My experience with Sony remotes is that they are unreliable. I went through three of them (can't recall the model - it came with a Sony A/V receiver and was perfect other than reliability), including two replacements after the warrantee at $110 each.
After studying Consumer Reports data on reliability, I've decided the only Sony I would ever buy again would be a television or monitor.
It's not just remote areas. Try getting any phone service in Djbouti. MANY third world areas have terrible phone service. Even if there were some local cell operator, getting calls out of the country depends on cables that run through other countries that may or may not be on speaking terms with the country you are in at the time.
Perhaps the Africa One thing will address this, but there IS a market for a reasonably priced (and no, I don't mean it has to compete with cellular) satellite system.
My non-profit employer has 3 Iridium phones so far in Africa...
No, they (Verizon) even point out that changing the Reply-to header is ok, so your Verizon account is no more "valid" to a marketeer than it ever was (I haven't checked mine in ages).
Not that I have a clue what their point is - you do have to authenticate to smtp through 'em...
- Lotso ThomasTheTankEngine Stuff
- The plastic beginners erector stuff
- All 3 sizes of Lego plus the sound-module jet thing
- No computers or gameboy's or anything (there isn't one in the house)
Why not have both?
I'm a developer and manager with 20+ years experience, not a luddite by any means. But I'm convinced that, at least for the next couple of years, these types of toys are better than a peecee with even the best educational software.
Just think - most folks spend $1,000 on a peecee. If I spent that much on an erector set, my boyz would put Pinky and the Brain out of business!
I'm not sure about all of the reasons given, but I can attest that, in *reality*, real estate on the 'net did not work for me.
We put our home up on the net and paid relatively nominal fees to several sites claiming to market our home for us. We also contracted with a local realtor who was willing to adjust the contract so that we could simultaneously attempt to sell the home ourselves without paying a commission if we succeeded (most realtor contracts stipulate that you will pay the commission if you manage to sell the house yourself during the duration of the contract). Bottom line: we did get a few contacts from the Internet and classified ads, but we ended up selling to a contact our realtor found.
We also attempted to look for a home in our target area on the Internet, but also had a realtor. Based on my first paragraph, you should be able to guess how we found our home...;-(
* I do believe that, once everyone has gotten over the shock of the dot-com-failures-that-never-had-a-way-to-make-mone y-anyway, we'll see someone start doing this successfully if ebay doesn't figure out how to succeed at it first. I also believe that there is a place for realtors and that it may just serve to drive the commissions to a reasonable rate...
Ok, everyone, SOME of us are crossing our fingers, hoping Iridium actually makes it and that they offer services at a reasonable rate. Their new rates *are* more reasonable than their first go 'round.
And, since you're still wondering, "what the !@#$% would anyone want with THAT?", I'll tell you: the NPO I work for has folks in, for example, Djibouti. Yes way, Ted! "INTERNET CAFE!? We'd be happy to find a TELEPHONE!" (Perhaps the IP via carrier pigeon has an application after all.) Anyway, for these locations with sporadic connectivity, Lotus Notes, with its replicated databases, works quite well. Better, in fact, than, say, trying to read your Hotmail over a line that won't stay up more than 3 minutes at a time. (And don't try to sell us on POP/IMAP with PGP - Notes does the security thang much easier than PGP).
*IF* these come in at reasonable rates, they will be Just What We've Been Looking For. So There.
Hey, I wuz looking into switching my firewalls to Open BSD (and their silly filter thing that's easier to understand than ipfwadm/chains/tables)...
But praise gets no higher than this! I'm stickin' with Linux/iptables. And, if Jeff Bezos calls it a disease, I'll switch my NT servers to Linux/Samba...
Star Wars has nuthin' on 2001 as far as the work with models goes. It's still visually stunning. To this day, the bone-to-space-station transition at the beginning is considered a "classic".
Re specifically, "Cultural change against bullying must come from the kids themselves"...
The operative word here is "kids". This is unfair and unrealistic to hope that somehow these 13 year old "future of our world" KIDS are going to solve this. Another poster's father wisely pointed out to him that these were the hardest years, and they are.
I personally believe the authorities are on to something with "zero tolerance", but instead of arresting kids for playing cops and robbers (just last week in New Jersey!) there should be "zero tolerance" for bullying. I'm not saying I think you can stop it, but you can stop sending the message that bullying is acceptable by no longer standing by and acting like something else is the cause.
My 4 and 5 year old boys are a microcosm in themselves of the problem: the 4 year old teases and makes himself a pest to the 5 year old, who then acts out (hitting, name calling) in retaliation. We want to teach the younger one to be kind to others and teach the older one how to deal with his anger when others aren't kind.
Then, after we've taught them, we'll write a book and win a Pulitzer...;-)
One thing I remember from a Prior Project was that the Men In Suits did not want us to use gcc (actually glib) because of the GPL. They actually had read the Offending Paragraph and felt that, of course, linking in this GPL software would require anything we developed to be GPL as well. Not that we did anything all that Intellectual to keep as their Property, but nobody wanted to mess with it.
I say all that to lead up to this: there surely is an aweful lot of proprietary software out there that was linked with glib and nobody has released it under the terms of the GPL.
Now, a reasonable effort must be made to defend a Trademark in order to keep it. Could some judge somewhere decided that the very proliferation of proprietary software using glib has thinned the GPL's hold on it?
Re:My Generation's "Kennedy was Shot" moment
on
The Challenger
·
· Score: 1
I don't care that this is just a me too post...
I'm 43. I honestly don't remember where I was when JFK was assassinated.
I was layed over in DFW airport when the Challenger went down. I noticed *everyone* crowded around the TV's in the bars and stopped to see what they were looking at. We were all speechless. I just wanted to go hide somewhere and cry...
This is important to note: THX certified just means they paid $$ to Lucas and Friends. E.g.: Yamaha home theater receivers, among the few taken seriously by many hi end audio nuts, are NOT THX certified.
THX != Hi Fi
But, THX does mean the box met *some* minimum standards and will likely sound Very Good For A Pee Cee and better than most.
Don't get me wrong - Good Sound is possible from a computer, but you'll need a good sound card . See www.pcavtech.com/soundcards/index.htm for suggestions...
I have a cheap DVD player, too (actually, the Panasonic 320 because it has internal DACs and I didn't know what receiver I'd end up with).
I have to agree that the PS2 is no great bargain as a standalone DVD player. But I'd sure like to feel Quake III through my home theater (not holding my breath) without having put a computer in my living room.
In other words, it could be considered a FREE DVD player, if you were going to buy it as a game controller.
And surely, as this thing matures, alternate IR controllers will also mature, making the remote issue irrelevant.
Oh, this may seem trivial, but in the audio realm, things are more favorable for the PS2 than the writer of the article knew. The fact that it does a digital feed means that the audio quality is entirely dependant on the audio system, not the PS2.
What is more, Counterpane does not really offer a turnkey product - they have a list of supported firewalls and intrusion detection products, and if you don't fit their mold your s.o.l. to use their services.
Perhaps the direction their headed will be to offer a one-stop-shop: "send my $$$ per month, we'll provide and manage and monitor your network."
I basically agree with his latest conclusions and you have to admire his mea culpa regarding "Applied Cryptography"...
I had quite the opposite experience.
Before I bought it, I was already a Unix/C developer. I hated C++.
The NeXT was (and still would be if my slab had not died) the easiest computer I've ever used or programmed. I liked Mach. I had just as many porting problems with Solaris 1 and HPUX.
I currently do not own or desire a computer at my home, but if OS/X is really as good as it appears, Steve may make a sucker out of me again...
I'm sorry, but this anarchy-for-anarchy's sake stuff gets to me when you talk about Linux' UI (or lack thereof). I really do not intend that comment as a flame...;-)
As a former Unix/C programmer who has backslidden into Management, I have listened to a LOT of folks who might like to use Linux, but just find the UI baffling. Believe it or not, these same folks can actually use MS windoze. Germaine to the article at hand, though, my users RARELY ever open up the old Windows NT Explorer (formerly File Manager).
ANYWAY, a set of UI guidelines (and that's all they're REALLY proposing, by the way) are long overdue. This, to me, is the ONE THING that now differentiates the Mac (and my old NeXT that I still miss, may she Rest In Peace) from PC's. Sit at a PC or Linux box and try to find something on the various menus. You just have to keep looking until you find it, look in Help, or (like my users) pull out your '45 and shoot the computer out of frustration.
On the other hand, things on a Mac or my dead NeXT are pretty much in the same place from program to program. This is really due to a document more or less called the User Interface Guidelines, IMHO.
Of course, QuickTime doesn't count.;-)
Please Let's DO encourage this! I think they CAN be made generic enough to please most folks.
Slashdot Mirror
Just my experience, FWIW:
My experience with Sony remotes is that they are unreliable. I went through three of them (can't recall the model - it came with a Sony A/V receiver and was perfect other than reliability), including two replacements after the warrantee at $110 each.
After studying Consumer Reports data on reliability, I've decided the only Sony I would ever buy again would be a television or monitor.
It's not just remote areas. Try getting any phone service in Djbouti. MANY third world areas have terrible phone service. Even if there were some local cell operator, getting calls out of the country depends on cables that run through other countries that may or may not be on speaking terms with the country you are in at the time.
Perhaps the Africa One thing will address this, but there IS a market for a reasonably priced (and no, I don't mean it has to compete with cellular) satellite system.
My non-profit employer has 3 Iridium phones so far in Africa...
Mark
No, they (Verizon) even point out that changing the Reply-to header is ok, so your Verizon account is no more "valid" to a marketeer than it ever was (I haven't checked mine in ages).
Not that I have a clue what their point is - you do have to authenticate to smtp through 'em...
Here's an interesting web site that lets you do the comparisons:
x .h tm
h tm
www.pcabx.com
Also see
www.pcavtech.com
for some results
and
oeonline.com/~djcarlst/abx.htm
for explanation of ABX in general.
This url:
http://www.pcabx.com/product/coder_decoder/inde
contains samples to compare FOR YOURSELF several codec variations.
This url:
http://www.pcavtech.com/play-rec/summary/index.
contains some results... Apologies for not posting with html...
Mark
Uh, my boyz (4 and 5 years olde) have:
- Lotso ThomasTheTankEngine Stuff
- The plastic beginners erector stuff
- All 3 sizes of Lego plus the sound-module jet thing
- No computers or gameboy's or anything (there isn't one in the house)
Why not have both?
I'm a developer and manager with 20+ years experience, not a luddite by any means. But I'm convinced that, at least for the next couple of years, these types of toys are better than a peecee with even the best educational software.
Just think - most folks spend $1,000 on a peecee. If I spent that much on an erector set, my boyz would put Pinky and the Brain out of business!
I think the possibility of Video over IP is exactly the whole point.
Now, if they'd just drop the price on that 51" flat screen monitor...
Give us your poor...
'Guess we'll have to move Lady Liberty to the Other Coast.
I'm not sure about all of the reasons given, but I can attest that, in *reality*, real estate on the 'net did not work for me.
;-(
e y-anyway, we'll see someone start doing this successfully if ebay doesn't figure out how to succeed at it first. I also believe that there is a place for realtors and that it may just serve to drive the commissions to a reasonable rate...
We put our home up on the net and paid relatively nominal fees to several sites claiming to market our home for us. We also contracted with a local realtor who was willing to adjust the contract so that we could simultaneously attempt to sell the home ourselves without paying a commission if we succeeded (most realtor contracts stipulate that you will pay the commission if you manage to sell the house yourself during the duration of the contract). Bottom line: we did get a few contacts from the Internet and classified ads, but we ended up selling to a contact our realtor found.
We also attempted to look for a home in our target area on the Internet, but also had a realtor. Based on my first paragraph, you should be able to guess how we found our home...
* I do believe that, once everyone has gotten over the shock of the dot-com-failures-that-never-had-a-way-to-make-mon
Mark
I know this is late, but perhaps my comment will help someone out who reads late like me... ;-)
We have a "Legally Blind" employee. I got him a Gateway Destination (the 32" thing), and he thinks I'm a hero.
And no, the 640x480 resolution does not bother him - it's just what he needs.
Ok, everyone, SOME of us are crossing our fingers, hoping Iridium actually makes it and that they offer services at a reasonable rate. Their new rates *are* more reasonable than their first go 'round.
And, since you're still wondering, "what the !@#$% would anyone want with THAT?", I'll tell you: the NPO I work for has folks in, for example, Djibouti. Yes way, Ted! "INTERNET CAFE!? We'd be happy to find a TELEPHONE!" (Perhaps the IP via carrier pigeon has an application after all.) Anyway, for these locations with sporadic connectivity, Lotus Notes, with its replicated databases, works quite well. Better, in fact, than, say, trying to read your Hotmail over a line that won't stay up more than 3 minutes at a time. (And don't try to sell us on POP/IMAP with PGP - Notes does the security thang much easier than PGP).
*IF* these come in at reasonable rates, they will be Just What We've Been Looking For. So There.
I know this is late, but am I the only one who thinks this was funny? This was way better than MAKE MONEY FAST...
Hey, I wuz looking into switching my firewalls to Open BSD (and their silly filter thing that's easier to understand than ipfwadm/chains/tables)... But praise gets no higher than this! I'm stickin' with Linux/iptables. And, if Jeff Bezos calls it a disease, I'll switch my NT servers to Linux/Samba...
Doh! So THAT's why Navigator 6 sux so bad!
Star Wars has nuthin' on 2001 as far as the work with models goes. It's still visually stunning. To this day, the bone-to-space-station transition at the beginning is considered a "classic".
PLUS, it's actually SILENT in the space scenes!
Reality. What a concept.
-
"What are you doing, Dave?"
"Dave's not here!"
Re specifically, "Cultural change against bullying must come from the kids themselves"...
;-)
The operative word here is "kids". This is unfair and unrealistic to hope that somehow these 13 year old "future of our world" KIDS are going to solve this. Another poster's father wisely pointed out to him that these were the hardest years, and they are.
I personally believe the authorities are on to something with "zero tolerance", but instead of arresting kids for playing cops and robbers (just last week in New Jersey!) there should be "zero tolerance" for bullying. I'm not saying I think you can stop it, but you can stop sending the message that bullying is acceptable by no longer standing by and acting like something else is the cause.
My 4 and 5 year old boys are a microcosm in themselves of the problem: the 4 year old teases and makes himself a pest to the 5 year old, who then acts out (hitting, name calling) in retaliation. We want to teach the younger one to be kind to others and teach the older one how to deal with his anger when others aren't kind.
Then, after we've taught them, we'll write a book and win a Pulitzer...
One thing I remember from a Prior Project was that the Men In Suits did not want us to use gcc (actually glib) because of the GPL. They actually had read the Offending Paragraph and felt that, of course, linking in this GPL software would require anything we developed to be GPL as well. Not that we did anything all that Intellectual to keep as their Property, but nobody wanted to mess with it.
I say all that to lead up to this: there surely is an aweful lot of proprietary software out there that was linked with glib and nobody has released it under the terms of the GPL.
Now, a reasonable effort must be made to defend a Trademark in order to keep it. Could some judge somewhere decided that the very proliferation of proprietary software using glib has thinned the GPL's hold on it?
I don't care that this is just a me too post...
I'm 43. I honestly don't remember where I was when JFK was assassinated.
I was layed over in DFW airport when the Challenger went down. I noticed *everyone* crowded around the TV's in the bars and stopped to see what they were looking at. We were all speechless. I just wanted to go hide somewhere and cry...
This is important to note: THX certified just means they paid $$ to Lucas and Friends. E.g.: Yamaha home theater receivers, among the few taken seriously by many hi end audio nuts, are NOT THX certified.
THX != Hi Fi
But, THX does mean the box met *some* minimum standards and will likely sound Very Good For A Pee Cee and better than most.
Don't get me wrong - Good Sound is possible from a computer, but you'll need a good sound card . See www.pcavtech.com/soundcards/index.htm for suggestions...
I have a cheap DVD player, too (actually, the Panasonic 320 because it has internal DACs and I didn't know what receiver I'd end up with).
I have to agree that the PS2 is no great bargain as a standalone DVD player. But I'd sure like to feel Quake III through my home theater (not holding my breath) without having put a computer in my living room.
In other words, it could be considered a FREE DVD player, if you were going to buy it as a game controller.
And surely, as this thing matures, alternate IR controllers will also mature, making the remote issue irrelevant.
Oh, this may seem trivial, but in the audio realm, things are more favorable for the PS2 than the writer of the article knew. The fact that it does a digital feed means that the audio quality is entirely dependant on the audio system, not the PS2.
What is more, Counterpane does not really offer a turnkey product - they have a list of supported firewalls and intrusion detection products, and if you don't fit their mold your s.o.l. to use their services.
Perhaps the direction their headed will be to offer a one-stop-shop: "send my $$$ per month, we'll provide and manage and monitor your network."
I basically agree with his latest conclusions and you have to admire his mea culpa regarding "Applied Cryptography"...
I had quite the opposite experience. Before I bought it, I was already a Unix/C developer. I hated C++. The NeXT was (and still would be if my slab had not died) the easiest computer I've ever used or programmed. I liked Mach. I had just as many porting problems with Solaris 1 and HPUX. I currently do not own or desire a computer at my home, but if OS/X is really as good as it appears, Steve may make a sucker out of me again...
I'm sorry, but this anarchy-for-anarchy's sake stuff gets to me when you talk about Linux' UI (or lack thereof). I really do not intend that comment as a flame... ;-)
;-)
As a former Unix/C programmer who has backslidden into Management, I have listened to a LOT of folks who might like to use Linux, but just find the UI baffling. Believe it or not, these same folks can actually use MS windoze. Germaine to the article at hand, though, my users RARELY ever open up the old Windows NT Explorer (formerly File Manager).
ANYWAY, a set of UI guidelines (and that's all they're REALLY proposing, by the way) are long overdue. This, to me, is the ONE THING that now differentiates the Mac (and my old NeXT that I still miss, may she Rest In Peace) from PC's. Sit at a PC or Linux box and try to find something on the various menus. You just have to keep looking until you find it, look in Help, or (like my users) pull out your '45 and shoot the computer out of frustration.
On the other hand, things on a Mac or my dead NeXT are pretty much in the same place from program to program. This is really due to a document more or less called the User Interface Guidelines, IMHO.
Of course, QuickTime doesn't count.
Please Let's DO encourage this! I think they CAN be made generic enough to please most folks.