For years (and years) I got by without having a digital tether. Nothing's substantially changed that would require one. Now, if I were a doctor, or an IT administrator, I could understand it. But for the other 99% of cellphone users--the ones endlessly prattling on about when they'll be home for dinner? what should I pick up from the store? where are you now? what are you doing? did you have a good time last night?--all of those conversations can just fucking wait.
Apologies for the rant. I still haven't had my coffee.
It's a sad legal world we live in where "giving advice" has to be clarified as not actually giving advice.
No, it's not actually. There's a big difference between "He told me to do this" and "He gave me information and I decided to do this."
Considering how tight-lipped the legal profession is (presumably due to fears over the blurry distinction between legal advice and legal knowledge) I'm very appreciative of Mr. Beckerman's efforts. Most lawyers wouldn't even bother.
You could still argue that distribution does further damage by embarassing the child, so it's still a valid argument - just not as strong
I don't think Maggie or Lisa will be embarrassed, though I guess that depends on how the SCRIPTS ARE WRITTEN BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT REAL FUCKING PEOPLE.
Christ.
Oh, and slightly unrelated, but whenever you see that red squiggly line underneath the words you're type in the comment box, that means you've misspelled the word. Hundreds of open-source developers gave up thousands of hours of their lives to make YOU look like less of an idiot when you post on the internet. Please stop thumbing your nose at their efforts.
No, I'm sorry, you are actually incorrect. Naturally large breasts on a naturally small frame beat naturally small breasts on either a small or large frame.
Here, I've made you a handy chart to avoid future confusion:
I believe you are confusing the words "price" and "cost." It would be laughable to suggest the cost of such an item was anywhere near $18,000.
But the price of something has very little to do with its cost. The price of something--anything--is very quickly and easily determined using the following formula:
Whatever someone will pay.
If someone wants to have their wallet fleeced to the tune of ~$17,500, I sure as hell wouldn't try to stop them.
But, "consumers" don't look at quality anyway. Don't mind me - I'm the odd man out in the US today. I expect things to perform, and to last.
Same here. I tend to look at all purchases as if I was buying the "last X I'll ever need." This is mostly because of years of re-buying crappy toasters, ineffectual humidifiers, vacuum cleaners that suck but don't SUCK... I just got sick of all the re-buying.
These days, all purchases that I plan on reusing goes through usually a week or two of online research. But unlike most Wal-Mart idiots, I am ready and willing to spend more--sometimes way more--just for the peace of mind.
I long for the day that a car manufacturer comes out with a vehicle with stainless steel bolts (and no, Deloreans still use the same crappy rust-tacular steel that everyone else uses under the hood).
I used to think the problem was a lack of jobs--that is, that the disparity between humanity's cleverness at building machines to replace workers and the increasing population would inevitably lead to mass unemployment, and that the capitalist system itself was inherently flawed.
But then I thought about it on a more personal level. I have an employer, but there's no reason I couldn't be self-employed except for the fact that it would require someone else to front me the initial capital. In fact, there's nothing stopping anyone from becoming self-employed save capital. Thus the problem isn't a lack of jobs. We could solve the unemployment problem today if we wanted to. But it would require those people in control of the essential resources (ultimately land) to share some of their pie with the other children.
And the only way you can separate a wealthy person from their wealth is when there is the promise of more wealth (e.g., the entire 1990s).
I just wanted to say thanks for responding. Most companies seem to have a preternatural fear of opening up a dialogue with the unwashed masses, even when it's clearly in their own best interests. Glad to see DynDNS bucking the trend.
As the current owner of one of the last HD CRTs to come off the line (the glorious Sony 36XS955) I can confirm a couple of these statements, but would like to refute a couple as well (or at least put them in perspective).
the last CRT HDTV I worked with weighed in at 200 lbs.
YES! In my case, it is extremely heavy (about 230 lbs.), and Sony's marketing department clearly had their hands over too much of the design, because there are practically no hard angled surfaces to wrap your hands around when lifting it. So it might take three people to lift it, but only two are going to actually be holding on to the thing.
most CRT HDTV's max out at 1080i
I can also confirm that my own set maxes out at 1080i (it handles up to 720 in progressive). But the beautiful thing about not having a locked-in native resolution is that standard-definition (of which there is still plenty of) looks great on it.
cheap LCD's are still much sharper
Sure, LCDs offer a sharper image. Which is great the 0.01% of the time you've got the video paused. The sharpness argument starts to fade when you're comparing moving images. Or interpolated images! If your LCD is 1080p, that means for most HD broadcasts, you have to de-interlace. De-interlacing is like black magic. It's very hard to get right. And because LCDs are so sharp, you really notice when the interpolation is poor. By design, my CRT will never have this problem.
suffer from standard CRT picture drift off of the screen
The geometry will change over the years. That's why any HD CRT worth its salt will come with an extended calibration menu. On the flip side, I don't have to worry about burn-in, or narrow viewing angles inverting the screen, or having a washed-out picture if the sun is shining strongly. The whites are white and the blacks are (truly) black. And I've got a TV that will potentially last for more than a decade with no more service required than a light dusting every year or so.
But knowing I won't have to jump back on the consumer merry-go-round in five years to shell out another grand for a replacement screen with all the capabilities of my current set is priceless.
If you can handle the size and weight and don't need 1080 progressive, CRTs are still the best bang for the buck. Perhaps in ten or fifteen years, once OLED screens have been perfected and the price has tapered off... maybe then I'll go get another TV.
The biggest problem with HD CRTs (after the size & weight) seems to be finding the darned things. Usually the only time you'll see an owner parting with one is because they're moving and don't have enough room for it in their new place.
It's the same story in the construction industry. Anybody can pick up a hammer and drill and call themselves a contractor, but the proof is, as they say, in the pudding. Find a guy that's been doing it for twenty years with a record of success behind him, that's the guy I don't mind throwing a lot of money at because I trust they'll get the job done.
There are only so many times an intelligent person will go that extra mile, get rewarded with a proverbial kick in the teeth, before they learn not to bother.
Yeah, like the privilege to wait in line for twelve hours to buy toilet paper.
Communism != Socialism.
As a matter of fact the economic systems are nearly the opposite of each other (as are their political roots: socialism is liberalism^2, communism is authoritarianism^2). Which is why if you actually read some history you'd see how the Nazis (National Socialists) were frequently at odds with the communists.
But don't let such trivialities like facts get in the way of your brainwashing.
We libertarians tend to draw the line at enforcement, though
The libertarian view can only work if people are inherently good, or at least, enough people are inherently good to counteract those that aren't.
Personally, I'm a realist. While people have the capacity for good, when faced against an onslaught of "got mine" selfishness and and "I-know-best" ignoramuses, they quickly revert into asshole-mode.
Kind of like shopping with a child. If it were up to them they'd spend all their money on candy, and it would all be for themselves. Eventually the parent has to step in and say Enough!
Henry ford did not invent the car. Assembly line way of building the cars, yes.
He didn't even do that, though he's frequently given credit (for both). The first man to use an assembly-line to build cars was Ransom E. Olds (of Oldsmobile fame) who built the Curved Dash in 1901. He also patented the process (fat lot of good it did him for the history books, though).
I think you missed some of the post. You appear to have read the first sentence just fine, but then what happened? Did you give up? Did your brain seize? There were like 15 more sentences to the GP, including some footnotes linking to, I presume, even more sentences.
Look, I know reading is hard, but you shouldn't give up so easily.
Newer technology makes older technology less valuable.
OK, so what's the newer technology? Windows XP x64 runs fully 64-bit, is compatible with all software out today (if not more compatible), suffers from less code bloat and runs faster.
The appropriate analogy would be Ford selling me a car today that uses twice as much gas to cover the same distance, but has a shinier new stereo system. I would contend that my older Ford is actually worth more than the latest piece of dogshit they're trying to cram down your throat.
And the support argument is similarly bullshit. Not that I dispute the fact, but that it is completely self-serving.
"We at Microsoft recommend you use this new version of the software because we at Microsoft have decided we don't want to support this older, better software that you already own."
Salmonella is transmitted by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. Provided you slaughter the animal properly, your risk of Salmonellosis is negligible. The problem, of course, is that our food processing standards are far too lax, enforcement is generally only handled after a poisoning incident, and punishments are mere slaps on the wrist.
You're far more likely to encounter Salmonella by holding a reptile. Ever held a snake or an iguana in your lifetime? Ever eaten peanut butter?
Also, most forms of electronic communications generally foster bad habits and promote general laziness.
Hogwash. E-mail no more promotes lazy writing than the Pony Express did in the 19th century.
The problem, once again, lies not in our stars but in ourselves. We have become more permissive in our acceptance of a butchered language. If you want people to write better, you need to openly ridicule their efforts when they demonstrate their abject ignorance.
Our society is far too kind to the moron, and it is to our detriment.
You know, the really sad part about all of this is that Sony could have easily done this themselves. They've got all the fab plants and production facilities at their disposal. All it would have required was a simple "YES" from above and they could have been making money hand/fist.
Slashdot Mirror
Easiest solution: don't own a cell phone.
For years (and years) I got by without having a digital tether. Nothing's substantially changed that would require one. Now, if I were a doctor, or an IT administrator, I could understand it. But for the other 99% of cellphone users--the ones endlessly prattling on about when they'll be home for dinner? what should I pick up from the store? where are you now? what are you doing? did you have a good time last night?--all of those conversations can just fucking wait.
Apologies for the rant. I still haven't had my coffee.
It's a sad legal world we live in where "giving advice" has to be clarified as not actually giving advice.
No, it's not actually. There's a big difference between "He told me to do this" and "He gave me information and I decided to do this."
Considering how tight-lipped the legal profession is (presumably due to fears over the blurry distinction between legal advice and legal knowledge) I'm very appreciative of Mr. Beckerman's efforts. Most lawyers wouldn't even bother.
More astronauts will be killed. I don't see this as a problem
Well, there's also the potential for more people on the ground to be killed from bad launches/re-entries.
Astronauts know what they're getting into, they have the choice to make. People living along flight-paths... not-so-much.
You could still argue that distribution does further damage by embarassing the child, so it's still a valid argument - just not as strong
I don't think Maggie or Lisa will be embarrassed, though I guess that depends on how the SCRIPTS ARE WRITTEN BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT REAL FUCKING PEOPLE.
Christ.
Oh, and slightly unrelated, but whenever you see that red squiggly line underneath the words you're type in the comment box, that means you've misspelled the word. Hundreds of open-source developers gave up thousands of hours of their lives to make YOU look like less of an idiot when you post on the internet. Please stop thumbing your nose at their efforts.
No, I'm sorry, you are actually incorrect. Naturally large breasts on a naturally small frame beat naturally small breasts on either a small or large frame.
Here, I've made you a handy chart to avoid future confusion:
KEY: S-Small | M-Medium | L-Large | N-Natural | F-Fake
The basic rules: skinny / medium frame is better than heavyset, large breasts are better than small, and ANYTHING is better than fake.
Many things in Unix were designed correctly to begin with, Windows was not
Except that 'ol pesky User Interface. You know, the part of the operating system you have to actually LOOK AT.
Yeah, obsolete like a '92 Camry is obsolete.
Couple new air bags, new cupholders, new radio...
IT'S A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CAR!
Now go read a book.
I believe you are confusing the words "price" and "cost." It would be laughable to suggest the cost of such an item was anywhere near $18,000.
But the price of something has very little to do with its cost. The price of something--anything--is very quickly and easily determined using the following formula:
Whatever someone will pay.
If someone wants to have their wallet fleeced to the tune of ~$17,500, I sure as hell wouldn't try to stop them.
But, "consumers" don't look at quality anyway. Don't mind me - I'm the odd man out in the US today. I expect things to perform, and to last.
Same here. I tend to look at all purchases as if I was buying the "last X I'll ever need." This is mostly because of years of re-buying crappy toasters, ineffectual humidifiers, vacuum cleaners that suck but don't SUCK... I just got sick of all the re-buying.
These days, all purchases that I plan on reusing goes through usually a week or two of online research. But unlike most Wal-Mart idiots, I am ready and willing to spend more--sometimes way more--just for the peace of mind.
I long for the day that a car manufacturer comes out with a vehicle with stainless steel bolts (and no, Deloreans still use the same crappy rust-tacular steel that everyone else uses under the hood).
I used to think the problem was a lack of jobs--that is, that the disparity between humanity's cleverness at building machines to replace workers and the increasing population would inevitably lead to mass unemployment, and that the capitalist system itself was inherently flawed.
But then I thought about it on a more personal level. I have an employer, but there's no reason I couldn't be self-employed except for the fact that it would require someone else to front me the initial capital. In fact, there's nothing stopping anyone from becoming self-employed save capital. Thus the problem isn't a lack of jobs. We could solve the unemployment problem today if we wanted to. But it would require those people in control of the essential resources (ultimately land) to share some of their pie with the other children.
And the only way you can separate a wealthy person from their wealth is when there is the promise of more wealth (e.g., the entire 1990s).
There's even a Google front end.
Yeah, well they had to be fucking shamed into making it useful. But eventually is better than never, I suppose.
I just wanted to say thanks for responding. Most companies seem to have a preternatural fear of opening up a dialogue with the unwashed masses, even when it's clearly in their own best interests. Glad to see DynDNS bucking the trend.
IMHO, it is hard to imagine this as 'Fantasy'
Not fantasy. Amazing fantasy.
As the current owner of one of the last HD CRTs to come off the line (the glorious Sony 36XS955) I can confirm a couple of these statements, but would like to refute a couple as well (or at least put them in perspective).
the last CRT HDTV I worked with weighed in at 200 lbs.
YES! In my case, it is extremely heavy (about 230 lbs.), and Sony's marketing department clearly had their hands over too much of the design, because there are practically no hard angled surfaces to wrap your hands around when lifting it. So it might take three people to lift it, but only two are going to actually be holding on to the thing.
most CRT HDTV's max out at 1080i
I can also confirm that my own set maxes out at 1080i (it handles up to 720 in progressive). But the beautiful thing about not having a locked-in native resolution is that standard-definition (of which there is still plenty of) looks great on it.
cheap LCD's are still much sharper
Sure, LCDs offer a sharper image. Which is great the 0.01% of the time you've got the video paused. The sharpness argument starts to fade when you're comparing moving images. Or interpolated images! If your LCD is 1080p, that means for most HD broadcasts, you have to de-interlace. De-interlacing is like black magic. It's very hard to get right. And because LCDs are so sharp, you really notice when the interpolation is poor. By design, my CRT will never have this problem.
suffer from standard CRT picture drift off of the screen
The geometry will change over the years. That's why any HD CRT worth its salt will come with an extended calibration menu. On the flip side, I don't have to worry about burn-in, or narrow viewing angles inverting the screen, or having a washed-out picture if the sun is shining strongly. The whites are white and the blacks are (truly) black. And I've got a TV that will potentially last for more than a decade with no more service required than a light dusting every year or so.
But knowing I won't have to jump back on the consumer merry-go-round in five years to shell out another grand for a replacement screen with all the capabilities of my current set is priceless.
If you can handle the size and weight and don't need 1080 progressive, CRTs are still the best bang for the buck. Perhaps in ten or fifteen years, once OLED screens have been perfected and the price has tapered off... maybe then I'll go get another TV.
The biggest problem with HD CRTs (after the size & weight) seems to be finding the darned things. Usually the only time you'll see an owner parting with one is because they're moving and don't have enough room for it in their new place.
It's the same story in the construction industry. Anybody can pick up a hammer and drill and call themselves a contractor, but the proof is, as they say, in the pudding. Find a guy that's been doing it for twenty years with a record of success behind him, that's the guy I don't mind throwing a lot of money at because I trust they'll get the job done.
There are only so many times an intelligent person will go that extra mile, get rewarded with a proverbial kick in the teeth, before they learn not to bother.
This is the absolute truth.
I believe the '74 Suburban/454 had a fuel capacity of 40 gallons (~151.4 liters).
Yeah, like the privilege to wait in line for twelve hours to buy toilet paper.
Communism != Socialism.
As a matter of fact the economic systems are nearly the opposite of each other (as are their political roots: socialism is liberalism^2, communism is authoritarianism^2). Which is why if you actually read some history you'd see how the Nazis (National Socialists) were frequently at odds with the communists.
But don't let such trivialities like facts get in the way of your brainwashing.
We libertarians tend to draw the line at enforcement, though
The libertarian view can only work if people are inherently good, or at least, enough people are inherently good to counteract those that aren't.
Personally, I'm a realist. While people have the capacity for good, when faced against an onslaught of "got mine" selfishness and and "I-know-best" ignoramuses, they quickly revert into asshole-mode.
Kind of like shopping with a child. If it were up to them they'd spend all their money on candy, and it would all be for themselves. Eventually the parent has to step in and say Enough!
Henry ford did not invent the car. Assembly line way of building the cars, yes.
He didn't even do that, though he's frequently given credit (for both). The first man to use an assembly-line to build cars was Ransom E. Olds (of Oldsmobile fame) who built the Curved Dash in 1901. He also patented the process (fat lot of good it did him for the history books, though).
I think you missed some of the post. You appear to have read the first sentence just fine, but then what happened? Did you give up? Did your brain seize? There were like 15 more sentences to the GP, including some footnotes linking to, I presume, even more sentences.
Look, I know reading is hard, but you shouldn't give up so easily.
Newer technology makes older technology less valuable.
OK, so what's the newer technology? Windows XP x64 runs fully 64-bit, is compatible with all software out today (if not more compatible), suffers from less code bloat and runs faster.
The appropriate analogy would be Ford selling me a car today that uses twice as much gas to cover the same distance, but has a shinier new stereo system. I would contend that my older Ford is actually worth more than the latest piece of dogshit they're trying to cram down your throat.
And the support argument is similarly bullshit. Not that I dispute the fact, but that it is completely self-serving.
"We at Microsoft recommend you use this new version of the software because we at Microsoft have decided we don't want to support this older, better software that you already own."
Salmonella is transmitted by eating foods contaminated with animal feces. Provided you slaughter the animal properly, your risk of Salmonellosis is negligible. The problem, of course, is that our food processing standards are far too lax, enforcement is generally only handled after a poisoning incident, and punishments are mere slaps on the wrist.
You're far more likely to encounter Salmonella by holding a reptile. Ever held a snake or an iguana in your lifetime? Ever eaten peanut butter?
Also, most forms of electronic communications generally foster bad habits and promote general laziness.
Hogwash. E-mail no more promotes lazy writing than the Pony Express did in the 19th century.
The problem, once again, lies not in our stars but in ourselves. We have become more permissive in our acceptance of a butchered language. If you want people to write better, you need to openly ridicule their efforts when they demonstrate their abject ignorance.
Our society is far too kind to the moron, and it is to our detriment.
You know, the really sad part about all of this is that Sony could have easily done this themselves. They've got all the fab plants and production facilities at their disposal. All it would have required was a simple "YES" from above and they could have been making money hand/fist.