banking industry and reading the trade publications. The US has extremely low credit card fraud. That is a FACT.
The issue isn't that we have liability limits. The issue is credit card companies collect obscene ammounts of demographic information and are actually pretty good about catching fraud before it really racks up.
Outside of the US merchants are manadated by Visa and Mastercard to move to a high encryption RF standard. Dispite what the credit cards would have you beleive, the US has extremely low credit card fraud. Because fraud provention work well no one is in a hurry to move in this direction.
In Europe organized crime is a big deal. In particular in the east. So much that the credit card companies have mandated EVERY merchant switch credit card terminals. If they don't switch terminals, they won't cover certain types of Credit Card fraud anymore.
So is this a plant from Business 2.0? The pictures are free, but the article wants money.
Re:Well, for one thing...
on
Re-Imagining Apple
·
· Score: 4, Insightful
Apple settled, which is exactly what I predicted they would do. You can't squeeze blood from a turnip, but you can create enough buzz to make other think twice before doing it again.
I know someone who was sued by microsoft. It was essentially the same thing. Rattle the saber a bit, get some media attention, and settle for peanuts after the story has disappeared from the pages.
It can work, and it does work. This is no more diffucult than what ILECs and CLECs have been doing for years when it comes to large businesses that have phone systems that cross city lines.
The reason why some VoIP providers don't offer 911 and E911 is because they are unwilling to do the same kind of work traditional phone companies do. Here's the dirty little secret of 911, a substantal number lines have to be manually set up. In multiple systems, in order to work. Traditional phone companies have staff dedicated to setting up 911 accounts. At the very least you could use the old standby of directing the calls to the "state patrol" in the state, which was fairly common for cell phone operators.
If you want E911 I suggest using a local VoIP provider. In MN, http://www.soundchoicecomm.com/ is a great service. The owner of the company used to help set up E911, and was more than capable and willing to do the same for his VoIP service.
Of course the question is why aren't national providers doing the same? With all the consolidation that's happened with the baby bells there are plenty of people in the market place who can do this. And the VoIP hardware already supports these features.
Slashdot Mirror
JAL has a great solution for it's business and first class passangers that want video game entertainment. They just hand you a Nintendo DS. Problem solved.
A LOT of companies build out an absolute ton of fiber during the bubble. To this day much of those networks remain dark. The whole idea that we need to get rid of net neutrality is a total boondoggle.
Dell needs Windows to make money. Have you ever purchased a Dell? There is incredible amount of shareware and crippleware on a Dell. Do you think Dell is including this software out of the goodness of it's heart? No, everything icon added on the build was paid for. And if you've bought a Dell, specially Dell Home PC there's A LOT of paid placement.
I feel bad for the guys. The problem they are going to run into is that PayPal, for all that is evil about them, does one this really well. Running donation payment processing.
While they can look for alternitive payment systems, they will run into the issue that Donation systems have extremely high fraud rates. Why? Because donations have very little anti-fraud proceedures. So they are a megnet for people who want to test stolen credit card numbers out on. Most merchant solutions will shut you down if you hit 1-2% fraud against all your transaction rate. Since PayPal was both an aquiring bank, and payment processor, they were able to side step a lot of that. As well as set up a lot of anti-fraud stuff that kicked in before the merchant even noticed.
Windows out of the box:
Last year I purchased two PCs. A mid range comsumer Dell Desktop, and a MacMini. The PC is actually spot on. The Dell was extremely annoying. You had two registrations just at initial boot. There was a boatload of crippleware pre-installed. At least a half dozen of them required additional registration. The desktop was filled with junk icons, most of which was for software and services that all wanted money. While I agree, most digital cameras would work with little additional driver installation, I found the same wasn't true for multi-function printer/faxs, laserprinters, etc. And don't even get me started on all the toolbars, and other crap you have to root around and remove.
And it's not like it's just Dell, HP/Compaq, Gateway/E-Machines, they all have these bloated install images that require a couple additional hours, not to mention a good dozen reboots, in order to rid the machine of crippled software you don't want.
The mac just plugged in and worked.
It reminds me a bit of the TV Show Max Headroom. When Edison Carter was live and direct the cops didn't say boo to him. When his camera when off air things got a bit more ugly.
There was a lot of this happening in the late 90's when internet companies were using telephone billing. Basically, as them for proof. If it was over the phone, they needed to record your conversation affirming that you entered into the contract. Adding terms to the back of a manual (aka a shirnk wrape license) has never been shown in court as being binding.
When they can't offer proof file a formal complaint with your Attorny General. Usually a formal inquiry from the AG office gets fasts results.
I don't need to search for a citation, you already did it for me in your previous post:
"who regularly extend, or arrange for the extension of, credit which is payable by agreement in more than four installments or for which the payment of a finance charge is or may be required, whether in connection with loans, sales of property or services, or otherwise"
Just google T-Mobiles terms and conditions. T-Mobile allows you to purchase goods and services payable at a later dater. If you do not pay with in the period of time they assess a finance charge of 1.5% per month (about 18% APR) or $5, whichever is greater. Reading your own citation, it's very clear the FCBA is extremely broad and would cover this case.
If you can cite something in the terms that contradicts your first citation, please do so.
But we're not talking about you Bob. We're talking about a company that does a credit check before entering into a long term contract. The quality of your credit determines the number of "lines of service" you may have. Cell phone providers are in the business of extending credit my friend. The way they manage the phone plan is exactly like a tradional "Charge Card" (think standard Amex card.) Any way you slice it, it's not muddy.
In what ways is a the billing different from the revolving credit of a store charge account?
Both required a credit check in order to obtain the credit.
Both have a limit (You can only charge X dollars on a card account, you can only have X number of phones on your cell account).
Both allow you to purchase goods and service which must be paid at a later date.
Both have fees, penalties and finance charges when payments are not received on time.
If you look at T-Mobiles terms of service they have a written dispute policy that mirrors the FCBA. It's pretty clear they know it applies and have structured their terms around it.
Simple writing a formal letter of dispute under as defined by the Fair Credit Billing Act. Send said letter to the billing dispute address (usually on the back of your statement.) Indicate the calls you do not beleive you made, and the adjustment you beleive you deserve. If T-Mobile does not reply, IN WRITING, to your dispute they automatically lose the right to collect $50 or the disputed fee. Which ever is less. Make sure to send in Payment for the portion you do beleive you owe. I suggest spending the extra couple bucks to get delivery confirmation.
If they do not comply, file a formal complaint with the FTC and your state AG office.
Here's a little side note. When attempting to meet heads of state, you might want to dress the part of someone who's serious.
I've been told by several Qwest managers that when Tata first started bidding on contractors the sales executive said they could deliver consultants for 40% less than US consultants. The icing on the cake was the end of the sentance. "Even less if you hire a woman." Class act those Tata guys. Not only have they preyed on the LS1 system to avoid the equal salary requirments of H1B (not that the DOL actually enforces that), but they get to bring their sexist pay system to the US.
When power was deregulated in California Enron jumped right in to manipulate the market to raise prices. Creating energy shortages in places where there was no shortage. Cities like LA however had publically owned power plants. As such they didn't have a shortage, and didn't raise prices. The UK isn't exactly a shining example of empowered consumers. Keeping pounds sterling hides a lot of the over inflated prices UK people pay.
Basically, the premise of the tiered system is that companies like your tube, google, etc don't pay for all the bandwidth they consume. NPR's Market Place had a horrible story on last night claiming that with out extra cash from these large web sites, they can't expand bandwidth.
It's the dumbest argument ever. 1) Companies that large connect directly to top tier providers. These companies are paying hundreds of thousandsands of dollars to the top 10 internet back bone providers for fat pipes into the internet. 2) We have tons of dark fiber still running across the US. Companies liek Qwest invested millions upon millions of dollars in infrastructure for customers who still don't exist.
We don't have a bandwidth problem. We have a problem with a congress that doesn't understand infrastructure.
BTW: Here's the list of house member who voted NO the ammendment:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll239.xml
Anyone have a list of NO votes on this?
The tax laws have changed and SEP isn't the only pre-tax option out there. Single 401K is also an option to consider if you have a self employed business and won't have any other full time employees.
It didn't matter to me. However, the majority of canidates come from colleges where said company does Job Fairs. The fairs are staffed by both professional HR selections people, and regular full time employees (usually alums). Face time and initial impressions is a big deal getting past that stage. We're not talking about local colleges and universities either, it's a national program. Non-local canidates are flown up to the HQ for interviews.
I did intern interviews for a couple years at one of the largests companies in the US. Big companies are very popular for students. They usually pay very well for a relatively small ammount of work. Private companies are some of the best to get internships with because they are truely looking to make an investment in the next generation's work force. They don't have a bottom line to skimp on. They want to make a good impression because interns are often where college hires come from.
That being said, you'll be judged on two things. One, Grades. How close are you to 4.0? I've seen a lot of college transcripts. The canidates who make it past the selection department are VERY close to perfect. Since most canidates have pretty much the same grades and classes, really what will set you appart is personal skills. Not only how likable you are, but how you react under presure.
All that being said 3rd and 4th year is were most companies really start drawing interns from.
I was under the impression, that the most common way comercial Hydrogen is harvested is from the processing of Natural and LP gas?
The crack pipe of working in the banking industry and reading the trade publications. The US has extremely low credit card fraud. That is a FACT.
The issue isn't that we have liability limits. The issue is credit card companies collect obscene ammounts of demographic information and are actually pretty good about catching fraud before it really racks up.
Outside of the US merchants are manadated by Visa and Mastercard to move to a high encryption RF standard. Dispite what the credit cards would have you beleive, the US has extremely low credit card fraud. Because fraud provention work well no one is in a hurry to move in this direction.
In Europe organized crime is a big deal. In particular in the east. So much that the credit card companies have mandated EVERY merchant switch credit card terminals. If they don't switch terminals, they won't cover certain types of Credit Card fraud anymore.
So is this a plant from Business 2.0? The pictures are free, but the article wants money.
Apple settled, which is exactly what I predicted they would do. You can't squeeze blood from a turnip, but you can create enough buzz to make other think twice before doing it again.
I know someone who was sued by microsoft. It was essentially the same thing. Rattle the saber a bit, get some media attention, and settle for peanuts after the story has disappeared from the pages.
It can work, and it does work. This is no more diffucult than what ILECs and CLECs have been doing for years when it comes to large businesses that have phone systems that cross city lines.
The reason why some VoIP providers don't offer 911 and E911 is because they are unwilling to do the same kind of work traditional phone companies do. Here's the dirty little secret of 911, a substantal number lines have to be manually set up. In multiple systems, in order to work. Traditional phone companies have staff dedicated to setting up 911 accounts. At the very least you could use the old standby of directing the calls to the "state patrol" in the state, which was fairly common for cell phone operators.
If you want E911 I suggest using a local VoIP provider. In MN, http://www.soundchoicecomm.com/ is a great service. The owner of the company used to help set up E911, and was more than capable and willing to do the same for his VoIP service.
Of course the question is why aren't national providers doing the same? With all the consolidation that's happened with the baby bells there are plenty of people in the market place who can do this. And the VoIP hardware already supports these features.