You raise some interesting points, but RTFA - he likes martial arts and demonstrated some moves for the news reporter. Cross motor-coordination issues off your list. The last video game I played was COD: World at War. The AI was not really that unpredictable. This kid's teacher mentions that he can see easily through complexities, which probably includes lousy video game AI. If anything, the games are probably too easy or simplistic for him and he thus derives no pleasure from them. Without the pleasure quotient, video games aren't really very useful.
There are apparently different IQ tests, and the raw scores can't really be compared - the percentile you fall in is more important than the raw score: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensa_International
Not really - it doesn't make sense for the state to put productive, tax revenue generating individuals into prison so they can lay railroad tracks or pave roads for free. There obviously comes a point of diminished returns. Also, despite the economic incentive, I doubt people who haven't broken any laws will be put in jail.
And the fact that your post is modded -1 flamebait is evidence of the rest of the world hating YOU...Yes, incredibly, I want prisoners, who are being kept alive, fed, clothed, and sheltered via my tax dollars, put to work. I'm not just referring to this particular group of "terrorists", but all prisoners. Like I mentioned in my original post, I have no idea if this particular group of prisoners poses any real threat or if they deserve to be imprisoned, that is a separate issue. Maybe your opinion will change when you wake up to the smell of burning skyscrapers in your city...
Let's see - shelter, fast food, phone access, and now computers. Yep, I'd say that makes their living conditions better than just about every homeless person in America. This must make the millions of recently unemployed Americans feel ever so special. Sorry to be cynical, and I have virtually no idea if these guys actually pose a real threat or not, but am I the only one that thinks prisoners should be put to work to offset some of that tax money being wasted on keeping them alive?
We recently had an NTFS drive on one of our Dell servers go partially bad. Windows wouldn't boot or read it. I had limited success using various Linux Live distros along with tools like PhotoRec (http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec) since the drive was part of a Windows logical raid array. Don't be fooled by the website, the tool works for all kinds of files, not just photos, on various file system types. In the end, someone I work with suggested putting the drive in a ziplock bag and freezing it for a few hours. The rest of us were skeptical, but were also at our wit's end trying to recover the files from this drive, so we tried it. Amazingly, we were able to boot the drive normally and recover the needed files before it got back up to normal operating temperature and failed again.
Universal is laughable in this context, especially in the USA. If the radio works with GSM carriers like AT&T, then it won't work on Verizon and Sprint's EVDO network, and vice versa. Even among GSM carriers the carrier frequencies may vary (which is why you need a "quad band" phone if you want it to work everywhere in the world).
I think I'll take my chances with a Netbook/OS that supports multiple cards, instead of being locked into one carrier's service/device/app store etc. If you think they'll sell it to you without first locking it down to work only on their network, you're probably wrong...
I am less concerned with the OS than with the increased battery life/less weight in a device like this. As long as the OS supports mobile broadband cards from the major wireless carriers and some basic apps like web browsing and an office suite, I'd be happy.
I had a pair of Maxtor HDDs running in a raid 1 config for just over 3 years before 1 of them failed. The warranty period of the drives: 3 years. The machine was powered on 24x7x365 and typically used for streaming mp3s or as a remote desktop for around 8 hrs/day, the rest of the time it was probably close to idle. My point is that your experience of having 1 HDD last 8 years is no more of a valid indicator of average life than my singular case. If my machine was powered off for a few days a week, the drives would probably have lasted longer. I believe the warranty period of a HDD is a good indicator of how long it will reliably last, since if more then 10% (or 1 of 10) of drives sold are returned under warranty, it starts to become unprofitable for the company making the HDDs. Most modern HDDs come with a 3 or 5 year warranty, beyond that amount of time, I would not expect them to work reliably. If I'm doing anything critical or important with those drives, then a 1 in 10 chance of failure is probably not something I want to deal with, and I'd replace them exactly when the warranty period expires. If I'm just casually using some old machine for stuff, and my important data is backed up elsewhere, then I'd probably let the drive run until it failed.
I'd be content with neither one close by - my (at the time) 1 year old Subaru received a $9000 hit from a drunk driver who had stumbled out of a bar down the street from my in laws' house.
I kind of hold a similar position on the issue, until I think of where they would open up these franchises if they were completely legal...all joking aside, I probably wouldn't want one of these places anywhere near my house, including the local shopping center.
So should men get in a similar uproar about video games/movies that advertise violence/sex?
Let's look at this week's top box office movies:
Star Trek
XMen
Angels & Demons
Violence/sex sells, obviously. Clearly there is a similar selling trend for pink doodads and females, otherwise Dell wouldn't have bothered, right?
I worked on the software for a Motorola unit that used Qt UI framework. What is interesting is that Moto moved away from Qt when one of their major competitors (Nokia) bought Trolltech (the company that makes Qt). Two years later they open source it, I don't quite get it...
Indeed, that is an interesting consideration - I suppose there is also a slightly higher design cost associated with the S, since it has more gadgets stuffed inside than the C. But consider that these auto manufacturers are not reinventing the wheel every time they release a "new" model. It is an evolutionary and iterative process, with very small changes happening from year to year. The design is most likely done by free hand drawing and then in a computer aided design environment. They already know what kind of suspension tuning will yield that MB ride quality, and what kind of windshield angle, shape, etc. will increase/reduce wind noise. There is probably less and less real world prototyping done as computers are able to model and simulate things better. Furthermore, another thing auto manufacturers like to do is design chassis, engines, transmissions, etc. that can be used in the widest range of models possible, to reduce design costs. That is why the same engine/trans is used in both "AMG" models. And probably why the S class chassis is also underpinning a large MB SUV, and the C class chassis is probably underpinning some of their coupes or small SUVs. Toyota/Lexus is actually a better example of this as their 3.5 Liter V6 is used in the Toyota Camry, Avalon, Rav4, Highlander, 4 Runner, Sienna, and Lexus IS 350, GS350, ES350, and RX350. A Lexus RX350 is a Toyota Highlander in a nicer suit. The Highlander, in addition to not looking as nice, probably lacks a few high end features. The Lexus costs about 25% more. The margins are definitely higher for the Lexus considering both vehicles use the same engine, transmission, chassis, etc. I would tend to disagree with the gov't taxes example. I don't think the Lexus customers are paying for the design costs of the Toyota. I think it's more something along the lines of, hey, we have this engine, transmission, and chassis that would make a great luxury SUV, we just need a more attractive skin and some high end features like adaptive headlights and a fancy navigation system, and we could sell our fancy SUV at a Lexus price even though its made of Toyota priced parts.
With all due respect, no, he did not create the requirements. But, if he was intelligent enough to write the code, he had to understand what it was doing was basically not good, to put it mildly. Seems like the devil got an awful lot of mileage from that $100,000 salary.
Indeed - anyone with a grain of common sense would quickly realize that making a bunch of loans to people that normally could not get or afford them is a bad idea. What is perhaps worse is creating investment vehicles based on those loans and amplifying the effects when, surprise, the people you loaned the money to can't pay it back.
Some argued that Wolfram is not exactly like Google, but regardless, I think competition in this space and elsewhere is a good thing. I know a lot of people like Google, I am one of them. But, to quote a relevant cliche, "absolute power corrupts absolutely". There has to be something or someone keeping profit driven enterprises honest, whether we're talking about search engines or operating systems...
Agreed for the wine...
As for the cars:
2009 C63 AMG: $56,000
2009 S63 AMG: $131,350
Now, both of these cars have the same engine/transmission and likely similar suspension components. The major difference is that the S63 is about 10% bigger (using vehicle length as a guide since width and height are nearly the same) and probably has some fancy features like moving headlights and active cruise control. Let's be generous and say it has 25% more parts and labor in it than the C63, even though it is only 10% bigger and likely only has about 10% more parts and labor in it. Look at the cost disparity...the S63 is more than double the price, please don't try to tell me you think most of the $131,350 is parts and labor, it just doesn't add up.
And I, a city dweller, when venturing outside the metro area, will be happy when my high speed data services, for which I have paid a premium, no longer work? It's tough to justify paying for a service that doesn't work in the majority of land area, because let's face it, most of the US is suburban/rural, not cities.
You are correct however, that is how Cingular/ATT rolled out 3G service, first to cities, then surrounding regions. But it took much longer to get everyone 3G service than it did in Japan, and it will always take longer for the US to have complete coverage of a certain technology for this reason.
1) I called the car stupid, not any particular person. If you feel stupid for buying one, sorry.
2) I never said a Ford Festiva has the "same performance and quality of parts". I simply mentioned that the S-Class may not be worth the sum of its parts and labor.
3)
You can actually buy mechanical parts that have higher tolerances
Why don't you go buy yourself an engineering degree, because the last time I checked, higher tolerances means a given part has a HIGHER variance in its dimensions and will generally fit together with other parts much worse than a part with LOWER tolerances.
Please, enlighten yourself before claiming others don't know what they're talking about: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolerance_(engineering) (see definition 4 and "Mechanical Component Tolerance", as these relate directly to automotive manufacturing)
Do you really think there are $90,000 worth of parts and labor in an S-Class Mercedes (does the S stand for stupid, or stinking rich, or both)? Also, when I go to a restaurant and order a $60 bottle of wine, it makes me feel bad when I see that same bottle in Bottle King for $12...
and it costs a lot less to upgrade their entire cell network, even if they are using vastly more expensive technology.
In fact, Japan land area: 377,835 square km
USA land area: 7,689,027 square km - you can fit quite a few Japans inside the USA.
This is the prime reason why US cell networks are so slow to get the latest and greatest...
I had just bought all the materials I need to wire my house up with cat6 and a gigabit switch, because I'm tired of getting kicked off of xboxlive when my wife decides to stream music over our shared wireless connection...
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When I was in grammar/high school I would refer to my notes way more frequently than the textbook...
You raise some interesting points, but RTFA - he likes martial arts and demonstrated some moves for the news reporter. Cross motor-coordination issues off your list. The last video game I played was COD: World at War. The AI was not really that unpredictable. This kid's teacher mentions that he can see easily through complexities, which probably includes lousy video game AI. If anything, the games are probably too easy or simplistic for him and he thus derives no pleasure from them. Without the pleasure quotient, video games aren't really very useful.
There are apparently different IQ tests, and the raw scores can't really be compared - the percentile you fall in is more important than the raw score: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensa_International
Not really - it doesn't make sense for the state to put productive, tax revenue generating individuals into prison so they can lay railroad tracks or pave roads for free. There obviously comes a point of diminished returns. Also, despite the economic incentive, I doubt people who haven't broken any laws will be put in jail.
And the fact that your post is modded -1 flamebait is evidence of the rest of the world hating YOU...Yes, incredibly, I want prisoners, who are being kept alive, fed, clothed, and sheltered via my tax dollars, put to work. I'm not just referring to this particular group of "terrorists", but all prisoners. Like I mentioned in my original post, I have no idea if this particular group of prisoners poses any real threat or if they deserve to be imprisoned, that is a separate issue. Maybe your opinion will change when you wake up to the smell of burning skyscrapers in your city...
Let's see - shelter, fast food, phone access, and now computers. Yep, I'd say that makes their living conditions better than just about every homeless person in America. This must make the millions of recently unemployed Americans feel ever so special. Sorry to be cynical, and I have virtually no idea if these guys actually pose a real threat or not, but am I the only one that thinks prisoners should be put to work to offset some of that tax money being wasted on keeping them alive?
We recently had an NTFS drive on one of our Dell servers go partially bad. Windows wouldn't boot or read it. I had limited success using various Linux Live distros along with tools like PhotoRec (http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec) since the drive was part of a Windows logical raid array. Don't be fooled by the website, the tool works for all kinds of files, not just photos, on various file system types. In the end, someone I work with suggested putting the drive in a ziplock bag and freezing it for a few hours. The rest of us were skeptical, but were also at our wit's end trying to recover the files from this drive, so we tried it. Amazingly, we were able to boot the drive normally and recover the needed files before it got back up to normal operating temperature and failed again.
Universal is laughable in this context, especially in the USA. If the radio works with GSM carriers like AT&T, then it won't work on Verizon and Sprint's EVDO network, and vice versa. Even among GSM carriers the carrier frequencies may vary (which is why you need a "quad band" phone if you want it to work everywhere in the world).
I think I'll take my chances with a Netbook/OS that supports multiple cards, instead of being locked into one carrier's service/device/app store etc. If you think they'll sell it to you without first locking it down to work only on their network, you're probably wrong...
I am less concerned with the OS than with the increased battery life/less weight in a device like this. As long as the OS supports mobile broadband cards from the major wireless carriers and some basic apps like web browsing and an office suite, I'd be happy.
I had a pair of Maxtor HDDs running in a raid 1 config for just over 3 years before 1 of them failed. The warranty period of the drives: 3 years. The machine was powered on 24x7x365 and typically used for streaming mp3s or as a remote desktop for around 8 hrs/day, the rest of the time it was probably close to idle. My point is that your experience of having 1 HDD last 8 years is no more of a valid indicator of average life than my singular case. If my machine was powered off for a few days a week, the drives would probably have lasted longer. I believe the warranty period of a HDD is a good indicator of how long it will reliably last, since if more then 10% (or 1 of 10) of drives sold are returned under warranty, it starts to become unprofitable for the company making the HDDs. Most modern HDDs come with a 3 or 5 year warranty, beyond that amount of time, I would not expect them to work reliably. If I'm doing anything critical or important with those drives, then a 1 in 10 chance of failure is probably not something I want to deal with, and I'd replace them exactly when the warranty period expires. If I'm just casually using some old machine for stuff, and my important data is backed up elsewhere, then I'd probably let the drive run until it failed.
I'd be content with neither one close by - my (at the time) 1 year old Subaru received a $9000 hit from a drunk driver who had stumbled out of a bar down the street from my in laws' house.
I kind of hold a similar position on the issue, until I think of where they would open up these franchises if they were completely legal...all joking aside, I probably wouldn't want one of these places anywhere near my house, including the local shopping center.
So should men get in a similar uproar about video games/movies that advertise violence/sex?
Let's look at this week's top box office movies:
Star Trek
XMen
Angels & Demons
Violence/sex sells, obviously. Clearly there is a similar selling trend for pink doodads and females, otherwise Dell wouldn't have bothered, right?
I worked on the software for a Motorola unit that used Qt UI framework. What is interesting is that Moto moved away from Qt when one of their major competitors (Nokia) bought Trolltech (the company that makes Qt). Two years later they open source it, I don't quite get it...
Indeed, that is an interesting consideration - I suppose there is also a slightly higher design cost associated with the S, since it has more gadgets stuffed inside than the C. But consider that these auto manufacturers are not reinventing the wheel every time they release a "new" model. It is an evolutionary and iterative process, with very small changes happening from year to year. The design is most likely done by free hand drawing and then in a computer aided design environment. They already know what kind of suspension tuning will yield that MB ride quality, and what kind of windshield angle, shape, etc. will increase/reduce wind noise. There is probably less and less real world prototyping done as computers are able to model and simulate things better. Furthermore, another thing auto manufacturers like to do is design chassis, engines, transmissions, etc. that can be used in the widest range of models possible, to reduce design costs. That is why the same engine/trans is used in both "AMG" models. And probably why the S class chassis is also underpinning a large MB SUV, and the C class chassis is probably underpinning some of their coupes or small SUVs. Toyota/Lexus is actually a better example of this as their 3.5 Liter V6 is used in the Toyota Camry, Avalon, Rav4, Highlander, 4 Runner, Sienna, and Lexus IS 350, GS350, ES350, and RX350. A Lexus RX350 is a Toyota Highlander in a nicer suit. The Highlander, in addition to not looking as nice, probably lacks a few high end features. The Lexus costs about 25% more. The margins are definitely higher for the Lexus considering both vehicles use the same engine, transmission, chassis, etc. I would tend to disagree with the gov't taxes example. I don't think the Lexus customers are paying for the design costs of the Toyota. I think it's more something along the lines of, hey, we have this engine, transmission, and chassis that would make a great luxury SUV, we just need a more attractive skin and some high end features like adaptive headlights and a fancy navigation system, and we could sell our fancy SUV at a Lexus price even though its made of Toyota priced parts.
With all due respect, no, he did not create the requirements. But, if he was intelligent enough to write the code, he had to understand what it was doing was basically not good, to put it mildly. Seems like the devil got an awful lot of mileage from that $100,000 salary.
Indeed - anyone with a grain of common sense would quickly realize that making a bunch of loans to people that normally could not get or afford them is a bad idea. What is perhaps worse is creating investment vehicles based on those loans and amplifying the effects when, surprise, the people you loaned the money to can't pay it back.
Not exactly a "classic", but then again quantum is a relatively new field of study.
Some argued that Wolfram is not exactly like Google, but regardless, I think competition in this space and elsewhere is a good thing. I know a lot of people like Google, I am one of them. But, to quote a relevant cliche, "absolute power corrupts absolutely". There has to be something or someone keeping profit driven enterprises honest, whether we're talking about search engines or operating systems...
Agreed for the wine...
As for the cars:
2009 C63 AMG: $56,000
2009 S63 AMG: $131,350
Now, both of these cars have the same engine/transmission and likely similar suspension components. The major difference is that the S63 is about 10% bigger (using vehicle length as a guide since width and height are nearly the same) and probably has some fancy features like moving headlights and active cruise control. Let's be generous and say it has 25% more parts and labor in it than the C63, even though it is only 10% bigger and likely only has about 10% more parts and labor in it. Look at the cost disparity...the S63 is more than double the price, please don't try to tell me you think most of the $131,350 is parts and labor, it just doesn't add up.
And I, a city dweller, when venturing outside the metro area, will be happy when my high speed data services, for which I have paid a premium, no longer work? It's tough to justify paying for a service that doesn't work in the majority of land area, because let's face it, most of the US is suburban/rural, not cities.
You are correct however, that is how Cingular/ATT rolled out 3G service, first to cities, then surrounding regions. But it took much longer to get everyone 3G service than it did in Japan, and it will always take longer for the US to have complete coverage of a certain technology for this reason.
2) I never said a Ford Festiva has the "same performance and quality of parts". I simply mentioned that the S-Class may not be worth the sum of its parts and labor.
3)
You can actually buy mechanical parts that have higher tolerances
Why don't you go buy yourself an engineering degree, because the last time I checked, higher tolerances means a given part has a HIGHER variance in its dimensions and will generally fit together with other parts much worse than a part with LOWER tolerances.
Please, enlighten yourself before claiming others don't know what they're talking about: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tolerance_(engineering)
(see definition 4 and "Mechanical Component Tolerance", as these relate directly to automotive manufacturing)
Furthermore, Ford's Crown Victoria (large sedan) got a better Overall JD Power & Associates Dependability rating than the S-Class.
http://autos.yahoo.com/2004_mercedes_benz_s_class_s430_sedan-ratings/
http://autos.yahoo.com/2004_ford_crown_victoria_standard-ratings/
Now, go back to listening to your music via your "high quality" Monster cables...
Do you really think there are $90,000 worth of parts and labor in an S-Class Mercedes (does the S stand for stupid, or stinking rich, or both)? Also, when I go to a restaurant and order a $60 bottle of wine, it makes me feel bad when I see that same bottle in Bottle King for $12...
and it costs a lot less to upgrade their entire cell network, even if they are using vastly more expensive technology.
In fact, Japan land area: 377,835 square km
USA land area: 7,689,027 square km - you can fit quite a few Japans inside the USA.
This is the prime reason why US cell networks are so slow to get the latest and greatest...
I had just bought all the materials I need to wire my house up with cat6 and a gigabit switch, because I'm tired of getting kicked off of xboxlive when my wife decides to stream music over our shared wireless connection...