All of your arguments apply when comparing laptops to desktops
O RLY?
They sell you a small brick for more than a notebook computer costs.
Ok, I'll give you that one. Laptops/Notebooks are more expensive than desktops.
You get a slow processor
Laptop processors are quite competitive with their Desktop cousins. Especially when referring to the power-friendly Core Duo, which many folks find more desirable than the latest Pentium IV.
small screen
Laptop screens are very competitive with 15-17 inch desktop screens.
small hard drive
Laptop hard drives are extremely competitive with desktop drives, lagging by only about a generation in storage capacity.
worse battery life than the average PC or Mac laptop
If I pull the plug on a PC, the "battery" lasts about 3 seconds while the capacitors discharge. Laptops today get more than 4 hours of life. Laptops FTW!
a keyboard you can't type on
I can assure you, I type just as well on my laptop keyboard as I do on my desktop keyboard. Often better, as I'm able to posisiton it more comfortably. The only advantage to a desktop is the addition of a keypad.
So you'll excuse me, but I beg to differ with your statement. What's true of the FlipBook compared to the Laptop is far from true when comparing a laptop to a desktop.
The point is not, "so SMALL that it's useless". We can make a computer that fits in an oversized watch, but you wouldn't want to use it, either.
If the slightly larger Sony products (which had better keyboards and longer relative battery life, mind you) were to SMALL to be useful, why would this POS be any more useful?
I'm sure that many-a-technophile will appreciate how SMALL this thing is sitting on a SMALL shelf in a SMALL corner of a SMALL closet, having gotten SMALL amounts of attention before its SMALL lack of usefulness because a SMALL bit apparent.
Most people I know, many people who use computers every day, even some developers, can't type properly, and use the hunt and peck method. I don't see this device slowing most people down.
This appears to be a little different, though. If you look at the photo of it, it appears to have one of those calculator-key keyboards that's really difficult to use. Probably a chiclet keyboard with plastic nubs for keys. Quite the departure from the scissor switch keyboards found in many laptops.
Besides that, most people who type regularly can do so fairly quickly, even if they're not touch-typists. Undersized keyboards prevent fast typing because you can only use a single finger at a time. (Usually the thumb.) Thumbing your input is incredibly slow when compared to the speed that can be achieved with full-hand typing.
So let me get this straight: They sell you a small brick for more than a notebook computer costs. You get a slow processor, small screen, small hard drive, worse battery life than the average PC or Mac laptop, a keyboard you can't type on, and you're supposed to believe that it's revolutionary? I'm not following.
Sony tried this years ago with their Vaio sub-notebook line of computers. (Here's a picture.) Unlike this... thing... its keyboard was actually fairly decent, the screen was bright, and it was overall fairly useful. It's only problem was that it just wasn't large enough to be practical. You can't really type notes on a keyboard of that size. Nor are you really going to squint at the small screen while typing letters/memos/spreadsheets. That's why the entire market moved more toward the ultra-thin notebooks that were nearly as portable, but offered larger screens and keyboards.
The only advantage I can find with this thing is that it's a sub-notebook with Wifi. (Based on the comments about replacing the BlackBerry.) Possibly even GSM/EDGE support. I don't think that's going to make up for the lousy form factor, especially when you can get a $50 PCMCIA card from your cell provider to do the same thing.
Honestly, it sounds like an answering service to me. Companies that need to screen for emergency calls (apartment complexes being a big one) often use them to cover non-business hours. The answering service is then put in the position of either telling the customer to call back later or paging the appropriate emergency staff.
This being computer-related, it doesn't surprise me that it would have been outsourced to India. It seems like the standard panacea for all ills these days.:-/
So it's really just a SOHO plan? Still, that's a rather sweet deal if you're willing to shell out the dough. I just don't think it's going to help this fellow much. He should still get ahold of corporate and wring a few necks until he gets a support plan that works for him.:)
It's enough to make you wonder if it isn't still a good idea for Apple and Sun to merge. Or at least develop a synergistic partnership (*snicker*) that plays up the strengths of both companies. Apple could provide the glitz and Sun the raw hardware support and software scalability. With a little bit of technology sharing, they could develop into a new (and incredibly powerful) force in the business computer industry.
Actually if you purchase Apple Care they are suppose to come to your business and fix it there.
Interesting. Is that supposed to be part of the same AppleCare plan, or is that a different level of support? Because I've spent a bit of time (admittedly, not too much) digging through Apple's support website. While they can refer you to Apple consultants, they don't really advertise any "AppleCare for Business" plans.
...for consumer support. It sounds like the problem you're having is that you're demanding the type of turnaround that many business-level plans provide. Yet Apple doesn't have a standard business-level plan in place.
The normal process is that you drop the computer off, wait a week or two, and pick it up to find it in spectacular condition. (Usually better than when you dropped it off; above and beyond fixing whatever you brought it in for.) The key is that you have to show a modicum of patience, something which businesses often can't afford to do.
Now that's not to say that Apple doesn't want your business. In fact, I imagine that Apple would love to provide corporate support. But you're not going to find it in their stores. What you need to do is contact Apple Corporate and explain the situation. Tell them that you've been tasked to covert your business from an all-Windows platform to an all-Mac platform. Explain that the AppleCare store plans appear to be insufficient for your needs, and also explain the exact issues you've had with them.
I would be very much suprised if Apple didn't assign you an account representative to take care of your needs. It might require a bit of FexExing back and forth, but you'll get support handled a lot better than if you try and take your needs to the geniuses (pun intended) at the Apple Store.
I don't think it will carry much weight. Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights reads:
1. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers. This article shall not prevent States from requiring the licensing of broadcasting, television or cinema enterprises.
2. The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security, territorial integrity or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, for the protection of the reputation or rights of others, for preventing the disclosure of information received in confidence, or for maintaining the authority and impartiality of the judiciary.
Emphasis is obviously mine. Bascially, Turkey could argue that their laws are not restrictive to free speech, and that their laws only "protect the morals [and] reputation" of the citizens of its country. (Both past and present.)
Other EU countries can try to make a stink about it, but I seriously doubt that anyone is going to push Turkey too hard.
You may need to edit your hosts file with a text editor to ensure that it was properly edited. On Windows in particular, there may not be a line break added in. Just open the file, find the "208.", position the cursor in front of the "208." and press enter. Save the file.
There. All done.
As you can see, the Turkish government's solution is incredibly sophiticated and difficult to circumvent.:-/
The long and short of it is that Turkey found the video "insulting" and hasn't even decided yet if the video is legally "wrong". So much for being a "democratic, secular, unitary, constitutional republic". (Taken from Wikipedia.)
Cripes. Not again. You're again three posts too late, and adding nothing to the discussion. Dude, look two posts up. Thank you, have a nice day, please drive through.
Never mind. I see the problem with my own response. The delta of space (as much as 300K delta) results in a greater loss of black body radiation. Assuming no insulation, of course. (Such as clothes, which provide a great deal of radiative insulation.) So if you're naked in space, you could lose as much as 523 watts. (e=1, T=310K) Since you're likely to be wearing insulation, you'll lose a lot less than that, though it's difficult to compute how much. Obviously, the insulation is good enough that astronauts don't need heating packs, and the Space Activity Suit needs cooling via sweat.
That being said, it would be nice if this could have been kept in a single thread (perhaps poking a reverse hole in my own logic) rather than three people responding the same thing while ignoring each other's posts.:-/
Frostbite from sweating? No. As I said, your body will immediately react, and close the pores. Your body will stop losing heat through any means other than black body radiation. No frostbite, sorry.
It does not. Does anyone pay any frickin' attention around here? TWO SEPARATE POSTERS said the exact same thing before you. TWO SEPARATE TIMES I pointed out the flaws in their calculations and logic, linking to an article with actual information. (1: The human body emits ~95 watts which is consistent with the ~100 Watts produced, 2: Where would the other ~300 watts come from if the body doesn't produce it?) Hello!?! McFly?!!?
Cripes. I'm not a fan of violent games, but I suddenly have this overwhelming urge to perform MK Fatalities. Grr...
Someone who knows an approximation for the emissivity for human skin will have to speak up here.
Wikipedia article on this, and keep getting ignored. All your questions answered. Right there.
Actually, it's not technically blackbody radiation.
True, true. But it can still be semi-correctly referred to as "black body radiation", since the computations treat the object as if it were a black body.
95 watts is commiserate with the energy produced by the human body. If you were really dumping 920 watts through black body radiation (which will NOT be significantly impeded by an oxygenated environment) where is the missing 800 watts coming from?
I consider it something of a personal mission to push back the wave of stupidity that we deal with in our daily lives these days. If I've helped even a slight bit, then it's worth it.
If you want a C64, try searching your local area for a Commodore club. They're usually easy to find, and you can almost always find someone to sell you a machine for cheap. The best place to start your search is Lemon64.
and what sort of particle is emitted during alpha decay???
You said (and I quote): "That entirely depends on [...] [t]he type of radiation emitted. For example: a 1g lump of 239PU (used in nuclear weapons), even though it is emitting alpha particles (required) will not even be warm to the touch, let alone glow."
The type of radiation doesn't really matter as much as the amount of radiation. Even if the material is emitting Gamma rays, it's going to get hotter than hell if it's emitting enough of them. That's my point.
Notice that the areas producing the most infrared energy are the areas of exposed skin.
Most insulating materials are composed of empty space, because empty space is the best insulator. (Vacuum is the absolute best, but an low-density oxygenated environment will work in a pinch.) However, the insulating material is intended to capture some of that heat, and transfer it back to the body through either conduction through air, or contact with the skin.
so without that pressure on us we start to bloat up pretty fast from the swelling. our fluids try to go from the now high internal pressure to lower pressure outside.
This is true. However, it does take time for the fluids to move outward and the capillaries to start bursting. More time than the characters on the show were exposed to vacuum. (If you can even call their exposure a true vacuum. They caught them while they were being carried by the air-blast, for crying out loud!)
PU-238 can glow red-hot from Alpha radiation. It's not the type, but rather the amount of radioactivity and the ability of the material to reject heat. (Piccy)
B) The mass of the material. - However a 16+ Kg block [of PU-239] will glow so bright, you'll be able to see it for miles (well... until the shockwave hits you...)
Hah hah hah.:-/
It's extremely difficult to produce a super-critical reaction using PU-239. That's why gun-type nuclear weapons use Uranium, while implosion devices use Plutonium.
Slashdot Mirror
O RLY?
Ok, I'll give you that one. Laptops/Notebooks are more expensive than desktops.
Laptop processors are quite competitive with their Desktop cousins. Especially when referring to the power-friendly Core Duo, which many folks find more desirable than the latest Pentium IV.
Laptop screens are very competitive with 15-17 inch desktop screens.
Laptop hard drives are extremely competitive with desktop drives, lagging by only about a generation in storage capacity.
If I pull the plug on a PC, the "battery" lasts about 3 seconds while the capacitors discharge. Laptops today get more than 4 hours of life. Laptops FTW!
I can assure you, I type just as well on my laptop keyboard as I do on my desktop keyboard. Often better, as I'm able to posisiton it more comfortably. The only advantage to a desktop is the addition of a keypad.
So you'll excuse me, but I beg to differ with your statement. What's true of the FlipBook compared to the Laptop is far from true when comparing a laptop to a desktop.
The point is not, "so SMALL that it's useless". We can make a computer that fits in an oversized watch, but you wouldn't want to use it, either.
If the slightly larger Sony products (which had better keyboards and longer relative battery life, mind you) were to SMALL to be useful, why would this POS be any more useful?
I'm sure that many-a-technophile will appreciate how SMALL this thing is sitting on a SMALL shelf in a SMALL corner of a SMALL closet, having gotten SMALL amounts of attention before its SMALL lack of usefulness because a SMALL bit apparent.
This appears to be a little different, though. If you look at the photo of it, it appears to have one of those calculator-key keyboards that's really difficult to use. Probably a chiclet keyboard with plastic nubs for keys. Quite the departure from the scissor switch keyboards found in many laptops.
Besides that, most people who type regularly can do so fairly quickly, even if they're not touch-typists. Undersized keyboards prevent fast typing because you can only use a single finger at a time. (Usually the thumb.) Thumbing your input is incredibly slow when compared to the speed that can be achieved with full-hand typing.
Click on the article link and scroll about halfway down. It's on the right side. It's the ugly black thing with a blue bottom.
So let me get this straight: They sell you a small brick for more than a notebook computer costs. You get a slow processor, small screen, small hard drive, worse battery life than the average PC or Mac laptop, a keyboard you can't type on, and you're supposed to believe that it's revolutionary? I'm not following.
Sony tried this years ago with their Vaio sub-notebook line of computers. (Here's a picture.) Unlike this... thing... its keyboard was actually fairly decent, the screen was bright, and it was overall fairly useful. It's only problem was that it just wasn't large enough to be practical. You can't really type notes on a keyboard of that size. Nor are you really going to squint at the small screen while typing letters/memos/spreadsheets. That's why the entire market moved more toward the ultra-thin notebooks that were nearly as portable, but offered larger screens and keyboards.
The only advantage I can find with this thing is that it's a sub-notebook with Wifi. (Based on the comments about replacing the BlackBerry.) Possibly even GSM/EDGE support. I don't think that's going to make up for the lousy form factor, especially when you can get a $50 PCMCIA card from your cell provider to do the same thing.
Honestly, it sounds like an answering service to me. Companies that need to screen for emergency calls (apartment complexes being a big one) often use them to cover non-business hours. The answering service is then put in the position of either telling the customer to call back later or paging the appropriate emergency staff.
:-/
This being computer-related, it doesn't surprise me that it would have been outsourced to India. It seems like the standard panacea for all ills these days.
So it's really just a SOHO plan? Still, that's a rather sweet deal if you're willing to shell out the dough. I just don't think it's going to help this fellow much. He should still get ahold of corporate and wring a few necks until he gets a support plan that works for him. :)
It's enough to make you wonder if it isn't still a good idea for Apple and Sun to merge. Or at least develop a synergistic partnership (*snicker*) that plays up the strengths of both companies. Apple could provide the glitz and Sun the raw hardware support and software scalability. With a little bit of technology sharing, they could develop into a new (and incredibly powerful) force in the business computer industry.
Mac OS X on a Sun Ray? I'm drooling already.
Interesting. Is that supposed to be part of the same AppleCare plan, or is that a different level of support? Because I've spent a bit of time (admittedly, not too much) digging through Apple's support website. While they can refer you to Apple consultants, they don't really advertise any "AppleCare for Business" plans.
...for consumer support. It sounds like the problem you're having is that you're demanding the type of turnaround that many business-level plans provide. Yet Apple doesn't have a standard business-level plan in place.
The normal process is that you drop the computer off, wait a week or two, and pick it up to find it in spectacular condition. (Usually better than when you dropped it off; above and beyond fixing whatever you brought it in for.) The key is that you have to show a modicum of patience, something which businesses often can't afford to do.
Now that's not to say that Apple doesn't want your business. In fact, I imagine that Apple would love to provide corporate support. But you're not going to find it in their stores. What you need to do is contact Apple Corporate and explain the situation. Tell them that you've been tasked to covert your business from an all-Windows platform to an all-Mac platform. Explain that the AppleCare store plans appear to be insufficient for your needs, and also explain the exact issues you've had with them.
I would be very much suprised if Apple didn't assign you an account representative to take care of your needs. It might require a bit of FexExing back and forth, but you'll get support handled a lot better than if you try and take your needs to the geniuses (pun intended) at the Apple Store.
Good luck!
Emphasis is obviously mine. Bascially, Turkey could argue that their laws are not restrictive to free speech, and that their laws only "protect the morals [and] reputation" of the citizens of its country. (Both past and present.)
Other EU countries can try to make a stink about it, but I seriously doubt that anyone is going to push Turkey too hard.
Good point. I was in a bit of a hurry and didn't notice that little snafu. Thanks for the update. :)
Edit your hosts file to point to 208.65.153.253 or 208.65.153.251. Here are the instructions for each OS:
/etc/hosts'
:-/
# Unix/Linux/OS X
1. 'su'
2. 'echo "208.65.153.253 www.youtube.com" >>
# Windows
1. Start > Run > 'cmd'
2. 'echo 208.65.153.253 www.youtube.com >> c:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc\hosts'
You may need to edit your hosts file with a text editor to ensure that it was properly edited. On Windows in particular, there may not be a line break added in. Just open the file, find the "208.", position the cursor in front of the "208." and press enter. Save the file.
There. All done.
As you can see, the Turkish government's solution is incredibly sophiticated and difficult to circumvent.
Here's an actual story on the issue.
The long and short of it is that Turkey found the video "insulting" and hasn't even decided yet if the video is legally "wrong". So much for being a "democratic, secular, unitary, constitutional republic". (Taken from Wikipedia.)
Cripes. Not again. You're again three posts too late, and adding nothing to the discussion. Dude, look two posts up. Thank you, have a nice day, please drive through.
Never mind. I see the problem with my own response. The delta of space (as much as 300K delta) results in a greater loss of black body radiation. Assuming no insulation, of course. (Such as clothes, which provide a great deal of radiative insulation.) So if you're naked in space, you could lose as much as 523 watts. (e=1, T=310K) Since you're likely to be wearing insulation, you'll lose a lot less than that, though it's difficult to compute how much. Obviously, the insulation is good enough that astronauts don't need heating packs, and the Space Activity Suit needs cooling via sweat.
:-/
That being said, it would be nice if this could have been kept in a single thread (perhaps poking a reverse hole in my own logic) rather than three people responding the same thing while ignoring each other's posts.
Weird. My link disappeared. Try #2.
Frostbite from sweating? No. As I said, your body will immediately react, and close the pores. Your body will stop losing heat through any means other than black body radiation. No frostbite, sorry.
It does not. Does anyone pay any frickin' attention around here? TWO SEPARATE POSTERS said the exact same thing before you. TWO SEPARATE TIMES I pointed out the flaws in their calculations and logic, linking to an article with actual information. (1: The human body emits ~95 watts which is consistent with the ~100 Watts produced, 2: Where would the other ~300 watts come from if the body doesn't produce it?) Hello!?! McFly?!!?
Cripes. I'm not a fan of violent games, but I suddenly have this overwhelming urge to perform MK Fatalities. Grr...
True, true. But it can still be semi-correctly referred to as "black body radiation", since the computations treat the object as if it were a black body.
There's something wrong with either your calculations or Wikipedia's. The Wikipedia article computes about 95 watts for the average human.
Linky
95 watts is commiserate with the energy produced by the human body. If you were really dumping 920 watts through black body radiation (which will NOT be significantly impeded by an oxygenated environment) where is the missing 800 watts coming from?
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)
I consider it something of a personal mission to push back the wave of stupidity that we deal with in our daily lives these days. If I've helped even a slight bit, then it's worth it.
If you want a C64, try searching your local area for a Commodore club. They're usually easy to find, and you can almost always find someone to sell you a machine for cheap. The best place to start your search is Lemon64.
You said (and I quote): "That entirely depends on [...] [t]he type of radiation emitted. For example: a 1g lump of 239PU (used in nuclear weapons), even though it is emitting alpha particles (required) will not even be warm to the touch, let alone glow."
The type of radiation doesn't really matter as much as the amount of radiation. Even if the material is emitting Gamma rays, it's going to get hotter than hell if it's emitting enough of them. That's my point.
You'd be amazed at how much it blocks Black Body Radiation.
Article
Piccy
Notice that the areas producing the most infrared energy are the areas of exposed skin.
Most insulating materials are composed of empty space, because empty space is the best insulator. (Vacuum is the absolute best, but an low-density oxygenated environment will work in a pinch.) However, the insulating material is intended to capture some of that heat, and transfer it back to the body through either conduction through air, or contact with the skin.
This is true. However, it does take time for the fluids to move outward and the capillaries to start bursting. More time than the characters on the show were exposed to vacuum. (If you can even call their exposure a true vacuum. They caught them while they were being carried by the air-blast, for crying out loud!)
PU-238 can glow red-hot from Alpha radiation. It's not the type, but rather the amount of radioactivity and the ability of the material to reject heat. (Piccy)
Hah hah hah.
It's extremely difficult to produce a super-critical reaction using PU-239. That's why gun-type nuclear weapons use Uranium, while implosion devices use Plutonium.