1) Yeah, the cable company DVRs can suck. Hard. Or work great. Depends on what hardware and software they're using. I about threw a Cox DVR through their window because I was so insulted by their only DVR offering. Damn thing stuttered if I tried to watch one HD program while recording another. I never bothered trying to record two HD shows while watching one. The thing only held about 12 hours of HD content anyway. Not even enough to get through Sunday Football. And it would regularly lose its guide data. Call tech support: Please unplug the box, wait 30 seconds, then plug it back in. It should download new program data. Well, yeah, that worked but what about the 2 or 3 days it was sitting there brain-dead, not recording my shows?
2) ClearQAM depends on the cable company. Last one I had did most of their material that way with maybe a dozen of the less popular channels on SDV. One thing you can count on is that you'll get the networks in the clear. They're required to deliver those (ABC/FOX/NBC/CBS/etc.) that way.
3) I've only seen one Cable Card setup for a computer and it was part of a dedicated "Media PC" package. Wasn't the kind of thing you could run down to Fry's and buy. And you'd probably be locked into using whatever certified DVR software was provided with the kit. Cable Card devices have to be certified and are usually locked down single-purpose devices like televisions and Tivos.
So how does reversing that make everything better? We're supposed to have 2 or 3 generations where a white male can't get ahead? Then what? It's all good? We switch back to equality?
And it's not like this reverse-racism works anyway. This may come as a shock to you but a huge number of these minority/woman owned businesses are actually RUN by non-minority males. The "owner" stays out the way and gets a check. I've even seen situations where the minority male who runs the show has the business in his wife's name because WBE gets more contracts.
It was a RAM drive that went in the old Epson QX-10 and QX-16 computers. I remember when we dropped one of those in the old QX-10 and TP/M and ValDocs launched almost instantly. And two freakin' megabytes of storage. It was HUGE!!! And the battery backup could keep your data safe for a good 6 hours without power.
Didn't check slashdot yesterday and look what I missed.
Okay. First of all, the "now it's too small, now it's too blurry" conversation is real. Tho it doesn't happen often. Most users have no comprehension of resolutions, scaling, and such. They don't understand the situation at all. They may not even understand that anything is wrong because so many assume that "this is just the way it is".
They complain to a coworker that things are to small so the coworker drops their resolution. Hey! Now everything's big. But they don't even comprehend that the display is now scaling and that it's not producing the best image possible. There's a little bug in the back of their head that notices the blurriness but maybe that's just their tired eyes. They don't KNOW anything is wrong because they just plain don't understand display technology so they don't understand that this is something that can be fixed. So they work week in and week out, month in and month out, year in and year out tolerating this fuzzy, scaled display because they don't know that it can be better.
If I can swap out their 22" monitor running at a scaled 1366x768 with one running at non-scaled 1366x768, it would be like giving them a new pair of eyeballs. I'm sure 99.44 percent of the people around here know what it's like to get a new pair of glasses/contacts with a fresh prescription. "Holy, crap! How did I put up with that for so long?" Then I've got happy users.
So if there's an affordable way I can do that, why wouldn't I do it?. If I'm going to spend $150 on a 22" monitor, I should get the one that will provide the best possible user experience. For some people, that will be 1920x1080. For others, 1366x768. Unfortunately, I haven't found anything like that. So I guess I'll have to keep recommending 27 inch "720p" televisions with VGA and HDMI/DVI inputs. And keep getting shot down because nobody wants to deal with the political fallout of providing televisions to employees.
Okay, the article never actually states that anyone made the required payments without receiving a computer. There was some sort of scammy cancellation policy but did anyone actually put the $99-124 down then make the next 13 payments of $36-88 and THEN fail to receive a computer? Or did they do the downpayment, a couple of recurring payments, then stop sending money?
I have absolutely no problem believing that only one person was brain-dead enough to follow through long enough to receive a computer. I mean you had to already pay them MORE than the cost of a computer before you ever got a computer and then they have to KEEP PAYING MORE MONEY. It would make more sense to just put $50-100 in the cookie jar every month for 6 months then go buy a much better computer. And then not have to pay any more money. You'd get it just as fast for less money. Even if you're already in for a hundred dollar downpayment and have to pay another hundred bucks to cancel, it would STILL be better to admit you were a dumbass, pay the penalty, then just start saving money.
Yeah, Microsoft has such an awesome track record when it comes to detecting fraud and tampering. I had to manually remove the Office Genuine Advantage system from 4 workstations because it flagged them as non-genuine. The other 50 or so passed inspection just fine. I could find no common thread among those machines that would explain it. They're all the same model computer prepped and rolled out to the floor in the same manner as the other 50 in the batch. I've also had WGA flag systems as non-genuine after upgrading from 2k to XP. Those I was able to isolate to the upgrade process because only upgraded machines got flagged and every upgraded machine got flagged. A clean install cleared it right up.
So, in conclusion, I predict that a significant number of totally innocent people are going to be screwed by this
Let me give you a history lesson. For a while there, Apple used to provide industry-standard display ports on their computers. They even included DVI to VGA adapters for people with "older" technologies. Then they started slapping this new port on their laptops. So now I can no longer plug a monitor directly into the computer. I have to attach an adapter to it. An adapter I have to carry around and keep track of. And I have to buy separate VGA and DVI adapters because apple's DVI adapter is digital-only. No fair using your existing DVI to VGA adapter. So now customers have to pay an extra $60 (if you buy apple-branded adapters) to get the same functionality that used to be included in the base price of the machine.
How the hell is THAT progress?
I don't give a damn if they've paid enough money to get their new port adopted by VESA. It's not a standard used by display manufacturers. It's just another cable to buy and another adapter to throw in the kit.
As a new Verizon customer who managed to get AT&T to waive the ETF due to their increasing constipation, I pray Verizon never gets the iphone. Let it stay on GSM and not clog my tubes.
1) Who do you think gets Bobby's phone bill once he is old enough for a phone?
2) I don't have kids.
And before you say, "You shouldn't give kids cell phones", realize that there's no way to AVOID kids having cell phones if they want them. They can go to Walmart and buy a prepaid cell phone for $10 on sale, $15 regular. Refills available at any 7-11. Then you'd REALLY know nothing about who they're calling and who's calling them.
Of course, even if you give them a trackable communications device, there's no guarantee that they won't go get an untainted phone anyway.
My phone does all the stuff you want. And it has no wires. And nobody asks, "Is Bobby home?" when I answer it. It keeps an extensive callerID history on board and a full accounting of all incoming and outgoing calls is available online. I can synchronize my contacts and calendar with the computer. Got voicemail notification and everything.
Land lines are dying. The chances of seeing major integration improvements are slim to none so, if you're stuck on the idea of keeping a land line, just start looking at what's out there right now and buy the best you can afford. There's no point in waiting because it's not going to get any better.
Next you'll be telling me that 8 out of 10 people who have unprotected sex with HIV-positive, syphilitic, sore-encrusted prostitutes will contract some sort of venereal disease.
As far as the termination fee goes, AT&T waived mine 14 months into the (non-iphone) contract because they were no longer able to provide reliable 3G data service at the location where I primarily use it. I assume the fact that I called several times a week for several weeks checking on my tickets made it clear that I wasn't going to "let it go".
The contract works both ways (in theory). While you're obligated to remain a customer for the duration, they're obligated to provide the services as described in the contract for the duration. (That's why you get a 30 day window to terminate the contract any time they make a change.) Hell, I wish it went a step further and made THEM liable for an early termination fee if their crappy service forces me to change carriers and buy a new phone. I think $500 would have covered the research that went into it, pro-rated value of my old phone, cost of my new phone, time spent moving my contacts, etc.
"Accidental" is one thing "deliberate" is another.
I've got two 'tarded users who get their systems hosed with malware several times a year. It doesn't matter how many times I explain that they should NEVER click on a link that says they have to update their video player to view shocking security camera footage of themselves or a video of a monkey throwing poo at zoo visitors. Last time, I dumbed it down to, "Stop clicking on stupid shit!" Maybe that will work. Meanwhile, I'm going to work on getting a legacy app to work in a restricted environment. Failing that, I'll have to consider buying a net-nanny program for them. But it pisses me off that I have to spend my time figuring out how to keep these two chuckleheads from doing stupid shit.
It's the equivalent of giving someone a company car and having them repeatedly run it into a brick wall. The first time might have been an honest accident. Second time...well, shit happens. After that, no more excuses. I don't think any employer would hesitate to make an employee pay for the damage caused by their third run-in with a brick wall.
Try OS X. Apple managed to put a solid GUI on a *nix base a LONG time ago. you can pop open a terminal window and "bash" away any time you want. When I first saw OS X, I thought it would be the catalyst that provided inspiration to the Linux community, leading to a golden age of Linux interface design. Turned out, not so much. There have been improvements, of course, but progress is slow.
So pay the tax then file for a refund. There's a bajillion articles on the entartubes that describe the process of getting a refund for the bundled 'doze license. (No, I'm not going to search for you.)
This is nothing new. I worked at a university back in the early 90s and the center for remote sensing and optics was pulling in more data every single day than most department servers could hold. Their setup was both amazing and frightening. Just a massive pile of machines with saturated SCSI controllers. One of their big projects was to build a 4tb array. But 9.6 gig drives were just trickling into the market at that time. You'd need over 400 of those just to provide 4tb of raw storage. Nevermind parity and redundancy. And even if they did manage to design the system, the cost...
But my point is that scientists and their support groups have been managing large sets of data for as long as there's been scientists generating data to manage. We've ramped up the capacity and efficiency of our storage technology and they've ramped up the amount of data they collect and the amount of processing they do to it.
Well, yeah. Pretty much. Have you ever hooked your computer up to one of these new-fangled high-definition LCD televisions? If you set the resolution right (few people do), it's as sharp as any other LCD monitor. Only HUGE. I've had a big 1080p panel hooked up to my gaming computer for years and it's awesome. And it's great for regular tasks, too.
My WRT54GS has been stable for fucking years, absolutely years, rock solid for yonks, working its buns off moving packets. A couple months ago, I decided I was going to look for a new router that could do everything my old 54 can do plus wireless-n at 5.8ghz (maintaining g at 2.4ghz) and gigabit ethernet. I had to look at the $250+ range and I'm not even sure if those units would do it because I didn't bother scrutinizing the specs at that price. It may have been necessary to move into commercial grade equipment to get everything I wanted. Screw that. I can just hang a 5.8ghz 'n' WAP off a gigabit switch and plug that into my old 54 for a lot less money and not have to worry about unknown bugs, stability, etc.
In fact, I'm about to pick up a 54GL for my grandfather. I made the mistake of thinking a $20 TrendNet would be fine for him since he doesn't need traffic shaping or anything beyond a basic wireless router. Wrong. Damn thing quits every 5 or 6 days like clockwork. He has to unplug/replug it to get it going again. A 54 is worth the extra money because it just frickin' works. Linksys really hit the nail on the head with that line. As long as consumer broadband is in the 10-20mbit range, I'm not going to waste my time trying other routers.
Slashdot Mirror
1) Yeah, the cable company DVRs can suck. Hard. Or work great. Depends on what hardware and software they're using. I about threw a Cox DVR through their window because I was so insulted by their only DVR offering. Damn thing stuttered if I tried to watch one HD program while recording another. I never bothered trying to record two HD shows while watching one. The thing only held about 12 hours of HD content anyway. Not even enough to get through Sunday Football. And it would regularly lose its guide data. Call tech support: Please unplug the box, wait 30 seconds, then plug it back in. It should download new program data. Well, yeah, that worked but what about the 2 or 3 days it was sitting there brain-dead, not recording my shows?
2) ClearQAM depends on the cable company. Last one I had did most of their material that way with maybe a dozen of the less popular channels on SDV. One thing you can count on is that you'll get the networks in the clear. They're required to deliver those (ABC/FOX/NBC/CBS/etc.) that way.
3) I've only seen one Cable Card setup for a computer and it was part of a dedicated "Media PC" package. Wasn't the kind of thing you could run down to Fry's and buy. And you'd probably be locked into using whatever certified DVR software was provided with the kit. Cable Card devices have to be certified and are usually locked down single-purpose devices like televisions and Tivos.
Yeah, pretty much this.
PC-based software has come a long way but it's never caught up to the "it just freakin' works" factor of Tivo.
Maybe it shouldn't have been mirrored on an E6500.
So how does reversing that make everything better? We're supposed to have 2 or 3 generations where a white male can't get ahead? Then what? It's all good? We switch back to equality?
And it's not like this reverse-racism works anyway. This may come as a shock to you but a huge number of these minority/woman owned businesses are actually RUN by non-minority males. The "owner" stays out the way and gets a check. I've even seen situations where the minority male who runs the show has the business in his wife's name because WBE gets more contracts.
I've heard that the secret is to bang the rocks together so I guess we're on the right track.
It was a RAM drive that went in the old Epson QX-10 and QX-16 computers. I remember when we dropped one of those in the old QX-10 and TP/M and ValDocs launched almost instantly. And two freakin' megabytes of storage. It was HUGE!!! And the battery backup could keep your data safe for a good 6 hours without power.
Didn't check slashdot yesterday and look what I missed.
Okay. First of all, the "now it's too small, now it's too blurry" conversation is real. Tho it doesn't happen often. Most users have no comprehension of resolutions, scaling, and such. They don't understand the situation at all. They may not even understand that anything is wrong because so many assume that "this is just the way it is".
They complain to a coworker that things are to small so the coworker drops their resolution. Hey! Now everything's big. But they don't even comprehend that the display is now scaling and that it's not producing the best image possible. There's a little bug in the back of their head that notices the blurriness but maybe that's just their tired eyes. They don't KNOW anything is wrong because they just plain don't understand display technology so they don't understand that this is something that can be fixed. So they work week in and week out, month in and month out, year in and year out tolerating this fuzzy, scaled display because they don't know that it can be better.
If I can swap out their 22" monitor running at a scaled 1366x768 with one running at non-scaled 1366x768, it would be like giving them a new pair of eyeballs. I'm sure 99.44 percent of the people around here know what it's like to get a new pair of glasses/contacts with a fresh prescription. "Holy, crap! How did I put up with that for so long?" Then I've got happy users.
So if there's an affordable way I can do that, why wouldn't I do it?. If I'm going to spend $150 on a 22" monitor, I should get the one that will provide the best possible user experience. For some people, that will be 1920x1080. For others, 1366x768. Unfortunately, I haven't found anything like that. So I guess I'll have to keep recommending 27 inch "720p" televisions with VGA and HDMI/DVI inputs. And keep getting shot down because nobody wants to deal with the political fallout of providing televisions to employees.
Okay, the article never actually states that anyone made the required payments without receiving a computer. There was some sort of scammy cancellation policy but did anyone actually put the $99-124 down then make the next 13 payments of $36-88 and THEN fail to receive a computer? Or did they do the downpayment, a couple of recurring payments, then stop sending money?
I have absolutely no problem believing that only one person was brain-dead enough to follow through long enough to receive a computer. I mean you had to already pay them MORE than the cost of a computer before you ever got a computer and then they have to KEEP PAYING MORE MONEY. It would make more sense to just put $50-100 in the cookie jar every month for 6 months then go buy a much better computer. And then not have to pay any more money. You'd get it just as fast for less money. Even if you're already in for a hundred dollar downpayment and have to pay another hundred bucks to cancel, it would STILL be better to admit you were a dumbass, pay the penalty, then just start saving money.
A wizard did it.
"The MPAA is arguing that if they could directly turn those plugs on and off, they could offer more goods to consumers."
Fuck you, you fucking fucks!
Yeah, Microsoft has such an awesome track record when it comes to detecting fraud and tampering. I had to manually remove the Office Genuine Advantage system from 4 workstations because it flagged them as non-genuine. The other 50 or so passed inspection just fine. I could find no common thread among those machines that would explain it. They're all the same model computer prepped and rolled out to the floor in the same manner as the other 50 in the batch. I've also had WGA flag systems as non-genuine after upgrading from 2k to XP. Those I was able to isolate to the upgrade process because only upgraded machines got flagged and every upgraded machine got flagged. A clean install cleared it right up.
So, in conclusion, I predict that a significant number of totally innocent people are going to be screwed by this
Let me give you a history lesson. For a while there, Apple used to provide industry-standard display ports on their computers. They even included DVI to VGA adapters for people with "older" technologies. Then they started slapping this new port on their laptops. So now I can no longer plug a monitor directly into the computer. I have to attach an adapter to it. An adapter I have to carry around and keep track of. And I have to buy separate VGA and DVI adapters because apple's DVI adapter is digital-only. No fair using your existing DVI to VGA adapter. So now customers have to pay an extra $60 (if you buy apple-branded adapters) to get the same functionality that used to be included in the base price of the machine.
How the hell is THAT progress?
I don't give a damn if they've paid enough money to get their new port adopted by VESA. It's not a standard used by display manufacturers. It's just another cable to buy and another adapter to throw in the kit.
As a new Verizon customer who managed to get AT&T to waive the ETF due to their increasing constipation, I pray Verizon never gets the iphone. Let it stay on GSM and not clog my tubes.
I'm way ahead of you in two ways.
1) Who do you think gets Bobby's phone bill once he is old enough for a phone?
2) I don't have kids.
And before you say, "You shouldn't give kids cell phones", realize that there's no way to AVOID kids having cell phones if they want them. They can go to Walmart and buy a prepaid cell phone for $10 on sale, $15 regular. Refills available at any 7-11. Then you'd REALLY know nothing about who they're calling and who's calling them.
Of course, even if you give them a trackable communications device, there's no guarantee that they won't go get an untainted phone anyway.
My phone does all the stuff you want. And it has no wires. And nobody asks, "Is Bobby home?" when I answer it. It keeps an extensive callerID history on board and a full accounting of all incoming and outgoing calls is available online. I can synchronize my contacts and calendar with the computer. Got voicemail notification and everything.
Land lines are dying. The chances of seeing major integration improvements are slim to none so, if you're stuck on the idea of keeping a land line, just start looking at what's out there right now and buy the best you can afford. There's no point in waiting because it's not going to get any better.
Next you'll be telling me that 8 out of 10 people who have unprotected sex with HIV-positive, syphilitic, sore-encrusted prostitutes will contract some sort of venereal disease.
As far as the termination fee goes, AT&T waived mine 14 months into the (non-iphone) contract because they were no longer able to provide reliable 3G data service at the location where I primarily use it. I assume the fact that I called several times a week for several weeks checking on my tickets made it clear that I wasn't going to "let it go".
The contract works both ways (in theory). While you're obligated to remain a customer for the duration, they're obligated to provide the services as described in the contract for the duration. (That's why you get a 30 day window to terminate the contract any time they make a change.) Hell, I wish it went a step further and made THEM liable for an early termination fee if their crappy service forces me to change carriers and buy a new phone. I think $500 would have covered the research that went into it, pro-rated value of my old phone, cost of my new phone, time spent moving my contacts, etc.
"Accidental" is one thing "deliberate" is another.
I've got two 'tarded users who get their systems hosed with malware several times a year. It doesn't matter how many times I explain that they should NEVER click on a link that says they have to update their video player to view shocking security camera footage of themselves or a video of a monkey throwing poo at zoo visitors. Last time, I dumbed it down to, "Stop clicking on stupid shit!" Maybe that will work. Meanwhile, I'm going to work on getting a legacy app to work in a restricted environment. Failing that, I'll have to consider buying a net-nanny program for them. But it pisses me off that I have to spend my time figuring out how to keep these two chuckleheads from doing stupid shit.
It's the equivalent of giving someone a company car and having them repeatedly run it into a brick wall. The first time might have been an honest accident. Second time...well, shit happens. After that, no more excuses. I don't think any employer would hesitate to make an employee pay for the damage caused by their third run-in with a brick wall.
Try OS X. Apple managed to put a solid GUI on a *nix base a LONG time ago. you can pop open a terminal window and "bash" away any time you want. When I first saw OS X, I thought it would be the catalyst that provided inspiration to the Linux community, leading to a golden age of Linux interface design. Turned out, not so much. There have been improvements, of course, but progress is slow.
So pay the tax then file for a refund. There's a bajillion articles on the entartubes that describe the process of getting a refund for the bundled 'doze license. (No, I'm not going to search for you.)
Mars needs women!
This is nothing new. I worked at a university back in the early 90s and the center for remote sensing and optics was pulling in more data every single day than most department servers could hold. Their setup was both amazing and frightening. Just a massive pile of machines with saturated SCSI controllers. One of their big projects was to build a 4tb array. But 9.6 gig drives were just trickling into the market at that time. You'd need over 400 of those just to provide 4tb of raw storage. Nevermind parity and redundancy. And even if they did manage to design the system, the cost...
But my point is that scientists and their support groups have been managing large sets of data for as long as there's been scientists generating data to manage. We've ramped up the capacity and efficiency of our storage technology and they've ramped up the amount of data they collect and the amount of processing they do to it.
Well, yeah. Pretty much. Have you ever hooked your computer up to one of these new-fangled high-definition LCD televisions? If you set the resolution right (few people do), it's as sharp as any other LCD monitor. Only HUGE. I've had a big 1080p panel hooked up to my gaming computer for years and it's awesome. And it's great for regular tasks, too.
My WRT54GS has been stable for fucking years, absolutely years, rock solid for yonks, working its buns off moving packets. A couple months ago, I decided I was going to look for a new router that could do everything my old 54 can do plus wireless-n at 5.8ghz (maintaining g at 2.4ghz) and gigabit ethernet. I had to look at the $250+ range and I'm not even sure if those units would do it because I didn't bother scrutinizing the specs at that price. It may have been necessary to move into commercial grade equipment to get everything I wanted. Screw that. I can just hang a 5.8ghz 'n' WAP off a gigabit switch and plug that into my old 54 for a lot less money and not have to worry about unknown bugs, stability, etc.
In fact, I'm about to pick up a 54GL for my grandfather. I made the mistake of thinking a $20 TrendNet would be fine for him since he doesn't need traffic shaping or anything beyond a basic wireless router. Wrong. Damn thing quits every 5 or 6 days like clockwork. He has to unplug/replug it to get it going again. A 54 is worth the extra money because it just frickin' works. Linksys really hit the nail on the head with that line. As long as consumer broadband is in the 10-20mbit range, I'm not going to waste my time trying other routers.
They even proactively installed AntiVirus 2009 on my system. Gosh, it's amazing how many viruses I had and didn't even know it.