think Nextel 2-way wireless radio on your cell phone. Nobody gets it except companies who can drop the money and write it off.
I think that there is another reason for that.
Imagine if people were using that 2-way walkie talkie function for "regular" as in non business related ways.
Picture an executive in a high level meeting. He's laying down the law to mid level execs and as he's deriding them for their lack of vision and focus...BEEP BEEP "Henry! I told you to pick up diapers and tampons on your way home last night. Maybe I should just have the pool boy do it, he takes care of the rest of my needs anyway!"
Or imagine you're at a bank going over the terms of the mortgage for your first home. Suddenly your Stiffler-Esque buddy from college chimes in BEEP BEEP "Yo fuckstick! I've been calling your apartment all day, I know you're not at work, I tried there too. You're not fucking my mom again are you?"
I suspect that only businesses have signed on to this because they still have the ability to fire people for misuse.
"But at $79.99 a month, it's only a good deal to those who can write it off as a business expense."
This guy apparently doesn't know any geeks.
With VOIP becoming so popular, a laptop with this would be portable broadband and mobile VOIP all in one. That would be well worth the expense to lots of us.
Temperature and heart rate should be easy - infrared pyrometers are used in industry to measure, with accuracy, the temperature of a surface, no reason it shouldn't work to point it at a person & get a number.
I do believe that "core temp" is what is important.
Sure the temperature under the tongue of the average healthy person will be 98.6 F, but who knows what the normal skin temp of the forehead of the average person is?
too bad the computer don't run OSS, then the smaller garages would just have to get a computer geek to help.
That's exactly why car computers don't run OSS. It allows the manufacturers to make money off of you in more ways. They sell the car to you, and when something really goes wrong and your local mechanic can't fix it you have to take it back to them.
OSS would reduce their revenue stream. And the bottom line is, well the bottom line. Big corporations are accountable to their shareholders. They have to maximize profits.
It's because of that little fact that I think it's a BAD IDEA for any Linux distribution to have an IPO.
Because wanting to fix your own car is something that all of those old fat white men in Washington DC can understand. Do you think Orrin Hatch or Robert Byrd has any concept of what this "Linux" thing is or even if they do; do you think that they have any idea of why you need to watch a DVD using it?
However, if you kept reading your law book, you could have found that the 14th (IIRC) amendment has been established by the courts to extend the restrictions placed on the government in the bill of rights to the states as well.
Through a process called "Selective Incorporation", meaning that each amendment is applied to the states as soom as a court says so. This is why your local/state can't violate your 1st amendment rights, but it is currently legal for cities like Morton Grove IL to outlaw handguns.
If your GF and relatives are always expecting special consideration because of their other relationships with you, the business will suffer.
I used to work for a company where my bosses were the sister and father of the owner. They went from being the biggest Apple dealer in Western PA to being out of business because of these very reasons. They also lost good employees like myself and the service manager before they closed.
It could be good if they understand that the needs of the business must come first. Sure one of them might NEED a raise, but if the business is just scraping along they don't get it.
I worked for another business where the boss employed his sons and his wife. They all understood that even though it was a "family business" the needs of the business had to come first. Because they took care of the business first, the family's needs were met.
You know your GF and family better than any of us here do, so the call is yours to make. Just remember that with family/SO's things can get out of hand quickly.
Correct. Copyright violation is a civil offence here (AU), not a criminal offence.
You don't go to jail for civil offenses, you pay a fine, restitution or both. You don't extradite someone for a civil offense. So, if he broke a civil law in AU, he should face AU justice. If the "victims" of that offense were in the US, they only have the redress of the AU legal system.
I've been into computers since I was 8. I bought my first car when I was 18. I used to be one of those people that took it somewhere anytime something went wrong. Then when I was 19, I met someone who worked on vehicles for a living. He showed me that I was being taken to the cleaners when I pay Midas $400 for new brakes. When I was 24, I bought my second vehicle. Maybe 6 months later, the front passenger side rotor was shot. I went to Monroe for an estimate, $692 for two new rotors, braks pads, shoes, calipers, pistons, and lines. I talked to my friend, he showed me that my calipers, lines, and the pistons for the rear brakes were fine. So I bought new rotors and pads, did the repair myself for ~$60.
4 years later, I've gone through a fair number of pads and shoes since, but the calipers are still fine and the lines are good.
I've known "computer professionals" who operate on the same kind of principle. They feel like they should make as much money as possible whenever someone comes into the shop by misrepresenting what needs to be done, or even outright lying. Some of them are quite successful because of this, but others fail miserably.
You can't hold those people that you depend upon to make your living in contempt. You can't treat people like their morons. (even if some of them really are)
I am usually don't condone the strong arm techniques of the US government. And I do support open source. But Warez is a crime. And it should be punished.
Bullshit. Warez is a crime IN THE US, but not in Australia.
In Germany it's illegal to say ANYTHING that is pro-nazi. Do you think that the US would even consider extraditing one of its citizens who posted something pro-nazi on a website? Of course not.
Sure, it's the consumers job to educate themselves, but it's not unreasonable for them to expect to believe the numbers they are told.
Brilliant point sir. We may know that Mhz and real world performance are not always linked. But if WE found that out, it's not impossible for others to.
They have no idea they could get a MUCH faster machine by using an AMD 2.4 Barton with PC2700 RAM for roughly the same price, because they do nothing to educated their users.
I don't think it's the computer maker's job to educate their users. The users themselves should be out getting the knowledge that they need to make educated decisions. When I used to sell computers I would take every opportunity to explain to people why it would benefit them to buy something more than the cheapest thing we had, if they could afford it. But HP/Compaq/Gateway/Et Al don't have any obligation to do this.
If you're not willing to learn how to put your own fuel in it, you probably shouldn't be out buying a new car. If you're not willing to learn at least the basics of computer use, then perhaps you shouldn't be out buying one.
I believe that I'm still bound by a confidentiality agreement that could cover the specifics. I'll just say that their internal practices are the worst of any company that I have experienced.
rca does make dish network receivers (as well as directv).
jvc also makes dish network receivers.
I know that JVC used to make a Dish Network receiver, the one with the built in digital VHS VCR. But I'm unaware of any since that model several years ago. Have things changed recently?
I despise Echostar, but their practice of locking people in with 1 year contracts benefits both them and their customers.
They spend more money to manufacture their receivers than they charge for them. Unlike DirecTV, Echostar makes all of their own receivers. They don't have RCA or whomever making them. If they don't have the agreement that you will be with them for a year, they can't be sure to recoup the cost of making that receiver. Unless you have their Everything Pack, they don't start making any profit off of you until the 2nd year.
You may be stuck for a year, but because of that Lock In you paid less for the hardware.
You write this as though the reason for the mandrake club was to get as many people as possible to sign up. The club membership is about supporting mandrake the company and mandrake the distro.
My main linux machine has been running linux since release 6.0, I'd say that I've supported the distro. I've even bought the boxed set.
If they lowered the price too much they'd get flooded with people who are only joining to get early access. People seem to forget that a community of people who do not participate is NOT a community.
The people who only want to download the distro early will continue to do so. The people who want to contribute will continue to do so. The only difference would be greater numbers of both.
Early access is not the only goal, since they seem to be using the club releases as advanced betas and rely upon club members to participate in the Great Bug Hunt rather than just get early access cause they're so l33t.
So, since the introduction of early download for members of the Mandrake Club I have not bought a single boxed distro and have no plans on doing so in the future. It's only lead me to download Gentoo, Slackware and Debian to try them out. So far I haven't gotten into any of them the way that I did for Mandrake. Free software should be about finding the balance between the monetary needs of the developers and the desires of the users.
I don't care how much they need money and Beta testers, I'm not paying ANYONE $120 per year for software.
I like the idea, I would even be tempted to join if the fees were a little more reasonable. For example, $120 per year for Silver membership. That's more than I spend on MS OSes. I'm not going to pay through the nose for free software.
If Mandrake Club membership cost like $20 or $30 per year I'd probably join, but F no at the current pricing structure.
Slashdot Mirror
think Nextel 2-way wireless radio on your cell phone. Nobody gets it except companies who can drop the money and write it off.
I think that there is another reason for that.
Imagine if people were using that 2-way walkie talkie function for "regular" as in non business related ways.
Picture an executive in a high level meeting. He's laying down the law to mid level execs and as he's deriding them for their lack of vision and focus...BEEP BEEP "Henry! I told you to pick up diapers and tampons on your way home last night. Maybe I should just have the pool boy do it, he takes care of the rest of my needs anyway!"
Or imagine you're at a bank going over the terms of the mortgage for your first home. Suddenly your Stiffler-Esque buddy from college chimes in BEEP BEEP "Yo fuckstick! I've been calling your apartment all day, I know you're not at work, I tried there too. You're not fucking my mom again are you?"
I suspect that only businesses have signed on to this because they still have the ability to fire people for misuse.
LK
"But at $79.99 a month, it's only a good deal to those who can write it off as a business expense."
This guy apparently doesn't know any geeks.
With VOIP becoming so popular, a laptop with this would be portable broadband and mobile VOIP all in one. That would be well worth the expense to lots of us.
LK
Temperature and heart rate should be easy - infrared pyrometers are used in industry to measure, with accuracy, the temperature of a surface, no reason it shouldn't work to point it at a person & get a number.
I do believe that "core temp" is what is important.
Sure the temperature under the tongue of the average healthy person will be 98.6 F, but who knows what the normal skin temp of the forehead of the average person is?
LK
too bad the computer don't run OSS, then the smaller garages would just have to get a computer geek to help.
That's exactly why car computers don't run OSS. It allows the manufacturers to make money off of you in more ways. They sell the car to you, and when something really goes wrong and your local mechanic can't fix it you have to take it back to them.
OSS would reduce their revenue stream. And the bottom line is, well the bottom line. Big corporations are accountable to their shareholders. They have to maximize profits.
It's because of that little fact that I think it's a BAD IDEA for any Linux distribution to have an IPO.
LK
Why won't they make up their minds?
Because wanting to fix your own car is something that all of those old fat white men in Washington DC can understand. Do you think Orrin Hatch or Robert Byrd has any concept of what this "Linux" thing is or even if they do; do you think that they have any idea of why you need to watch a DVD using it?
LK
With the codes to your DVD, you can make unlimited copies, and do anything and everything with them.
I can't speak a word of Polish, but given enough time I could make an exact copy of a book written in Polish.
DVD encryption does not prevent copying, it prevents people from watching them with players that the DVDCA hasn't made any money off of.
LK
However, if you kept reading your law book, you could have found that the 14th (IIRC) amendment has been established by the courts to extend the restrictions placed on the government in the bill of rights to the states as well.
Through a process called "Selective Incorporation", meaning that each amendment is applied to the states as soom as a court says so. This is why your local/state can't violate your 1st amendment rights, but it is currently legal for cities like Morton Grove IL to outlaw handguns.
LK
RTS is now a "twitch-response" genre?
LK
I dunno...I'd still rather play Pong or Frogger than huge overdone games.
Then maybe you should retire the bong. Your reaction times are WAY too slow.
LK
If your GF and relatives are always expecting special consideration because of their other relationships with you, the business will suffer.
I used to work for a company where my bosses were the sister and father of the owner. They went from being the biggest Apple dealer in Western PA to being out of business because of these very reasons. They also lost good employees like myself and the service manager before they closed.
It could be good if they understand that the needs of the business must come first. Sure one of them might NEED a raise, but if the business is just scraping along they don't get it.
I worked for another business where the boss employed his sons and his wife. They all understood that even though it was a "family business" the needs of the business had to come first. Because they took care of the business first, the family's needs were met.
You know your GF and family better than any of us here do, so the call is yours to make. Just remember that with family/SO's things can get out of hand quickly.
LK
Correct. Copyright violation is a civil offence here (AU), not a criminal offence.
You don't go to jail for civil offenses, you pay a fine, restitution or both. You don't extradite someone for a civil offense. So, if he broke a civil law in AU, he should face AU justice. If the "victims" of that offense were in the US, they only have the redress of the AU legal system.
LK
I've been into computers since I was 8. I bought my first car when I was 18. I used to be one of those people that took it somewhere anytime something went wrong. Then when I was 19, I met someone who worked on vehicles for a living. He showed me that I was being taken to the cleaners when I pay Midas $400 for new brakes. When I was 24, I bought my second vehicle. Maybe 6 months later, the front passenger side rotor was shot. I went to Monroe for an estimate, $692 for two new rotors, braks pads, shoes, calipers, pistons, and lines. I talked to my friend, he showed me that my calipers, lines, and the pistons for the rear brakes were fine. So I bought new rotors and pads, did the repair myself for ~$60.
4 years later, I've gone through a fair number of pads and shoes since, but the calipers are still fine and the lines are good.
I've known "computer professionals" who operate on the same kind of principle. They feel like they should make as much money as possible whenever someone comes into the shop by misrepresenting what needs to be done, or even outright lying. Some of them are quite successful because of this, but others fail miserably.
You can't hold those people that you depend upon to make your living in contempt. You can't treat people like their morons. (even if some of them really are)
LK
We just discovered Alvin, how much longer until we find Dave?
LK
I am usually don't condone the strong arm techniques of the US government. And I do support open source. But Warez is a crime. And it should be punished.
Bullshit. Warez is a crime IN THE US, but not in Australia.
In Germany it's illegal to say ANYTHING that is pro-nazi. Do you think that the US would even consider extraditing one of its citizens who posted something pro-nazi on a website? Of course not.
This is lunacy, pure and simple.
LK
Morally, should I be extradited to face trial for my deliberate actions against the murdered US citizen?
You can't legislate morality... Or at least that's what they tell us when we start discussing issues like abortion or gay marraige.
LK
Ah, that would be 'High School Student'.
And in your estimation High School students are helpless morons?
Sure, it's the consumers job to educate themselves, but it's not unreasonable for them to expect to believe the numbers they are told.
Brilliant point sir. We may know that Mhz and real world performance are not always linked. But if WE found that out, it's not impossible for others to.
LK
Thanks for the link. I was unaware of most of these.
Some day in the future someone will talk about his "Shitty" Electric Service and be 100% correct.
LK
They have no idea they could get a MUCH faster machine by using an AMD 2.4 Barton with PC2700 RAM for roughly the same price, because they do nothing to educated their users.
I don't think it's the computer maker's job to educate their users. The users themselves should be out getting the knowledge that they need to make educated decisions. When I used to sell computers I would take every opportunity to explain to people why it would benefit them to buy something more than the cheapest thing we had, if they could afford it. But HP/Compaq/Gateway/Et Al don't have any obligation to do this.
If you're not willing to learn how to put your own fuel in it, you probably shouldn't be out buying a new car. If you're not willing to learn at least the basics of computer use, then perhaps you shouldn't be out buying one.
LK
I believe that I'm still bound by a confidentiality agreement that could cover the specifics. I'll just say that their internal practices are the worst of any company that I have experienced.
rca does make dish network receivers (as well as directv).
jvc also makes dish network receivers.
I know that JVC used to make a Dish Network receiver, the one with the built in digital VHS VCR. But I'm unaware of any since that model several years ago. Have things changed recently?
I despise Echostar, but their practice of locking people in with 1 year contracts benefits both them and their customers.
They spend more money to manufacture their receivers than they charge for them. Unlike DirecTV, Echostar makes all of their own receivers. They don't have RCA or whomever making them. If they don't have the agreement that you will be with them for a year, they can't be sure to recoup the cost of making that receiver. Unless you have their Everything Pack, they don't start making any profit off of you until the 2nd year.
You may be stuck for a year, but because of that Lock In you paid less for the hardware.
LK
Reasonable for whom?
For me. Who else?
You write this as though the reason for the mandrake club was to get as many people as possible to sign up. The club membership is about supporting mandrake the company and mandrake the distro.
My main linux machine has been running linux since release 6.0, I'd say that I've supported the distro. I've even bought the boxed set.
If they lowered the price too much they'd get flooded with people who are only joining to get early access. People seem to forget that a community of people who do not participate is NOT a community.
The people who only want to download the distro early will continue to do so. The people who want to contribute will continue to do so. The only difference would be greater numbers of both.
Early access is not the only goal, since they seem to be using the club releases as advanced betas and rely upon club members to participate in the Great Bug Hunt rather than just get early access cause they're so l33t.
So, since the introduction of early download for members of the Mandrake Club I have not bought a single boxed distro and have no plans on doing so in the future. It's only lead me to download Gentoo, Slackware and Debian to try them out. So far I haven't gotten into any of them the way that I did for Mandrake. Free software should be about finding the balance between the monetary needs of the developers and the desires of the users.
I don't care how much they need money and Beta testers, I'm not paying ANYONE $120 per year for software.
LK
I like the idea, I would even be tempted to join if the fees were a little more reasonable. For example, $120 per year for Silver membership. That's more than I spend on MS OSes. I'm not going to pay through the nose for free software.
If Mandrake Club membership cost like $20 or $30 per year I'd probably join, but F no at the current pricing structure.
LK