You are mistaken thinking that you are a not-for-profit customer. They make money on the fees charged to the merchant for each transaction. They also make more off that rewards card because the merchant gets charged much higher fees. You also pay more for everything because merchants factor that cost of accepting credit into their prices.
They don't make as much as someone carrying a large balance with a high APR, but it can still add up if your card gets enough use.
This six month old story on Ars mentioned more details on the program and 2 of the other major concessions they had to make to get the merger approved. Hiring Meredith Attwell Baker away from the FCC was probably a big help also.
It said right in the summary that this was mandated as a condition of the NBC Universal merger. I'm sure Comcast is more than happy to have people believe that this was their idea though.
The Being Human aired on SyFy is a US remake of the BBC's Being Human. The first season of the remake just finished airing here. I enjoyed what I saw of the original on BBC America, but I didn't really watch this new remake enough to see how it compares.
You can't log on because the PSN is still down and the blog uses a PSN account. Once the PSN login server is brought back online, you'll know if you really were disabled, but right now nobody can log on unless they still had a valid cookie.
I've used the browser and online Blu-ray features numerous times without ever being prompted to log in to PSN. I just tested the browser right now to see if anything has changed and it works fine. There is a news ticker at the bottom though that had a link to the circumvention statement as the first item displayed.
I've never used Netflix, so I can't comment on that. It appears that Vudu requires a PSN connection though as I just tried launching that.
As a Wisconsin resident, I can't agree with your first statement. Most of the breweries here were started by German immigrants, who brought their knowledge and experience to their new home. I don't think a lack of history has anything to do with the quality of American beer. I think cost has the most to do with it, but it is also very unfair to lump all beer made here as sucky American beer. While I personally think the quality of the beers coming from the major breweries is lacking, there are plenty of smaller breweries and home brewers around the nation that produce excellent beers. There are many beers made here that rival and surpass any of the beers I had during the couple weeks I spent in Germany a couple years ago.
Quality beers cost more, so they don't sell as much because too many people would rather pound back a bunch of cheap beers instead of enjoying a smaller number of higher quality beers. A friend turned me on to a beer he really likes called Pranqster from North Coast Brewing in California. The first time I found it in a store, it cost me almost $10 for a 4 pack. I could have gotten a case of some lower quality beer for that price if my goal was just to pound back a bunch of beer. The bottle of Theobroma mentioned in the article cost me as much as a case of cheaper beer also. Cost also directly ties in with your second statement, higher quality ingredients are cost prohibitive if your goal is producting a more affordable beer.
Cost also has a lot to do with 2 other food products you mentioned. My best friend looked at me like I was nuts for grabbing a loaf of bread that cost almost 5x the price of the loaf of Wonder bread that he picked up when we were at the store once. The price was worth it though for the quality difference over that spongy Wonder bread. The same can be said for cheese. Yes, Wisconsin does make a lot of cheese, including a lot of the cheese you are calling bland and uninteresting and cost is the reason since the cheaper cheeses sell much more. We also have plenty of award winning artisanal cheeses, but they cost a lot more because they use higher quality ingredients and aren't made using the same industrial methods that churn out the lower quality cheeses.
I'm checking titles right now, Flower doesn't work for me either. Bomberman Ultra reverted to the demo, but the copy of Flow I just got free just launched fine and that has trophies, so does Bomberman Ultra. Trophies wouldn't be the cause of Flower not working for you, because you can sync those manually or it can automatically sync when logged in. I recently got a platinum for Uncharted 2 and it doesn't show in my online profile because I haven't let it sync yet. The last few times I played I wasn't logged into PSN at all.
It looks like games I downloaded from PSN that have a demo mode will launch, but will revert to the demo. Games like Flower with no demo will give this error: "An error occured during the start operation. (8001050F)" I stopped automatically logging into my PSN account and I thought I had played some of these games offline, but it looks like I will have to test once they fix the current problem. Which better me fast, this is a huge black eye for them. I'm hating DRM even more than I did before, thanks for helping the anti-DRM crusade yet again Sony. They are going to love bringing this one up.
I haven't parallel parked a car with no power steering, but I did get to drive an aunt's old Chevette with manual steering around their huge driveway before I was old enough to drive. I didn't have the strength I do now, but I remember vowing then that when I got my license I would never want a car without power steering. I was puzzled as to why she would put up with driving that when he got to drive an anniversary model Corvette and custom conversion van.
"I'm a big fan of reliable, mechanically simple and uncomplicated cars."
Same here, while all the bells and whistles may seem nice, it is just more to go wrong and also makes repairs more expensive and harder to perform. I had thought about taking classes on auto repair just to be able to save money and make sure I wasn't being swindled by some crooked mechanic. With everything being so complicated now and getting worse, I figure it wouldn't be a very good use of my time or money since I'd need to keep sinking more in to stay up to date and having all the necessary tools would cost quite a bit also.
I can second that, while it may not be the most pleasant driving experience, it is still possible to drive a vehicle after engine, power steering or computer failures. I luckily haven't had brakes fail, so I can't comment on that.
My last car kept getting problems with the computer after the dealer screwed it up while working on my car. I had to have it replaced 3 times before they finally got it right. The first failure I was doing probably 70mph on the interstate when it went. I don't think it completely failed that time, since I was able to safely drive the backroads home. I had an all electronic dash though and lost all my instruments, so thankfully there was an exit just up ahead that I used, stopped to made a call to have a ride ready to go if needed, then drove it safely home. After the first replacement, I was over halfway home and doing about 55 when everything went out. I was able to safely pull over to the side of the road and stop, the brakes were fine, but the steering sucks since you get spoiled by the lack of effort needed with power steering. After that "fix", the car died as soon as I pulled out onto the road from the dealer and I was able to safely coast it up to a break in the median, do a U-turn and leave it dead at the bottom of their driveway so they could push it back into the shop.
I also had an engine blow on the interstate while in a company van years ago and I think I probably safely made it close to a mile before stopping. I was able to safely change lanes, get to the exit ramp and get off, go across the overpass thanks to hitting the green light on the exit, turn onto a side street and pull over next to a gas station so I could call for a tow. The lane changes and turns really sucked with no power steering, but it isn't as bad when you know it is out. My dad had a belt break on an old Suburban in the middle of a right turn and he said that was quite a surprise when halfway through the turn he needed a lot more effort to turn the wheel.
Microsoft was also being hit with lawsuits over the hardware failures of the 360, so don't go thinking they extended the warranty because of their benevolent nature. Not everyone with a broken 360 got a free fix, many died before the warranty extension. I knew someone who made a nice little side job of repairing 360s that were out of warranty for less than Microsoft was charging.
I ordered the download + boxed copy from Stardock and received the collector's edition. From what I read, that will be the case as long as they last and is the only way to get the collector's edition. I haven't gotten a chance to even open the box yet, so I can't comment on the launch issues. I do wish them well though, DRM sucks and has stopped me from buying many games. I regret buying some games that use nasty DRM because I didn't wait to find out what they used or research them enough.
Maybe they'll display the total number of posts each user has made like on many forums. I can't believe how many people obsess about having huge post counts thinking it makes them cool, when really it shows they have no life.
Not all first day donors have received theirs yet according to postings at the forums on olpcnews.com. Many of them are probably among the 5,000 orders that had problems. I'm still waiting for mine, but I held off ordering until 12/30 due to overspending on Christmas.
I'm really looking forward to the battery life and the outdoor readability myself. I've got a MacBook Pro right now and both of those are rather lacking. The outdoor readability is more due to my selection of the matte screen since I found the color more accurate and hated the reflections on the glossy screen when I compared them side by side. I'm also anxious to try the XO's ebook mode. I prefer my books printed on paper, but I've heard good things about that mode and may not mind reading some books that way.
The large shipments to developing nations take priority over G1G1 donor shipments. This was made clear while the program was running, but it appears some people must not have paid attention to that. I donated and I am still waiting on mine, but I'm not hopping mad like some people seem to be. I knew getting me my laptop wasn't the top priority, as was made clear on the site. I am anxious to get my hands on one, but I just got an update Wednesday, so it may not be too much longer since I am in the shipping queue for the next shipment.
I second the recommendation for a Magna Doodle if she can write. We got my mother a large one after her 2nd surgery to treat cancer because she was unable to talk. It really worked out well, especially when she was weak because she could rest it on her lap or the small table attached to the bed. You can give it to kids when it is no longer needed and let them enjoy it then.
Try entering chaseonline.chase.com instead of just going to www.chase.com, that will take you to a secure login page. I wasn't too pleased when I had to use the Chase site after they merged with Bank One. I did as mentioned in the summary and entered a bad login to obtain a secure page, but now I just use that address. I really can't believe these sites can't just make you click an extra link to be taken to a secure login page.
There have already been booth babes there, at least in the past. I haven't attended since it moved to Indy so I can't speak for the past couple years. Some were at the video and computer game booths, but there were some at other booths also. E3 did seem to have much better ones though.
I feel the same way about what Magic did to GenCon. Not only was it harder to find non CCG related content there, but it was hard to get around due to the players. It seemed as if many players strove for locations that caused the most inconvenience to others. I am innocent of playing the game and still fondly remember the bumper stickers that said "Save Gaming, Kill A Magic Player Today".
I won't even touch the topic of them moving to Indy. I haven't gone since the move as it was only a 30 minute drive before, though I am going with 2 friends on Saturday this year. We've been curious to see how it has changed since the move, so we are making a trial run this year to see if we would want to go for more days in the future.
I'm posting from a limited account on an XP box right now. I've been doing this for a while now in Windows, but it isn't always a pleasant experience. It seems a lot of programmers out there write software that requires admin when there is really no need to do so. I had to get friendly with Run As so I don't need to switch users when I have to run a program with admin priviledges. I can understand my atomic clock sync program needing admin since limited accounts are unable to change the time or date, but a usenet reader? I tried NewsBin Pro and it doesn't work unless running under an admin account.
It is possible to run as limited depending on what applications you use without much of a hassle, but it would be a good idea to show your friends how to run programs as administrator. Also try and teach them it isn't a good idea to do that for any program that asks, only ones they know are safe. I've locked down a number of systems that friends and family ask for help with and it has made a major reduction in the number of calls I get about problems with their computers. I generally don't have many worries about spyware or viruses myself as I try to be careful with what I run, but it gives me peace of mind. I know I have another layer of protection to assist me in keeping my system clean.
I heard that a number of people did try to sign up for that joke of a contest, but they were given the runaround so they never got their applications completed. They didn't really want anyone to take them up on the offer because it looks better for them now that they can say nobody tried. Also your trip was only paid for if you could prove the damage in the alotted time and they accepted your results. How many people would really want to spend their own time and money flying to Moscow to prove to a company that their software is trash for the slight hope that they might get reimbursed and get the prize money. The prize money also started out much smaller and was raised shortly before the contest ended. The entire contest was just a sham.
Everything I've read about the optical drive damage states that the failures occur after the drive has been dropped down to PIO mode for an extended period of time. Some of the symptoms occur immediately after install, but the real damage is going to take longer than their contest gave you to prove the damage. It was just all an attempt to combat all the negative publicity they have received, but much of that they have brought on themselves by their ineptitude (death threats, legal threats, posting torrents, calling boycotters pirates or members of organized crime, etc.).
I'd have to agree with you on that. In some cases the bullying can be a serious threat during the act itself. I'm not a fan of Fox news, but Fox 6 in Milwaukee did an award winning undercover investigation called the Bully Project that was quite an eye opener. Along with talking about kids who committed suicide, I clearly remember the story of one young girl who was beat so bad that she received 2 concussions within a couple week period. She liked playing hockey, but her doctor had warned her that it wasn't wise due to the possibility that the next blow to the head would probably kill her. What bothered me the most about the footage from their hidden cameras though was watching the indifference from the teachers on much of the footage. In one instance a young boy was trying to get away from his bullys by climbing a fence and they ripped him right off the fence and continued pounding on him with 2 teachers only a short distance away that were too engrossed in their conversation to do something.
Bullying isn't always a case of the victim walking away with some bruises and maybe a bloody nose, sometimes the damage is much more serious. While I agree with slackartist that your best bet is generally to try and avoid the situation or resolve it non-violently, sometimes things just don't work out that way.
Slashdot Mirror
So movies and music are off the hook since RIAA and MPAA members don't know how to adapt?
You are mistaken thinking that you are a not-for-profit customer. They make money on the fees charged to the merchant for each transaction. They also make more off that rewards card because the merchant gets charged much higher fees. You also pay more for everything because merchants factor that cost of accepting credit into their prices.
They don't make as much as someone carrying a large balance with a high APR, but it can still add up if your card gets enough use.
This six month old story on Ars mentioned more details on the program and 2 of the other major concessions they had to make to get the merger approved. Hiring Meredith Attwell Baker away from the FCC was probably a big help also.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/01/low-cost-broadband-key-to-comcastnbcu-merger-deal.ars
It said right in the summary that this was mandated as a condition of the NBC Universal merger. I'm sure Comcast is more than happy to have people believe that this was their idea though.
If you bought it recently, you have one of the slim models. They went on sale starting in Sept. 2009.
The Being Human aired on SyFy is a US remake of the BBC's Being Human. The first season of the remake just finished airing here. I enjoyed what I saw of the original on BBC America, but I didn't really watch this new remake enough to see how it compares.
You can't log on because the PSN is still down and the blog uses a PSN account. Once the PSN login server is brought back online, you'll know if you really were disabled, but right now nobody can log on unless they still had a valid cookie.
I've used the browser and online Blu-ray features numerous times without ever being prompted to log in to PSN. I just tested the browser right now to see if anything has changed and it works fine. There is a news ticker at the bottom though that had a link to the circumvention statement as the first item displayed.
I've never used Netflix, so I can't comment on that. It appears that Vudu requires a PSN connection though as I just tried launching that.
As a Wisconsin resident, I can't agree with your first statement. Most of the breweries here were started by German immigrants, who brought their knowledge and experience to their new home. I don't think a lack of history has anything to do with the quality of American beer. I think cost has the most to do with it, but it is also very unfair to lump all beer made here as sucky American beer. While I personally think the quality of the beers coming from the major breweries is lacking, there are plenty of smaller breweries and home brewers around the nation that produce excellent beers. There are many beers made here that rival and surpass any of the beers I had during the couple weeks I spent in Germany a couple years ago.
Quality beers cost more, so they don't sell as much because too many people would rather pound back a bunch of cheap beers instead of enjoying a smaller number of higher quality beers. A friend turned me on to a beer he really likes called Pranqster from North Coast Brewing in California. The first time I found it in a store, it cost me almost $10 for a 4 pack. I could have gotten a case of some lower quality beer for that price if my goal was just to pound back a bunch of beer. The bottle of Theobroma mentioned in the article cost me as much as a case of cheaper beer also. Cost also directly ties in with your second statement, higher quality ingredients are cost prohibitive if your goal is producting a more affordable beer.
Cost also has a lot to do with 2 other food products you mentioned. My best friend looked at me like I was nuts for grabbing a loaf of bread that cost almost 5x the price of the loaf of Wonder bread that he picked up when we were at the store once. The price was worth it though for the quality difference over that spongy Wonder bread. The same can be said for cheese. Yes, Wisconsin does make a lot of cheese, including a lot of the cheese you are calling bland and uninteresting and cost is the reason since the cheaper cheeses sell much more. We also have plenty of award winning artisanal cheeses, but they cost a lot more because they use higher quality ingredients and aren't made using the same industrial methods that churn out the lower quality cheeses.
I'm checking titles right now, Flower doesn't work for me either. Bomberman Ultra reverted to the demo, but the copy of Flow I just got free just launched fine and that has trophies, so does Bomberman Ultra. Trophies wouldn't be the cause of Flower not working for you, because you can sync those manually or it can automatically sync when logged in. I recently got a platinum for Uncharted 2 and it doesn't show in my online profile because I haven't let it sync yet. The last few times I played I wasn't logged into PSN at all.
It looks like games I downloaded from PSN that have a demo mode will launch, but will revert to the demo. Games like Flower with no demo will give this error: "An error occured during the start operation. (8001050F)" I stopped automatically logging into my PSN account and I thought I had played some of these games offline, but it looks like I will have to test once they fix the current problem. Which better me fast, this is a huge black eye for them. I'm hating DRM even more than I did before, thanks for helping the anti-DRM crusade yet again Sony. They are going to love bringing this one up.
I haven't parallel parked a car with no power steering, but I did get to drive an aunt's old Chevette with manual steering around their huge driveway before I was old enough to drive. I didn't have the strength I do now, but I remember vowing then that when I got my license I would never want a car without power steering. I was puzzled as to why she would put up with driving that when he got to drive an anniversary model Corvette and custom conversion van.
"I'm a big fan of reliable, mechanically simple and uncomplicated cars."
Same here, while all the bells and whistles may seem nice, it is just more to go wrong and also makes repairs more expensive and harder to perform. I had thought about taking classes on auto repair just to be able to save money and make sure I wasn't being swindled by some crooked mechanic. With everything being so complicated now and getting worse, I figure it wouldn't be a very good use of my time or money since I'd need to keep sinking more in to stay up to date and having all the necessary tools would cost quite a bit also.
I can second that, while it may not be the most pleasant driving experience, it is still possible to drive a vehicle after engine, power steering or computer failures. I luckily haven't had brakes fail, so I can't comment on that.
My last car kept getting problems with the computer after the dealer screwed it up while working on my car. I had to have it replaced 3 times before they finally got it right. The first failure I was doing probably 70mph on the interstate when it went. I don't think it completely failed that time, since I was able to safely drive the backroads home. I had an all electronic dash though and lost all my instruments, so thankfully there was an exit just up ahead that I used, stopped to made a call to have a ride ready to go if needed, then drove it safely home. After the first replacement, I was over halfway home and doing about 55 when everything went out. I was able to safely pull over to the side of the road and stop, the brakes were fine, but the steering sucks since you get spoiled by the lack of effort needed with power steering. After that "fix", the car died as soon as I pulled out onto the road from the dealer and I was able to safely coast it up to a break in the median, do a U-turn and leave it dead at the bottom of their driveway so they could push it back into the shop.
I also had an engine blow on the interstate while in a company van years ago and I think I probably safely made it close to a mile before stopping. I was able to safely change lanes, get to the exit ramp and get off, go across the overpass thanks to hitting the green light on the exit, turn onto a side street and pull over next to a gas station so I could call for a tow. The lane changes and turns really sucked with no power steering, but it isn't as bad when you know it is out. My dad had a belt break on an old Suburban in the middle of a right turn and he said that was quite a surprise when halfway through the turn he needed a lot more effort to turn the wheel.
Microsoft was also being hit with lawsuits over the hardware failures of the 360, so don't go thinking they extended the warranty because of their benevolent nature. Not everyone with a broken 360 got a free fix, many died before the warranty extension. I knew someone who made a nice little side job of repairing 360s that were out of warranty for less than Microsoft was charging.
I ordered the download + boxed copy from Stardock and received the collector's edition. From what I read, that will be the case as long as they last and is the only way to get the collector's edition. I haven't gotten a chance to even open the box yet, so I can't comment on the launch issues. I do wish them well though, DRM sucks and has stopped me from buying many games. I regret buying some games that use nasty DRM because I didn't wait to find out what they used or research them enough.
Maybe they'll display the total number of posts each user has made like on many forums. I can't believe how many people obsess about having huge post counts thinking it makes them cool, when really it shows they have no life.
Not all first day donors have received theirs yet according to postings at the forums on olpcnews.com. Many of them are probably among the 5,000 orders that had problems. I'm still waiting for mine, but I held off ordering until 12/30 due to overspending on Christmas.
I'm really looking forward to the battery life and the outdoor readability myself. I've got a MacBook Pro right now and both of those are rather lacking. The outdoor readability is more due to my selection of the matte screen since I found the color more accurate and hated the reflections on the glossy screen when I compared them side by side. I'm also anxious to try the XO's ebook mode. I prefer my books printed on paper, but I've heard good things about that mode and may not mind reading some books that way.
The large shipments to developing nations take priority over G1G1 donor shipments. This was made clear while the program was running, but it appears some people must not have paid attention to that. I donated and I am still waiting on mine, but I'm not hopping mad like some people seem to be. I knew getting me my laptop wasn't the top priority, as was made clear on the site. I am anxious to get my hands on one, but I just got an update Wednesday, so it may not be too much longer since I am in the shipping queue for the next shipment.
I second the recommendation for a Magna Doodle if she can write. We got my mother a large one after her 2nd surgery to treat cancer because she was unable to talk. It really worked out well, especially when she was weak because she could rest it on her lap or the small table attached to the bed. You can give it to kids when it is no longer needed and let them enjoy it then.
Try entering chaseonline.chase.com instead of just going to www.chase.com, that will take you to a secure login page. I wasn't too pleased when I had to use the Chase site after they merged with Bank One. I did as mentioned in the summary and entered a bad login to obtain a secure page, but now I just use that address. I really can't believe these sites can't just make you click an extra link to be taken to a secure login page.
There have already been booth babes there, at least in the past. I haven't attended since it moved to Indy so I can't speak for the past couple years. Some were at the video and computer game booths, but there were some at other booths also. E3 did seem to have much better ones though.
I feel the same way about what Magic did to GenCon. Not only was it harder to find non CCG related content there, but it was hard to get around due to the players. It seemed as if many players strove for locations that caused the most inconvenience to others. I am innocent of playing the game and still fondly remember the bumper stickers that said "Save Gaming, Kill A Magic Player Today".
:)
I won't even touch the topic of them moving to Indy. I haven't gone since the move as it was only a 30 minute drive before, though I am going with 2 friends on Saturday this year. We've been curious to see how it has changed since the move, so we are making a trial run this year to see if we would want to go for more days in the future.
a slightly older fart
I'm posting from a limited account on an XP box right now. I've been doing this for a while now in Windows, but it isn't always a pleasant experience. It seems a lot of programmers out there write software that requires admin when there is really no need to do so. I had to get friendly with Run As so I don't need to switch users when I have to run a program with admin priviledges. I can understand my atomic clock sync program needing admin since limited accounts are unable to change the time or date, but a usenet reader? I tried NewsBin Pro and it doesn't work unless running under an admin account.
It is possible to run as limited depending on what applications you use without much of a hassle, but it would be a good idea to show your friends how to run programs as administrator. Also try and teach them it isn't a good idea to do that for any program that asks, only ones they know are safe. I've locked down a number of systems that friends and family ask for help with and it has made a major reduction in the number of calls I get about problems with their computers. I generally don't have many worries about spyware or viruses myself as I try to be careful with what I run, but it gives me peace of mind. I know I have another layer of protection to assist me in keeping my system clean.
I heard that a number of people did try to sign up for that joke of a contest, but they were given the runaround so they never got their applications completed. They didn't really want anyone to take them up on the offer because it looks better for them now that they can say nobody tried. Also your trip was only paid for if you could prove the damage in the alotted time and they accepted your results. How many people would really want to spend their own time and money flying to Moscow to prove to a company that their software is trash for the slight hope that they might get reimbursed and get the prize money. The prize money also started out much smaller and was raised shortly before the contest ended. The entire contest was just a sham.
Everything I've read about the optical drive damage states that the failures occur after the drive has been dropped down to PIO mode for an extended period of time. Some of the symptoms occur immediately after install, but the real damage is going to take longer than their contest gave you to prove the damage. It was just all an attempt to combat all the negative publicity they have received, but much of that they have brought on themselves by their ineptitude (death threats, legal threats, posting torrents, calling boycotters pirates or members of organized crime, etc.).
I'd have to agree with you on that. In some cases the bullying can be a serious threat during the act itself. I'm not a fan of Fox news, but Fox 6 in Milwaukee did an award winning undercover investigation called the Bully Project that was quite an eye opener. Along with talking about kids who committed suicide, I clearly remember the story of one young girl who was beat so bad that she received 2 concussions within a couple week period. She liked playing hockey, but her doctor had warned her that it wasn't wise due to the possibility that the next blow to the head would probably kill her. What bothered me the most about the footage from their hidden cameras though was watching the indifference from the teachers on much of the footage. In one instance a young boy was trying to get away from his bullys by climbing a fence and they ripped him right off the fence and continued pounding on him with 2 teachers only a short distance away that were too engrossed in their conversation to do something.
Bullying isn't always a case of the victim walking away with some bruises and maybe a bloody nose, sometimes the damage is much more serious. While I agree with slackartist that your best bet is generally to try and avoid the situation or resolve it non-violently, sometimes things just don't work out that way.
To preserve the pictures you took with your Olympus Ferrari digital camera?