When I was in grad school there were always grant-whore and PR scientists around. Everyone knew who they were. They were the Chicken Littles who were always proclaiming the end of the world if their pet project wasn't funded. They were always the first to run to the press with GREATLY exaggerated claims and alarmism if it served their purposes (especially when they were looking for political support with funding). Their "science" was far less about scientific method than their own financial self-interests (including getting the precious tenure that they all craved like little lapdogs).
Of course, I have a friend who still won't accept that this EVER happens. "Science would never allow that," he says. His naivete is so endearing.
One of my biggest problems with the environmentalist "movement" (and, in fairness, it's really more a mish-mash of a bunch of somewhat different movements) is its propensity for embracing fashionable fads and then tossing them aside the second some new thing comes along. Hydro was once the darling of clean energy, but then someone started complaining about the poor fish not being able to spawn as good as before, and so it was tossed aside like some embarrassing stepchild--in favor of the current green stars-of-the-moment, wind and solar. This in spite of the fact that hydro has BY FAR the longest and most productive history of any of the green energy generators. There are still working dams out there today that have been generating electricity for close to a century (probably some over a century now).
Makes me wonder how long it will be before someone finds fault with wind and solar and those get tossed aside for some new fad too.
Will it also include all the deeply-closeted homosexuals who always seem to be the most vocal gay-bashers in any given group? Because I'm thinking that if someone like Ted Haggard sees his own house on the list, it may actually result in a helpful moment of epiphany.
It's highly debatable whether the Wii really "won" anything in this generation. The Wii hard great hardware sales at the beginning, but its software attachment rates were awful, it's hardware sales eventually bottomed out (while the PS3 and 360 kept going strong), and with its weak online system it had no real way to make significant income from DLC and subscriptions (just think about how much MS makes each year off of Xbox Live alone).
Just keep in mind, MS and Sony, that every year your systems age is another year for more of your users to look at their friends' new PC's and say "Wow, that blows away my console!" Being more-and-more obsolete is not a good position to be in in the videogaming world. Every time I've turned away from consoles in the past, it's been because I was impressed by how advanced the PC's had gotten compared to the consoles.
I predict that 50 years from now, we'll realize that all long-term predictions made in 2012 turned out to be wrong.
As for the bionic limb prediction specifically, I've been hearing that my whole life. We always seem to be right on the edge of every amputee having bionic limbs. And yet decade after decade passes and, with the exception of a few prototypes here and there along the way, they all still seem to be wearing the same basic hooks and passive limbs that they've had forever (albeit much improved and lighter versions). Steve Austin, with his bionic limbs, is like a mirage that's always just up ahead--but never seems to actually get any closer.
The saddest chapter in that to me was when Ellison sued James Cameron for supposedly ripping him off in The Terminator (it was a laughably bogus suit, IMHO). Ellison got paid off, while the much better science fiction author who clearly inspired elements of The Terminator (Phillip Dick, and his legendary story "Second Variety") never saw a dime.
This pseudo-Commodore company (this is NOT the original Commodore company, which went out of business a long time ago) did the same thing with the Commodore 64 a while back, releasing a supposed clone of the classic machine that was basically just a custom case fitted around a PC running Ubuntu. The world was underwhelmed, to say the least.
A lot of producers and show-runners will avoid fan boards and social media sites for their shows not because they don't value the fans, but because of legal issues. If some fan posts a story idea and a similar story shows up later on the show (whether by coincidence or not) without crediting the fan, you're looking at a lawsuit. Most such "They took yur ideas!" suits are laughable and end up going nowhere (unless you're Harlan Ellison, who seemed to make a career out of claiming everyone stole everything from him). But if the plaintiff can show that show execs and writers were active participants in the same fan board where he posted the idea, you've got a real problem.
I know this may go against the grain but, with a few exceptions, I really do think it's best to keep the fans and show-runners in their own separate cages, for the most part. A lot of fans will feel weird posting honestly if they know the people they're criticizing are right there. And show execs are setting themselves up for legal and PR headaches if they start getting accused of stealing story ideas from the fans.
Telling them they can't have it could be a better solution.
Hey, joke about Eric Cartman marketing all you want, but it can really work. A lot of companies (not mentioning any names here, but I think most of us know) will intentionally short their supplies at launch just so they can say they're sold out or in short supply.
I remember my first PC had a seal over the case, with the words "warranty void if broken".
Yeah, a lot of systems had those at one time, especially the Packard Bells in the 90's. The first thing I would tell people to do when they bought on of those was to rip that thing off and toss it in the trash. A lot of people ragged on the Packards for that, but the worst by far were the Compaqs. I wouldn't have wished a Compaq on my worst enemy if he had just punched me in the face.
Slashdot Mirror
Let's see that wise-ass kid from next door beat me in his rice-burner once I drop one of *those* babies into my SUV.
BTW, does anyone know if consumer-grade tires can handle 420,000 lbs. of thrust?
When I was in grad school there were always grant-whore and PR scientists around. Everyone knew who they were. They were the Chicken Littles who were always proclaiming the end of the world if their pet project wasn't funded. They were always the first to run to the press with GREATLY exaggerated claims and alarmism if it served their purposes (especially when they were looking for political support with funding). Their "science" was far less about scientific method than their own financial self-interests (including getting the precious tenure that they all craved like little lapdogs).
Of course, I have a friend who still won't accept that this EVER happens. "Science would never allow that," he says. His naivete is so endearing.
Has it occured to you that wind and solar may have unexpected side effects too? There's no free ride, after all.
One of my biggest problems with the environmentalist "movement" (and, in fairness, it's really more a mish-mash of a bunch of somewhat different movements) is its propensity for embracing fashionable fads and then tossing them aside the second some new thing comes along. Hydro was once the darling of clean energy, but then someone started complaining about the poor fish not being able to spawn as good as before, and so it was tossed aside like some embarrassing stepchild--in favor of the current green stars-of-the-moment, wind and solar. This in spite of the fact that hydro has BY FAR the longest and most productive history of any of the green energy generators. There are still working dams out there today that have been generating electricity for close to a century (probably some over a century now).
Makes me wonder how long it will be before someone finds fault with wind and solar and those get tossed aside for some new fad too.
I believe the current politically-correct terminology in the West is "transgendered." I do feel that is a bit of a broad tent, though.
Will it also include all the deeply-closeted homosexuals who always seem to be the most vocal gay-bashers in any given group? Because I'm thinking that if someone like Ted Haggard sees his own house on the list, it may actually result in a helpful moment of epiphany.
Wow, I think that's a bigger accomplishment than the game itself.
It's highly debatable whether the Wii really "won" anything in this generation. The Wii hard great hardware sales at the beginning, but its software attachment rates were awful, it's hardware sales eventually bottomed out (while the PS3 and 360 kept going strong), and with its weak online system it had no real way to make significant income from DLC and subscriptions (just think about how much MS makes each year off of Xbox Live alone).
Just keep in mind, MS and Sony, that every year your systems age is another year for more of your users to look at their friends' new PC's and say "Wow, that blows away my console!" Being more-and-more obsolete is not a good position to be in in the videogaming world. Every time I've turned away from consoles in the past, it's been because I was impressed by how advanced the PC's had gotten compared to the consoles.
I predict that 50 years from now, we'll realize that all long-term predictions made in 2012 turned out to be wrong.
As for the bionic limb prediction specifically, I've been hearing that my whole life. We always seem to be right on the edge of every amputee having bionic limbs. And yet decade after decade passes and, with the exception of a few prototypes here and there along the way, they all still seem to be wearing the same basic hooks and passive limbs that they've had forever (albeit much improved and lighter versions). Steve Austin, with his bionic limbs, is like a mirage that's always just up ahead--but never seems to actually get any closer.
Well, we are in a state of war.
And will be forevermore.
That's one of the reasons you don't ever see Macs for sale at the local Wal-Mart
Walmart has been selling Apples for years now.
All those mutants in shoulderpads driving around in a big circle can make the viewer very dizzy too.
Film at eleven.
I have an unbeatable system too. If I tap each machine in my row three times, then I'll beat the odds on the slots.
God, I just hope it works.
The saddest chapter in that to me was when Ellison sued James Cameron for supposedly ripping him off in The Terminator (it was a laughably bogus suit, IMHO). Ellison got paid off, while the much better science fiction author who clearly inspired elements of The Terminator (Phillip Dick, and his legendary story "Second Variety") never saw a dime.
What's the point of calling it Amiga then?
To make money off the nostalgia factor.
This pseudo-Commodore company (this is NOT the original Commodore company, which went out of business a long time ago) did the same thing with the Commodore 64 a while back, releasing a supposed clone of the classic machine that was basically just a custom case fitted around a PC running Ubuntu. The world was underwhelmed, to say the least.
A lot of producers and show-runners will avoid fan boards and social media sites for their shows not because they don't value the fans, but because of legal issues. If some fan posts a story idea and a similar story shows up later on the show (whether by coincidence or not) without crediting the fan, you're looking at a lawsuit. Most such "They took yur ideas!" suits are laughable and end up going nowhere (unless you're Harlan Ellison, who seemed to make a career out of claiming everyone stole everything from him). But if the plaintiff can show that show execs and writers were active participants in the same fan board where he posted the idea, you've got a real problem.
I know this may go against the grain but, with a few exceptions, I really do think it's best to keep the fans and show-runners in their own separate cages, for the most part. A lot of fans will feel weird posting honestly if they know the people they're criticizing are right there. And show execs are setting themselves up for legal and PR headaches if they start getting accused of stealing story ideas from the fans.
Of course I trust them. We should all trust them. Doubleplus good, they are! No problems from me on that, that's for sure.
4. Drive home in your Lamborghini to sleep on a pile of money with many beautiful women.
Telling them they can't have it could be a better solution.
Hey, joke about Eric Cartman marketing all you want, but it can really work. A lot of companies (not mentioning any names here, but I think most of us know) will intentionally short their supplies at launch just so they can say they're sold out or in short supply.
The dealer always gives you a free sample of his book reviews. Then, when you're hooked, that's when he jacks up the prices on you!
Wait, are unicorns horses?
Technically, they're rodents.
I remember my first PC had a seal over the case, with the words "warranty void if broken".
Yeah, a lot of systems had those at one time, especially the Packard Bells in the 90's. The first thing I would tell people to do when they bought on of those was to rip that thing off and toss it in the trash. A lot of people ragged on the Packards for that, but the worst by far were the Compaqs. I wouldn't have wished a Compaq on my worst enemy if he had just punched me in the face.