"The National Center for Virus Control has issued a Threat Level 5 warning about a new internet virus that can be transmitted from computers to humans, resulting in flu-like symptoms. Unlike traditional viruses that are spread by email or software downloads, this "CyberFlu" virus is transmitted to your PC when you browse a web page infected with the virus. The good news is that the CyberFlu virus will not harm your computer and no data will be lost. Your PC just acts as a carrier. But, under certain circumstances, the virus can be transferred from your PC to your body through contact."
If I could mod you up further, I would. You're hitting the nail on the head. The demand isn't from gamers and geeks... it's from everyone else -- and that's a whole lot more Miis.
During the time since I purchased the console, I have had it out at practically every party and family get-together at our place. It quickly becomes the center of the party with non-gamers 7 - 70 years old playing and laughing together like never before. And all with ONLY with the built-in/free Channels and the included Wii Sports games (I can't wait to get them throwing cows in Rayman Raving Rabbids).
My parents, my fiance's parents, our brothers and sisters, young and old... all of them talk about how much fun the Wii is, how well it gets kids off the couch and how much they'd like to get one themselves.
The real question is why do so many individuals automatically think that if you need to be anonymous, you're doing something illegal? I can think of a handful of perfectly legal uses for anonymity on the net (though some might require you to put your tin-foil hat on for a moment) without even working to hard:
You want to do research about a specific health disorder, but don't want your family, work or your insurance company to know
You want to do educate yourself on details, before forming an opinion on a topic that might otherwise set off law-enforcement watchdogs
You want to be part of a group of people with similair, perfectly legal interests, but don't want to relate it to your "real" life
You want to publish a strong, but legal, opinion on a topic that might generate hate mail and death threats
You want to "out" a person or company that is doing something illegal without fear of retaliation
Why not just start making it mandatory for every high-rise and large-roof building structure to be covered with a certain percentage of solar cells that power part of the building during the day and feed the rest back into the grid? After all, the concrete and steel aren't doing anything with the sun.
It seems to me that if we had started doing this years ago it may have a) reversed some of our energy problems and b) potentially made solar panels more affordable so I could cover my home's roof with them.
The Boy Scouts have taught us to obey the law since it was started:
A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
You don't need any more than that, let alone a merit badge. The problem is that this particular badge is doing nothing more than empowering an entity with a vested monetary interest, to influence impressionable kids, and probably with half-truths about laws that the industry themselves lobbied for.
Scouts will be instructed in the basics of copyright law and learn how to identify five types of copyrighted works and three ways copyrighted materials may be stolen.
In the end, the only character development or learned skill gained from this badge will be that of a weasley, lack of common sense tatttletale.
I'm sure glad my elders kicked my ass enough so that I was able to receive the Eagle rank back when there was still some respect for the organization.
It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you switch to pen/tablet you will probably find the mouse to be an archaic input device. And in my case, it is a much more comfortable and natural way to move around the desktop. The only bad habit I've developed is never taking the pen out of my hand, even while typing. Makes for quick transition from keyboard to mouse, but forces me to type with only four fingers on my right hand:D
In the large major southern U.S. city I live in, I have dropped or broken-up calls when I call my parents, brother and sister who each live only about 20-30 miles away.
It happens so often that you're pretty much guaranteed a laugh if you ask "Can you hear me now?" when you get the connection back.
Considering that the cell phone companies (three different ones in the case of my family) can't seem to even get good coverage over that small and flat of an area in a large city, I seriously doubt that the size of the U.S. has anything to do with it.
Likewise. I've been getting bombarded with undeliverable bouncebacks sent from for the past month or so as well. Frustrating is putting it mildly, but it's about the third or fourth time I've been "Joe Jobbed" so I think I'm getting numb.:)
"AcidSearch is a search enhancement for Safari. It adds unlimited "Search Channels" to the Google search field. Channels can be customized in a nearly infinite variety of ways. AcidSearch also includes powerful features such as JavaScript support, the ability to import iSeek and Butler Search Sites, true hierarchical menu organization, and the ability to search multiple search engines at the same time. AcidSearch also allows you to access your search channels with key equivalents, shortcuts (a la SafariKeywords), and a contextual menu."
Many shows I've recently watched have commercials every few minutes (sometimes even less than a minute between breaks). If you take a dump that often, you're going to be in for some serious hurt... but at least you'll be getting some much needed exercise;)
The differences appear to be in transistor count and shader processors and power consumption. The X1600 has 12 pixel shader processors and 5 vertex shader processors while the X1400 only has 4 and 2 respectively. The X1600 also has dynamic voltage control, which is probably better for battery life.
RAM specs are very close, including the RAM controller, which appears to be the same. Everything else looks identical. It's hard to say without benchmarking whether the extra RAM on the X1400 makes it equal to the X1600.
If you got that price, you really didn't compare equal specs.
When I match the specs/features, I get $2,075 for the Dell and $2,399 for the Apple or a difference of $324. That's hardly 66%.
Here are the specs/features I used for each:
Apple
2.0 Intel Core Duo
1GB DDR2 RAM
100GBx5400RM HD
SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
AirPort Extreme Card & Bluetooth
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory*
Remote Control*
OS X & Install Disk*
---------- $2,399
Dell
2.0 Intel Core Duo
1GB DDR2 RAM
100GBx5400RM HD
8X CD/DVD Burner
Dell Wireless & Bluetooth
256MB ATI MOBILITY(TM) RADEON® X1400 HyperMemory*
Remote Control*
XP Pro & Install CD* **
---------- $2,075
These really aren't even exact matches, but they're very similar and moreso than the prices you quoted.
* The Mac includes a backlit keyboard, remote control, OS X install disk, CD/DVD RW, Bluetooth, and ATI video standard while the Dell does not, which is why, aside from the backlit keyboard they're added to the Dell. Although the remote on the Dell won't work with XP Pro supposedly.
** Despite the limited web hosting ability of XP Pro, OS X more closely resembles WindowsXP Professional over the Media Center version. Macs always include an OS X install disk while most (if not all) PC vendors charge extra for the Windows disks.
Since when do the amendments apply to corporations?
"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."
IANAL, but as far as I knew, the privilege against self-incrimination does not apply to corporations or other collective entities. And, after some brief research, appears to have been upheld in Braswell v. United States.
Note that there are a number of plugins that you'll want to look at and probably install, including the Spotlight-inspired interface, the calculator (handy for quick calcs), email, chat and others. Look in the preferences to download and install them.
I have an AOL account (as I've mentioned on Slashdot before) that I use almost solely for testing purposes of various content internet content that I create for clients.
I probably use the account once every three or four months at the most, and I even then I access the AOL network through my own separate broadband ISP account. The only time in the past dozen years I've used it for non-testing for any period of time is when the three hurricanes came through central Florida and I was without my broadband connection for a few days.
AOL isn't sparing anyone from the price increase. I *was* paying their obscure $4/mo+hourly plan which I considered fair. But, I received the following e-mail from them the other day:
Dear Member,
On your next billing date, we will be increasing the monthly fee for your AOL® Limited Plan to $6.95 for 3 hours of online usage. Additional hours will be billed at $2.50 per hour. This price change, our first in over four years, helps us continue to provide you with reliable Internet service including security features, exclusive content, member service and support. Over the past two years, we've spent more than $2 billion to provide the convenience, safety features and reliability you've come to expect from AOL. You continue to get great benefits under your AOL Limited Plan, including:
The most comprehensive set of automatic online safety tools - all located in one place - to help protect you from identity theft, spyware, and viruses. 24/7 live customer support by phone, email or Instant Messaging that allows us to be there whenever you need us. Access anywhere, anytime to your AOL® Mail, AOL content and your AOL address book from any Internet-connected computer. Even when you're away from home you can get there through www.aol.com, over a dial-up or high-speed connection. Help protecting your important files with unlimited storage for digital photos and unlimited email storage. Go to AOL Keyword: My Account, or http://bill.aol.com/ on the web to find out your exact billing date and more information about your plan.
We look forward to continuing to provide you with the best online experience possible--today and in the future. Thanks again for being an AOL member.
Sincerely, The AOL Member Service Team
As you can read in the letter, they're basically justifying raising my monthly fee for items of their service that I never or rarely use or benefit from: reliable Internet service, security features, exclusive content, member service and support.
And now they'll be getting $83/year (nearly all of which is pure profit) from me -- a developer trying to support users of their crappy service. I realize it's not a lot, but that doesn't make it feel like less of a ripoff.
Way to go AOL. You're making it really easy to just give up on you completely.
Slashdot Mirror
You must be living under a rock ;) :D
http://news.google.com/news?q=zune%20phone
And yes, I realize that's a prank site, but it was a good example :)
http://www.cyberflu.com/
From the site:
If I could mod you up further, I would. You're hitting the nail on the head. The demand isn't from gamers and geeks... it's from everyone else -- and that's a whole lot more Miis.
:)
During the time since I purchased the console, I have had it out at practically every party and family get-together at our place. It quickly becomes the center of the party with non-gamers 7 - 70 years old playing and laughing together like never before. And all with ONLY with the built-in/free Channels and the included Wii Sports games (I can't wait to get them throwing cows in Rayman Raving Rabbids).
My parents, my fiance's parents, our brothers and sisters, young and old... all of them talk about how much fun the Wii is, how well it gets kids off the couch and how much they'd like to get one themselves.
Them I tell them "good luck finding one!"
More than 20 years is a short run?! ;)
Well, at least we know that North Korea is now safe from Jimmy Carter. ;)
Why not just start making it mandatory for every high-rise and large-roof building structure to be covered with a certain percentage of solar cells that power part of the building during the day and feed the rest back into the grid? After all, the concrete and steel aren't doing anything with the sun.
It seems to me that if we had started doing this years ago it may have a) reversed some of our energy problems and b) potentially made solar panels more affordable so I could cover my home's roof with them.
You don't need any more than that, let alone a merit badge. The problem is that this particular badge is doing nothing more than empowering an entity with a vested monetary interest, to influence impressionable kids, and probably with half-truths about laws that the industry themselves lobbied for.
In the end, the only character development or learned skill gained from this badge will be that of a weasley, lack of common sense tatttletale.
I'm sure glad my elders kicked my ass enough so that I was able to receive the Eagle rank back when there was still some respect for the organization.
... it can't be impossible! :D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxtc75biScU
She almost had a shish-ka-Paris with that mop strapped to her backside.
Me three - for probably over a decade now.
:D
It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you switch to pen/tablet you will probably find the mouse to be an archaic input device. And in my case, it is a much more comfortable and natural way to move around the desktop. The only bad habit I've developed is never taking the pen out of my hand, even while typing. Makes for quick transition from keyboard to mouse, but forces me to type with only four fingers on my right hand
Almost exactly what you describe: http://www.kittenauth.com/
Ugh... that is even more irritating than a regular text captcha.
Link to actual sample: http://gs264.sp.cs.cmu.edu/cgi-bin/esp-pix
In the large major southern U.S. city I live in, I have dropped or broken-up calls when I call my parents, brother and sister who each live only about 20-30 miles away.
It happens so often that you're pretty much guaranteed a laugh if you ask "Can you hear me now?" when you get the connection back.
Considering that the cell phone companies (three different ones in the case of my family) can't seem to even get good coverage over that small and flat of an area in a large city, I seriously doubt that the size of the U.S. has anything to do with it.
Likewise. I've been getting bombarded with undeliverable bouncebacks sent from for the past month or so as well. Frustrating is putting it mildly, but it's about the third or fourth time I've been "Joe Jobbed" so I think I'm getting numb. :)
A bit off-topic, but if you want to be able to change Safari's search box, check out AcidSearch:
http://www.pozytron.com/acidsearch
"AcidSearch is a search enhancement for Safari. It adds unlimited "Search Channels" to the Google search field. Channels can be customized in a nearly infinite variety of ways. AcidSearch also includes powerful features such as JavaScript support, the ability to import iSeek and Butler Search Sites, true hierarchical menu organization, and the ability to search multiple search engines at the same time. AcidSearch also allows you to access your search channels with key equivalents, shortcuts (a la SafariKeywords), and a contextual menu."
Many shows I've recently watched have commercials every few minutes (sometimes even less than a minute between breaks). If you take a dump that often, you're going to be in for some serious hurt ... but at least you'll be getting some much needed exercise ;)
Not sure. The X1600 is obviously newer/better than the X1400, but the RAM difference also plays a role. Here are links to the specs for each:
p ecs.html
p ecs.html
http://www.ati.com/products/mobilityradeonx1400/s
http://www.ati.com/products/mobilityradeonx1600/s
The differences appear to be in transistor count and shader processors and power consumption. The X1600 has 12 pixel shader processors and 5 vertex shader processors while the X1400 only has 4 and 2 respectively. The X1600 also has dynamic voltage control, which is probably better for battery life.
RAM specs are very close, including the RAM controller, which appears to be the same. Everything else looks identical. It's hard to say without benchmarking whether the extra RAM on the X1400 makes it equal to the X1600.
Like what? From my experience, "regular Windows users" are interested MS Office, Outlook and IE.
Office exists for OS X.
Outlook exists (but is called Entourage on OS X).
IE exists, but Safari, Opera, Firefox, Camino are so much better.
Aisde from games (and even that's becoming more and more flakey), the argument of no/limited software for OS X is not entirely true.
When I match the specs/features, I get $2,075 for the Dell and $2,399 for the Apple or a difference of $324. That's hardly 66%.
Here are the specs/features I used for each:
Apple
----------
$2,399
Dell
----------
$2,075
These really aren't even exact matches, but they're very similar and moreso than the prices you quoted.
* The Mac includes a backlit keyboard, remote control, OS X install disk, CD/DVD RW, Bluetooth, and ATI video standard while the Dell does not, which is why, aside from the backlit keyboard they're added to the Dell. Although the remote on the Dell won't work with XP Pro supposedly.
** Despite the limited web hosting ability of XP Pro, OS X more closely resembles WindowsXP Professional over the Media Center version. Macs always include an OS X install disk while most (if not all) PC vendors charge extra for the Windows disks.
Seriously, from microwaves to cell phones to remote controls -- it seems that very few companies are actively trying to make their products usable.
IANAL, but as far as I knew, the privilege against self-incrimination does not apply to corporations or other collective entities. And, after some brief research, appears to have been upheld in Braswell v. United States.
Agreed. I don't know how I survived prior to discovering Quicksilver years ago :)
Here's a link for the less initiated: http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/
Note that there are a number of plugins that you'll want to look at and probably install, including the Spotlight-inspired interface, the calculator (handy for quick calcs), email, chat and others. Look in the preferences to download and install them.
I probably use the account once every three or four months at the most, and I even then I access the AOL network through my own separate broadband ISP account. The only time in the past dozen years I've used it for non-testing for any period of time is when the three hurricanes came through central Florida and I was without my broadband connection for a few days.
AOL isn't sparing anyone from the price increase. I *was* paying their obscure $4/mo+hourly plan which I considered fair. But, I received the following e-mail from them the other day:
As you can read in the letter, they're basically justifying raising my monthly fee for items of their service that I never or rarely use or benefit from: reliable Internet service, security features, exclusive content, member service and support.
And now they'll be getting $83/year (nearly all of which is pure profit) from me -- a developer trying to support users of their crappy service. I realize it's not a lot, but that doesn't make it feel like less of a ripoff.
Way to go AOL. You're making it really easy to just give up on you completely.