These kinds of things really tick me off. I've recycled numerous old systems, in the hopes that they either went to some good, or were safely broken down, to be used in other applications. Instead, they probably just got dumped in a landfill.
I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, these types of things always happen with recycling. Recycled papers sit in warehouses because companies don't frequently buy post-consumer stock. Glass & tires that were originally planned to be melded together to make a new, cheap pavement wind up sitting in their respective piles. Tires that were supposedly going to be used for recreating habitats for aquatic life are instead burned.
And now, all our old 286s are dumping mercury & lead into China. If my old Vendex Headstart 8086 is sitting over there, instead of being recycled, I'll be very, very upset.
Is there anything we can really do to ensure that our equipment doesn't wind up in some other country's landfill??
Who among us wouldn't do the exact same thing if we had the resources?
And by "resources", you mean "a legion of screaming 13 year old girls", right?
The difference is that if any of us here on/. had that kind of money, we would probably have it from our intellect, not from people writing songs for us, and some record company mass-marketing us ad nauseum.
"In contrast, (the record labels') allegedly inequitable conduct is currently ongoing and the extent of the prospective harm is massive. If Napster is correct, plaintiffs are attempting the near monopolization of the digital distribution market. The resulting injury affects both Napster and the public interest."
At least Judge Patel sees that the RIAA is not actually acting in the interests of their artists, but in the interest of their wallets.
Yes, it is VERY possible to create fake identities on Ebay.
As another reader pointed out, feedback is measured by UNIQUE transactions, which means that if I buy two things from the same seller, and he leaves me a positive feedback for both items, only 1 will count towards my overall feedback rating.
However, that just makes it more difficult, not impossible.
In December of 2000, I was looking through Ebay for a digital camera. I happened across one seller who had a pretty good feedback rating (197, IIRC), and they were all positive. I was planning on bidding on one of the cameras he was selling. At the same time, I was looking through the Ebay Community Forums, and I happened to see a thread about suspicions over that very seller! I read it, and I was pretty startled by the whole thing. I went back and looked at his feedback, and sure enough, the thread was right...
As it turns out, the guy had created over 150 fake accounts by creating AOL screen names, winning one of his own auctions with it, and then killing the name, and repeating the process! Not only is that time consuming, but its also expensive; Ebay charges fees to list an auction, and they take a percentage of the final bid for themselves also. Not only did this guy sink a lot of time into his fraud, but a lot of his own money too. Once he had over 190 or so, he started ripping people off. Only about 35 of his auctions were real.
Soon after, his account was NARUed (Not A Registered User, in Ebay speak), but I don't know what happened to all those people who bought from his dozens of electronics auctions and got the shaft from him. I'm hoping one of them pursued it as a fraud case.
This particular CD used the MediaCloque "Copy Protection" on it. When you inserted the CD into a CDRom drive on a Windows Machine (not a PC, a Windows Machine, it would run a program that lets you put in your personal info, and then download Mp3 copies *of the music you have sitting on the CD*. They then store your info, your IP address, etc.
Not only is this a total invasion of privacy, but it also extends the MS Monopoly, since your CD theoretically wouldn't play under Linux, MacOS, etc. It's also ridiculously stupid; if you are at home on dialup, and you want to listen to this CD on your computer, why the hell would you want to wait hours for it to download when you HAVE THE MUSIC ON THE CD?!
The problem is, those features that make the Linux desktop attractive to the geek is exactly those features that make it difficult for otherse to use. My mother doesn't want to hear about command lines, and permissions, and filesystems and the such. She just wants to log on to AOL.
This itself is part of the problem. Everyone expects a very complex system to be EASY. Computers inherently are NOT easy!
Honestly, I think the automakers are the only ones who ever successfully pulled off this paradigm well; cars are extremely complex, but even the most dimwitted person can understand how to start the car, push down on the gas or brake pedal and turn the wheel.
I don't think however that you need to dumb-down the distro. Linux should do this, IMHO:
On install, after you pick the install type (Workstation, Server, etc.), pick the install type (basic or advanced). If you pick Basic, it makes everything as easy as humanly possible; no status displays on bootup, just a nice graphic with a loading bar. If want to see if eth0 came up correctly, you should do an advanced install. And of course, you can change that in X itself too. If you pick basic, it doesn't even put a shell on the main KDE bar, nest it down somewhere. Put the Office Apps on the desktop, Web Browsers, Media Players, and thats IT. If you're a geek, Advanced install or Advanced mode let you do everything you currently can under Linux.
Geeks are happy, regular users are happy, and Linux looks good to everyone.
The article, IMHO, was excellent, and its call for a standard system of installing & uninstalling software is right on (We need the equiv. of InstallShield for linux apps).
However, for Linux to really make an inroads, it needs something which is usually very overlooked: Windows NT Authentication!!
I know this is a big request, and it probably constitutes breaking the DMCA since its a closed, proprietary system, but its the truth. I can name over 50 people right now who would never use windows, except that they have to because their corporate intranets run on IIS, and they can't access them under Linux.
Until Konqueror or Mozilla can understand WinNT Authentication, Linux won't be able to be effectively used in a mixed environment where Windows is the server (lots of large companies use this configuration; Mine sure does.) Just my $0.02.
The astute reader will have already caught my drift by now and realized that with Linux and the GPL (and all the other OSI licenses) you don't ever have to say sorry to the BSA. So why not taunt them? Report yourself today!
Funny thing is, someone I know who did this, but using a slightly different technique.
He worked as a developer for a semi-large company, about 1500 employees, give or take. His company was planning on migrating from their 95 environment for end users (NT 4 for devs) to 2000 environment for the Devs, and further down the road, XP for the users. He had been trying to push Linux there for some time, but the VPs and CIOs weren't listening. It was a Microsoft shop, and was to stay that way. (Despite them using Linux on their servers) So what did he do?
He reported his company to the BSA.
Now, his company was not doing anything illegal AT ALL. Due to a mixup with a VP, they actually had a ton of EXTRA licenses (in the 500 range) from MS for their workstations; they were beyond legal (if thats possible!! <g>) But the BSA didn't care. They came in to investigate, and even when presented with all the licenses, harassed my friend's company repeatedly. Despite finding nothing illegal, they threatened litigation on more than one occasion (barratry, anyone?), and insisted on several sweeps of their office. (they almost did get fined when they found a copy of SQL Server on a machine that no one could account for. Turns out it was from their MSDN subscription, so it was legit. I digress...)
Anyway, what was the end result of all of this? The VPs & CIOs in IT had such a bad taste in their mouth from the BSA/Microsoft, that they actually heard him out, and began looking at alternatives. His company is planning a full move to Linux later this year (it's a mixed environment right now, all the developers are already migrated).
SuperDLT does 11 megabytes per sec natively, and 110gig per tape. AIT and LTO might go higher (I like the rock solid history of DLT over these competitors) throughput wise. SuperDLT does 39.6 gigs natively per hour.
Provided there is ever a way to record these on your own like a regular CD (without spending thousands, that is), these could be excellent for archival purposes.
Currently, my only solution for backups of my drives are other drives. Sure, tapes work, but they take far too long. Being able to dump the essentials from my hard drive (being a 3D designer, that's easily 30 gigs of textures, models, etc) onto one disc would be a lifesaver.
Let's just hope these things aren't so crippled by the time we get them that their apparent benefits aren't overshadowed by idiotic "protection" schemes.
Why we need to bring soft money donations to an end! If these types of unregulated donations are allowed to continue, we will just see a further buying & selling of the US government (yes, it IS possible, believe it or not!).
This news probably doesn't surprise too many people in this crowd, I think we all knew that MS was pretty generous with soft monies, but it's very nice to see an article like this. The best part of the entire article? The paragraph about the $25k given to buy off South Carolina's Attorney General.
P.S. Anyone else amazed by the fact that there is a place called Chevy Chase, Maryland?!
If they were the first to come up with the idea, then Microsoft or Sony shouldn't be allowed to take their idea without paying for it.
Yes, but there are two points here:
1) They were NOT the first to come up with this. Loads of arcade games for instance have been using forced-feedback for many, many years.
2) This patent is far too broad, and should have never been granted. How can you patent the concept of vibration?! I could see if they patented a certain type of motor that produced a specific form of vibration, and Sony & MS stole the plans, but they are suing because their controllers vibrate. As much as I dislike Sony & MS, this lawsuit is BS.
I do wonder though. If Immersion wins, can the child in this story sue them instead of Sony??
Tell that to Microsoft, who was getting Ebay to shut down auctions of unopened, bundled software.
And lets not forget when those Linux Geeks went out to Redmond a few years ago and demanded their money back for the copies of Win95 that came with their PC that they never used. Did they get their money back? No.
Why don't these researchers dedicate their energies to producing better contraceptives ?
Because every time researchers come up with a new product, several groups try to fight its introduction into the market, and lawsuits soon follow.
Just look at the controversy over the "Morning After" pill; it was already being used in Europe, but here in the US, there were several groups lobbying the government to make it illegal, and trying to bribe the FDA.
There is a lot more money to be had (for funding), and a lot more money to be made in reproduction than in contraception.
As a geek, everyone gets me stuff on every holiday for my computer, but never anything I need. ("Oh, wow, another computer tool set, thanks, I can never have too many of these!" Incidentally, I'm up to 9 sets now). But as a drummer, no one ever thinks of things to buy me, even though I ALWAYS need things! Sticks are always breaking, drum heads always need changing, cymbals always need polishing, wingnut threading eventually wears down...
The best gifts I have ever received have all been drum-related items. Just about anything from Sabian, Tama, and Vic Firth are always welcome gifts to me! Plus, it makes me happy when the significant other in my life actually takes an interest enough in my playing to know what I need and/or want as a drummer.
It is interesting to note that a recent scientific study found that because Flexplay discs will eliminate unnecessary trips by car to video stores, they will actually result in a net benefit to the environment.
Of course, this is all completely based on the fact that the US has a lot of gas-guzzlers on the road. Say, hypothetically, that these discs take off, and everyone starts buying & chucking DVDs after a few views. What happens in 10 years or so when someone comes up with a clean emission car (and isn't stopped by the oil companies)?? Now everyone is used to throwing these things out, but there is no longer a "net benefit" to our environment.
Also, its only a "net benefit" if in every single case of someone renting a VHS/DVD and returning it to the store, they buy one of these instead. In real life, these won't fully replace renting, so you'll still have emissions from people driving to & from the video store, but now we will have non-biodegradeable discs being rapidly thrown out as well. Fabulous.
Dead-tree books are a necessity. I don't want my tech materials on a laptop, because I can't always run that. I can read a real book throughout the flight, while taking off or landing, while waiting for the flight to be taxied to the runway. It might not seem like a big deal, but if you fly enough, all that time adds up very quickly.
P.S. I would always rather dog-ear a book than make a bookmark on an Ebook, and resume reading there. Plus, I can read books when I go camping, a time when I don't bring any computers with me.
P.P.S. While we are on the subject: Geeks, think about how many trees were cut down to make all those nifty O'Reilly reference books. Take some time out of your day, and plant a tree. It helps.
Am I honestly the only one who thinks all these "PC Mods" are just unbelievably ugly and a total waste of time and money? I equate doing things like this to my PC case on the same level as putting a 6" tailpipe or a ridiculous spoiler wing on the back of my car.
I don't mean this to come across as a troll or anything, but seriously, the inside of my computer is just NOT all that interesting. Aside from being a conversation piece for a few minutes, its just money down the drain. If people really want to see the inside, just take the cover off! I'd rather spend the money on parts to make my computer faster.
"Nintendo... attacked the market with the GameCube. This console, based on an ATI graphics chip, surprised the whole world with its capacity. However, it targets a younger audience that remains faithful to the Nintendo tradition with its Mario Kart-inspired key titles."
Implied: Nintendo is only for Pokemon and Barney loving children.
Obviously the parent realizes that Nintendo is not just for Pokemon, but doesn't point out the one thing that I feel is especially glaring in that comment.
"Younger Audiences", as THG states, would not have a "Nintendo Tradition"; Owning one previous Nintendo console != tradition! The people who truly remain faithful to Nintendo started playing back before Mario Kart ever existed (MK was for SNES). Nintendo claimed its market share with the 8-bit NES console, not with SNES or N64 or Gameboy. Those systems helped to expand on what the NES started.
IMHO, people remain faithful to Nintendo because they make good systems, with excellent gameplay. The failures of N64 aside, NES, SNES, and GameCube are all excellent systems, and have titles for almost every age. I'll take my original NES over an Xbox any day.
I don't know about this kid, but when I was 15, I was in school and most certainly did not have 7 hours a day in which to play video games! (And if I did have 7 hours a day of free time, my mom, despite being a single mother who works full time, would make sure that I wasn't spending that time parked in front of the TV.)
It seems to me that parental boundaries could have solved this before it got to this point.
Slashdot Mirror
I have several, email me to discuss.
Apparently, I was wrong.
These kinds of things really tick me off. I've recycled numerous old systems, in the hopes that they either went to some good, or were safely broken down, to be used in other applications. Instead, they probably just got dumped in a landfill.
I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, these types of things always happen with recycling. Recycled papers sit in warehouses because companies don't frequently buy post-consumer stock. Glass & tires that were originally planned to be melded together to make a new, cheap pavement wind up sitting in their respective piles. Tires that were supposedly going to be used for recreating habitats for aquatic life are instead burned.
And now, all our old 286s are dumping mercury & lead into China. If my old Vendex Headstart 8086 is sitting over there, instead of being recycled, I'll be very, very upset.
Is there anything we can really do to ensure that our equipment doesn't wind up in some other country's landfill??
Who among us wouldn't do the exact same thing if we had the resources?
/. had that kind of money, we would probably have it from our intellect, not from people writing songs for us, and some record company mass-marketing us ad nauseum.
And by "resources", you mean "a legion of screaming 13 year old girls", right?
The difference is that if any of us here on
The title of this thread seriously made me laugh out loud. I think I'll suggest a poll of the funniest thread titles to ever hit /.
I'm pretty sure that "Lance Bass to Continue to Plague Earth's Surface" would even outrank the CowboyNeal option!
"In contrast, (the record labels') allegedly inequitable conduct is currently ongoing and the extent of the prospective harm is massive. If Napster is correct, plaintiffs are attempting the near monopolization of the digital distribution market. The resulting injury affects both Napster and the public interest."
At least Judge Patel sees that the RIAA is not actually acting in the interests of their artists, but in the interest of their wallets.
Yes, it is VERY possible to create fake identities on Ebay.
As another reader pointed out, feedback is measured by UNIQUE transactions, which means that if I buy two things from the same seller, and he leaves me a positive feedback for both items, only 1 will count towards my overall feedback rating.
However, that just makes it more difficult, not impossible.
In December of 2000, I was looking through Ebay for a digital camera. I happened across one seller who had a pretty good feedback rating (197, IIRC), and they were all positive. I was planning on bidding on one of the cameras he was selling. At the same time, I was looking through the Ebay Community Forums, and I happened to see a thread about suspicions over that very seller! I read it, and I was pretty startled by the whole thing. I went back and looked at his feedback, and sure enough, the thread was right...
As it turns out, the guy had created over 150 fake accounts by creating AOL screen names, winning one of his own auctions with it, and then killing the name, and repeating the process! Not only is that time consuming, but its also expensive; Ebay charges fees to list an auction, and they take a percentage of the final bid for themselves also. Not only did this guy sink a lot of time into his fraud, but a lot of his own money too. Once he had over 190 or so, he started ripping people off. Only about 35 of his auctions were real.
Soon after, his account was NARUed (Not A Registered User, in Ebay speak), but I don't know what happened to all those people who bought from his dozens of electronics auctions and got the shaft from him. I'm hoping one of them pursued it as a fraud case.
This particular CD used the MediaCloque "Copy Protection" on it. When you inserted the CD into a CDRom drive on a Windows Machine (not a PC, a Windows Machine, it would run a program that lets you put in your personal info, and then download Mp3 copies *of the music you have sitting on the CD*. They then store your info, your IP address, etc.
Not only is this a total invasion of privacy, but it also extends the MS Monopoly, since your CD theoretically wouldn't play under Linux, MacOS, etc. It's also ridiculously stupid; if you are at home on dialup, and you want to listen to this CD on your computer, why the hell would you want to wait hours for it to download when you HAVE THE MUSIC ON THE CD?!
We can only hope these things crash & burn ASAP.
The problem is, those features that make the Linux desktop attractive to the geek is exactly those features that make it difficult for otherse to use. My mother doesn't want to hear about command lines, and permissions, and filesystems and the such. She just wants to log on to AOL.
This itself is part of the problem. Everyone expects a very complex system to be EASY. Computers inherently are NOT easy!
Honestly, I think the automakers are the only ones who ever successfully pulled off this paradigm well; cars are extremely complex, but even the most dimwitted person can understand how to start the car, push down on the gas or brake pedal and turn the wheel.
I don't think however that you need to dumb-down the distro. Linux should do this, IMHO:
On install, after you pick the install type (Workstation, Server, etc.), pick the install type (basic or advanced). If you pick Basic, it makes everything as easy as humanly possible; no status displays on bootup, just a nice graphic with a loading bar. If want to see if eth0 came up correctly, you should do an advanced install. And of course, you can change that in X itself too. If you pick basic, it doesn't even put a shell on the main KDE bar, nest it down somewhere. Put the Office Apps on the desktop, Web Browsers, Media Players, and thats IT. If you're a geek, Advanced install or Advanced mode let you do everything you currently can under Linux.
Geeks are happy, regular users are happy, and Linux looks good to everyone.
The article, IMHO, was excellent, and its call for a standard system of installing & uninstalling software is right on (We need the equiv. of InstallShield for linux apps).
However, for Linux to really make an inroads, it needs something which is usually very overlooked: Windows NT Authentication!!
I know this is a big request, and it probably constitutes breaking the DMCA since its a closed, proprietary system, but its the truth. I can name over 50 people right now who would never use windows, except that they have to because their corporate intranets run on IIS, and they can't access them under Linux.
Until Konqueror or Mozilla can understand WinNT Authentication, Linux won't be able to be effectively used in a mixed environment where Windows is the server (lots of large companies use this configuration; Mine sure does.) Just my $0.02.
The astute reader will have already caught my drift by now and realized that with Linux and the GPL (and all the other OSI licenses) you don't ever have to say sorry to the BSA. So why not taunt them? Report yourself today!
Funny thing is, someone I know who did this, but using a slightly different technique.
He worked as a developer for a semi-large company, about 1500 employees, give or take. His company was planning on migrating from their 95 environment for end users (NT 4 for devs) to 2000 environment for the Devs, and further down the road, XP for the users. He had been trying to push Linux there for some time, but the VPs and CIOs weren't listening. It was a Microsoft shop, and was to stay that way. (Despite them using Linux on their servers) So what did he do?
He reported his company to the BSA.
Now, his company was not doing anything illegal AT ALL. Due to a mixup with a VP, they actually had a ton of EXTRA licenses (in the 500 range) from MS for their workstations; they were beyond legal (if thats possible!! <g>) But the BSA didn't care. They came in to investigate, and even when presented with all the licenses, harassed my friend's company repeatedly. Despite finding nothing illegal, they threatened litigation on more than one occasion (barratry, anyone?), and insisted on several sweeps of their office. (they almost did get fined when they found a copy of SQL Server on a machine that no one could account for. Turns out it was from their MSDN subscription, so it was legit. I digress...)
Anyway, what was the end result of all of this? The VPs & CIOs in IT had such a bad taste in their mouth from the BSA/Microsoft, that they actually heard him out, and began looking at alternatives. His company is planning a full move to Linux later this year (it's a mixed environment right now, all the developers are already migrated).
Go here: http://archives.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http:// www.nytimes.com/2002/02/18/technology/18SONG.html to get around their registration process.
SuperDLT does 11 megabytes per sec natively, and 110gig per tape. AIT and LTO might go higher (I like the rock solid history of DLT over these competitors) throughput wise. SuperDLT does 39.6 gigs natively per hour.
Tell me what the problem is with tape again?
The problem is that SuperDLT drives are $4800 each.
I want a cheap, large capacity, and fast storage medium. The only thing that even remotely fits that bill right now are other hard drives.
Provided there is ever a way to record these on your own like a regular CD (without spending thousands, that is), these could be excellent for archival purposes.
Currently, my only solution for backups of my drives are other drives. Sure, tapes work, but they take far too long. Being able to dump the essentials from my hard drive (being a 3D designer, that's easily 30 gigs of textures, models, etc) onto one disc would be a lifesaver.
Let's just hope these things aren't so crippled by the time we get them that their apparent benefits aren't overshadowed by idiotic "protection" schemes.
Why we need to bring soft money donations to an end! If these types of unregulated donations are allowed to continue, we will just see a further buying & selling of the US government (yes, it IS possible, believe it or not!).
This news probably doesn't surprise too many people in this crowd, I think we all knew that MS was pretty generous with soft monies, but it's very nice to see an article like this. The best part of the entire article? The paragraph about the $25k given to buy off South Carolina's Attorney General.
P.S. Anyone else amazed by the fact that there is a place called Chevy Chase, Maryland?!
If they were the first to come up with the idea, then Microsoft or Sony shouldn't be allowed to take their idea without paying for it.
Yes, but there are two points here:
1) They were NOT the first to come up with this. Loads of arcade games for instance have been using forced-feedback for many, many years.
2) This patent is far too broad, and should have never been granted. How can you patent the concept of vibration?! I could see if they patented a certain type of motor that produced a specific form of vibration, and Sony & MS stole the plans, but they are suing because their controllers vibrate. As much as I dislike Sony & MS, this lawsuit is BS.
I do wonder though. If Immersion wins, can the child in this story sue them instead of Sony??
I guess now I can't proceed with that forced-feedback sex simulator I was planning...
Tell that to Microsoft, who was getting Ebay to shut down auctions of unopened, bundled software.
And lets not forget when those Linux Geeks went out to Redmond a few years ago and demanded their money back for the copies of Win95 that came with their PC that they never used. Did they get their money back? No.
Believe it or not, this IS an important decision.
Why don't these researchers dedicate their energies to producing better contraceptives ?
Because every time researchers come up with a new product, several groups try to fight its introduction into the market, and lawsuits soon follow.
Just look at the controversy over the "Morning After" pill; it was already being used in Europe, but here in the US, there were several groups lobbying the government to make it illegal, and trying to bribe the FDA.
There is a lot more money to be had (for funding), and a lot more money to be made in reproduction than in contraception.
...is thinking of the "Baby Harvesting" scene in the The Matrix right about now??
As a geek, everyone gets me stuff on every holiday for my computer, but never anything I need. ("Oh, wow, another computer tool set, thanks, I can never have too many of these!" Incidentally, I'm up to 9 sets now). But as a drummer, no one ever thinks of things to buy me, even though I ALWAYS need things! Sticks are always breaking, drum heads always need changing, cymbals always need polishing, wingnut threading eventually wears down...
The best gifts I have ever received have all been drum-related items. Just about anything from Sabian, Tama, and Vic Firth are always welcome gifts to me! Plus, it makes me happy when the significant other in my life actually takes an interest enough in my playing to know what I need and/or want as a drummer.
It is interesting to note that a recent scientific study found that because Flexplay discs will eliminate unnecessary trips by car to video stores, they will actually result in a net benefit to the environment.
Of course, this is all completely based on the fact that the US has a lot of gas-guzzlers on the road. Say, hypothetically, that these discs take off, and everyone starts buying & chucking DVDs after a few views. What happens in 10 years or so when someone comes up with a clean emission car (and isn't stopped by the oil companies)?? Now everyone is used to throwing these things out, but there is no longer a "net benefit" to our environment.
Also, its only a "net benefit" if in every single case of someone renting a VHS/DVD and returning it to the store, they buy one of these instead. In real life, these won't fully replace renting, so you'll still have emissions from people driving to & from the video store, but now we will have non-biodegradeable discs being rapidly thrown out as well. Fabulous.
Dead-tree books are a necessity. I don't want my tech materials on a laptop, because I can't always run that. I can read a real book throughout the flight, while taking off or landing, while waiting for the flight to be taxied to the runway. It might not seem like a big deal, but if you fly enough, all that time adds up very quickly.
P.S. I would always rather dog-ear a book than make a bookmark on an Ebook, and resume reading there. Plus, I can read books when I go camping, a time when I don't bring any computers with me.
P.P.S. While we are on the subject: Geeks, think about how many trees were cut down to make all those nifty O'Reilly reference books. Take some time out of your day, and plant a tree. It helps.
Am I honestly the only one who thinks all these "PC Mods" are just unbelievably ugly and a total waste of time and money? I equate doing things like this to my PC case on the same level as putting a 6" tailpipe or a ridiculous spoiler wing on the back of my car.
I don't mean this to come across as a troll or anything, but seriously, the inside of my computer is just NOT all that interesting. Aside from being a conversation piece for a few minutes, its just money down the drain. If people really want to see the inside, just take the cover off! I'd rather spend the money on parts to make my computer faster.
"Nintendo... attacked the market with the GameCube. This console, based on an ATI graphics chip, surprised the whole world with its capacity. However, it targets a younger audience that remains faithful to the Nintendo tradition with its Mario Kart-inspired key titles."
Implied: Nintendo is only for Pokemon and Barney loving children.
Obviously the parent realizes that Nintendo is not just for Pokemon, but doesn't point out the one thing that I feel is especially glaring in that comment.
"Younger Audiences", as THG states, would not have a "Nintendo Tradition"; Owning one previous Nintendo console != tradition! The people who truly remain faithful to Nintendo started playing back before Mario Kart ever existed (MK was for SNES). Nintendo claimed its market share with the 8-bit NES console, not with SNES or N64 or Gameboy. Those systems helped to expand on what the NES started.
IMHO, people remain faithful to Nintendo because they make good systems, with excellent gameplay. The failures of N64 aside, NES, SNES, and GameCube are all excellent systems, and have titles for almost every age. I'll take my original NES over an Xbox any day.
I don't know about this kid, but when I was 15, I was in school and most certainly did not have 7 hours a day in which to play video games! (And if I did have 7 hours a day of free time, my mom, despite being a single mother who works full time, would make sure that I wasn't spending that time parked in front of the TV.)
It seems to me that parental boundaries could have solved this before it got to this point.