Just buying a Nexus phone is unfortunately not enough.
I bought an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus phone online, from a Canadian retailer. Unfortunately the phone I got wasn't running the official google ROM, but Samsung's own ROM that was on a different (much slower) update channel. I had to flash my phone to google's firmware to move from 4.0.2 to 4.0.4. Within a few minutes my phone found the jelly bean update and prompted me to install. The flashing was pretty simple; the only issue was that my phone forgot its SMS centre number and mobile AP settings, so I had to program those back in to be able to send txts and use 3g data.
I say bad on Google for this one. I bought an unlocked nexus phone because I wanted to try out different ROMs on my phone, so for me this was not a big deal. I do think it's dumb that I had to hack my phone to get Google-supported updates.
Also, the other fun thing about Galaxy Nexus firmware variants is that their is basically no way to know which you have until you boot up your phone. Some people who purchased from the same source as me got the official google firmware, it seems totally random. I do like my phone, its really nice and smooth with jelly bean, but the device experience could have been better.
The playbook is actually a pretty good tablet. The hardware is great, though I wish the screen resolution was a little higher. As it is, the screen is great for reading in landscape, but portrait is a little cramped.
The OS is quite good, I have tried the ios and android and find this the most intuitive of the 3. The playbook OS makes it obvious which of your apps are running, and let's you run things in the background if you wish. The OS in general feels polished and well thought out. The app store is surprisingly well supported, but it is missing 3rd party support for netflix, Skype, and the like. Also, you can wake the tablet by swiping the screen.
That said, I would have a hard time recommending the playbook because of 3rd party support and how it has fared in the marketplace. Too bad, RIM has a nice product here.
You make a false equivalence here. Both sides have clowns, but one side has the vast majority of publishing scientists and the royal scientific societies in many nations. Only one side, as i have seen it, argues with data. Also, to my knowledge only one side has stooped to using pr firms with ties to the tobacco industry.
I recently picked up an lg bluray player to use as a netflix machine. I think netflix is a nice service, and I wanted a machine my mother (who is afraid of computers) could figure out. So far it has been a crappy experience, and I can see why people are not lining up for blu-ray:
-A few setup things were arcane, like having the aspect ratio stuck at 16:9 until I changed some other setting. -The wifi throws a fit every so often, claiming there is no connection. I have told my mother to restart the player as this seems like the simplest solution. No other devices on my wireless network have issues like this. -The updates system is completely braindead. You can't disable updates, netflix is disabled if it wants to update, updates over the wireless always fail, and there is no version checking. I installed the updates with a usb stick, but it still prompted me to install the exact same version number over the internet connection. I could even install the same version multiple times from USB, it always thought it was a new update. I ended up having to temporarily run a network cable across the living room floor.
By contrast, my mother has never had issues with our DVD players, you put the disc in and it works. No setup, no updates, no shit, it just works.
I have no plans to buy a single bluray disc, but I find myself wishing i had just got her a nintendo wii for netflix. This bluray player is ok when it works, but between the bad design issues I mentioned (assuming other players are similar), Bluray spec versioning, HDCP issues, and the like, I cant see non technical people putting up with crap like this.
The Assasin's Creed games are not to my taste, but I approve of the main character being an Algonquin. The history of the aboriginal people of the United States and Canada has not gotten the attention it deserves, and its great to see it used as background in a popular work.
I had a similar experience with a grandmother, and I understood your post only too well. Alcoholism is a truly depraved and meaningless existence; when a family member has been a drunk since before you were born, you feel like you never met the real person.
I think the summary was written too matter-of-fact-ly for something that is debatable, but alcohol is a big nuisance to society. Alcohol increases aggressiveness and lowers people's inhibitions. People harm themselves directly by drinking, but everyone else pays with increased violence and rowdiness (especially on Saturday and Sunday night), car crashes caused by drunks, fires caused by drunks who fall asleep smoking or cooking etc. People do anti-social things on many drugs ('Assholes in Action', as Frank Zappa said) but alcohol is one of the most annoying I've seen. Most drugs leave people content to keep to themselves.
On the other hand, I do believe alcohol should be legal and have no problem with people who drink responsibly.
Really, though, the choice is not between one or the other, but between one or both. The Government of Canada only has direct control over whether they implement internet surveillance, they cannot realistically stop child abuse. This current government is a big fan of expensive yet empty gestures, for instance their mandatory minimum sentencing bill.
It works the same way. Our MPs and Senators (Canada's "Lords") are usually very careful about what they say outside of Parliament.
What the minister said is not so out of line for what passes as discourse in the house of commons, which is best described as a room full of retarded shrieking monkeys. This current government is quite petty and crass, and they have said worse.
So you infer anger from Unknown Soldier's post, then infer from my post that I inferred anger into your post. Actually, Unknown Soldier's post doesn't seem especially angry to me. But what do I know, I don't have your apparently Deanna Troi-like empath skills.
Like a post below says, try following your own advice.
You can stop the name calling, also, it makes you look foolish.
A video game may be entertainment, but the money exchanged for it does pay for food and shelter. Blizzard does want our money, right? So why do they make their games worse on purpose?
Also, by your reasoning we can't judge a non-essential product. This seems silly.
I'm guessing the above is a joke (good one, my Yankee brother), but I would like to point out the Queen is not part of the Canadian government.
The Government advises the Queen; the Queen listens to the Government by custom. For example when a new Governor-General is chosen the Prime Minister gives the Queen a list of one name and basically says, 'take your pick'. Our system splits those who make decisions (government) from those who have authority (crown). This is also why the provincial governments are theoretically equal to the federal government, as they each ultimately derive their authority from the crown. This is also why bills passed by parliament need approval from the crown before they are law, though in practice this approval is just a formality.
I always think of the crown as a referee rather than an active participant in our politics.
'Politically correct' now just means things that angry white men don't like. Often that includes (and I don't know why) people of other races, religions, etc.
The article is from the Daily Mail, no surpise there.
I'm not denying climate change, and neither is the Conservative government; we accept that man may be contributing to warming. You completely missed the point of my post: warming is a good thing if you're in Canada. If someone else denies it to the US congress, that benefits Canada, whether it's detrimental to someone else is a separate issue. One has to look out for one's own first: consider for example, if you have to make a decision that weighs the well-being of your family versus the well-being of a group of strangers, which way would you go? A country is like an extended family--the two things are different points on a hierarchy of "belongs to", and within any group, those on the inside w.r.t. the individual are the overriding concern.
I understood your point well the first time, that you think climate change will be a net benefit to Canada. Possibly, but the earth is a very complex thing so I would not be too sure about that.
I think it is you has failed to see my point, that supporting massive destruction elsewhere through the telling of lies is wrong, even if it helps our country. By your reasoning, an American could justify 'annexing' Canada for its own benefit. After all, America is like a big family that needs energy and resources, and Canadians are not part of the family and are thus a lesser concern. Some of us believe in just a little bit more than 'dog eat dog' and the mercenary attitude, and no I am not talking about god(s).
Coincidentally, one can easily be a conservative and a supporter of science. I'm a life-long atheist and materialist/positivist, yet I voted for the right at all three levels of government ever since Chretien showed that the Libtards are a bunch of cretins.
I actually went door-to-door for my local conservative candidate in 2004, and I was quite happy to see the old corrupt liberal regime go. Since then this government has shown itself to be bad at managing Canada's finances, dishonest in general, and anti-science. They cut taxes while running a deficit, even before the financial crisis hit. Genuine fiscal conservatives do not seem to have a voice or presence in the party anymore. They have also restricted the ability of scientists in the civil service to express themselves; you and I are paying for scientists to do research useful to our country, but the conservatives would prefer that they keep their mouths shut when it conflicts with their pre-chosen ideological answers.
It seems the majority of the population realized just as much. As for the NDP, if it walks pinko and talks pinko... Having been born in an Eastern European country that was communist at the time, I know better.
If you've got any positive things to say about this government, now would be the time. The fact your choose to badmouth the other parties instead makes me think you're beginning to realize what a pack of losers you vote for. I have a feeling this country has a hangover the size of Alberta on its way.
Patriotism without values or honour is just selfishness and greed. As a Canadian I reject the extreme dishonesty of the majority of climate change 'skeptics', and I would ashamed if our country tried to interfere with meaningful action on climate change out of self-interest.
Of course, with the current anti-science* government your point of view may win the day. No wonder the UN doesn't want us on the security council.
Posted by a proud Canadian from Ottawa, Ontario
* Two quick references for the conservatives being anti-science - When told crime rates were falling, Stephen Harper said he didn't care about the data, that 'real' Canadians supported his mandatory minimum and knew that crime rates were actually going increasing. - Canada opposed declaring asbestos a hazardous substance, despite a UN science panel's recommendation (Canada mines and sells asbestos). Canada's position was that we did not disagree with the panel's scientific arguments, but rather that we didn't give a damn. Unfortunately consensus was required so the motion did not pass. This would not have made asbestos illegal to mine or export, it would have required us to inform buyers of health risks and safe handling procedures
I too enjoyed Brian Daley's Han Solo books (Han Solo at Star's End, Han Solo's Revenege, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy) back in the day. They were some of the first Star Wars books and predate Return of the Jedi.
I re-read, after 10 years or more, through the Han Solo books on a motorcycle trip through Vermont and New York (need something to do in the motel). I thought they held up very well, actually. The stories are not deep, but the books are very easy to get into, what I would call a 'page-turner' or an 'airplane book'. Han Solo was well-written as a likeable character and there were some decent side characters. Han and Chewie were always down on their luck and trying out weird deals; one of the books opens with them operating a movie theatre of a sorts for a primitive tribe, using the entertainment equipment for his ship, selling basic snacks and so on. One weird aspect was apart from Han, Chewie, and the Falcon, no other star wars locations or people were mentioned. There's this empire stand-in called the Authority (which hails from the 'Corporate Sector'), a suave gunfighter named Gallandro, and an ancient civilization ruled by Xim the Despot.
It would have made a good mini-series or TV show, much better than what has been done since the new star wars movies. Also, there was a Lando Calrissian series that was done in a similar style but much much worse. Anyone actually finish those ones? Even when I re-read my star wars books over and over, my Lando collection never got fully read.
According to the article it covers quadratic equations, logarithms, and imaginary numbers.
I took it in grade 11 (out of 12) in the province of Ontario as MCR3U; IIRC it also included misc. function theory, some financial and compound interest stuff, and conic geometry.
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Just buying a Nexus phone is unfortunately not enough.
I bought an unlocked GSM Galaxy Nexus phone online, from a Canadian retailer. Unfortunately the phone I got wasn't running the official google ROM, but Samsung's own ROM that was on a different (much slower) update channel. I had to flash my phone to google's firmware to move from 4.0.2 to 4.0.4. Within a few minutes my phone found the jelly bean update and prompted me to install. The flashing was pretty simple; the only issue was that my phone forgot its SMS centre number and mobile AP settings, so I had to program those back in to be able to send txts and use 3g data.
I say bad on Google for this one. I bought an unlocked nexus phone because I wanted to try out different ROMs on my phone, so for me this was not a big deal. I do think it's dumb that I had to hack my phone to get Google-supported updates.
Also, the other fun thing about Galaxy Nexus firmware variants is that their is basically no way to know which you have until you boot up your phone. Some people who purchased from the same source as me got the official google firmware, it seems totally random. I do like my phone, its really nice and smooth with jelly bean, but the device experience could have been better.
The playbook is actually a pretty good tablet. The hardware is great, though I wish the screen resolution was a little higher. As it is, the screen is great for reading in landscape, but portrait is a little cramped.
The OS is quite good, I have tried the ios and android and find this the most intuitive of the 3. The playbook OS makes it obvious which of your apps are running, and let's you run things in the background if you wish. The OS in general feels polished and well thought out. The app store is surprisingly well supported, but it is missing 3rd party support for netflix, Skype, and the like. Also, you can wake the tablet by swiping the screen.
That said, I would have a hard time recommending the playbook because of 3rd party support and how it has fared in the marketplace. Too bad, RIM has a nice product here.
You make a false equivalence here. Both sides have clowns, but one side has the vast majority of publishing scientists and the royal scientific societies in many nations. Only one side, as i have seen it, argues with data. Also, to my knowledge only one side has stooped to using pr firms with ties to the tobacco industry.
Just posting to undo a mod, I thought you wrote the first half of your post.
I recently picked up an lg bluray player to use as a netflix machine. I think netflix is a nice service, and I wanted a machine my mother (who is afraid of computers) could figure out. So far it has been a crappy experience, and I can see why people are not lining up for blu-ray:
-A few setup things were arcane, like having the aspect ratio stuck at 16:9 until I changed some other setting.
-The wifi throws a fit every so often, claiming there is no connection. I have told my mother to restart the player as this seems like the simplest solution. No other devices on my wireless network have issues like this.
-The updates system is completely braindead. You can't disable updates, netflix is disabled if it wants to update, updates over the wireless always fail, and there is no version checking. I installed the updates with a usb stick, but it still prompted me to install the exact same version number over the internet connection. I could even install the same version multiple times from USB, it always thought it was a new update. I ended up having to temporarily run a network cable across the living room floor.
By contrast, my mother has never had issues with our DVD players, you put the disc in and it works. No setup, no updates, no shit, it just works.
I have no plans to buy a single bluray disc, but I find myself wishing i had just got her a nintendo wii for netflix. This bluray player is ok when it works, but between the bad design issues I mentioned (assuming other players are similar), Bluray spec versioning, HDCP issues, and the like, I cant see non technical people putting up with crap like this.
The Assasin's Creed games are not to my taste, but I approve of the main character being an Algonquin. The history of the aboriginal people of the United States and Canada has not gotten the attention it deserves, and its great to see it used as background in a popular work.
I had a similar experience with a grandmother, and I understood your post only too well. Alcoholism is a truly depraved and meaningless existence; when a family member has been a drunk since before you were born, you feel like you never met the real person.
I think the summary was written too matter-of-fact-ly for something that is debatable, but alcohol is a big nuisance to society. Alcohol increases aggressiveness and lowers people's inhibitions. People harm themselves directly by drinking, but everyone else pays with increased violence and rowdiness (especially on Saturday and Sunday night), car crashes caused by drunks, fires caused by drunks who fall asleep smoking or cooking etc. People do anti-social things on many drugs ('Assholes in Action', as Frank Zappa said) but alcohol is one of the most annoying I've seen. Most drugs leave people content to keep to themselves.
On the other hand, I do believe alcohol should be legal and have no problem with people who drink responsibly.
Really, though, the choice is not between one or the other, but between one or both. The Government of Canada only has direct control over whether they implement internet surveillance, they cannot realistically stop child abuse. This current government is a big fan of expensive yet empty gestures, for instance their mandatory minimum sentencing bill.
It works the same way. Our MPs and Senators (Canada's "Lords") are usually very careful about what they say outside of Parliament.
What the minister said is not so out of line for what passes as discourse in the house of commons, which is best described as a room full of retarded shrieking monkeys. This current government is quite petty and crass, and they have said worse.
So you infer anger from Unknown Soldier's post, then infer from my post that I inferred anger into your post. Actually, Unknown Soldier's post doesn't seem especially angry to me. But what do I know, I don't have your apparently Deanna Troi-like empath skills.
Like a post below says, try following your own advice.
You can stop the name calling, also, it makes you look foolish.
A video game may be entertainment, but the money exchanged for it does pay for food and shelter. Blizzard does want our money, right? So why do they make their games worse on purpose?
Also, by your reasoning we can't judge a non-essential product. This seems silly.
I'm guessing the above is a joke (good one, my Yankee brother), but I would like to point out the Queen is not part of the Canadian government.
The Government advises the Queen; the Queen listens to the Government by custom. For example when a new Governor-General is chosen the Prime Minister gives the Queen a list of one name and basically says, 'take your pick'. Our system splits those who make decisions (government) from those who have authority (crown). This is also why the provincial governments are theoretically equal to the federal government, as they each ultimately derive their authority from the crown. This is also why bills passed by parliament need approval from the crown before they are law, though in practice this approval is just a formality.
I always think of the crown as a referee rather than an active participant in our politics.
'Politically correct' now just means things that angry white men don't like. Often that includes (and I don't know why) people of other races, religions, etc.
The article is from the Daily Mail, no surpise there.
I'm not denying climate change, and neither is the Conservative government; we accept that man may be contributing to warming.
You completely missed the point of my post: warming is a good thing if you're in Canada. If someone else denies it to the US congress, that benefits Canada, whether it's detrimental to someone else is a separate issue. One has to look out for one's own first: consider for example, if you have to make a decision that weighs the well-being of your family versus the well-being of a group of strangers, which way would you go? A country is like an extended family--the two things are different points on a hierarchy of "belongs to", and within any group, those on the inside w.r.t. the individual are the overriding concern.
I understood your point well the first time, that you think climate change will be a net benefit to Canada. Possibly, but the earth is a very complex thing so I would not be too sure about that.
I think it is you has failed to see my point, that supporting massive destruction elsewhere through the telling of lies is wrong, even if it helps our country. By your reasoning, an American could justify 'annexing' Canada for its own benefit. After all, America is like a big family that needs energy and resources, and Canadians are not part of the family and are thus a lesser concern. Some of us believe in just a little bit more than 'dog eat dog' and the mercenary attitude, and no I am not talking about god(s).
Coincidentally, one can easily be a conservative and a supporter of science. I'm a life-long atheist and materialist/positivist, yet I voted for the right at all three levels of government ever since Chretien showed that the Libtards are a bunch of cretins.
I actually went door-to-door for my local conservative candidate in 2004, and I was quite happy to see the old corrupt liberal regime go. Since then this government has shown itself to be bad at managing Canada's finances, dishonest in general, and anti-science. They cut taxes while running a deficit, even before the financial crisis hit. Genuine fiscal conservatives do not seem to have a voice or presence in the party anymore. They have also restricted the ability of scientists in the civil service to express themselves; you and I are paying for scientists to do research useful to our country, but the conservatives would prefer that they keep their mouths shut when it conflicts with their pre-chosen ideological answers.
It seems the majority of the population realized just as much. As for the NDP, if it walks pinko and talks pinko... Having been born in an Eastern European country that was communist at the time, I know better.
If you've got any positive things to say about this government, now would be the time. The fact your choose to badmouth the other parties instead makes me think you're beginning to realize what a pack of losers you vote for. I have a feeling this country has a hangover the size of Alberta on its way.
Patriotism without values or honour is just selfishness and greed. As a Canadian I reject the extreme dishonesty of the majority of climate change 'skeptics', and I would ashamed if our country tried to interfere with meaningful action on climate change out of self-interest.
Of course, with the current anti-science* government your point of view may win the day. No wonder the UN doesn't want us on the security council.
Posted by a proud Canadian from Ottawa, Ontario
* Two quick references for the conservatives being anti-science
- When told crime rates were falling, Stephen Harper said he didn't care about the data, that 'real' Canadians supported his mandatory minimum and knew that crime rates were actually going increasing.
- Canada opposed declaring asbestos a hazardous substance, despite a UN science panel's recommendation (Canada mines and sells asbestos). Canada's position was that we did not disagree with the panel's scientific arguments, but rather that we didn't give a damn. Unfortunately consensus was required so the motion did not pass. This would not have made asbestos illegal to mine or export, it would have required us to inform buyers of health risks and safe handling procedures
I too enjoyed Brian Daley's Han Solo books (Han Solo at Star's End, Han Solo's Revenege, Han Solo and the Lost Legacy) back in the day. They were some of the first Star Wars books and predate Return of the Jedi.
I re-read, after 10 years or more, through the Han Solo books on a motorcycle trip through Vermont and New York (need something to do in the motel). I thought they held up very well, actually. The stories are not deep, but the books are very easy to get into, what I would call a 'page-turner' or an 'airplane book'. Han Solo was well-written as a likeable character and there were some decent side characters. Han and Chewie were always down on their luck and trying out weird deals; one of the books opens with them operating a movie theatre of a sorts for a primitive tribe, using the entertainment equipment for his ship, selling basic snacks and so on. One weird aspect was apart from Han, Chewie, and the Falcon, no other star wars locations or people were mentioned. There's this empire stand-in called the Authority (which hails from the 'Corporate Sector'), a suave gunfighter named Gallandro, and an ancient civilization ruled by Xim the Despot.
It would have made a good mini-series or TV show, much better than what has been done since the new star wars movies. Also, there was a Lando Calrissian series that was done in a similar style but much much worse. Anyone actually finish those ones? Even when I re-read my star wars books over and over, my Lando collection never got fully read.
According to the article it covers quadratic equations, logarithms, and imaginary numbers. I took it in grade 11 (out of 12) in the province of Ontario as MCR3U; IIRC it also included misc. function theory, some financial and compound interest stuff, and conic geometry.