While I feel that the greater number of people are affected by advertising/brand recognition influencing their purchasing. I take exception to your statement that it is not possible to personally avoid it.
Stop spending money on crap!
When it comes to equipment, I chose mine based on what I could get for free from people who did not want them anymore. I may not have the best or newest equipment, but I have a lot of it and if anything craps out I replace it from the pile.
When it comes to consumables like food, I purchase whatever non-processed lowest priced locally grown stuff I can find, the only time I care about the name on the label is when I do not like it, so as not to purchase it again. When it comes to something that you cannot find that is not branded, beer for example, I try many different types and settle for the one I enjoy the most for the best price.
I do "recognize" brands, but, I could care less if I'm using my HP flatscreen monitor or the Dell or Acer I have in the basement, I just chose the largest one.
I used ZoneAlarm and AVG for the last 2 years. In the last month or so I noticed AVG using tons of resources at prime time for it's "optimization" (avgcsrvx.exe) and there was no way to schedule it for any other time. Additionally, ZoneAlarm started causing resource problems with the recent update, when I was surfing the web it would be using 30-50% of the processor.
I switched over to Comodo firewall/anti-virus and have enjoyed it's small foot print and speed at boot for a few weeks now.
"The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all."
--H. L. Mencken
Well, a lot can be said for sending a steady stream of supplies to the surface of Mars in preparation of a landing.
It'd be simpler and probably safer to send stuff in small clusters. That way if something goes wrong you haven't put all your eggs in one basket. You'd have to space out your delivery sites so you don't crush everything by something smashing into it, including your own stuff.
Expensive, sure. But you'd learn a lot, merely in terms of the number of launches needed.
I agree 100%.
The best way to cross a desert that you cannot carry enough water to cross is to carry water to distances two-thirds of the way to your point of no return (1/2 of the way till running out of water or dying) Leave caches of the remaining 1/3 of possible carried water. Return, Rinse and Repeat. Eventually your cache is big enough that you can support passage and caching the next two-thirds till point of no return, continue until you cross desert.
"Mr. CHOMSKY: You're supposed to love the flag, but you're supposed to hate the government. You're supposed to love the symbols, you're supposed -- You have to be a jingoist, otherwise you're not going to accept things like Pentagon spending. So, it's a complicated operation, but, you know, not that complicated.
You're sitting in a PR office, you can figure it out. Get people to be patriotic, subordinate, silent, hate government, blame government for everything that goes wrong, think governments can do nothing right, not notice that more and more power is being turned over to private hands, which are completely unaccountable and are totally --
Mr. SHORR: And those private hands are?
Mr. CHOMSKY: Corporations, which is a totalitarian institution. People are unhappy. A lot of things are going wrong with their lives. Real income is going down, working hours are going up, families are falling apart, a lot of bad things. And you've been taught for 50 years that it's the government's fault, so you bomb a -- you don't bomb the GE headquarters, you don't read the Fortune 500 and find out who's got all the money, you don't notice that they've just celebrated their fourth straight year of double digit profit growth. That stuff is for special people.
What you're supposed to know is, 'yeah, those bad government guys, they're doing it.' And government is bad because it's potentially influenceable. You could take part in it an change it. So, hate them. And that creates the mood of anti-politics, and that's part of the -- you know, that's part of the propaganda. "
I agree with you and grew up having a similar experience, I think the real problem is that because of modern materials, components and design/manufacturing practices the various devices out there now usually are not repairable.
A lot of the time you may have to break something just to look inside. i.e. hidden clips, glued or heat welded plastic and so on
Additionally, once you open up a device modern items rarely use any mechanical logic, so you end up with circuit boards with micro-components and hidden runs that can be tough to make heads or tails of, then you're stuck only being able to troubleshoot basic power and input/output problems.
The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
I was in the USN and served overseas. One important point I would like to make pertains to military mail.
If you have something sent to you at a FPO/FPO mailing address, the mail gets sent to a centralized location in the US and then is routed to your duty station using the military mail system.
When it is received at that location it is as if you (service member) received it and at that point all insurance and culpability by the USPO, UPS, FedEx or other mail company and the company that you ordered it from stops there. You then are taking your chances with the military mail system.
The military mail system (as far as I know) accepts no responsibility for those packages because it is a wartime at will agreement (military mail is not a business). This means that if the ship with your mom's cookies on it gets sunk they do not have to reimburse you for the cookies.
While I was overseas they lost a pallet of packages over the side and recovered it, those peoples stuff was sea wet and ruined.
Myself, once I discovered this system out, I stopped paying for insurance on my packages since that insurance did not cover the package all the way to me. I figured I would just be taking my chances.
I'm not saying is what happened to you, but it is something for you to think about and investigate.
Slashdot Mirror
IP over message in a bottle
You'll have to work out all the packet losses.
I know you are looking for retro joystick. But, I have been using:
http://www.amazon.com/Dual-Controller-Adapter-Converter-Playstation-2/dp/B001AATQ0Y
for quite a few years now. Plug and play and I use Joy2key free software to do the keyboard and mouse emulation, macros and more.
Works great for emulators and flash games.
While I feel that the greater number of people are affected by advertising/brand recognition influencing their purchasing. I take exception to your statement that it is not possible to personally avoid it.
Stop spending money on crap!
When it comes to equipment, I chose mine based on what I could get for free from people who did not want them anymore. I may not have the best or newest equipment, but I have a lot of it and if anything craps out I replace it from the pile.
When it comes to consumables like food, I purchase whatever non-processed lowest priced locally grown stuff I can find, the only time I care about the name on the label is when I do not like it, so as not to purchase it again. When it comes to something that you cannot find that is not branded, beer for example, I try many different types and settle for the one I enjoy the most for the best price.
I do "recognize" brands, but, I could care less if I'm using my HP flatscreen monitor or the Dell or Acer I have in the basement, I just chose the largest one.
Hazel Park, Michigan
Forgive me if I point you to downtown instead of my house.
The Deep Flight Merlin is positively buoyant and operates as an underwater plane.
I used ZoneAlarm and AVG for the last 2 years. In the last month or so I noticed AVG using tons of resources at prime time for it's "optimization" (avgcsrvx.exe) and there was no way to schedule it for any other time. Additionally, ZoneAlarm started causing resource problems with the recent update, when I was surfing the web it would be using 30-50% of the processor.
I switched over to Comodo firewall/anti-virus and have enjoyed it's small foot print and speed at boot for a few weeks now.
It's called "The Simpsons"
"The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all."
--H. L. Mencken
Well, a lot can be said for sending a steady stream of supplies to the surface of Mars in preparation of a landing.
It'd be simpler and probably safer to send stuff in small clusters. That way if something goes wrong you haven't put all your eggs in one basket. You'd have to space out your delivery sites so you don't crush everything by something smashing into it, including your own stuff.
Expensive, sure. But you'd learn a lot, merely in terms of the number of launches needed.
I agree 100%.
The best way to cross a desert that you cannot carry enough water to cross is to carry water to distances two-thirds of the way to your point of no return (1/2 of the way till running out of water or dying) Leave caches of the remaining 1/3 of possible carried water. Return, Rinse and Repeat. Eventually your cache is big enough that you can support passage and caching the next two-thirds till point of no return, continue until you cross desert.
It's called logistics.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistics
I would suggest it is a circumstance as depicted by Noam Chomsky:
A CONVERSATION WITH NOAM CHOMSKY
"Mr. CHOMSKY: You're supposed to love the flag, but you're supposed to hate the government. You're supposed to love the symbols, you're supposed -- You have to be a jingoist, otherwise you're not going to accept things like Pentagon spending. So, it's a complicated operation, but, you know, not that complicated.
You're sitting in a PR office, you can figure it out. Get people to be patriotic, subordinate, silent, hate government, blame government for everything that goes wrong, think governments can do nothing right, not notice that more and more power is being turned over to private hands, which are completely unaccountable and are totally --
Mr. SHORR: And those private hands are?
Mr. CHOMSKY: Corporations, which is a totalitarian institution. People are unhappy. A lot of things are going wrong with their lives. Real income is going down, working hours are going up, families are falling apart, a lot of bad things. And you've been taught for 50 years that it's the government's fault, so you bomb a -- you don't bomb the GE headquarters, you don't read the Fortune 500 and find out who's got all the money, you don't notice that they've just celebrated their fourth straight year of double digit profit growth. That stuff is for special people.
What you're supposed to know is, 'yeah, those bad government guys, they're doing it.' And government is bad because it's potentially influenceable. You could take part in it an change it. So, hate them. And that creates the mood of anti-politics, and that's part of the -- you know, that's part of the propaganda. "
I agree with you and grew up having a similar experience, I think the real problem is that because of modern materials, components and design/manufacturing practices the various devices out there now usually are not repairable.
A lot of the time you may have to break something just to look inside. i.e. hidden clips, glued or heat welded plastic and so on
Additionally, once you open up a device modern items rarely use any mechanical logic, so you end up with circuit boards with micro-components and hidden runs that can be tough to make heads or tails of, then you're stuck only being able to troubleshoot basic power and input/output problems.
I agree with your eloquent post with the exception of your new term. I am more inclined to believe it is a Corporatocracy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporatocracy
Duh-boy, cue debates on how much surveillance for your child is really necessary.
I'd say just let him be a parent and decide what's necessary. He knows his daughter better than we all do.
-- ...in bed
Your comment read with your signature is REALLY creepy.
I've heard so many of these stories about how XXX will be the new place for tech.
Sweet! I've been waiting for some high tech porn.
Patent a gene and then sue anyone who has it. Even better would be to copyright it and then get $700 per copy in the body.
Or if you have the gene and the negative consequence of the gene then sue the patent holder for infecting you with the gene.
Check out the "Peter Principle" it explains why quite well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle
They call it ghostwriting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_writer
The purpose of a school is NOT to teach students how things work right now, but how they will work in the future.
Seems to me, most schools teach you information 5 - 10 years old if not older.
Tried and true.
They print it in their respective papers. Which one gets sued?
Both of them?
There are already several custom, prototype and commercial systems out there.
Look up "Home Automation" and "Power Management"
ah what the hell.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=TaN&q=%22Home+Automation%22+%22Power+Management%22&btnG=Search
OT But...
After I got out of the Navy several people speculated that I got good at shooting pool because I was able to devote time to it at sea...
during a war...
Never knew where to start on that one...
In the US Navy we wiped the drives per spec (DoD 5220.22-M current) with any off the shelf that fulfilled it.
We'd mark them as destroy and do several things that was acceptable for destruction.
Some examples are: Drill a bunch of holes in them; smash the crap out of them w/ hammer, sledge hammer, axe, pneumatic hammer, blow torch.
Of course, we'd then throw them overboard.
My favorite quote pertaining to this topic:
The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
-H. L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)
http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/29591.html
I was in the USN and served overseas. One important point I would like to make pertains to military mail.
If you have something sent to you at a FPO/FPO mailing address, the mail gets sent to a centralized location in the US and then is routed to your duty station using the military mail system.
When it is received at that location it is as if you (service member) received it and at that point all insurance and culpability by the USPO, UPS, FedEx or other mail company and the company that you ordered it from stops there. You then are taking your chances with the military mail system.
The military mail system (as far as I know) accepts no responsibility for those packages because it is a wartime at will agreement (military mail is not a business). This means that if the ship with your mom's cookies on it gets sunk they do not have to reimburse you for the cookies.
While I was overseas they lost a pallet of packages over the side and recovered it, those peoples stuff was sea wet and ruined.
Myself, once I discovered this system out, I stopped paying for insurance on my packages since that insurance did not cover the package all the way to me. I figured I would just be taking my chances.
I'm not saying is what happened to you, but it is something for you to think about and investigate.
Sapience Test?