Locking the users down, group policy, and active directory are as much a part of XP as 2K.
I know. I thought that was the point I was making. XP doesn't really add anything to 2k. Since we have already standardized on 2k from 98/NT, why bother with XP?
As a network admin for 46 stations, my vote goes for XP.
I admin a medium-sized network of a couple handfuls of servers, 200+ clients and 350+ users by myself. (I'm not masochistic, it's a non-profit with a limited personnel budget.)
My vote goes to Windows 2000. I don't know what compatibility problems you were having, but all our hardware and homegrown-apps worked after the move from 98 to 2K. This includes ancient DOS-based data processing apps.
The user's are locked down now, their programs work, and every thing is centrally administered thanks to group policy and active directory. Overall it's been very nice.
I suppose if you were just now transitioning from a 98/NT client base you'd go with XP Pro, but only because most vendors I've talked to won't sell you 2K unless you are just buying license packs and have preexisting relationship. YMMV.
XP added a few neat features, like remote desktop, to the operating system, but really nothing you couldn't get with 3rd party apps for 2K if you needed them. The new UI just sucks IMNSHO. It's not any more stable in my experience, and so, because it really adds nothing, I see no use for it in my organization.
Server 2003 has quite a few big changes from what I've read, mostly in the Active Directory. We just got it a couple weeks ago so I haven't had time to really dig into it yet, but it looks like much more of an improvement from 2000 Server than XP was from 2000 Professional.
Bush has done this with near-every proposal he's made.
He makes a huge deal out of a great sounding plan that no one who wants to get re-elected can dispute. He gets it passed into law. The kicker? There is no federal budget to actually put the plan into action.
See post-9/11 mandates to first responders and "No Child Left Behind" for examples.
For the record, I think there was merit to these ideas, but not funding them while reaping all the political benefits is too machiavellian even for me.
Too many commercials on television and before movies. (At least here in the US.)
For the past few years TV has been almost completely unwatchable for me. Four minutes of programming to five minutes of advertising is insulting to me.
But I have several friends who watch many hours of TV a day and have the latest plot advancements of several sitcom, drama, and unscripted (nee "reality") shows committed to memory. The last half of 2003 I began hearing comments from even them, my friends the TV junkies, that they are getting tired of so much advertising. It seems the straw that broke the camel's back was the corner adverts that come on when a program comes back on after a commercial break. They keep watching of course because they are addicted, but they are at least complaining out loud now.
Movies are almost as bad. Crowds at my local theater have taken to booing and shouting to the effect of "turn off the #$@!ing tv commercials" when non-movie-trailer ads come on. I also hear much grumbling about the excessive trailers. Six or seven five-minute plot synopses that give away the movies that they are supposed to be promoting while tacking 20 to 30 minutes onto the feature's play time are not popular. They almost ruined LotR: RotK for me by turning a 3:30 butt-number into a 4:00+ marathon endurance test.
I know there are work-arounds to these bugs in the system. But Tivo and other prepackaged DVRs are expensive and home-brew DVRs have all the same problems as desktop linux. Also, DVRs do nothing about the corner-screen adverts nor product placement. Not watching TV is like not smoking cigarettes: it's better for your long-term health but to an addict the separation is a difficult and painful thing.
Sure you can arrive late to movies, but with general admission theater seating you are gambling where you end up sitting, or even if you get a seat in the case of blockbusters. If I'd arrived late to any showing of LotR: RotK since it opened at my theater the odds are I would be stuck in a nasty corner or front row or next to an unwashed freak, or not getting a ticket at all because it sold out.
2. Wal-Mart's Low Prices Are The Result Of Human Misery.
3. Wal-Mart Forces Its Unethical Practices On Its 65,000 Suppliers.
4. Wal-Mart Destroys Local Communities.
5. Wal-Mart Is Not Accountable.
1. AMERICAN WAL-MART EMPLOYEES ARE EXPLOITED:
* "Full-Time" (actually 28 hours/week) employees only gross $11,000 a year,
on average.
* Health benefits are available only after two years, but premiums are so
high only 38% of employees can afford it.
* Even discussing working conditions or unionization will result in
retaliation and firing.
* There is "a harsh, anti-woman culture in which complaints go unanswered
and the women who make them are targeted for retaliation." (Quote taken
from a national class-action suit against Wal-Mart.)
2. WAL-MART'S LOW PRICES ARE THE RESULT OF HUMAN MISERY:
* 13-16 hour days molding, assembling, and painting toys, 7 days a week; 20
hour days in the peak season.
* Workers are paid 13 cents/hour wages in China: the minimum wage is
31 cents.
* There is no health or safety enforcement: constant headaches and nausea
from chemical fumes, indoor temperatures above 100 degrees F, rampant
repetitive stress disorder, no protective clothing available.
* Most employees are young women or teenage girls.
3. WAL-MART FORCES ITS UNETHICAL PRACTICES ON ITS 65,000 SUPPLIERS:
* Suppliers have to open their accounting books to Wal-Mart executives so
they can cut "unnecessary expenses" like unionized workers, health
benefits, and American-made products.
* Suppliers are forced to move facilities to China and other low production
cost nations to meet Wal-Mart's demands.
* Competitors are also forced to abandon customer service while slashing
employee wages and moving production to foreign sweat shops to remain
competitive.
4. WAL-MART DESTROYS LOCAL COMMUNITIES:
* Wal-Mart stores average 200,000 feet in size: more than 4 football fields
and destroying any sense of community or character where they are located.
* By pricing items below cost they crush local retailers. Once they hold a
monopoly in the market they raise prices.
* Three good jobs are destroyed for every two Wal-Mart jobs created.
* Instead of business profits being reinvested in the community they are
shipped to Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.
5. WAL-MART IS NOT ACCOUNTABLE:
* The media won't report negatively about Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart would
pull its huge advertising budget.
* The 535 members of Congress have no power compared to Wal-Mart's
global reach: Wal-Mart does not have to answer to American voters, just
it's stockholders who are seeking unethical profit.
* Wal-Mart is radically remaking our labor standards and local economies
by stifling debate, suppressing knowledge, and not asking our consent.
I researched this Spring '03, so all facts are current as of Fall '02 - Spring '03:
Top 5 Reasons Not To Shop At Wal-Mart
1. American Wal-Mart Employees Are Exploited.
2. Wal-Mart's Low Prices Are The Result Of Human Misery.
3. Wal-Mart Forces Its Unethical Practices On Its 65,000 Suppliers.
4. Wal-Mart Destroys Local Communities.
5. Wal-Mart Is Not Accountable.
1. AMERICAN WAL-MART EMPLOYEES ARE EXPLOITED:
* "Full-Time" (actually 28 hours/week) employees only gross $11,000 a year,
on average.
* Health benefits are available only after two years, but premiums are so
high only 38% of employees can afford it.
* Even discussing working conditions or unionization will result in
retaliation and firing.
* There is "a harsh, anti-woman culture in which complaints go unanswered
and the women who make them are targeted for retaliation." (Quote taken
from a national class-action suit against Wal-Mart.)
2. WAL-MART'S LOW PRICES ARE THE RESULT OF HUMAN MISERY:
* 13-16 hour days molding, assembling, and painting toys, 7 days a week; 20
hour days in the peak season.
* Workers are paid 13 cents/hour wages in China: the minimum wage is
31 cents.
* There is no health or safety enforcement: constant headaches and nausea
from chemical fumes, indoor temperatures above 100 degrees F, rampant
repetitive stress disorder, no protective clothing available.
* Most employees are young women or teenage girls.
3. WAL-MART FORCES ITS UNETHICAL PRACTICES ON ITS 65,000 SUPPLIERS:
* Suppliers have to open their accounting books to Wal-Mart executives so
they can cut "unnecessary expenses" like unionized workers, health
benefits, and American-made products.
* Suppliers are forced to move facilities to China and other low production
cost nations to meet Wal-Mart's demands.
* Competitors are also forced to abandon customer service while slashing
employee wages and moving production to foreign sweat shops to remain
competitive.
4. WAL-MART DESTROYS LOCAL COMMUNITIES:
* Wal-Mart stores average 200,000 feet in size: more than 4 football fields
and destroying any sense of community or character where they are located.
* By pricing items below cost they crush local retailers. Once they hold a
monopoly in the market they raise prices.
* Three good jobs are destroyed for every two Wal-Mart jobs created.
* Instead of business profits being reinvested in the community they are
shipped to Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.
5. WAL-MART IS NOT ACCOUNTABLE:
* The media won't report negatively about Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart would
pull its huge advertising budget.
* The 535 members of Congress have no power compared to Wal-Mart's
global reach: Wal-Mart does not have to answer to American voters, just
it's stockholders who are seeking unethical profit.
* Wal-Mart is radically remaking our labor standards and local economies
by stifling debate, suppressing knowledge, and not asking our consent.
Bad Santa was as close to a perfect movie as I've seen in a long time. It stayed true to itself, managed to be funny, thoughtful, and obscene all at once, and the characters and plot developed while still having plenty of action and slapstick.
LotR: RotK was second in my book. I'm a geek who reads the book every year. Yet somehow I don't hold the book or its author up as holy items beyond reproach or critique. Peter Jackson has done a marvelous, magnificent thing with these three movies and I hope he wins some awards this year (best director, screenplay, and/or movie) from the big shows like Oscar and Globe. I find the nitpicks humorous and interesting as pieces of trivia, but feel sad about and pity towards those who get up in a bunch about minor inconsistencies, mistakes, and additions/omissions in such a masterpiece.
My guilty pleasure this year was The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It was much better than all the reviews led me to believe. I actually enjoyed it more than X2 by a large margin. It was a fun action movie with really cool steam-punk technology and "magical" mythical heroes. What's not to like?
My biggest disappointments were the Matrix sequals. WTF happened? Jackson did it right and the Wachowskis did not. My personal theory is that if the Wachowskis had been given the opporunity to shoot the three all at once The Matrix would be held up as a peer to LotR. The huge delay between The Matrix and Reloaded caused all kinds of subtle problems and gave the brothers too much time to think about the screenplay. Sometimes less is more.
My happiest moment was when I discovered how to rip DVDs I rent to my hard disk. Then I burn those rips onto SVCDs to pass around to my friends as cheap Christmas presents.
I mean it's not the proprietary, pirated;) video codec it started as. Now it's basically MPEG-4, versus DVD which is MPEG-2.
This move isn't surprising to me, because I'd expect the movie industry to use the latest Standard once it became mature.
And if they have a solution ready to go, why would they reinvent the wheel?
I'm sure the next generations of DVD players will support DivX encoded discs, just as DVD players eventually came to support MP3, WMA, VCD, and CDR/RW.
I might be betraying my ignorance of, and apathy towards, video. Excuse me if that's the case.
I've been on large, frozen lakes before ice-fishing when they split. I forget the technical term, but basically a huge, long crack appears out of nowhere with a horrifying sound. (Devils Lake, ND is the second largest closed basin lake in North America, after the Great Salt Lake. When Devils Lake splits you don't want to be near it. I was on it when it happened a few years ago, and I damn near literally shit my pants.)
I can't even imagine the terror of an entire ice shelf splitting. The reuters article doesn't mention if this was a slow or fast occurance.
Even scarier, we're several thousand years past due on the next ice age. This "global warming" thing could actually be the precursor to the beginning of the next, depending on which cadre of scientists you believe.
About that time the major quirks will be worked out of the G5 desktop hardware and it'll be safe to run Panther on. I've heard many stories (vocal minority, yada yada) with bad endings about people trying to get OS X (10.0 to.1,.1 to.2, 9 to any 10.x) upgrades to work on their G4s.
I'm drooling heavily over the dual-G5, but I'm not going to buy it without the new OS.
I really hate upgrading operating systems. It's a safe bet you'll have a smoother experience with the new software by just installing it from scratch.
Or better yet, having the manufacturer install it for you.
It's very rare I pay more than $12 a CD. Even two disc albums rarely cost more than $20.
When I do pick up a popular CD I haven't paid more than $14 that I can remember. (Can't wait for the new Seal album!)
I don't know where people are buying their popular music. In brick 'n' mortar stores? In the year 2003?
I mean, look at Amazon's top sellers list. Most albums are between $12 and $13 already. Shipping is free if you buy $25 worth of stuff. You only pay taxes if you live in Washington or North Dakota. Why would you not buy your music there?
If you do go to a physical store, Target has many chart topping albums for $10. Last time I browsed the racks there I didn't see anything over $14. No shipping charges, obviously, but state and local sales taxes apply.
If you have a job I don't know how you can seriously complain about the price of CDs. I really don't get what the story is here.
[Note: Say what you will, Amazon does everything right when it comes to buying stuff on the web.]
I have had a Nex II from Frontier Labs for the past 2+ years. It's a sweet device that stores music on Compact Flash cards.
Their latest player is the Nex ia: Compact Flash Storage Plays MP3 and WMA FM Radio Player FM Radio & Voice Recording Can be used as USB Hard Drive And several other very nice things
I really like my Nex II. If it broke tomorrow I'd get a Nex ia rather than an iPod. Honestly. It's smaller, lighter, holds as much music as I want, and is just as stylish (if not more so) than the iPod.
Why aren't they waiting for the Xserve update? Rhetorical question, but still...
I haven't seen one, but it looks like the PowerMac G5s are about 4U wide. 1100 x 4U = 4400U / 42 per rack ~= 105 racks.
Not only is this going to take up an enormous amount of room, but the power and cooling requirements are going to be crazy as well. And they don't have rails so getting them in the racks, and working on them once in the rack, is going to be a PITA.
1100 G5 Xserves would need only about 25 racks. Many fewer UPSes and A/C units to power in each rack. Much easier to install and work on.
I know Apple is gung-ho about this validating their "Fastest PC Ever" claims. But it seems a little poorly thought out on the University's part even if they got a sweet up-front price on the machines. Remember: the system price is a small part of TCO.
I think the problem Microsoft is running into is one of finding areas that need so much improvement they can get away with charging for it.
I personally think Windows 2000 Professional is a damn fine operating system. I run it at home and my workplace has standardized with 2K.
XP Pro added nothing of note except more onerous licensing conditions and a confusing UI change. Everyone I've met who uses XP changed the UI back to Windows 2000. Also, the only reason they use XP over 2K is because XP came with their new, name brand computer.
Really, what does Microsoft add to, change about, or remove from its desktop operating system to make it worth upgrading?
Seriously. June and July in North Dakota are gorgeous.
The sun shines, the temp stays in that perfect 70 - 80 degree (F) range, the humidity is low, everything is green and beautiful, and the residents are all super friendly.
The central part of the state, especially the north-central part, is wonderful for bird watching. North Dakota is the central flyway for most bird's migrations. (This bed and breakfast will put you up nicely. I've been there and the host is a great man with tons of stories who can guide you around. Even has Internet and Digital Cable!)
Devils Lake, Lake Sakakawea, and the Missouri River are great fishing and boating spots. The city of Washburn on the Missouri River has the Lewis and Clarke interpret center. This is a must see where you can learn about their epic voyage through the Louisiana Purchase.
The Bad Lands in south-west North Dakota feature epic, rugged scenery. The city of Medora is a must see with its Musical and pitch-fork fondue.
The Maah Daah Hey trail that connects the north and south units of the Theodore Rooselvelt National Park is one of the top five in the nation. Great for backpacking, biking, or horseback riding. If you don't do anything else in ND, travel this trail.
If you can't make it here during June or July you need to stop by in January. If you are lucky you'll get hit by one of our world famous blizzards. Unforgettable.
How much work do you want to do during the holiday season?
For retail sellers, that is their busiest time. For much of the service industry, ditto. Manufacturers look forward to it as the post-crunch season when they can take a breath. IT companies' management have lives (if not the grunts) and take this time to spend with family.
Plus there is a lot of work involved in drawing up end-of-year financial reports. The accounts need to get the data together and then check, check, check it before creating the reports. Management needs to analyze the reports and compare them to past performance and industry trends to figure out how the company is actually doing. Marketing and Sales need to figure out how to spin the reports to the press and investors.
So bottom line, this corporate financial stuff is hard work. No one wants to do hard work during the holiday season. Companies are allowed by law to use a fiscal year that is different, shifted from, a calendar year.
Hope that answers your question. If not, you may want to check out a Fundamentals of Accounting class at your local University.
It seems to me that $1500 - $2000 is a worthwhile investment if it 1) avoids pissed off fans whose CDs won't play because of errors caused doing this by hand, 2) saves hours wasted in front of a PC, and 3) gives a pro-quality image to the band.
How much trading do you have to do to before you draw attention to yourself?
Is downloading a catchy tune I heard on the local Clear Channel station gonna get me busted? What if I share it after downloading?
Will I have the RIAA coming after me for downloading (and then sharing) the latest Billboard Top 20 Dance/Club tracks?
Or does it take me downloading Blender's "500 albums I must own before I die" and then sharing those to the world?
Exactly how much can I get away with?
It seems these kids must be doing something incredibly stupid to get the RIAA coming down on them when there must be many millions of people sharing at a given moment.
Slashdot Mirror
Locking the users down, group policy, and active directory are as much a part of XP as 2K.
I know. I thought that was the point I was making. XP doesn't really add anything to 2k. Since we have already standardized on 2k from 98/NT, why bother with XP?
As a network admin for 46 stations, my vote goes for XP.
I admin a medium-sized network of a couple handfuls of servers, 200+ clients and 350+ users by myself. (I'm not masochistic, it's a non-profit with a limited personnel budget.)
My vote goes to Windows 2000. I don't know what compatibility problems you were having, but all our hardware and homegrown-apps worked after the move from 98 to 2K. This includes ancient DOS-based data processing apps.
The user's are locked down now, their programs work, and every thing is centrally administered thanks to group policy and active directory. Overall it's been very nice.
I suppose if you were just now transitioning from a 98/NT client base you'd go with XP Pro, but only because most vendors I've talked to won't sell you 2K unless you are just buying license packs and have preexisting relationship. YMMV.
XP added a few neat features, like remote desktop, to the operating system, but really nothing you couldn't get with 3rd party apps for 2K if you needed them. The new UI just sucks IMNSHO. It's not any more stable in my experience, and so, because it really adds nothing, I see no use for it in my organization.
Server 2003 has quite a few big changes from what I've read, mostly in the Active Directory. We just got it a couple weeks ago so I haven't had time to really dig into it yet, but it looks like much more of an improvement from 2000 Server than XP was from 2000 Professional.
My $0.02.
Bush has done this with near-every proposal he's made.
He makes a huge deal out of a great sounding plan that no one who wants to get re-elected can dispute. He gets it passed into law. The kicker? There is no federal budget to actually put the plan into action.
See post-9/11 mandates to first responders and "No Child Left Behind" for examples.
For the record, I think there was merit to these ideas, but not funding them while reaping all the political benefits is too machiavellian even for me.
So you arrived early.
Not how I see it. I arrived on time, but the movie started 30 minutes late because of all the advertising.
Too many commercials on television and before movies. (At least here in the US.)
For the past few years TV has been almost completely unwatchable for me. Four minutes of programming to five minutes of advertising is insulting to me.
But I have several friends who watch many hours of TV a day and have the latest plot advancements of several sitcom, drama, and unscripted (nee "reality") shows committed to memory. The last half of 2003 I began hearing comments from even them, my friends the TV junkies, that they are getting tired of so much advertising. It seems the straw that broke the camel's back was the corner adverts that come on when a program comes back on after a commercial break. They keep watching of course because they are addicted, but they are at least complaining out loud now.
Movies are almost as bad. Crowds at my local theater have taken to booing and shouting to the effect of "turn off the #$@!ing tv commercials" when non-movie-trailer ads come on. I also hear much grumbling about the excessive trailers. Six or seven five-minute plot synopses that give away the movies that they are supposed to be promoting while tacking 20 to 30 minutes onto the feature's play time are not popular. They almost ruined LotR: RotK for me by turning a 3:30 butt-number into a 4:00+ marathon endurance test.
I know there are work-arounds to these bugs in the system. But Tivo and other prepackaged DVRs are expensive and home-brew DVRs have all the same problems as desktop linux. Also, DVRs do nothing about the corner-screen adverts nor product placement. Not watching TV is like not smoking cigarettes: it's better for your long-term health but to an addict the separation is a difficult and painful thing.
Sure you can arrive late to movies, but with general admission theater seating you are gambling where you end up sitting, or even if you get a seat in the case of blockbusters. If I'd arrived late to any showing of LotR: RotK since it opened at my theater the odds are I would be stuck in a nasty corner or front row or next to an unwashed freak, or not getting a ticket at all because it sold out.
Top 5 Reasons Not To Shop At Wal-Mart
1. American Wal-Mart Employees Are Exploited.
2. Wal-Mart's Low Prices Are The Result Of Human Misery.
3. Wal-Mart Forces Its Unethical Practices On Its 65,000 Suppliers.
4. Wal-Mart Destroys Local Communities.
5. Wal-Mart Is Not Accountable.
1. AMERICAN WAL-MART EMPLOYEES ARE EXPLOITED:
* "Full-Time" (actually 28 hours/week) employees only gross $11,000 a year,
on average.
* Health benefits are available only after two years, but premiums are so
high only 38% of employees can afford it.
* Even discussing working conditions or unionization will result in
retaliation and firing.
* There is "a harsh, anti-woman culture in which complaints go unanswered
and the women who make them are targeted for retaliation." (Quote taken
from a national class-action suit against Wal-Mart.)
2. WAL-MART'S LOW PRICES ARE THE RESULT OF HUMAN MISERY:
* 13-16 hour days molding, assembling, and painting toys, 7 days a week; 20
hour days in the peak season.
* Workers are paid 13 cents/hour wages in China: the minimum wage is
31 cents.
* There is no health or safety enforcement: constant headaches and nausea
from chemical fumes, indoor temperatures above 100 degrees F, rampant
repetitive stress disorder, no protective clothing available.
* Most employees are young women or teenage girls.
3. WAL-MART FORCES ITS UNETHICAL PRACTICES ON ITS 65,000 SUPPLIERS:
* Suppliers have to open their accounting books to Wal-Mart executives so
they can cut "unnecessary expenses" like unionized workers, health
benefits, and American-made products.
* Suppliers are forced to move facilities to China and other low production
cost nations to meet Wal-Mart's demands.
* Competitors are also forced to abandon customer service while slashing
employee wages and moving production to foreign sweat shops to remain
competitive.
4. WAL-MART DESTROYS LOCAL COMMUNITIES:
* Wal-Mart stores average 200,000 feet in size: more than 4 football fields
and destroying any sense of community or character where they are located.
* By pricing items below cost they crush local retailers. Once they hold a
monopoly in the market they raise prices.
* Three good jobs are destroyed for every two Wal-Mart jobs created.
* Instead of business profits being reinvested in the community they are
shipped to Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.
5. WAL-MART IS NOT ACCOUNTABLE:
* The media won't report negatively about Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart would
pull its huge advertising budget.
* The 535 members of Congress have no power compared to Wal-Mart's
global reach: Wal-Mart does not have to answer to American voters, just
it's stockholders who are seeking unethical profit.
* Wal-Mart is radically remaking our labor standards and local economies
by stifling debate, suppressing knowledge, and not asking our consent.
I researched this Spring '03, so all facts are current as of Fall '02 - Spring '03:
Top 5 Reasons Not To Shop At Wal-Mart
1. American Wal-Mart Employees Are Exploited.
2. Wal-Mart's Low Prices Are The Result Of Human Misery.
3. Wal-Mart Forces Its Unethical Practices On Its 65,000 Suppliers.
4. Wal-Mart Destroys Local Communities.
5. Wal-Mart Is Not Accountable.
1. AMERICAN WAL-MART EMPLOYEES ARE EXPLOITED:
* "Full-Time" (actually 28 hours/week) employees only gross $11,000 a year,
on average.
* Health benefits are available only after two years, but premiums are so
high only 38% of employees can afford it.
* Even discussing working conditions or unionization will result in
retaliation and firing.
* There is "a harsh, anti-woman culture in which complaints go unanswered
and the women who make them are targeted for retaliation." (Quote taken
from a national class-action suit against Wal-Mart.)
2. WAL-MART'S LOW PRICES ARE THE RESULT OF HUMAN MISERY:
* 13-16 hour days molding, assembling, and painting toys, 7 days a week; 20
hour days in the peak season.
* Workers are paid 13 cents/hour wages in China: the minimum wage is
31 cents.
* There is no health or safety enforcement: constant headaches and nausea
from chemical fumes, indoor temperatures above 100 degrees F, rampant
repetitive stress disorder, no protective clothing available.
* Most employees are young women or teenage girls.
3. WAL-MART FORCES ITS UNETHICAL PRACTICES ON ITS 65,000 SUPPLIERS:
* Suppliers have to open their accounting books to Wal-Mart executives so
they can cut "unnecessary expenses" like unionized workers, health
benefits, and American-made products.
* Suppliers are forced to move facilities to China and other low production
cost nations to meet Wal-Mart's demands.
* Competitors are also forced to abandon customer service while slashing
employee wages and moving production to foreign sweat shops to remain
competitive.
4. WAL-MART DESTROYS LOCAL COMMUNITIES:
* Wal-Mart stores average 200,000 feet in size: more than 4 football fields
and destroying any sense of community or character where they are located.
* By pricing items below cost they crush local retailers. Once they hold a
monopoly in the market they raise prices.
* Three good jobs are destroyed for every two Wal-Mart jobs created.
* Instead of business profits being reinvested in the community they are
shipped to Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.
5. WAL-MART IS NOT ACCOUNTABLE:
* The media won't report negatively about Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart would
pull its huge advertising budget.
* The 535 members of Congress have no power compared to Wal-Mart's
global reach: Wal-Mart does not have to answer to American voters, just
it's stockholders who are seeking unethical profit.
* Wal-Mart is radically remaking our labor standards and local economies
by stifling debate, suppressing knowledge, and not asking our consent.
Bad Santa was as close to a perfect movie as I've seen in a long time. It stayed true to itself, managed to be funny, thoughtful, and obscene all at once, and the characters and plot developed while still having plenty of action and slapstick.
LotR: RotK was second in my book. I'm a geek who reads the book every year. Yet somehow I don't hold the book or its author up as holy items beyond reproach or critique. Peter Jackson has done a marvelous, magnificent thing with these three movies and I hope he wins some awards this year (best director, screenplay, and/or movie) from the big shows like Oscar and Globe. I find the nitpicks humorous and interesting as pieces of trivia, but feel sad about and pity towards those who get up in a bunch about minor inconsistencies, mistakes, and additions/omissions in such a masterpiece.
My guilty pleasure this year was The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It was much better than all the reviews led me to believe. I actually enjoyed it more than X2 by a large margin. It was a fun action movie with really cool steam-punk technology and "magical" mythical heroes. What's not to like?
My biggest disappointments were the Matrix sequals. WTF happened? Jackson did it right and the Wachowskis did not. My personal theory is that if the Wachowskis had been given the opporunity to shoot the three all at once The Matrix would be held up as a peer to LotR. The huge delay between The Matrix and Reloaded caused all kinds of subtle problems and gave the brothers too much time to think about the screenplay. Sometimes less is more.
My happiest moment was when I discovered how to rip DVDs I rent to my hard disk. Then I burn those rips onto SVCDs to pass around to my friends as cheap Christmas presents.
God bless us, every pirate!
That means it should have all of my annoyances worked out sometime in 2006!
DivX isn't really DivX anymore is it?
;) video codec it started as. Now it's basically MPEG-4, versus DVD which is MPEG-2.
I mean it's not the proprietary, pirated
This move isn't surprising to me, because I'd expect the movie industry to use the latest Standard once it became mature.
And if they have a solution ready to go, why would they reinvent the wheel?
I'm sure the next generations of DVD players will support DivX encoded discs, just as DVD players eventually came to support MP3, WMA, VCD, and CDR/RW.
I might be betraying my ignorance of, and apathy towards, video. Excuse me if that's the case.
Assume you aren't a Matrix worshipping fanboy.
If you hear about the major plot twists you've lost probably the biggest motivation for going to see this release in the theater.
"Oh, that's what the matrix is? Guess I'll wait for the DVD."
I'm betting there are some huge plot twists, and they don't want the ending spoiled for anyone because they had to wait three months to see the film.
Wasn't the T2 just released, literally, a couple months ago?
Why would they release an update to it now? To cause consumer confusion?
I don't believe the general public (of which I am a member) thinks of their PDAs as they think of their desktop or laptop computers.
A PDA is more a consumer electronic device than a computer, and as such should have a much slower product update cycle.
The T3 is not that different from the T2, definetly not enough to justify a completely new device short months after the original was released.
Maybe, maybe if it cost less I could some justification. As it is I would have rather seen the T2's price drop.
I've been on large, frozen lakes before ice-fishing when they split. I forget the technical term, but basically a huge, long crack appears out of nowhere with a horrifying sound. (Devils Lake, ND is the second largest closed basin lake in North America, after the Great Salt Lake. When Devils Lake splits you don't want to be near it. I was on it when it happened a few years ago, and I damn near literally shit my pants.)
I can't even imagine the terror of an entire ice shelf splitting. The reuters article doesn't mention if this was a slow or fast occurance.
Even scarier, we're several thousand years past due on the next ice age. This "global warming" thing could actually be the precursor to the beginning of the next, depending on which cadre of scientists you believe.
...OS X 10.3 to ship preinstalled.
.1, .1 to .2, 9 to any 10.x) upgrades to work on their G4s.
About that time the major quirks will be worked out of the G5 desktop hardware and it'll be safe to run Panther on. I've heard many stories (vocal minority, yada yada) with bad endings about people trying to get OS X (10.0 to
I'm drooling heavily over the dual-G5, but I'm not going to buy it without the new OS.
I really hate upgrading operating systems. It's a safe bet you'll have a smoother experience with the new software by just installing it from scratch.
Or better yet, having the manufacturer install it for you.
I've been building my Classical and Jazz collections over the past couple years. (Let's hear it for Van Cliburn playing Tchaikovsky!Jazz at Massey Hall anyone?)I buy online, mostly at Amazon.
It's very rare I pay more than $12 a CD. Even two disc albums rarely cost more than $20.
When I do pick up a popular CD I haven't paid more than $14 that I can remember. (Can't wait for the new Seal album!)
I don't know where people are buying their popular music. In brick 'n' mortar stores? In the year 2003?
I mean, look at Amazon's top sellers list. Most albums are between $12 and $13 already. Shipping is free if you buy $25 worth of stuff. You only pay taxes if you live in Washington or North Dakota. Why would you not buy your music there?
If you do go to a physical store, Target has many chart topping albums for $10. Last time I browsed the racks there I didn't see anything over $14. No shipping charges, obviously, but state and local sales taxes apply.
If you have a job I don't know how you can seriously complain about the price of CDs. I really don't get what the story is here.
[Note: Say what you will, Amazon does everything right when it comes to buying stuff on the web.]
I have had a Nex II from Frontier Labs for the past 2+ years. It's a sweet device that stores music on Compact Flash cards.
Their latest player is the Nex ia:
Compact Flash Storage
Plays MP3 and WMA
FM Radio Player
FM Radio & Voice Recording
Can be used as USB Hard Drive
And several other very nice things
I really like my Nex II. If it broke tomorrow I'd get a Nex ia rather than an iPod. Honestly. It's smaller, lighter, holds as much music as I want, and is just as stylish (if not more so) than the iPod.
Just a very happy customer.
Why aren't they waiting for the Xserve update? Rhetorical question, but still...
I haven't seen one, but it looks like the PowerMac G5s are about 4U wide. 1100 x 4U = 4400U / 42 per rack ~= 105 racks.
Not only is this going to take up an enormous amount of room, but the power and cooling requirements are going to be crazy as well. And they don't have rails so getting them in the racks, and working on them once in the rack, is going to be a PITA.
1100 G5 Xserves would need only about 25 racks. Many fewer UPSes and A/C units to power in each rack. Much easier to install and work on.
I know Apple is gung-ho about this validating their "Fastest PC Ever" claims. But it seems a little poorly thought out on the University's part even if they got a sweet up-front price on the machines. Remember: the system price is a small part of TCO.
I think the problem Microsoft is running into is one of finding areas that need so much improvement they can get away with charging for it.
I personally think Windows 2000 Professional is a damn fine operating system. I run it at home and my workplace has standardized with 2K.
XP Pro added nothing of note except more onerous licensing conditions and a confusing UI change. Everyone I've met who uses XP changed the UI back to Windows 2000. Also, the only reason they use XP over 2K is because XP came with their new, name brand computer.
Really, what does Microsoft add to, change about, or remove from its desktop operating system to make it worth upgrading?
b) Don't send money to the RIAA
Not from your purchase of a used CD. But the RIAA already got their money from the original purchaser.
You've kept your money from them, but it's not like they didn't get anything from your purchase.
How are they going to afford the massive hardware and bandwidth costs associated with running a tier 1 search engine?
Seriously. June and July in North Dakota are gorgeous.
The sun shines, the temp stays in that perfect 70 - 80 degree (F) range, the humidity is low, everything is green and beautiful, and the residents are all super friendly.
The central part of the state, especially the north-central part, is wonderful for bird watching. North Dakota is the central flyway for most bird's migrations. (This bed and breakfast will put you up nicely. I've been there and the host is a great man with tons of stories who can guide you around. Even has Internet and Digital Cable!)
Devils Lake, Lake Sakakawea, and the Missouri River are great fishing and boating spots. The city of Washburn on the Missouri River has the Lewis and Clarke interpret center. This is a must see where you can learn about their epic voyage through the Louisiana Purchase.
The Bad Lands in south-west North Dakota feature epic, rugged scenery. The city of Medora is a must see with its Musical and pitch-fork fondue.
The Maah Daah Hey trail that connects the north and south units of the Theodore Rooselvelt National Park is one of the top five in the nation. Great for backpacking, biking, or horseback riding. If you don't do anything else in ND, travel this trail.
If you can't make it here during June or July you need to stop by in January. If you are lucky you'll get hit by one of our world famous blizzards. Unforgettable.
How much work do you want to do during the holiday season?
For retail sellers, that is their busiest time. For much of the service industry, ditto. Manufacturers look forward to it as the post-crunch season when they can take a breath. IT companies' management have lives (if not the grunts) and take this time to spend with family.
Plus there is a lot of work involved in drawing up end-of-year financial reports. The accounts need to get the data together and then check, check, check it before creating the reports. Management needs to analyze the reports and compare them to past performance and industry trends to figure out how the company is actually doing. Marketing and Sales need to figure out how to spin the reports to the press and investors.
So bottom line, this corporate financial stuff is hard work. No one wants to do hard work during the holiday season. Companies are allowed by law to use a fiscal year that is different, shifted from, a calendar year.
Hope that answers your question. If not, you may want to check out a Fundamentals of Accounting class at your local University.
Do a Google search for CD Duplicator.
You can get a brand-new autoloading CD Duplicator (either attached to your PC or standalone) for $1500. It will also print and attach the labels.
You can probably find something used on eBay.
It seems to me that $1500 - $2000 is a worthwhile investment if it 1) avoids pissed off fans whose CDs won't play because of errors caused doing this by hand, 2) saves hours wasted in front of a PC, and 3) gives a pro-quality image to the band.
How much trading do you have to do to before you draw attention to yourself?
Is downloading a catchy tune I heard on the local Clear Channel station gonna get me busted? What if I share it after downloading?
Will I have the RIAA coming after me for downloading (and then sharing) the latest Billboard Top 20 Dance/Club tracks?
Or does it take me downloading Blender's "500 albums I must own before I die" and then sharing those to the world?
Exactly how much can I get away with?
It seems these kids must be doing something incredibly stupid to get the RIAA coming down on them when there must be many millions of people sharing at a given moment.