This is just one more example of why U.S. Patent law needs to be revised, and not in baby steps. Any government dept. that allows for the patenting of a person's name (e.g., Peter Frampton) or graphic toolbars that a pre-teen could have designed... well, you get the point.
Besides, I believe Quark Xpress and other Mac programs (besides Adobe) had those toolbars before Adobe came along and won a patent for them. Hmm, who's the real crook here!
Just the other day I read an article in Business Week mag about how CEOs in this country have gone from 1980/90s icons to being hated in the past two years. And this guy's comments only enhance that hatred.
What an idiot, literally. He probably heard one comment from a lawyer or ignorant board member or failing VP and made this PVR theft statement without any research or hard thinking.
So, if I don't even own a PVR but decide to record my network programming on VCR every night with the intent of watching that programming the next day and fast forwarding thru all the commercials, I am now considered a thief instead of a customer?
The entire media industry has got to take a couple customer service and marketing classes AND start listening to their customers and adjusting to market trends. Instead, they are running to judges and politicians to create laws that keep their ancient business models alive. But, in the end, no new regulations and laws are going to save these media giants.
The wave has already begun. If media companies don't start investing in new technology and new business plans like the telcos did in the 1990s, the media companies will fail miserably.
I can get into the zone at work or home, but there are some requirements:
My water bottle. No, I don't buy bottled water, but I do have a Brita filter pitcher in the fridge at home. So I bought the tallest no-leak Rubbermaid water bottle with straw. This way I don't spill water on my keyboard (or me) and can stay hydrated. I used to drink OJ all day, but it was tearing up my stomach and room-temp OJ tastes pretty rancid. Likewise, green tea, coffee or hot cocoa gets cold too fast in a mug, so I stick with sugar-free, caffenine-free water.
Turn the e-mail and/or IM off! I only open IM to ask a friend a specific question nowadays, but even at work, turning the e-mail off is a smart move. When that systemtray icon pops up for new mail, most people (self included) can't resist seeing who's "calling." Damnit, that icon just popped up! Oh, and turn off the MSNBC News Alert and P2P stuff too.
No wife! As soon as my wife enters my home office, my fingers stop and my brain wanders. Yes, she's a hottie, but that's not the distraction. It's the fact that women don't know when to NOT talk. Why is it that if I start talking during to a female while she's watching TV, reading, using the computer, whatever, I get the "shhh!" treament. But if they start talking to a man while he's doing one of those activities, and the man says "shhh!", the female gets mad at him and give one of those default female codes: "You never talk to me anymore," or "I'm just trying to talk to you," or "ARRRGGGHHHH!!!" and storms away. Venus/Mars, Pluto!
Music? I listen to a very wide range or music, from black-metal to country to Lilth faire to rave to classical. I love to have music on 24/7 whenever possible, but if the music is something that I can sing along to and know all the words to, that is BAD music to have on to get into the zone. Instrumental is a great choice, but so is an obscure album like Pink Floyd's "Obscured By Clouds" or music that you just don't know that well. Silence is good too, but after awhile, I start to notice the quiet and it bugs me, hence, distration.
Pets? Pets can be a distraction, but it's somewhat of a comfort if my cat is asleep on the scanner behind me.
Outdoors with a laptop does not work for me. Too much distraction from nature, cars, etc. I'll take my office with my large moniter and ergonomic keyboard setup anyday.
...in the end, the greatest distractions are people talking, the phone ringing, having to take the piss or sh*t of your life halfway thru code. I can usually don't realize I'm hungry when I'm in the zone, and thanks to the waterbottle, I'm not thirsty and the water can fill your stomach after awhile.
And if one is truly in the zone, droning out coworker talking is easy, until somebody walks up right behind you and asks you something and you jump out of your chair, white-faced, hair on end, eyes wide open, breathing hard cause somebody just ripped you out of the zone and scared the crap out of you!
Slashdot Mirror
This is just one more example of why U.S. Patent law needs to be revised, and not in baby steps. Any government dept. that allows for the patenting of a person's name (e.g., Peter Frampton) or graphic toolbars that a pre-teen could have designed ... well, you get the point.
Besides, I believe Quark Xpress and other Mac programs (besides Adobe) had those toolbars before Adobe came along and won a patent for them. Hmm, who's the real crook here!
Just the other day I read an article in Business Week mag about how CEOs in this country have gone from 1980/90s icons to being hated in the past two years. And this guy's comments only enhance that hatred.
What an idiot, literally. He probably heard one comment from a lawyer or ignorant board member or failing VP and made this PVR theft statement without any research or hard thinking.
So, if I don't even own a PVR but decide to record my network programming on VCR every night with the intent of watching that programming the next day and fast forwarding thru all the commercials, I am now considered a thief instead of a customer?
The entire media industry has got to take a couple customer service and marketing classes AND start listening to their customers and adjusting to market trends. Instead, they are running to judges and politicians to create laws that keep their ancient business models alive. But, in the end, no new regulations and laws are going to save these media giants.
The wave has already begun. If media companies don't start investing in new technology and new business plans like the telcos did in the 1990s, the media companies will fail miserably.
WebTrends Log Analyzer is a great program and easy to find a crack on older versions.
I can get into the zone at work or home, but there are some requirements:
My water bottle. No, I don't buy bottled water, but I do have a Brita filter pitcher in the fridge at home. So I bought the tallest no-leak Rubbermaid water bottle with straw. This way I don't spill water on my keyboard (or me) and can stay hydrated. I used to drink OJ all day, but it was tearing up my stomach and room-temp OJ tastes pretty rancid. Likewise, green tea, coffee or hot cocoa gets cold too fast in a mug, so I stick with sugar-free, caffenine-free water.
Turn the e-mail and/or IM off! I only open IM to ask a friend a specific question nowadays, but even at work, turning the e-mail off is a smart move. When that systemtray icon pops up for new mail, most people (self included) can't resist seeing who's "calling." Damnit, that icon just popped up! Oh, and turn off the MSNBC News Alert and P2P stuff too.
No wife! As soon as my wife enters my home office, my fingers stop and my brain wanders. Yes, she's a hottie, but that's not the distraction. It's the fact that women don't know when to NOT talk. Why is it that if I start talking during to a female while she's watching TV, reading, using the computer, whatever, I get the "shhh!" treament. But if they start talking to a man while he's doing one of those activities, and the man says "shhh!", the female gets mad at him and give one of those default female codes: "You never talk to me anymore," or "I'm just trying to talk to you," or "ARRRGGGHHHH!!!" and storms away. Venus/Mars, Pluto!
Music? I listen to a very wide range or music, from black-metal to country to Lilth faire to rave to classical. I love to have music on 24/7 whenever possible, but if the music is something that I can sing along to and know all the words to, that is BAD music to have on to get into the zone. Instrumental is a great choice, but so is an obscure album like Pink Floyd's "Obscured By Clouds" or music that you just don't know that well. Silence is good too, but after awhile, I start to notice the quiet and it bugs me, hence, distration.
Pets? Pets can be a distraction, but it's somewhat of a comfort if my cat is asleep on the scanner behind me.
Outdoors with a laptop does not work for me. Too much distraction from nature, cars, etc. I'll take my office with my large moniter and ergonomic keyboard setup anyday.
...in the end, the greatest distractions are people talking, the phone ringing, having to take the piss or sh*t of your life halfway thru code. I can usually don't realize I'm hungry when I'm in the zone, and thanks to the waterbottle, I'm not thirsty and the water can fill your stomach after awhile.
And if one is truly in the zone, droning out coworker talking is easy, until somebody walks up right behind you and asks you something and you jump out of your chair, white-faced, hair on end, eyes wide open, breathing hard cause somebody just ripped you out of the zone and scared the crap out of you!
Geoffrey James' "Tao of Programming"