I'm really failing to make the point I'm attempting.
US prices are not affordable for many people (myself included). So, don't pay them. Find an alternative (like the couple I pointed out) until they get their act together. I have a land-line and a cell phone and can text or call long-distance as much as I want pretty affordably. Just not on the road for more than ~5 minutes/day. Not affordable == Don't use. If you think that whining will help, whine away - Seriously - I'm too lazy to do that, but if it'll help please go to the providers and complain. Just don't shell out $$ at the same time so that it's clear that you truly are a lost sale because of their high prices and crappy service.
I realize that what makes sense for me doesn't make sense for everyone, but people seem to often confuse "really makes my life easier" with "need". Few if any people "need" 450 minutes and 1500 txt messages.
The fact that you're shelling out $70/month tells me that it's very clear that at least one of us doesn't "seem to understand basic logic".
No "counter-argument" implied. I'm just saying that if you're getting ripped off, stop buying. That's my solution in a number of arenas - The exception with the cell-phone market is that I still shell out $15/month instead of ignoring the industry completely like I do in some other areas.
Not trying to go apples/oranges. My plan is cheaper (per month, not per minute) than most overall, but I never claimed that it was a better value and even quantified its serious limitations and caveated the statement by pointing out that the other plans are clearly "better" for most. I'm bugged by the high US prices too, which is why I minimize my cell-phone consumption. I just felt like pointing out that, even in the inflated US market, you don't have to pay those outrageous fees unless you're in some special circumstance.
Sure, some people have their own businesses and are on the road a lot - They have a good reason to pay for those outrageous plans. I was just sharing my personal experience - I'm usually around a computer, so texting and long distance are free thanks to Google Voice (formerly Grand Central). When I'm not near a computer, I don't need/want to be near a phone. So, I pay for basic land-line at home, $15/month cell, and the Corporate Gods pay for a line at work.
True competition? Then why are your prices so high?
Like GP said - We have 3x the number of towers. However that also implies that you'll see 3 towers within tens of feet of each other each erected by a different carrier with little shared traffic.
I'm in the US and mine's not nearly that high (it's really my wife's phone I rarely use it). It costs me $15US/month and I have unlimited texting. Granted, that's only about 5 minutes of talk-time a day and I need a computer to send/receive texts unless I want to drop $.05 per send/receive, but it works for me.
I for one welcome the opera made by Twits, It's over 9000 (if you're counting gits). 4chan memes and lolcats, Kevin Smith and Mallrats, Please! Say it isn't... Please! Say it isn't... Please! Someone say it isn't so... No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
I was referring to the very early stages of religious attitude. Not necessarily an organized religion. I'm convinced that the underlying drive that inspires us to act for the tribe rather than strictly for ourselves predates any kind of organized religious experience. Unfortunately the same drive pushes a lot off butts onto pews and puts a lot of $$ into the hands of greedy manipulators.
Yes, that drive was manipulating the population, but internally and mutually. Things didn't get fucked up until the shaman showed up.
I agree with most of that, but not entirely. For many, many years religion has been used to control the populace, but I believe that there was a more primitive drive that initiated it. I read an article a while back (may have been here, but who reads TFA?) that suggested that in our early years some primal version of religion "evolved" to encourage self-sacrifice or just general lack of strict self-interest to benefit the tribe. For example, the motivation to volunteer for a dangerous look-out position to defend the tribe could have been a building-block toward early religion. And that kind of drive persisted because, even though the look-out may be killed, the tribe (who probably shares genetic material with the deceased look-out) has a better chance of survival than a tribe in which everyone refuses look-out duty out of pure self-interest.
These days, many of us consider many organized religions simply an evolutionary hangover.
This is God here. He need not gcc 4.3.3 - He writes only in Assembly (thus the evidence of copypasta code - If I was writing that many programs of that length, I'd re-use as much as possible.)
The problem is that it wasn't properly beta/field tested. They were so busy installing new features (walking upright, developing speech, sophisticated tool use, etc.) that the bugs became legacy.
If you had a choice between getting your name on the version notes next to, "Added speech capability" or "Fixed legacy bug that nobody has had a problem with in over a million years", which project would you sign on to?
Well, it made me feel a little smart, but only for a split second. When I read:
...we exploited the ability of aminoglycoside antibiotics to read-through the premature termination codon within retrocyclin transcripts to produce functional peptides that are active against HIV-1. Given that the endogenous production of retrocyclins could also be restored in human cervicovaginal tissues, we propose that aminoglycoside-based topical microbicides might be useful in preventing sexual transmission of HIV-1.
and understood what I was being told, I felt good for putting it together without having to wait for a comment putting it in human terms.
However, the fact that my reaction was, "Holy shit - That's fuckin' awesome!" brought my head back down to size. At least my reaction didn't include something even more sophisticated like, "Y'all are fixin' to really gussy up AIDS stompin'!"
This is Apple though. They don't even bother TRYING to undercut their competition on price and they do just fine. They have very loyal customers and, even at a severely inflated price, they're still collecting converts. Their stuff is expensive and locked in, but it's solid hardware (from what I've heard) with a lot of popular features (also from what I've heard). Of course they want to maximize profit, but their strategy doesn't seem to be minimizing MSRP.
The warranties have to be sensible around these things too. My mother had one (a Nokia maybe?) that she dunked and killed. The warranty explicitly did not cover water damage.
That seems a little harsh. If the felching porn site wasn't tagged 'NSFW', how was he to know? How about a little 'felching porn' warning before handing a guy his walking papers.
Have a little compassion - Do you know how much trouble I've had finding work once I explain why you sacked me?
7-11 hold ups etc may not interest you but, just to pick a few things out of the Albuquerque Journal that I heard about nowhere else, are things like changes in local sales tax, bills that have radically changed local ordinances on how people can take care of pets (some strange ones), ongoing status/debates on the red-light cameras, and changes/strategies in DUI enforcement (a major problem in NM). Personally, I don't want to have to attend every city council meeting to find out that they're proposing a 2% sales tax hike or deciding whether or not I'll be required to RFID-chip and register my dog for fear of fines/forfeiture.
I find all those things interesting and, although I could probably get the same information if I tuned into the local nightly news, a paper is easier to pick and choose how in-depth I want to learn about the various stories. There are probably local news web-sites too that would provide similar information, but I still consider the paper more convenient.
And, although I only frequent Albq roughly weekly, those stories certainly affect local residents. And, if they've got a story about a 7-11 hold up that you don't care about, turning the page is even easier than skipping to the next story on your DVR.
Agree on the ads though. If a small banner saves me a nickle per click, I'll put up with it.
who is whipping out their credit card numbers at the pay porn sites?
In arbitrary order: 1) People who don't understand how to get (enough) free porn 2) People addicted to live feeds 3) People who want subscription channels or PPV 4) People who watch porn with their significant others who think it's classier to have a branded DVD rather than a downloaded avi
Based on the volume and $$ involved, I think those groups make up a sizeable ($$-wise) market. Personally, torrents, already extant personal collection, and redtube.com are plenty. Although the ads on the "free" porn sites are obnoxious and I don't know of a quick and easy solution that combines FF's Adblock with IE's 'In-Private Browsing'. God help us when it progresses from banner ads to product placement - "Why don't you wash that down with a nice refreshing Pepsi One?"
I actually enjoy picking up a paper occasionally, although I don't have an active subscription and it's usually when I'm at a cafe or bar when I find one. It's a nice format for casual reading and contains a lot of local stuff that's difficult to find on-line. I've also noticed that the local papers (local being Los Alamos or Albuquerque) have largely started ignoring or at least not over-hyping the national stories that they know you'll get elsewhere (evening news, cnn.com, news.bbc.co.uk, whatever). Not to mention the fact that they and the major TV networks fund most of the field-work that eventually turns into stories that are posted for free on the Internet.
I'm not suggesting that we artificially prop up a dysfunctional business model, I'm just pointing out that once it dies we may notice a gap and see the pendulum swing back as we fill it.
Also, more on topic, Adblock Plus is fantastic and I use it constantly (although I do white-list some sites - And now that I have a 'Disable Ads' check-box, slashdot is on that white-list). But if you want solid content on 'free' sites, they have to make revenue somehow. It's either going to be micro-payments, donations, or ads.
This post brought to you by low-sodium, naturally sweetened Cranberry-Grapefruit Sobe Elixer.
With the discovery of the hard light drive, Rimmer was in pretty good shape. Still, not much could have been sweeter than the holoship.
When this goes commercial, my kids are getting bunk beds. Having a holodeck in my house completely outranks the importance of them having their own rooms.
You can absolutely hallucinate stoned. I've done it more than once - You can also hallucinate drunk, but it's much tougher.
It's called dreaming, and has a prerequisite of snoozing. LSD/psilocibin (sp?) have the "benefit" of lighting up your visuals while awake. Still, getting stoned and snoozing on the couch or in a hammock can lead to some pretty freaking wild "hallucinations".
There's an easy solution for that. When I want to visit slashdot, I type in:
http://216.34.181.48/"
Or google:
http://74.125.95.103
or, if that's too slow:
http://74.125.95.105
Is that too hard to remember?
OK, kidding aside, I agree - The DNS system's a mess. I'd like to see something where typo-trolls could be shut down, but that's not simple. Without writing a thesis on the subject here, it's pretty damned complicated. But, stopping DNS-folks from parking on domains is simple as long as we (regionally) rule on whether or not they're allowed. Right now, they are. That pisses off most slashdot folks, but not most of the general public. So, we tolerate it and come here to bitch and whine./bitch-and-whine
Slashdot Mirror
Writing a program is not manufacturing.
Not to support the DMCA crap, but yes. I haven't checked Merrian-Webster on the subject, but under any competent interpretation, yes it is...
I'm really failing to make the point I'm attempting.
US prices are not affordable for many people (myself included). So, don't pay them. Find an alternative (like the couple I pointed out) until they get their act together. I have a land-line and a cell phone and can text or call long-distance as much as I want pretty affordably. Just not on the road for more than ~5 minutes/day. Not affordable == Don't use. If you think that whining will help, whine away - Seriously - I'm too lazy to do that, but if it'll help please go to the providers and complain. Just don't shell out $$ at the same time so that it's clear that you truly are a lost sale because of their high prices and crappy service.
I realize that what makes sense for me doesn't make sense for everyone, but people seem to often confuse "really makes my life easier" with "need". Few if any people "need" 450 minutes and 1500 txt messages.
The fact that you're shelling out $70/month tells me that it's very clear that at least one of us doesn't "seem to understand basic logic".
No "counter-argument" implied. I'm just saying that if you're getting ripped off, stop buying. That's my solution in a number of arenas - The exception with the cell-phone market is that I still shell out $15/month instead of ignoring the industry completely like I do in some other areas.
Not trying to go apples/oranges. My plan is cheaper (per month, not per minute) than most overall, but I never claimed that it was a better value and even quantified its serious limitations and caveated the statement by pointing out that the other plans are clearly "better" for most. I'm bugged by the high US prices too, which is why I minimize my cell-phone consumption. I just felt like pointing out that, even in the inflated US market, you don't have to pay those outrageous fees unless you're in some special circumstance.
Sure, some people have their own businesses and are on the road a lot - They have a good reason to pay for those outrageous plans. I was just sharing my personal experience - I'm usually around a computer, so texting and long distance are free thanks to Google Voice (formerly Grand Central). When I'm not near a computer, I don't need/want to be near a phone. So, I pay for basic land-line at home, $15/month cell, and the Corporate Gods pay for a line at work.
Obviously, YMMV.
True competition? Then why are your prices so high?
Like GP said - We have 3x the number of towers. However that also implies that you'll see 3 towers within tens of feet of each other each erected by a different carrier with little shared traffic.
I'm in the US and mine's not nearly that high (it's really my wife's phone I rarely use it). It costs me $15US/month and I have unlimited texting. Granted, that's only about 5 minutes of talk-time a day and I need a computer to send/receive texts unless I want to drop $.05 per send/receive, but it works for me.
Still, $10.95 sounds much better...
It's a cat and mouse game. Google's built a slightly better mouse.
Not remotely a MS fanboi, but at least Bing's trying. If you can build a better mouse, please do. Google's the best game in town.
I for one welcome the opera made by Twits,
It's over 9000 (if you're counting gits).
4chan memes and lolcats,
Kevin Smith and Mallrats,
Please!
Say it isn't...
Please!
Say it isn't...
Please!
Someone say it isn't so...
No, no, no, no, no, no, no!
I was referring to the very early stages of religious attitude. Not necessarily an organized religion. I'm convinced that the underlying drive that inspires us to act for the tribe rather than strictly for ourselves predates any kind of organized religious experience. Unfortunately the same drive pushes a lot off butts onto pews and puts a lot of $$ into the hands of greedy manipulators.
Yes, that drive was manipulating the population, but internally and mutually. Things didn't get fucked up until the shaman showed up.
I agree with most of that, but not entirely. For many, many years religion has been used to control the populace, but I believe that there was a more primitive drive that initiated it. I read an article a while back (may have been here, but who reads TFA?) that suggested that in our early years some primal version of religion "evolved" to encourage self-sacrifice or just general lack of strict self-interest to benefit the tribe. For example, the motivation to volunteer for a dangerous look-out position to defend the tribe could have been a building-block toward early religion. And that kind of drive persisted because, even though the look-out may be killed, the tribe (who probably shares genetic material with the deceased look-out) has a better chance of survival than a tribe in which everyone refuses look-out duty out of pure self-interest.
These days, many of us consider many organized religions simply an evolutionary hangover.
This is God here. He need not gcc 4.3.3 - He writes only in Assembly (thus the evidence of copypasta code - If I was writing that many programs of that length, I'd re-use as much as possible.)
The problem is that it wasn't properly beta/field tested. They were so busy installing new features (walking upright, developing speech, sophisticated tool use, etc.) that the bugs became legacy.
If you had a choice between getting your name on the version notes next to, "Added speech capability" or "Fixed legacy bug that nobody has had a problem with in over a million years", which project would you sign on to?
Well, it made me feel a little smart, but only for a split second. When I read:
...we exploited the ability of aminoglycoside antibiotics to read-through the premature termination codon within retrocyclin transcripts to produce functional peptides that are active against HIV-1. Given that the endogenous production of retrocyclins could also be restored in human cervicovaginal tissues, we propose that aminoglycoside-based topical microbicides might be useful in preventing sexual transmission of HIV-1.
and understood what I was being told, I felt good for putting it together without having to wait for a comment putting it in human terms.
However, the fact that my reaction was, "Holy shit - That's fuckin' awesome!" brought my head back down to size. At least my reaction didn't include something even more sophisticated like, "Y'all are fixin' to really gussy up AIDS stompin'!"
You can't tell me that you've never copied and pasted your old code and just commented out the blocks you didn't need, can you?
Of course, I'll admit that there could be some other explanation...
I had no idea. You sir have just made my evening. If I hadn't already posted, I'd have a +1 Informative for you.
This is Apple though. They don't even bother TRYING to undercut their competition on price and they do just fine. They have very loyal customers and, even at a severely inflated price, they're still collecting converts. Their stuff is expensive and locked in, but it's solid hardware (from what I've heard) with a lot of popular features (also from what I've heard). Of course they want to maximize profit, but their strategy doesn't seem to be minimizing MSRP.
The warranties have to be sensible around these things too. My mother had one (a Nokia maybe?) that she dunked and killed. The warranty explicitly did not cover water damage.
But it did cover loss.
That seems a little harsh. If the felching porn site wasn't tagged 'NSFW', how was he to know? How about a little 'felching porn' warning before handing a guy his walking papers.
Have a little compassion - Do you know how much trouble I've had finding work once I explain why you sacked me?
7-11 hold ups etc may not interest you but, just to pick a few things out of the Albuquerque Journal that I heard about nowhere else, are things like changes in local sales tax, bills that have radically changed local ordinances on how people can take care of pets (some strange ones), ongoing status/debates on the red-light cameras, and changes/strategies in DUI enforcement (a major problem in NM). Personally, I don't want to have to attend every city council meeting to find out that they're proposing a 2% sales tax hike or deciding whether or not I'll be required to RFID-chip and register my dog for fear of fines/forfeiture.
I find all those things interesting and, although I could probably get the same information if I tuned into the local nightly news, a paper is easier to pick and choose how in-depth I want to learn about the various stories. There are probably local news web-sites too that would provide similar information, but I still consider the paper more convenient.
And, although I only frequent Albq roughly weekly, those stories certainly affect local residents. And, if they've got a story about a 7-11 hold up that you don't care about, turning the page is even easier than skipping to the next story on your DVR.
Agree on the ads though. If a small banner saves me a nickle per click, I'll put up with it.
who is whipping out their credit card numbers at the pay porn sites?
In arbitrary order:
1) People who don't understand how to get (enough) free porn
2) People addicted to live feeds
3) People who want subscription channels or PPV
4) People who watch porn with their significant others who think it's classier to have a branded DVD rather than a downloaded avi
Based on the volume and $$ involved, I think those groups make up a sizeable ($$-wise) market. Personally, torrents, already extant personal collection, and redtube.com are plenty. Although the ads on the "free" porn sites are obnoxious and I don't know of a quick and easy solution that combines FF's Adblock with IE's 'In-Private Browsing'. God help us when it progresses from banner ads to product placement - "Why don't you wash that down with a nice refreshing Pepsi One?"
I actually enjoy picking up a paper occasionally, although I don't have an active subscription and it's usually when I'm at a cafe or bar when I find one. It's a nice format for casual reading and contains a lot of local stuff that's difficult to find on-line. I've also noticed that the local papers (local being Los Alamos or Albuquerque) have largely started ignoring or at least not over-hyping the national stories that they know you'll get elsewhere (evening news, cnn.com, news.bbc.co.uk, whatever). Not to mention the fact that they and the major TV networks fund most of the field-work that eventually turns into stories that are posted for free on the Internet.
I'm not suggesting that we artificially prop up a dysfunctional business model, I'm just pointing out that once it dies we may notice a gap and see the pendulum swing back as we fill it.
Also, more on topic, Adblock Plus is fantastic and I use it constantly (although I do white-list some sites - And now that I have a 'Disable Ads' check-box, slashdot is on that white-list). But if you want solid content on 'free' sites, they have to make revenue somehow. It's either going to be micro-payments, donations, or ads.
This post brought to you by low-sodium, naturally sweetened Cranberry-Grapefruit Sobe Elixer.
An IQ of 90! Well done - I believe that's an 'A-'. I can see why you're here.
I keep trying to figure mine out, but Netscape keeps flaking out before I can hit submit on the Facebook IQ quiz.
With the discovery of the hard light drive, Rimmer was in pretty good shape. Still, not much could have been sweeter than the holoship.
When this goes commercial, my kids are getting bunk beds. Having a holodeck in my house completely outranks the importance of them having their own rooms.
You can absolutely hallucinate stoned. I've done it more than once - You can also hallucinate drunk, but it's much tougher.
It's called dreaming, and has a prerequisite of snoozing. LSD/psilocibin (sp?) have the "benefit" of lighting up your visuals while awake. Still, getting stoned and snoozing on the couch or in a hammock can lead to some pretty freaking wild "hallucinations".
There's an easy solution for that. When I want to visit slashdot, I type in:
http://216.34.181.48/"
Or google:
http://74.125.95.103
or, if that's too slow:
http://74.125.95.105
Is that too hard to remember?
OK, kidding aside, I agree - The DNS system's a mess. I'd like to see something where typo-trolls could be shut down, but that's not simple. Without writing a thesis on the subject here, it's pretty damned complicated. But, stopping DNS-folks from parking on domains is simple as long as we (regionally) rule on whether or not they're allowed. Right now, they are. That pisses off most slashdot folks, but not most of the general public. So, we tolerate it and come here to bitch and whine. /bitch-and-whine