HP is horrific. Of the 5 or 6 HP computers that I have owned or have performed "family tech support" for, each and every one of them has failed within a month after the end of the warranty period.
One of them was struck by lightning a month after I got it, it didn't matter that HP's warranty didn't cover it as an act of god because my surge protectors warranty definitely covered it. HP claimed that it was not struck by lightning, but instead someone had drenched it in soda, they offered to "fix it" at a cost higher than its original retail cost. I refused and demanded a refund, they refused and returned the disassembled laptop. I eventually got it mostly working again after soldering a few wires into the power plug that was scorched by electrical arcing... Until a month after the original warranty expired and it bricked itself.
For the average rural Chinese citizen they exist as a serf in an agrarian feudal society, as they have been for the last hundreds (thousands?) of years. The difference is that instead of some noble lord, they have the corrupt local appointed bureaucrat.
In most of china, the central government has no real influence in how the regional governors use their share of government income, so the bureaucrats take advantage of the situation.
You are also theoretically missing out on the half of the internet that is porn (if the filters actually worked as well as claimed). And that means that for at least half the population, the internet experience is not "better".
The big reason for internal IT departments to charge other departments for services rendered is this:
When it comes time for a manager to "earn" his bonus, the first thing he looks at is cutting the budget for less profitable departments.
The IT department rarely has external clients for income, but is absolutely vital to keeping the business running.
Therefore to keep some short sighted pencil pusher from crippling the company with a failing infrastructure, the IT department has to show a "profit" for the services it renders.
Considering that the 10 dollar computer that was also announces is turning out to be a 30 dollar plastic box with no input or screen, and it costs no less than $30? that $35 tablet is going to be at least $60 when they are done with it.
The components that will benefit the most from mass production are the heliostats and parabolic trough assemblies. They are not currently mass produced. Each site requires thousands or more of identical units.
With sufficiently high demand, they could be assembled by the millions in mostly automated factories in the say way that automobiles are.
Did you know that if were to extract the radioactive materials from coal and use that to fuel nuclear reactors instead of burning the coal itself, we would actually generate more electricity?
The coal electrical industry generates orders of magnitude more nuclear waste than the nuclear industry.
I fully support the large scale production of breeder reactors. But I think you are underestimating the usefulness of solar power.
Right now, with no further investment in research, we could pave a 100mile square of desert (10 000 sq miles) with solar thermal plants and generate enough power to satisfy 100% of our fixed AND transportation energy needs in America. Solar power is fusion power, its just that we utilize the waste heat from a reactor someone else built a few billion years ago.
And no, you don't need to lock down the world in an authoritarians wet dream with monitoring of every street corner with nuclear power. Reprocess the fuel and store the waste on site and you negate the transportation security issues. All you need is a monitored security zone around the site (and that slightly mitigates its reduced land footprint vs solar).
Likewise I am guilty of: hacking because I own a computer, blowing up the world trade center because I own a box cutter, being a threat to national security because I am intelligent enough to see how utterly insane that ruling is, etc.
It is a directed sound weapon. Its power does not fade along the inverse square law along its projected path. It is supposed to stay at >150 decibels over its most of its effective range.
And yes, a metal show is also sufficient to cause permanent hearing damage.
The only problem I have with failing a grade for a kid is that there is now way for him redouble his efforts and catch back up to his peers within the system as it exists in nearly every public school.
I have faced a similar hurdle myself. I had a severe, persistent medical condition that kept me out of school for more than half the time for several years in a row. I did all my work, passed every class, but failed to meet the attendance policy despite having a doctor approved handicap.
By the time I was healthy enough to attend more regularly, I had "failed" so many years due to the 0 tolerance attendance policy that I would not graduate until I was 21.
I was left with the choice of spending the next 5 to 10 years fighting for my rights in court or saying fuck it all and get on with my life by getting my GED (~75% of high school graduates would fail the GED BTW) and entering college right away. I chose the later.
Screen readers can help the "reading impaired" aspect. Voice recognition can improve the "writing/typing impaired" aspect.
But what, other than direct supervision by an experienced caregiver, can be done to "improve the web experience" for someone with profound mental retardation?
With all due respect, some people are more equal than others.
The blind, deaf and paralyzed have normal mental capabilities, their handicap lies in the information channel between their minds and the rest of the world.
Providing alternate channels or improving the signal in a channel to enable them to use their faculties is perfectly viable.
I get that feeling as well. It kind of reminds me about that story about the Indian kid that developed a "revolutionary" new solar panel that will bring cheap electricity to rural India out of human hair.
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HP is horrific. Of the 5 or 6 HP computers that I have owned or have performed "family tech support" for, each and every one of them has failed within a month after the end of the warranty period.
One of them was struck by lightning a month after I got it, it didn't matter that HP's warranty didn't cover it as an act of god because my surge protectors warranty definitely covered it. HP claimed that it was not struck by lightning, but instead someone had drenched it in soda, they offered to "fix it" at a cost higher than its original retail cost. I refused and demanded a refund, they refused and returned the disassembled laptop. I eventually got it mostly working again after soldering a few wires into the power plug that was scorched by electrical arcing... Until a month after the original warranty expired and it bricked itself.
Last year.
And I don't think you understand how utterly resilient life in general and specifically human life is.
Humanity survived the last super volcano eruption, the ice age, etc. This rock may take down civilization, but humanity will continue.
THat is what pointy sticks are for. And "friends" in a pinch.
For the average rural Chinese citizen they exist as a serf in an agrarian feudal society, as they have been for the last hundreds (thousands?) of years. The difference is that instead of some noble lord, they have the corrupt local appointed bureaucrat.
In most of china, the central government has no real influence in how the regional governors use their share of government income, so the bureaucrats take advantage of the situation.
You are also theoretically missing out on the half of the internet that is porn (if the filters actually worked as well as claimed). And that means that for at least half the population, the internet experience is not "better".
The big reason for internal IT departments to charge other departments for services rendered is this:
When it comes time for a manager to "earn" his bonus, the first thing he looks at is cutting the budget for less profitable departments.
The IT department rarely has external clients for income, but is absolutely vital to keeping the business running.
Therefore to keep some short sighted pencil pusher from crippling the company with a failing infrastructure, the IT department has to show a "profit" for the services it renders.
Considering that the 10 dollar computer that was also announces is turning out to be a 30 dollar plastic box with no input or screen, and it costs no less than $30? that $35 tablet is going to be at least $60 when they are done with it.
My older brother downloaded off BBS's with a c64 and 300 baud modem in the early 80's.
The components that will benefit the most from mass production are the heliostats and parabolic trough assemblies. They are not currently mass produced. Each site requires thousands or more of identical units.
With sufficiently high demand, they could be assembled by the millions in mostly automated factories in the say way that automobiles are.
Obama isn't exactly worse.
He hasn't repealed the gross violations implemented by the previous administration.
But the violations he has implemented are much less horrific in comparison to what Bush/Cheney put into effect.
To put it in perspective, things are still going down hill, but we are not jumping off another cliff at the moment.
Did you know that if were to extract the radioactive materials from coal and use that to fuel nuclear reactors instead of burning the coal itself, we would actually generate more electricity?
The coal electrical industry generates orders of magnitude more nuclear waste than the nuclear industry.
You are forgetting that every part of a solar thermal plant can be mass produced from relatively inexpensive basic materials.
Steel, glass aluminum, copper, salt, mirrors, pipes, electric motors, micro controllers, steam turbines, generators.
The engineering costs are pretty much paid for.
Once mass production parts become available, it is pretty much reduced to contractors leveling the site and placement of equipment.
There will be orders of magnitude reduction in cost for both the engineering and the components.
I fully support the large scale production of breeder reactors. But I think you are underestimating the usefulness of solar power.
Right now, with no further investment in research, we could pave a 100mile square of desert (10 000 sq miles) with solar thermal plants and generate enough power to satisfy 100% of our fixed AND transportation energy needs in America. Solar power is fusion power, its just that we utilize the waste heat from a reactor someone else built a few billion years ago.
And no, you don't need to lock down the world in an authoritarians wet dream with monitoring of every street corner with nuclear power. Reprocess the fuel and store the waste on site and you negate the transportation security issues. All you need is a monitored security zone around the site (and that slightly mitigates its reduced land footprint vs solar).
Likewise I am guilty of:
hacking because I own a computer,
blowing up the world trade center because I own a box cutter,
being a threat to national security because I am intelligent enough to see how utterly insane that ruling is,
etc.
Probably because the yellow was shortened to increase ticket revenue.
So people end up having to brake more quickly at some red lights than at others.
No...
It is a directed sound weapon. Its power does not fade along the inverse square law along its projected path. It is supposed to stay at >150 decibels over its most of its effective range.
And yes, a metal show is also sufficient to cause permanent hearing damage.
The only problem I have with failing a grade for a kid is that there is now way for him redouble his efforts and catch back up to his peers within the system as it exists in nearly every public school.
I have faced a similar hurdle myself. I had a severe, persistent medical condition that kept me out of school for more than half the time for several years in a row. I did all my work, passed every class, but failed to meet the attendance policy despite having a doctor approved handicap.
By the time I was healthy enough to attend more regularly, I had "failed" so many years due to the 0 tolerance attendance policy that I would not graduate until I was 21.
I was left with the choice of spending the next 5 to 10 years fighting for my rights in court or saying fuck it all and get on with my life by getting my GED (~75% of high school graduates would fail the GED BTW) and entering college right away. I chose the later.
WTF. Are you saying that only rich kids should get A's?
It doesn't matter what background you come from. If you are smart and put in any effort at all, you will get an A.
If you are smart enough, you can even get an A for trivial effort.
A normal person, if they work hard can make an A as well.
Now you are redefining everything, and making B's and A's much less valuable.
C was supposed to be the average grade.
D was acceptably below average.
F was unacceptably below average.
B was above average.
A was exceptionally above average.
The passenger side of the vehicle can not reach a drive up ATM.
But it is cheaper to have one ATM design that gets used universally anyway.
Screen readers can help the "reading impaired" aspect. Voice recognition can improve the "writing/typing impaired" aspect.
But what, other than direct supervision by an experienced caregiver, can be done to "improve the web experience" for someone with profound mental retardation?
With all due respect, some people are more equal than others.
The blind, deaf and paralyzed have normal mental capabilities, their handicap lies in the information channel between their minds and the rest of the world.
Providing alternate channels or improving the signal in a channel to enable them to use their faculties is perfectly viable.
Or you could buy a nice truck.
I am pretty happy with my standard Dodge Dakota.
It won't win any long distance races, but it accelerates really well in the lower gears and is fun to drive.
Except for the damn evaporator drain hose leaking in the passenger side floor.
The engine block is to close where it passes through the firewall.
That makes it impossible to clear blockages without either disassembling the entire dash or pulling the engine.
This will keep me busy next weekend.
That is really easy. Look at the decibel level it puts out, at least 150. Then go read about hearing loss from loud sound.
I get that feeling as well. It kind of reminds me about that story about the Indian kid that developed a "revolutionary" new solar panel that will bring cheap electricity to rural India out of human hair.