Also, a standardized connector would let third parties come in and start making accessories and replacement bricks for a lot less than the highway robbery prices that the brand names charge.
You know, a lot of folks complain about our "throw away" culture. It's cost prohibitive to get something fixed and sometimes it's cheaper to buy new than to fix it - if you get it fixed. And the manufacturers want it that way. They want you to buy new and throw way the old one to boost their sales. It's fucking ridiculous that a laptop battery costs over $100 when they get them for under $10. The cells inside are just off the shelf stuff that they put in their own package to keep them from being interchanged - including Apple.
Screen goes out: that'll be $200 for the screen and $125 minimum for labor plus S&H. After it's fixed, who knows what else will crap out.And it doesn't have to be so expensive. I understand labor and S&H, but the ridiculous markup on parts?
Customer support at the large banks totally suck. They treat customers like some sort of necessary nuisance - even for help for trivial things; hence all the legislation that went through recently. Of course, the banks are finding a way around those laws to stick it to the little guy.
Take overs remove competition without competition, there's no need to treat the customer well because there's no need to. Case in point: The big 3 auto makers. For decades they had control of the US market and produced complete crap. It wasn't until the Japanese got here and kicked their asses that they started to get their act together - and then failed and got their bailouts.
Airlines. When an airline has a route completely locked up - they treat you like shit.
Cable companies: local monopolies stick it to the customers because they can.
Car dealerships have a legislated monopoly. Same thing - stick it to the little guy.
Power companies. Telephone companies. ISPs. You name it.
Larger = less competition = screw people because they can.
What decade long decline? You mean since 2005 when it was really warm?
Yeah! You tell him. That's right: Global Warming is a MYTH! It will never happen!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bunch of real estate deals to attend to regarding some temporary inland property that's going to pay off HUGE one day! Can't say why..
Did anyone watch the video attached to the second link?
I can attest to some of the attitudes by the TSA. I got the dreaded 'SSSS' on my boarding pass once and I had to fly - if I were a terrorist, i would have just walked out, but I guess that never occurred to the TSA or I'm goddamned brilliant and the President should make me the head of the HMS. Anyway, TSA agent orders me into this clear plastic 3 sided booth. What I was in there for I don't know. Now, said booth acts like a big ear. Meaning, every noise in the airport was amplified by that damn thing so I had a hard time hearing and I'm freaking out as to why I'm in this booth. Said TSA agent says something to me and I don't move and make a gesture that I can't hear. She then throws a huge hissy fit and starts screaming at me.
Second thing. In the video, the TSA says that "only" 110,000 people complained about the backscatter x-ray out of the millions that fly. I immediately thought of Catbert in the Dilbert cartoons.
I'm sure any complaints were either ignored and other people are just too scared to complain for fear of retribution from the TSA.
The TSA says there isn't any of that sort of thing, but their credibility isn't all that great..
But, to your typical Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public, they're going to vote for the other guy who going to promise to "fix" the economy and of course "Oil spill. OIl spill. Obama's Karina" is what we'll hear until we vomit. Unless a miracle happens and things turn around next year, we'll probably see Obama booted out.
Any devaluation that may be happening with the dollar is irrelevant to this discussion. Chewbacca would have been more relevant to the discussion.
The banks will do what they always do: pass any costs plus a hefty markup to the consumer. The banks make more money on fees and penalties than they ever did as honest bankers. Like they do now. $3.00 ATM fees?!? The transaction is pretty much free to them. Sure , they have a lot of bogus "costs" they say they incur, but the fact of the matter is ATM fees are extremely profitable gravy that are only beat in profitability by the fees that cell phone carriers charge for text messages.
Well, I guess the CA legislature needs some distraction from their complete and utter incompetence and stupidity with regards to the budget, spending, and tax revenue for their state.
There was studied that showed folks read slower on computer monitors - and I can't find the damn thing because Google insists on giving me a few thousand hits on speed reading and get you kid to read fast advertisements and how to make your monitor faster:-(
I thought it was ridiculous that the cop in the parking lot asked the security guard about the legality of photography. As if someone who went through a week long "training" (jogging around a track, very basic firearms training and self-defense: grunt training.) class is a legal expert.
And when the photographers tried to explain and show proof that they were right, she just walked away.
Funny how, when we don't stop anyone, and someone flies in to the side of a building, we instantly ask "why didn't security notice and stop that dodgy looking guy?!
All he had was a camera. WTF can someone do with a camera?
I used to ride the local train all the time to commute to work and I had the stops, the police beat and minor details of the route memorized. And I have a crappy memory. Someone with a great memory and a memory enhancing techniques could easily rival a photo - photos don't capture 3 dimensions very well.
Some of you FOSS guys chime in here and correct me, but I bet any and every project would welcome you if you offered testing, writing testing scripts, and writing docs and help.
...sent to me where I do my voodoo and make 4 color post script files and PDFs and generate plates for the presses.
I have this image of a chicken coop in the cube next to you, a zombie that gets you a chicken whereupon, you slaughter it while inciting incantations, writing your scripts to create the PDFs and saying in a deep sonorous voice. You after work? -> "AH HA HA HA."
Every media outlet, should be read, viewed or listened to with a critical eye or ear. It's not just for media companies with a policy of bias, such as Fox News' conservative bias (American version), but also for normal human bias. To take any media outlet as being 100% unbiased truth is foolish.
The Economist is a bit conservative on the side business, but as far as being their lackey - I'm not so sure about that. Sometimes they come out with things that can be interpreted as almost anti-business. They've also been doing some rather critical pieces on BP lately as an example.
Or is BP behind on their payments to the Economist?
Java, while widely used is on the down slide. There really hasn't been any new revolutionary additions to the language in about 7 years. In another 10 years, it will become like COBOL is to IBM.
Don't knock COBOL.
I know a couple of folks who are making a nice living as a COBOL programmer. And they're not that old. AND, when the majority of the IT market craps out, they always seem to have or can get a job. That's something not many programmers can claim.
When, exactly, did Presidents get signing authority on the national checkbook?
That was Bush's fault. All that Executive power that his administration grabbed is now in the hands of the other party. And yet, when folks complained about it when it was happening, they were "unAmerican" or "supported the terrorists"
Why not just build more nuclear plants? Nothing speculative about them at all.
Of course.
But we need a mix of energy sources. Is there enough fissile material being produced to power the entire nation? What about disposal? Our Sun bombards us with an obscene amount of energy. It would be stupid not to grab it.
We Americans need to get away from this magic bullet mentality of one thing will solve all our problems. And we need to get away from this mentality that we're going to turn off the oil spigot overnight and live in clean green energy and be at peace for ever and ever.
Slashdot Mirror
Also, a standardized connector would let third parties come in and start making accessories and replacement bricks for a lot less than the highway robbery prices that the brand names charge.
You know, a lot of folks complain about our "throw away" culture. It's cost prohibitive to get something fixed and sometimes it's cheaper to buy new than to fix it - if you get it fixed. And the manufacturers want it that way. They want you to buy new and throw way the old one to boost their sales. It's fucking ridiculous that a laptop battery costs over $100 when they get them for under $10. The cells inside are just off the shelf stuff that they put in their own package to keep them from being interchanged - including Apple.
Screen goes out: that'll be $200 for the screen and $125 minimum for labor plus S&H. After it's fixed, who knows what else will crap out.And it doesn't have to be so expensive. I understand labor and S&H, but the ridiculous markup on parts?
I can buy a new one for less than $400. WTF?
Take overs remove competition without competition, there's no need to treat the customer well because there's no need to. Case in point: The big 3 auto makers. For decades they had control of the US market and produced complete crap. It wasn't until the Japanese got here and kicked their asses that they started to get their act together - and then failed and got their bailouts.
Airlines. When an airline has a route completely locked up - they treat you like shit.
Cable companies: local monopolies stick it to the customers because they can.
Car dealerships have a legislated monopoly. Same thing - stick it to the little guy.
Power companies. Telephone companies. ISPs. You name it.
Larger = less competition = screw people because they can.
There are no exceptions.
What decade long decline? You mean since 2005 when it was really warm?
Yeah! You tell him. That's right: Global Warming is a MYTH! It will never happen!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bunch of real estate deals to attend to regarding some temporary inland property that's going to pay off HUGE one day! Can't say why..
I can attest to some of the attitudes by the TSA. I got the dreaded 'SSSS' on my boarding pass once and I had to fly - if I were a terrorist, i would have just walked out, but I guess that never occurred to the TSA or I'm goddamned brilliant and the President should make me the head of the HMS. Anyway, TSA agent orders me into this clear plastic 3 sided booth. What I was in there for I don't know. Now, said booth acts like a big ear. Meaning, every noise in the airport was amplified by that damn thing so I had a hard time hearing and I'm freaking out as to why I'm in this booth. Said TSA agent says something to me and I don't move and make a gesture that I can't hear. She then throws a huge hissy fit and starts screaming at me.
Second thing. In the video, the TSA says that "only" 110,000 people complained about the backscatter x-ray out of the millions that fly. I immediately thought of Catbert in the Dilbert cartoons.
I'm sure any complaints were either ignored and other people are just too scared to complain for fear of retribution from the TSA.
The TSA says there isn't any of that sort of thing, but their credibility isn't all that great..
But, to your typical Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public, they're going to vote for the other guy who going to promise to "fix" the economy and of course "Oil spill. OIl spill. Obama's Karina" is what we'll hear until we vomit. Unless a miracle happens and things turn around next year, we'll probably see Obama booted out.
Any devaluation that may be happening with the dollar is irrelevant to this discussion. Chewbacca would have been more relevant to the discussion.
The banks will do what they always do: pass any costs plus a hefty markup to the consumer. The banks make more money on fees and penalties than they ever did as honest bankers. Like they do now. $3.00 ATM fees?!? The transaction is pretty much free to them. Sure , they have a lot of bogus "costs" they say they incur, but the fact of the matter is ATM fees are extremely profitable gravy that are only beat in profitability by the fees that cell phone carriers charge for text messages.
in the USA?? I would not recommend that at all. Just put it on the net from a secure location..
Have the Chinese host it.
Dear China: Please host this to show the decadent capitalist pigs who are enslaved by the banks how their system is screwing them over.
Well, I guess the CA legislature needs some distraction from their complete and utter incompetence and stupidity with regards to the budget, spending, and tax revenue for their state.
There was studied that showed folks read slower on computer monitors - and I can't find the damn thing because Google insists on giving me a few thousand hits on speed reading and get you kid to read fast advertisements and how to make your monitor faster :-(
And when the photographers tried to explain and show proof that they were right, she just walked away.
I wish I had half the balls those guys do!
So a private security firm AND the police have the right to try and sentence people without so much as a trial? NICE!
Of course they don't. The security firm and the police lied.
Funny how, when we don't stop anyone, and someone flies in to the side of a building, we instantly ask "why didn't security notice and stop that dodgy looking guy?!
All he had was a camera. WTF can someone do with a camera?
I used to ride the local train all the time to commute to work and I had the stops, the police beat and minor details of the route memorized. And I have a crappy memory. Someone with a great memory and a memory enhancing techniques could easily rival a photo - photos don't capture 3 dimensions very well.
troll or idiot?
People with preternatural foresight will often look like the idiot or a fool.
I think the grand parent sees the potential of C++ and a bright future for this new and advanced language!
-1, linux zealotry bordering on FUD
Nah. He's karma whoring.
Some of you FOSS guys chime in here and correct me, but I bet any and every project would welcome you if you offered testing, writing testing scripts, and writing docs and help.
...sent to me where I do my voodoo and make 4 color post script files and PDFs and generate plates for the presses.
I have this image of a chicken coop in the cube next to you, a zombie that gets you a chicken whereupon, you slaughter it while inciting incantations, writing your scripts to create the PDFs and saying in a deep sonorous voice. You after work? -> "AH HA HA HA."
GIMP has only 8 bit channels. You have to go to Cinepaint for 16.
The Economist is a bit conservative on the side business, but as far as being their lackey - I'm not so sure about that. Sometimes they come out with things that can be interpreted as almost anti-business. They've also been doing some rather critical pieces on BP lately as an example.
Or is BP behind on their payments to the Economist?
Java, while widely used is on the down slide. There really hasn't been any new revolutionary additions to the language in about 7 years. In another 10 years, it will become like COBOL is to IBM.
Don't knock COBOL.
I know a couple of folks who are making a nice living as a COBOL programmer. And they're not that old. AND, when the majority of the IT market craps out, they always seem to have or can get a job. That's something not many programmers can claim.
When, exactly, did Presidents get signing authority on the national checkbook?
That was Bush's fault. All that Executive power that his administration grabbed is now in the hands of the other party. And yet, when folks complained about it when it was happening, they were "unAmerican" or "supported the terrorists"
What comes around goes around.
Subsidizing non-economical power generation is not money well spent.
That argument will hold no water until the oil industry stops getting their subsidies.
Why not just build more nuclear plants? Nothing speculative about them at all.
Of course.
But we need a mix of energy sources. Is there enough fissile material being produced to power the entire nation? What about disposal? Our Sun bombards us with an obscene amount of energy. It would be stupid not to grab it.
We Americans need to get away from this magic bullet mentality of one thing will solve all our problems. And we need to get away from this mentality that we're going to turn off the oil spigot overnight and live in clean green energy and be at peace for ever and ever.
Which is it?