Feature bloat gives buyers the idea they are getting more for their money.
Modern vehicle systems are well beyond the technical comprehension of most buyers, who merely want techno-bling bragging rights so they can "wave a penis they don't understand". Anyone who buys a Jag has infinite money to fix it, so reliability isn't much concern.
There is nothing like working at a used car lot to teach how car buyers really work. You will never go broke catering to their lust for what most mechanics consider to be Stupid Shit.
That is NOT a Troll, as any (old and experienced) mechanic can tell you!
The British car and motorcycle industries tried manfully to commit suicide. They built pretty, beautifully finished, delicate unreliable junk.
That worked until Japan and Germany ate their lunch by producing tough, reliable vehicles you didn't have to be a skilled mechanic to keep on the road. I grew up working on both the cars and bikes, and have no desire to go back. They were fine vehicles by 1940s reliability standards, but that was a long time ago even in the 1960s when the decline began.
Here's the classic on the Britbike implosion, the car story is similar:
"That's why Hitler and every other "successful" dictator made it a top priority to first disarm the citizens. "
ALMOST every successful dictator.
Saddam had a very long run, but he didn't disarm Iraq. The tradition of every home having a weapon for self-defense remained (quite rightly, Iraq was always a bad place) and even Coalition forces allow every householder a full-auto rifle for self-protection.
"We need an international effort to legalize personal production of all personally produceable drugs. Not public consumption, not a blanket for junkies, but just a way for people to use their freedom in NOT helping the cartels."
"But that ain't going to happen, so if you happen to use recreational drugs, please do your fellow man a favor and stop."
No. That would affirm the social stranglehold anti-pleasure religionists wish to maintain. Better to force things to their logical conclusion thus ensuring the system breaks itself.
Legalization is only now being considered because practical behaviors are less expensive than bowing to the Christian Taliban.
I'm fine with maintaining the War on Some Drugs until the consequences become so disruptive that they coerces change, The way to fight an unconventional struggle is to tire out the enemy. The way to break people who refuse to listen is to turn up the pain. It's working.
"All legalization would do in the US is increase consumption."
Bullshit. As with alcohol, consumption tops out at whatever level consumers prefer.
Back in the 1970s, when weed didn't have the absurd legal consequences attached to it (and head shops were extremely common) getting high was perfectly normal in many areas. It didn't cause any trouble,and if the cops found any on you they often poured it out (or, ahem, confiscated it) and told you to move on. Weed was easier to get than booze if you were young, and since it is vastly more pleasant than the nasty buzz of alcohol, most of a generation smoked it.
Paying millions of dollars to bust and incarcerate pot smokers isn't intelligent social policy. It is driven be religionist loathing of any pleasure they do not control. The fanatical pseudo-moralist streak in America drives policies that exist for their own sake, don't facilitate their professed goals, and waste billions of our tax dollars.
Nice try, but the full-auto and other MILITARY weapons aren't from US gun stores, nor are the grenades. The Mexican authorities cherry-pick the serial numbers they release in a game of blaming the US.
As the border situation deteriorates, police cannot protect everyone (most of what cops do is inherently reactive, not pre-emptive, and there are very few of them. It is wise to be armed with something that has reach and plenty of ammunition.
"We can melt down all the fatties and use them as bio-diesel." That's wasting a renewable resource. Instead, fit them with a liposuction chest pack hooked to an onboard pyrolysis unit. They can produce bio-diesel while they drive, and every time they gorge on fast food they top off the tank. Cross a cruise ship with a supertanker, and it could return full after every trip. I can almost hear the slurping...
Let's agree out front that those who favor the disclosure don't care about collateral damage by disclosure of useful info about how individual operations to the Taliban, and are only savoring the delectable gesture of protest.:)
That said, going after Wikileaks is silly. Attention-whore Manning (note that his background personal drama is coming out and that is exactly what he is!) could have made the same gesture via many sites at once, via Arabic sites the US government couldn't interdict, or combinations thereof.
Any Slashdotter could figure out how to splatter that info far and wide.
"Would you find it as hilarious if Maxine Waters died and someone posted "GOOD RIDDANCE?" Even a political thief like Stevens or Waters doesn't deserve to die."
THAT statement is highly subjective, considering the damage they do.
I'm fine with either one pushing daisies. Too bad it doesn't happen sooner and much more often.
"Condoning this behavior is simply not the right thing to do, and can trigger long-term problems with morale and the company culture which can lead to massive losses (and possibly company failure) years down the road."
If fucking up the company culture killed companies, HP would have been long dead due to previous management.
None of the story needed to leak so it would not have mattered had it been kept mum. Someone decided it was useful to exploit for whatever reason, and did so.
"What is the value of corporate officers acting honestly no matter what?"
Nothing to the corporation. 20K is about the equivalent of keeping a pen from work in you pocket and leaving it at home. (How many of us have a cupful of pens, Sharpies, etc?)
There are plenty of options between retention and dismissal. A verbal reprimand would be invisible and likely have gotten the job done. Someone had it out for him.
"it looks like they're willing to raise the standards of their production at the cost of business; "
Key words being "looks like". Closing some shifts business to others. If one regards the whole country as a business, this makes perfect sense and is no sacrifice.
Slashdot Mirror
Feature bloat gives buyers the idea they are getting more for their money.
Modern vehicle systems are well beyond the technical comprehension of most buyers, who merely want techno-bling bragging rights so they can "wave a penis they don't understand". Anyone who buys a Jag has infinite money to fix it, so reliability isn't much concern.
There is nothing like working at a used car lot to teach how car buyers really work. You will never go broke catering to their lust for what most mechanics consider to be Stupid Shit.
That is NOT a Troll, as any (old and experienced) mechanic can tell you!
The British car and motorcycle industries tried manfully to commit suicide. They built pretty, beautifully finished, delicate unreliable junk.
That worked until Japan and Germany ate their lunch by producing tough, reliable vehicles you didn't have to be a skilled mechanic to keep on the road. I grew up working on both the cars and bikes, and have no desire to go back. They were fine vehicles by 1940s reliability standards, but that was a long time ago even in the 1960s when the decline began.
Here's the classic on the Britbike implosion, the car story is similar:
http://www.amazon.com/Whatever-Happened-British-Motorcycle-Industry/dp/1859604277
"That's why Hitler and every other "successful" dictator made it a top priority to first disarm the citizens. "
ALMOST every successful dictator.
Saddam had a very long run, but he didn't disarm Iraq. The tradition of every home having a weapon for self-defense remained (quite rightly, Iraq was always a bad place) and even Coalition forces allow every householder a full-auto rifle for self-protection.
"We need an international effort to legalize personal production of all personally produceable drugs. Not public consumption, not a blanket for junkies, but just a way for people to use their freedom in NOT helping the cartels."
That would de-fund terrorists world-wide.
"But that ain't going to happen, so if you happen to use recreational drugs, please do your fellow man a favor and stop."
No.
That would affirm the social stranglehold anti-pleasure religionists wish to maintain. Better to force things to their logical conclusion thus ensuring the system breaks itself.
Legalization is only now being considered because practical behaviors are less expensive than bowing to the Christian Taliban.
I'm fine with maintaining the War on Some Drugs until the consequences become so disruptive that they coerces change, The way to fight an unconventional struggle is to tire out the enemy. The way to break people who refuse to listen is to turn up the pain. It's working.
"Not gonna work. Buying her diamonds makes you more attractive, using drugs makes her more attractive."
Good point. Feed her the drugs, skip the diamonds.
"All legalization would do in the US is increase consumption."
Bullshit. As with alcohol, consumption tops out at whatever level consumers prefer.
Back in the 1970s, when weed didn't have the absurd legal consequences attached to it (and head shops were extremely common) getting high was perfectly normal in many areas. It didn't cause any trouble,and if the cops found any on you they often poured it out (or, ahem, confiscated it) and told you to move on. Weed was easier to get than booze if you were young, and since it is vastly more pleasant than the nasty buzz of alcohol, most of a generation smoked it.
Paying millions of dollars to bust and incarcerate pot smokers isn't intelligent social policy. It is driven be religionist loathing of any pleasure they do not control. The fanatical pseudo-moralist streak in America drives policies that exist for their own sake, don't facilitate their professed goals, and waste billions of our tax dollars.
Nice try, but the full-auto and other MILITARY weapons aren't from US gun stores, nor are the grenades. The Mexican authorities cherry-pick the serial numbers they release in a game of blaming the US.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_12366467?source=pkg
"I guess you never know when you will need an M-16 with a large clip to take down your own country's elected government."
Elections don't have much to do with freedom. Hitler was elected, lest ye conveniently forget. Even the Kos folks finally "get" the Second Amendment.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/4/881431/-Why-liberals-should-love-the-Second-Amendment
As the border situation deteriorates, police cannot protect everyone (most of what cops do is inherently reactive, not pre-emptive, and there are very few of them. It is wise to be armed with something that has reach and plenty of ammunition.
"if I had to COUNT on a gps, it would not be a 'cell phone' version.."
If I had to COUNT on a GPS, I'd have maps and compass too.
Never neglect your land nav skills or Very Bad Things could happen to you.
"Bonus geek cred: Heated."
No way I'm removing mine from my teddy bear.
"We can melt down all the fatties and use them as bio-diesel."
That's wasting a renewable resource. Instead, fit them with a liposuction chest pack hooked to an onboard pyrolysis unit.
They can produce bio-diesel while they drive, and every time they gorge on fast food they top off the tank. Cross a cruise ship with a supertanker, and it could return full after every trip. I can almost hear the slurping...
Really Good netbooks would cannibalize notebook sales. Expect "product differentiation" to ensure little of that happens.
I'll be joining the androids dreaming of electric sheep. ;)
"How long until we learn to use them properly, i.e. mindfully and responsibly? "
Until Evolution selects for those behaviors.
"It is, however, still piss."
(Tastes finger speculatively.)
"Insufficiently frosty."
"I hoped that Obama was the new JFK."
I did too, but he hasn't visited Daley Plaza.
Let's agree out front that those who favor the disclosure don't care about collateral damage by disclosure of useful info about how individual operations to the Taliban, and are only savoring the delectable gesture of protest. :)
That said, going after Wikileaks is silly. Attention-whore Manning (note that his background personal drama is coming out and that is exactly what he is!) could have made the same gesture via many sites at once, via Arabic sites the US government couldn't interdict, or combinations thereof.
Any Slashdotter could figure out how to splatter that info far and wide.
"Must...not...play...must...avoid...infection."
The nuns told me the same thing.
"hating his politics should not be about forgetting your humanity."
I don't owe him respect, so he gets none.
We all die, so __only__ the loss by death of the good is cause for mourning.
GOOD FUCKING RIDDANCE.
"Would you find it as hilarious if Maxine Waters died and someone posted "GOOD RIDDANCE?" Even a political thief like Stevens or Waters doesn't deserve to die."
THAT statement is highly subjective, considering the damage they do.
I'm fine with either one pushing daisies. Too bad it doesn't happen sooner and much more often.
"Short memory. The curse of the American people..."
tl;dr
"Condoning this behavior is simply not the right thing to do, and can trigger long-term problems with morale and the company culture which can lead to massive losses (and possibly company failure) years down the road."
If fucking up the company culture killed companies, HP would have been long dead due to previous management.
None of the story needed to leak so it would not have mattered had it been kept mum. Someone decided it was useful to exploit for whatever reason, and did so.
"What is the value of corporate officers acting honestly no matter what?"
Nothing to the corporation. 20K is about the equivalent of keeping a pen from work in you pocket and leaving it at home. (How many of us have a cupful of pens, Sharpies, etc?)
There are plenty of options between retention and dismissal. A verbal reprimand would be invisible and likely have gotten the job done. Someone had it out for him.
"it looks like they're willing to raise the standards of their production at the cost of business; "
Key words being "looks like". Closing some shifts business to others. If one regards the whole country as a business, this makes perfect sense and is no sacrifice.