You might not have athletic ability but had you been really passionate about something from an early age and worked your ass off at becoming good at it (be it acting, sports, rally, whatever) you might just have been among the best in the world right now!
My point was that it was funny that the GP used the wording "little perks" as if athletes (or actors or anyone else who excels at something) are born with some magical property completely unattainable for the rest of us mere mortals. That, in my opinion, belittles people who have actually made something of their passion and shows an incredible lack of respect for other people's hard work and dedication.
The comparison wasn't between a pro athlete and a gamer who plays to gain advantages. The comparison was of the differences between "average joe"->"pro athlete" and the differences between "non-paying gamer"->"paying gamer".
Now go get some sleep so you can post something coherently when you come back.;)
I find it pretty hilarious how you refer to the difference between a professional athlete and "joe sixpack" as "little perks", rather than years and years of grueling, exhausting training, dieting, money invested and all the things a pro athlete has had to down-prioritize to make time for all their training, compared to putting in an average effort in the few things one has to do, working an average job, sitting in an average couch watching average TV programming, eating average Doritos and burgers, drinking average beer and being just about averagely overweight. =P
On topic though, I personally prefer monthly subscriptions to micro-transactions. I started playing The Ninja-Rpg a couple of years back and although I don't know the games state now, back then it was a horrible mush of amateur code running like a sloth with easily 10-12 db queries per pageview. Still, there was character progression and a very rudimentary duel system so I played. I even payed for a few stat-regenerating abilities and such to get an advantage over my friend who also played (which resulted in him doing the same). We both spend at least $40 on that game, and mind you, that was the most horrible game either of us have ever played (not counting Flash games etc.)!
Micro-transactions aren't evil. In fact, I will gladly implement and use them when I get my head out of my ass and finally slap together some online game with enough polish to actually publish. Why? Because the game is still "free to play", but everyone will think "Well, if I spend these measly $5 this once, I can beat the crap out of $friend!", resulting in teh moneyz and grins and giggles for whatever developer has put hundreds of hours into this project.
I'm inclined to disagree that the magic in the works of Tolkien feels like technology (the beauty if "feeling" things, eh? We are both right!). Technology, to me, implies utility and while Gandalf's fireworks (and Sauron's abuse thereof) are certainly "Wizard domain", it's not magic. Magic is when Gandalf battles the Balrog, or when he is sent back with his proper rank. This part of the magic is never explained in any logical fashion. Valar, Maiar and Elves simply have the power of spirit to do things the lesser races cannot comprehend, much as us humans have hands and can do stuff a snake would be quite puzzled by (assuming any cognitive function =P).
Aaaanyhow, have you read WoT or any of Brandon Sanderson's work? I hardly ever read anything non-technical until I started the WoT series, then delved into LotR, The Hobbit Children of Hurin and Silmarillion. At the moment, The Hobbit is the only of the books I have only read once. Most highly recommended!
I always wanted stuff explained, both in fiction and in life. "It's magic" never worked for me.
Then you should read Wheel of Time by the late Robert Jordan. "Magic" (his own personal twist) plays a central but not all-overshadowing role and is treated much like a science by the characters. I agree that magic ala "I cast lvl2 Fireball which drains my mana a bit" is boring. Compare to WoT where the characters have to learn/discover and practice different weaves consisting of "threads" of any of the traditional 5 elements, or Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker (free download on his website) and it's Awakeners, who collect "Breath" bought from the poor and use it for awakening things. Both Jordan and Sanderson have made their "magic" systems rather "sciency".
By the way, do you like Tolkien because of the way magic works in his works, or despite it? I feel he hints almost continuously at incredibly strong magic but never do you see any direct application of it in the traditional sense. No fireballs, no summonings or banishings, just people like Fëanor, Fingolfin and Gandalf who's spirits were so strong the very strength of their will could change things. Gandalf didn't cast "Flame Barrier of Anor lvl 17", he simply stated with all the force of his spirit, that the Balrog was not allowed to pass. Not much of a systemized, logical magic system there, yet you mention Tolkien as someone who explains stuff.
Ah, heh. There isn't really any content there at the moment. Just some remnants of an old silly php project. The script can't connect because I'm not running any software for it to connect to right now. Anyhow, thanks for the heads up, it's fixed now.
And btw, I don't know where you live but I don't get billed based on bandwidth usage.;)
Same with binoculars and telescopic camera lenses. Doesn't make them illegal. In fact, I'd gladly argue that in a system like the one suggested, it is easy to keep track of who sees what camera and who reports what. To do the same with binoculars or telescopic lenses, you'd need far more sophisticated tracking applied to anyone who might own either one.
Well.. from what I know of real life, there are always people out and about (especially within the opening hours of stores etc.). This person wanting to buy porn would very likely have people watching him anyways, and if those people (or some sinister stalker) for some reason felt like outing him, they probably all have camera phones and could be posting images and video online in a matter of minutes.
My point is, I don't care if this elusive "someone" is watching me when I go outside and venture into public domain, because regardless of what I do, a ton of people will be watching me anyways.
As for this being used to catch crooks, meh. I'm not in the habit of committing crime, nor am I ashamed of any of my day-to-day activities, so I really don't care if the occasional vigilante sees me walk past a camera. If a system is put in place that is peer-reviewed, doesn't bother me in the least and catches every rapist, attacker, car thief, etc. while leaving the privacy of the home intact..
Anyways, I don't see this ever becoming reality here in Norway, where the current government reduced prison times and vastly increased inmates chances of getting out early because one of their election vows was to reduce the prison queues.
In the end, these people would have no choice but to become organized. So, what happens next?
Organized pot-heads? Already happened here in Norway. They start a political party called "the environmental party The Greens" and go to political debates where their confused-looking, hemp wearing representative mostly sits around, perhaps standing up once to shout something along the lines of "Legalize cannabis!".
I get that your example was a hypothetical one but come on! Pot-heads are quite possibly the least dangerous group on the planet, no matter how hard they try to organize anything (let alone themselves!).
First, let me just say: YATTA!. With that out of my system.. I, for one, am impressed by this turn of events! Was this appeal processed high enough in the Japanese court system to set precedence for similar cases in the future?
It doesn't really come as a surprise that this crap isn't considered passable in Japan though. Don't the Japanese people generally pride themselves in being sensible, logic folk? They have the worlds strongest work morale, longest life expectancy and best quality of life for the elderly. They are a huge player in the world of economy despite being a tiny island with very little to work with in the way of traditional valuable resources (oil, coal, etc.). Why should they start letting Sony et al harass their people? IKKEEEE, JAPANESE JUDGE-SAMA!
That being said, I am a "thief". I am aware that downloading something gives the creator no income and I do believe that content creators should make money if they make something people like. However, I never buy an album simply because I know that the artist who actually did the work gets a meager percent or two of the money I spend on his stuff while the record store and certain associations get all the rest.
A carpenter might bill you $100 an hour and take home $35 (35%) with his employer claiming the rest for insurance, sick-leave and all the management and responsibility the carpenter is freed from. An album costs about $30 and the artist gets about $1-2 for each album sold (about 3-4%). Until this changes, until artists truly open their eyes to the fact that they can make the same money without the backing of a record company while charging one hell of a lot less for their works, I will not spend my money lining the pockets of RIAA/MPAA executives!
Note, I do enjoy a good concert, be it a local band or Metallica, and I go to the movies whenever something seemingly worthwhile comes along. Also, I do buy movies I really like (like the Terminator movies, LotR Extended Editions, The Matrix, a few Jackie Chan movies, Marvel superhero movies, etc.). I just don't want to spend a crapload of money on a worthless plastic disk that I cannot even copy for personal use or put on my mp3 player, with no way of knowing that I like all the content on the disk AND knowing the artist gets next to nothing for my purchase.
Well, at least you guys can go to any convenience store or gas station and buy alcohol at 1/10 the price we pay here at the liquor store and drink your sorrows away! =P
Well, thing is only NRK (and NRK2/NRK3, all equally useless) have anything to do with the government. All the remotely interesting channels have to rely on advertising to make money. With the entertainment value of the government owned channels being about equal to the commercial breaks on other channels, I'd much rather have a few minutes of commercials every 15-20 minutes (or 30-45 minutes during movies) while watching something interesting and rather spend the licensing money on a weekend in London, or Paris.
Well, thing is I like to have a TV with good channels. No, we don't have antennas but I do have a cable TV subscription and I guess they somehow get that info. Again, government overstepping it's boundaries.
Thing is, if you try to cancel it (if that is even possible), they send some fat old fart to your doorstep. You know, the kind who never did much with his life and thus thoroughly enjoys what imagined power and influence this job gives him. I didn't send in any papers to tell them I did in fact have a TV, and sure enough, an overweight, middle-aged man comes to visit to check.
Not only was he impolite and all together quite unlikable, he got someone else to let him in the front door of our old apartment complex whereupon he promptly proceeded to attempt entering our apartment on his own, without knocking!
When I unlocked and opened the door, I had to physically stand in his way as he attempted to just walk inside, right into our living room. Seeing the TV from the doorway, he proceeded with a brusque lecture about how serious this was while filling out the bill.
What makes the situation particularly infuriating is that before they changed the fee's name to "broadcasting license" it was called "NRK license", with NRK being a government owned channel with fewer voluntary viewers than goatse.cx. Good thing they changed the name, eh? This complicates things further, because if you try to contest the claim you get exactly nowhere. "Kringkastingsbyrået" (the broadcast bureau) is government owned and if you don't pay, they simply subtract what you own from your next paycheck prior to taxes. No matter what you do, the only thing you end up achieving is having 2600 NOK + 1000 NOK give or take (for the expenses involved in robbing you) subtracted from your income, and you still have to pay taxes on the full sallary!
Meaning, I make 25000 a month. They take 3600 from my paycheck, leaving me with only 21400 but still paying income tax for 25000!
This goes even if I get my TV from some private company through their fiber, and find some channel package that doesn't include the ever useless NRK. Kind of funny that I can pay some company to get the channels I want as well as rent on the fiber, and I still have to pay "broadcasting license" to the government even though they play no part in the broadcasting that takes part!
Obligatory car analogy:
A few years back we had a government owned oil company named Statoil. What they are doing with this retarded license equates to me owing Statoil money even if I buy my gas/diesel from Esso or Shell. It's highway robbery is what it is! Damn dirty PIRATES!
I have no clue how much iridium goes into the production of an LCD, but with almost every household in the western world possessing at least 1, if not 3-4 LCD monitors, won't the mainstream adaption of OLED mean there will be a significant supply of this metal?
If it takes 2 recycled LCD monitors/TV's to make a one square meter solar cell, every household could have 400W (peak) "free" renewable power. Assuming, of course, that OLED does ever get out there in significant sizes and at relatively affordable prices. I mean, I remember reading that OLED was going to revolutionize all our living rooms within 1-2 years back in 2002-2003. =/
Here in Norway the outdatedness of TV is taken to a whole other level. Over here, you can't even own a TV (or anything else with a TV tuner) without paying about $456 a year in "broadcast tax" (loosely translated)! Even if you only use your TV with your media PC, you still have to pay this broadcast tax, even though there is no actual broadcasting going on, Hell, you have a TV in your basement? What you say !! Pay up, biatch! =(
What "invasive procedure" are you referring to? As far as I know, "invasive" in medical terms means something is being done inside you, like removing your appendix. Attaching one of these sensors is no more invasive than an insulin injection.
Also, what do you mean, "constant calibration"? Measuring my blood glucose with a finger prick morning and evening seems like a retardedly low price to pay for having a log at 5 minute intervals through 3-7 days.
Yes, they measure interstitial fluids, not blood. In practice, this means that the read-out of the continuous meter might lag behind roughly 5-10 minutes. This is utterly insignificant because 10 minute delay or not, I'd still most likely feel a low before it could register it. A traditional meter though, is completely useless in the case of a low, as you can't measure continuously with it and once you notice you're going hypoglycemic, you have better things to do than measure how close to death you are. =P
Well, perhaps you aren't a type 1 with trouble regulating your blood glucose. I'd love to have one of those meters. Not as a replacement for my quick, easy Bayer Breeze 2 but as an additional tool to help me regulate. I strongly disagree with regards to the advantages of this gadgetry not being worth the price. To be able to attach one of those sensors and log and graph my levels in detail through 3-7 days perhaps once a month.. And besides, who are you to tell me what medical care is "worth the price" and what should just not be done?
Yes, there are issues with usability, price, and the fact that they lag a few minutes behind because they measure interstitial fluids. So what? Being able to graph my blood glucose levels 24/7 for a few days once in a while would give me some pretty awesome insight into how my body is doing, and how something like switching to a new (middle-slow acting) insulin would affect me.
With regards to cost, I live in one of the worlds richest countries. Our "oil fund" is at more than $438 billion USD at the moment which for a country with 4,7 million people is pretty darn decent. In addition, I pay 36% income tax (roughly $18.000 a year) as well as 24% mva on everything I buy and insane taxes on tobacco, alcohol, etc. Are you going to tell me this government can't afford to offer me that tool for management of my disease? What the hell am I giving this government half my income for?!*
You do know that preventive medicine is way cheaper than the alternative, right? No..? You must be American.
*Yes, I know that came of as naive and immature. Of course I know that I can't just choose to pay taxes when I break an arm, get cancer or it's time for my woman to give birth. Of course I know that I cost my country money. Still, the reason we do pay in the first place is so we can have free health care. I just wish that we could have a better free health care system (where I wasn't told $1000 is more than the extra years without complications that device might give me is worth), instead of being both at the top of all life quality lists and at the bottom of most European health care ratings.
There are already a few available continuous blood glucose meters available and last time I checked at least a few of them were approved by the FDA (thus covered by medical insurance in the USA).
Being a type 1 diabetic myself, I have fought to get one of these myself but the powers-that-be here in Norway seem to think there are no advantages to having your blood glucose measured every 1-2 to 5 minutes for 3-7 days (depending on which monitor you get), at least not compared to the price of these gadgets. Pretty insanely ignorant, as having this info available would let me easily have perfect blood glucose levels at all times. Hell, some of these meters even come with an optional automatic insulin pump!
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You might not have athletic ability but had you been really passionate about something from an early age and worked your ass off at becoming good at it (be it acting, sports, rally, whatever) you might just have been among the best in the world right now!
My point was that it was funny that the GP used the wording "little perks" as if athletes (or actors or anyone else who excels at something) are born with some magical property completely unattainable for the rest of us mere mortals. That, in my opinion, belittles people who have actually made something of their passion and shows an incredible lack of respect for other people's hard work and dedication.
Obligatory
What on earth are you even talking about? O.o
The comparison wasn't between a pro athlete and a gamer who plays to gain advantages. The comparison was of the differences between "average joe"->"pro athlete" and the differences between "non-paying gamer"->"paying gamer".
Now go get some sleep so you can post something coherently when you come back. ;)
I find it pretty hilarious how you refer to the difference between a professional athlete and "joe sixpack" as "little perks", rather than years and years of grueling, exhausting training, dieting, money invested and all the things a pro athlete has had to down-prioritize to make time for all their training, compared to putting in an average effort in the few things one has to do, working an average job, sitting in an average couch watching average TV programming, eating average Doritos and burgers, drinking average beer and being just about averagely overweight. =P
On topic though, I personally prefer monthly subscriptions to micro-transactions. I started playing The Ninja-Rpg a couple of years back and although I don't know the games state now, back then it was a horrible mush of amateur code running like a sloth with easily 10-12 db queries per pageview. Still, there was character progression and a very rudimentary duel system so I played. I even payed for a few stat-regenerating abilities and such to get an advantage over my friend who also played (which resulted in him doing the same). We both spend at least $40 on that game, and mind you, that was the most horrible game either of us have ever played (not counting Flash games etc.)!
Micro-transactions aren't evil. In fact, I will gladly implement and use them when I get my head out of my ass and finally slap together some online game with enough polish to actually publish. Why? Because the game is still "free to play", but everyone will think "Well, if I spend these measly $5 this once, I can beat the crap out of $friend!", resulting in teh moneyz and grins and giggles for whatever developer has put hundreds of hours into this project.
I'm inclined to disagree that the magic in the works of Tolkien feels like technology (the beauty if "feeling" things, eh? We are both right!). Technology, to me, implies utility and while Gandalf's fireworks (and Sauron's abuse thereof) are certainly "Wizard domain", it's not magic. Magic is when Gandalf battles the Balrog, or when he is sent back with his proper rank. This part of the magic is never explained in any logical fashion. Valar, Maiar and Elves simply have the power of spirit to do things the lesser races cannot comprehend, much as us humans have hands and can do stuff a snake would be quite puzzled by (assuming any cognitive function =P).
Aaaanyhow, have you read WoT or any of Brandon Sanderson's work? I hardly ever read anything non-technical until I started the WoT series, then delved into LotR, The Hobbit Children of Hurin and Silmarillion. At the moment, The Hobbit is the only of the books I have only read once. Most highly recommended!
Namárië, meldan!
I always wanted stuff explained, both in fiction and in life. "It's magic" never worked for me.
Then you should read Wheel of Time by the late Robert Jordan. "Magic" (his own personal twist) plays a central but not all-overshadowing role and is treated much like a science by the characters. I agree that magic ala "I cast lvl2 Fireball which drains my mana a bit" is boring. Compare to WoT where the characters have to learn/discover and practice different weaves consisting of "threads" of any of the traditional 5 elements, or Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker (free download on his website) and it's Awakeners, who collect "Breath" bought from the poor and use it for awakening things. Both Jordan and Sanderson have made their "magic" systems rather "sciency".
By the way, do you like Tolkien because of the way magic works in his works, or despite it? I feel he hints almost continuously at incredibly strong magic but never do you see any direct application of it in the traditional sense. No fireballs, no summonings or banishings, just people like Fëanor, Fingolfin and Gandalf who's spirits were so strong the very strength of their will could change things. Gandalf didn't cast "Flame Barrier of Anor lvl 17", he simply stated with all the force of his spirit, that the Balrog was not allowed to pass. Not much of a systemized, logical magic system there, yet you mention Tolkien as someone who explains stuff.
Ah, heh. There isn't really any content there at the moment. Just some remnants of an old silly php project. The script can't connect because I'm not running any software for it to connect to right now. Anyhow, thanks for the heads up, it's fixed now.
And btw, I don't know where you live but I don't get billed based on bandwidth usage. ;)
giggety..
Same with binoculars and telescopic camera lenses. Doesn't make them illegal. In fact, I'd gladly argue that in a system like the one suggested, it is easy to keep track of who sees what camera and who reports what. To do the same with binoculars or telescopic lenses, you'd need far more sophisticated tracking applied to anyone who might own either one.
Well.. from what I know of real life, there are always people out and about (especially within the opening hours of stores etc.). This person wanting to buy porn would very likely have people watching him anyways, and if those people (or some sinister stalker) for some reason felt like outing him, they probably all have camera phones and could be posting images and video online in a matter of minutes.
My point is, I don't care if this elusive "someone" is watching me when I go outside and venture into public domain, because regardless of what I do, a ton of people will be watching me anyways.
As for this being used to catch crooks, meh. I'm not in the habit of committing crime, nor am I ashamed of any of my day-to-day activities, so I really don't care if the occasional vigilante sees me walk past a camera. If a system is put in place that is peer-reviewed, doesn't bother me in the least and catches every rapist, attacker, car thief, etc. while leaving the privacy of the home intact..
Anyways, I don't see this ever becoming reality here in Norway, where the current government reduced prison times and vastly increased inmates chances of getting out early because one of their election vows was to reduce the prison queues.
*sigh*
In the end, these people would have no choice but to become organized. So, what happens next?
Organized pot-heads? Already happened here in Norway. They start a political party called "the environmental party The Greens" and go to political debates where their confused-looking, hemp wearing representative mostly sits around, perhaps standing up once to shout something along the lines of "Legalize cannabis!".
I get that your example was a hypothetical one but come on! Pot-heads are quite possibly the least dangerous group on the planet, no matter how hard they try to organize anything (let alone themselves!).
First, let me just say: YATTA!. With that out of my system.. I, for one, am impressed by this turn of events! Was this appeal processed high enough in the Japanese court system to set precedence for similar cases in the future?
It doesn't really come as a surprise that this crap isn't considered passable in Japan though. Don't the Japanese people generally pride themselves in being sensible, logic folk? They have the worlds strongest work morale, longest life expectancy and best quality of life for the elderly. They are a huge player in the world of economy despite being a tiny island with very little to work with in the way of traditional valuable resources (oil, coal, etc.). Why should they start letting Sony et al harass their people? IKKEEEE, JAPANESE JUDGE-SAMA!
That being said, I am a "thief". I am aware that downloading something gives the creator no income and I do believe that content creators should make money if they make something people like. However, I never buy an album simply because I know that the artist who actually did the work gets a meager percent or two of the money I spend on his stuff while the record store and certain associations get all the rest.
A carpenter might bill you $100 an hour and take home $35 (35%) with his employer claiming the rest for insurance, sick-leave and all the management and responsibility the carpenter is freed from. An album costs about $30 and the artist gets about $1-2 for each album sold (about 3-4%). Until this changes, until artists truly open their eyes to the fact that they can make the same money without the backing of a record company while charging one hell of a lot less for their works, I will not spend my money lining the pockets of RIAA/MPAA executives!
Note, I do enjoy a good concert, be it a local band or Metallica, and I go to the movies whenever something seemingly worthwhile comes along. Also, I do buy movies I really like (like the Terminator movies, LotR Extended Editions, The Matrix, a few Jackie Chan movies, Marvel superhero movies, etc.). I just don't want to spend a crapload of money on a worthless plastic disk that I cannot even copy for personal use or put on my mp3 player, with no way of knowing that I like all the content on the disk AND knowing the artist gets next to nothing for my purchase.
Stretch, stretch and stretch some more and if that doesn't cut it, have a lower rib removal.
Well, at least you guys can go to any convenience store or gas station and buy alcohol at 1/10 the price we pay here at the liquor store and drink your sorrows away! =P
Well, thing is only NRK (and NRK2/NRK3, all equally useless) have anything to do with the government. All the remotely interesting channels have to rely on advertising to make money. With the entertainment value of the government owned channels being about equal to the commercial breaks on other channels, I'd much rather have a few minutes of commercials every 15-20 minutes (or 30-45 minutes during movies) while watching something interesting and rather spend the licensing money on a weekend in London, or Paris.
Well, thing is I like to have a TV with good channels. No, we don't have antennas but I do have a cable TV subscription and I guess they somehow get that info. Again, government overstepping it's boundaries.
Thing is, if you try to cancel it (if that is even possible), they send some fat old fart to your doorstep. You know, the kind who never did much with his life and thus thoroughly enjoys what imagined power and influence this job gives him. I didn't send in any papers to tell them I did in fact have a TV, and sure enough, an overweight, middle-aged man comes to visit to check.
Not only was he impolite and all together quite unlikable, he got someone else to let him in the front door of our old apartment complex whereupon he promptly proceeded to attempt entering our apartment on his own, without knocking!
When I unlocked and opened the door, I had to physically stand in his way as he attempted to just walk inside, right into our living room. Seeing the TV from the doorway, he proceeded with a brusque lecture about how serious this was while filling out the bill.
What makes the situation particularly infuriating is that before they changed the fee's name to "broadcasting license" it was called "NRK license", with NRK being a government owned channel with fewer voluntary viewers than goatse.cx. Good thing they changed the name, eh? This complicates things further, because if you try to contest the claim you get exactly nowhere. "Kringkastingsbyrået" (the broadcast bureau) is government owned and if you don't pay, they simply subtract what you own from your next paycheck prior to taxes. No matter what you do, the only thing you end up achieving is having 2600 NOK + 1000 NOK give or take (for the expenses involved in robbing you) subtracted from your income, and you still have to pay taxes on the full sallary!
Meaning, I make 25000 a month. They take 3600 from my paycheck, leaving me with only 21400 but still paying income tax for 25000!
This goes even if I get my TV from some private company through their fiber, and find some channel package that doesn't include the ever useless NRK. Kind of funny that I can pay some company to get the channels I want as well as rent on the fiber, and I still have to pay "broadcasting license" to the government even though they play no part in the broadcasting that takes part!
Obligatory car analogy:
A few years back we had a government owned oil company named Statoil. What they are doing with this retarded license equates to me owing Statoil money even if I buy my gas/diesel from Esso or Shell. It's highway robbery is what it is! Damn dirty PIRATES!
I have no clue how much iridium goes into the production of an LCD, but with almost every household in the western world possessing at least 1, if not 3-4 LCD monitors, won't the mainstream adaption of OLED mean there will be a significant supply of this metal?
If it takes 2 recycled LCD monitors/TV's to make a one square meter solar cell, every household could have 400W (peak) "free" renewable power. Assuming, of course, that OLED does ever get out there in significant sizes and at relatively affordable prices. I mean, I remember reading that OLED was going to revolutionize all our living rooms within 1-2 years back in 2002-2003. =/
I don't really feel much difference between my old Hansol 710P and whatever new LCD monitors I might be using.
What I really do find myself missing is the degauss button. SPIOOOING! Aaah, the things nostalgia makes you miss!
Here in Norway the outdatedness of TV is taken to a whole other level. Over here, you can't even own a TV (or anything else with a TV tuner) without paying about $456 a year in "broadcast tax" (loosely translated)! Even if you only use your TV with your media PC, you still have to pay this broadcast tax, even though there is no actual broadcasting going on, Hell, you have a TV in your basement? What you say !! Pay up, biatch! =(
What "invasive procedure" are you referring to? As far as I know, "invasive" in medical terms means something is being done inside you, like removing your appendix. Attaching one of these sensors is no more invasive than an insulin injection.
Also, what do you mean, "constant calibration"? Measuring my blood glucose with a finger prick morning and evening seems like a retardedly low price to pay for having a log at 5 minute intervals through 3-7 days.
Yes, they measure interstitial fluids, not blood. In practice, this means that the read-out of the continuous meter might lag behind roughly 5-10 minutes. This is utterly insignificant because 10 minute delay or not, I'd still most likely feel a low before it could register it. A traditional meter though, is completely useless in the case of a low, as you can't measure continuously with it and once you notice you're going hypoglycemic, you have better things to do than measure how close to death you are. =P
So.. err.. what was your point again?
Well, perhaps you aren't a type 1 with trouble regulating your blood glucose. I'd love to have one of those meters. Not as a replacement for my quick, easy Bayer Breeze 2 but as an additional tool to help me regulate. I strongly disagree with regards to the advantages of this gadgetry not being worth the price. To be able to attach one of those sensors and log and graph my levels in detail through 3-7 days perhaps once a month.. And besides, who are you to tell me what medical care is "worth the price" and what should just not be done?
Yes, there are issues with usability, price, and the fact that they lag a few minutes behind because they measure interstitial fluids. So what? Being able to graph my blood glucose levels 24/7 for a few days once in a while would give me some pretty awesome insight into how my body is doing, and how something like switching to a new (middle-slow acting) insulin would affect me.
With regards to cost, I live in one of the worlds richest countries. Our "oil fund" is at more than $438 billion USD at the moment which for a country with 4,7 million people is pretty darn decent. In addition, I pay 36% income tax (roughly $18.000 a year) as well as 24% mva on everything I buy and insane taxes on tobacco, alcohol, etc. Are you going to tell me this government can't afford to offer me that tool for management of my disease? What the hell am I giving this government half my income for?!*
You do know that preventive medicine is way cheaper than the alternative, right? No..? You must be American.
*Yes, I know that came of as naive and immature. Of course I know that I can't just choose to pay taxes when I break an arm, get cancer or it's time for my woman to give birth. Of course I know that I cost my country money. Still, the reason we do pay in the first place is so we can have free health care. I just wish that we could have a better free health care system (where I wasn't told $1000 is more than the extra years without complications that device might give me is worth), instead of being both at the top of all life quality lists and at the bottom of most European health care ratings.
There are already a few available continuous blood glucose meters available and last time I checked at least a few of them were approved by the FDA (thus covered by medical insurance in the USA).
Being a type 1 diabetic myself, I have fought to get one of these myself but the powers-that-be here in Norway seem to think there are no advantages to having your blood glucose measured every 1-2 to 5 minutes for 3-7 days (depending on which monitor you get), at least not compared to the price of these gadgets. Pretty insanely ignorant, as having this info available would let me easily have perfect blood glucose levels at all times. Hell, some of these meters even come with an optional automatic insulin pump!
Oh. My. God.
I see why people are spying on Iran, the picture at the bottom of the article.. It's the Emperor! *gasp*
I r in ur lab obseervin ur scoeps, k thx bai!
Is the cat dead or alive ? Well, is it, punk ?
Well, yes.. yes it is. Or not.