"If you spend more than US$10 on them you're not trying."
How so? The cheapest combo I could find on Pricewatch was $16, unless you want a ball mouse.
" Yes, you need a monitor... if you don't have one you're looking at $100-$200 extra."
More like, "if you don't have a spare monitor just sitting around, you're looking at $100-$200 extra".
We're Slashdot readers. We probably have access to spare/older hardware. Most people don't, though.
"If I could have got an iBook for close to the same amount, that would have been a different matter"
You can. It's called eBay. Used G4s are also similar in price to the Mini.
Look, Best Buy sells PCs for $400 with keyboard, mouse, monitor, and printer. The Mini is a nice box for a lot of applications, but it doesn't change the fact that PCs are still cheaper.
Over a million people in the US have the T-Mobile Sidekick (including myself), which is definately data-focused.
I have no problems running the entire day, even with 3-4 hours of data use.
But, TV on your phone? Please. UTMS is fast, but it's not *that* fast. Remember, capacity in the cell is *limited*. More use of UTMS for video leaves less room for data. It's even worse when you consider the fact that few of these services implement multicasting properly.
Here in the US, Verizon already has a similar service based on CDMA2000 1xEV-DO. It's sold poorly, because, as you might have suspected, few people want to pay money to watch medium-bitrate (300kbps in Verizon's case) TV programs on a small screen.
Leave UTMS (or, for that matter, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO) for data. Please.
"After all, where in all of their glossy ads for Windows XP, Office, etc. etc. does it mention that it's important to apply regular security updates, use a virus checker and never open attachments you don't trust?"
How about when you first turn on your computer? How about the stacks of CDs in Office Depot with XP-SP2 and instructions on why it's important?
How about their website devoted to security information:
They are pretty damned clear on the threats lurking out their. More than any Linux distro. More than Mac OS X.
Remember how we laughed about Windows crashing back in the days of Windows 98?
Who's laughing now?
Re:THANK YOU!
on
Just a Phone?
·
· Score: 0, Flamebait
"making a better telephone rather than making a telephone become something it isn't"
Cellphones aren't telephones. They are mobile communication devices.
My device has email, web browsing, and AIM. I barely even use the phone part.
Stop talking about making a "telephone become something it isn't". Why the hell do you get to decide what a mobile device "is"?
If you want a plain phone, go on eBay and get a Nokia 3590. It's under $30, has good audio quality and battery life, and is devoid of all the features that you seem to hate.
Many people, however, don't want "just a phone". I want PDA functionality so that I don't have to carry a PDA. I want an MP3 player so that I don't have to carry an iPod. I want a USB drive so that I don't have to carry a USB drive.
"Why are we paying Microsoft $5000 just to serve files for 20 people?"
I don't know, because Windows Server 2003, standard edition, with 10 CALs, is around $500.
"A year later, you notice that you haven't had to reboot it or 'fix' it, or virus scan it, service pack it"
Bullshit. Patching is a necessary part of any OS. Hell, there have been major holes in SSH, the kernel, Apache, and Samba in the last year. Windows is not unique in this regard.
We run Windows because it integrates well with our systems. IIS and Exchange use Active Directory for authentication. So do our file servers. Our file servers respond to our group policy changes.
It means less manual work and less scripting. WS2003 integrates "out of the box". No Linux distro can offer that.
"why should the government have to use the possibility of an iPod in order for them to eat healthy, or, better yet, why should the government even be involved in health issues such as obesity"
Because they have the power to do something.
That's what separates liberals and liberatarians. Liberals believe that the government has a responsibility to serve the public, and that it should do so by funding programs that are effective.
Things like standardized healthcare, public roads, public schools, police services, fire departments, and many other government services are both necessary and effective ways of increasing the standard of living.
We're not hearless bastards. We shouldn't act like it for some foolish ideological belief in what government "should" do.
Next time you turn on the lights, you can be damned glad that the government bothered to subsidize the deployment of the power grid that makes them work. The next time you want to drive to the store, you can be damned glad that the government bothered to build roads. And the next time you get in an accident, you can be damned glad that the government will ensure that you get the healthcare that you need.
Unless, of course, you live in the United States. In which case, I hope you have good health insurance.
"However many laptop power supplies are designed with the assumption that there will be this big battery installed acting as a capacitor."
No, they don't. Li-Ion batteries are destroyed if they are mischarged, and placing the battery in parallel with the power supply would be extremely dangerous. The battery would likely burn and/or explode the first time that it was connected due to overcharging.
Modern laptops have extensive power circuitry to preciscely control the charging cycle of the battery. The battery is never used as "a capacitor". That's what the real capacitors are for.
Except that X is far more low-level than RDP, and the fact that it is "backwards" from the perspective of accessing a server. To get X working over NAT, you need something like X-forwarding with SSH. Not to mention that you *need* SSH or an equivelent because X doesn't have built-in encryption.
Not to mention that GTK+ and QT both backbuffer their drawing, so you effectively are transmitting large bitmaps accross the link, in some cases without any encryption.
No, RDP isn't "new", but it's far better implemented than X. RDP is usable over 1xRTT. Try that with X.
Umm, Slashdot has made this mistake before and it will make it again, so let me say this:
THIS IS NOT RFID.
RFID is a term used to describe a number of standards.
Chase is deploying "contactless smartcards" (ISO 14443). Contactless smartcards, like regular smartcards, use public-key encrpytion technology. Being able to activate / read the card does zero good, because the secret is stored in the card and never revealed.
ISO 14443 is also far more secure than magstripe cards, which have no encryption whatsoever.
"No, I don't expect that. It's bizarre. It's wrong."
Then you're an idiot. Active cooling has been standard on graphics cards since the days of the GeForce2. And power connectors have been a staple since the Radeon 9700.
As it turns out, huge ICs with millions of transistors require cooling. And power.
Not in the least. XBox may be x86-based, but it is by no means a PC. It's ceratinly "PC like" in several regards, but it has a very nonstandard BIOS, custom DRM chips, and a custom chipset that's not PC compatible.
The closest thing to the XBox in the PC world is probably NVIDIA's NForce chipset, which is not surprising considering that it is derived from XBox technology. But NForce is still a long way from the XBox.
"This doesn't seem to generate much of a performance hit, so I wonder why Microsoft is going for a different approach?"
They aren't. Both MSN desktop search and the fast search in Longhorn use the built-in API calls in Windows that allow you to monitor filesystem operations. There's no need for integration into the "filesystem layer" because that functionality is already built into the OS.
"In a nutshell, it's a chain-driven set of pulleys that resemble a pair of cones that move together and apart to give you a near infinite number of ratio combinations."
WRONG!
The Prius does not have a "chain-driven set of pulleys". In fact, it doesn't even have a true CVT.
The Prius uses a planetary gear system (similar to a differential) called the "power split device" which divides torque between MG1, MG2, and the gasoline engine.
It provides most of the benefits of a CVT system, but "shifting" is done by transferring power between the two motors electronically.
The reality is, there *is* no alternative medicine. There is tested, proven medicine, and there is untested, unproven medicine.
It's certainly possible that Osteopathy has benefits. But unless you can provide the studies that *back that up*, I'm going to stick with what is proven.
It's common for "alternative" medicine believers to tell grandiose stories about how the "establishment" is trying to cover up their mistakes and promote "bad" treatments.
But, think about this: if "conventional" medicine is really so bad, why does it work so well? When I take 10mg of loradatine (Claritin), my allergies clear up. I can feel the effect - and, more importantly, double-blind tests can measure the effect.
Medicine, like all sciences, is an evolving process. We've been wrong about a lot of things in the past, and we're wrong about a lot of things today. But I'd rather take an imperfect system than one that is completely unproven.
"A core tenet of Osteopathy is that Structure and Function are interrelated - hence the importance of applying appropriate adjustments to the body's structure (spine, bones, muscles and tendons) to a body that is not functioning properly."
There's another crap argument. You make the statement that it's a "core tenent" without actually backing it up. Where are the studies that *show* that structural adjustments can fix chemical problems? You have neither described the mechanism nor provided evidence that your method works.
Believe what you want. I'm going to believe what's tested and verifiable.
Not a mistake. Yes, WebTV (now MSNTV) is a flop, but it provided the foundation for Microsoft TV, an increasingly successful product that is now being liscenced by cable companies, including Comcast.
Time to market is what makes GNOME/Ubuntu such a powerful combination. The 6-month release cycle means that users get new features and bugfixes more quickly, and the fact that Ubuntu's cycle is synced to GNOME's cycle means that the distro almost always has an up-to-date desktop interface.
It's a bit like Longhorn vs. Mac OS X - Microsoft has chosen to ship major upgrade five years after the release of XP, while Apple has shipped smaller (but still significant) upgrades on a more regular basis.
"Viruses exploit a flaw in the security model of the OS."
No, they don't. Worms and trojans frequently exploit holes in the OS, but traditional viruses work by modifying executables. Unless we disable the ability to write to the disk (or disable the ability to execute code), viruses aren't going away.
". there is no such thing as text message interop! You cant text other networks. So you need to know the network of your friends."
Bullshit. I've texed plenty of people on Verizon, Cingular, and Sprint with my T-Mobile phone. Try it before you spout crap.
". phones are bound to a particular area code. If you move, you either need a new number, or people pay long distance rates to get to your phone."
Guess what? Long-distance is actually *cheaper* in the US than calling a mobile is in Europe.
"you pay to receive calls, on your mobile. So family minutes are cut in half if they are used intra-family."
Yes, you do. But the person calling doesn't. Look at the rates for calling a mobile in Europe - then tell me that we get a raw deal here. Even by multiplying the rates in the US by two (to account for the fact that both parties pay), I still pay less per minute than in Europe.
"When you buy a phone, you pay an "activation fee" for some idiot in the shop to turn it on and press a few buttons."
Generally waived if you buy your phone at the right place.
"Different network providers have different handsets. You cant juggle SIM cards around or choose the phone you want."
You certainly can. Some phones are SIM-locked, but I can use any GSM-1900 compatible phone with T-Mobile. I've had 13 different handsets in the last two years (4 grayscale Sidekicks, 4 color sidekicks, 2 Sidekick 2s, 2 Treo 180s, a HTC Wallaby Pocket PC Phone, and a basic Nokia).
"you pay to receive text messages!"
I don't pay to send or recieve text messages. Nor do I pay by the kilobyte for GPRS like you do in Europe. I get flat-rate ulimited data & SMS for $15 a month.
"you pay to receive calls, on your mobile. So family minutes are cut in half if they are used intra-family"
Not so. I don't pay to calls to any other phone on my network (T-Mobile USA). I can call my family *all I want* and not use any of my minutes.
"prepay is very expensive, minutes expire unless you phone is topped up, not available everywhere"
Prepay runs on the same networks as non-prepay. Cards are availabile at gas stations, supermarkets, and many other locations. Prices average to about $0.15 per minute, cheaper than prepaid in Europe. Expiration varies, but T-Mobile, for example, gives you 365 days.
"you need to work out which providers have approximate coverage in the places you live, work and travel."
Namely, most of them. Verizon, Cingular, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Nextel all have major population centers and larger towns covered. Anything with more than 10,000 people will have coverage, as will interstate highways. Some providers are better, some are worse.
T-Mobile is generally considered the weakest provider, coverage-wise, in the US. I have no problems using their service 99% of the time.
"you then need to decide between prepay or x-minute contracts"
This is different from Europe how?.
Your comment shows that you are misinformed about the US wireless industry.
For $85 per month, my family gets:
- 3 phones - 500 pooled minutes - Free nighttime calling, weekend calling, and calling to other T-Mobile subscribers - Unlimited GPRS on two of the phones - Unlimited SMS on my phone - No long-distance to any number in the US - No roaming anywhere in the US
If you don't want GPRS, you can do even better:
For $40: - 600 "peak" minutes - Unlimited off-peak (night) and weekend minutes - Unlimited calling to other subscribers on the same network - No roaming or long-distance charges in the US
Run the numbers. Compare the rates. You'll see that they are much lower in the US.
"VW's TDI powered cars put all 4-passenger hybrids to shame."
How so? Even though diesel has more than 30% more energy per gallon than gasoline, the TDI still can't beat the Prius in MPG. And it doesn't even come close in particulate and NOx emissions.
Slashdot Mirror
"If you spend more than US$10 on them you're not trying."
How so? The cheapest combo I could find on Pricewatch was $16, unless you want a ball mouse.
" Yes, you need a monitor... if you don't have one you're looking at $100-$200 extra."
More like, "if you don't have a spare monitor just sitting around, you're looking at $100-$200 extra".
We're Slashdot readers. We probably have access to spare/older hardware. Most people don't, though.
"If I could have got an iBook for close to the same amount, that would have been a different matter"
You can. It's called eBay. Used G4s are also similar in price to the Mini.
Look, Best Buy sells PCs for $400 with keyboard, mouse, monitor, and printer. The Mini is a nice box for a lot of applications, but it doesn't change the fact that PCs are still cheaper.
Over a million people in the US have the T-Mobile Sidekick (including myself), which is definately data-focused.
I have no problems running the entire day, even with 3-4 hours of data use.
But, TV on your phone? Please. UTMS is fast, but it's not *that* fast. Remember, capacity in the cell is *limited*. More use of UTMS for video leaves less room for data. It's even worse when you consider the fact that few of these services implement multicasting properly.
Here in the US, Verizon already has a similar service based on CDMA2000 1xEV-DO. It's sold poorly, because, as you might have suspected, few people want to pay money to watch medium-bitrate (300kbps in Verizon's case) TV programs on a small screen.
Leave UTMS (or, for that matter, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO) for data. Please.
"and the only one liquid at temperatures around room temperature to 100 degrees C are lead, mercury and maby a lead tin amalgam"
Room temperature liquids aren't required, as the card likely operates in the 50C-80C range.
"Even if encryption is used, that doesn't guarantee security"
No, but it's a barrier of entry issue. If it takes time and resources to crack a card, fraud becomes more difficult and less profitable.
It's much harder to crack encryption to reveal a shared secret than it is to simply look at a person's card and get their number.
"After all, where in all of their glossy ads for Windows XP, Office, etc. etc. does it mention that it's important to apply regular security updates, use a virus checker and never open attachments you don't trust?"
How about when you first turn on your computer?
How about the stacks of CDs in Office Depot with XP-SP2 and instructions on why it's important?
How about their website devoted to security information:
http://shortify.org/u1017
They are pretty damned clear on the threats lurking out their. More than any Linux distro. More than Mac OS X.
Remember how we laughed about Windows crashing back in the days of Windows 98?
Who's laughing now?
"making a better telephone rather than making a telephone become something it isn't"
Cellphones aren't telephones. They are mobile communication devices.
My device has email, web browsing, and AIM. I barely even use the phone part.
Stop talking about making a "telephone become something it isn't". Why the hell do you get to decide what a mobile device "is"?
If you want a plain phone, go on eBay and get a Nokia 3590. It's under $30, has good audio quality and battery life, and is devoid of all the features that you seem to hate.
Many people, however, don't want "just a phone". I want PDA functionality so that I don't have to carry a PDA. I want an MP3 player so that I don't have to carry an iPod. I want a USB drive so that I don't have to carry a USB drive.
"Why are we paying Microsoft $5000 just to serve files for 20 people?"
I don't know, because Windows Server 2003, standard edition, with 10 CALs, is around $500.
"A year later, you notice that you haven't had to reboot it or 'fix' it, or virus scan it, service pack it"
Bullshit. Patching is a necessary part of any OS. Hell, there have been major holes in SSH, the kernel, Apache, and Samba in the last year. Windows is not unique in this regard.
We run Windows because it integrates well with our systems. IIS and Exchange use Active Directory for authentication. So do our file servers. Our file servers respond to our group policy changes.
It means less manual work and less scripting. WS2003 integrates "out of the box". No Linux distro can offer that.
$500 is a small price to pay for that.
"why should the government have to use the possibility of an iPod in order for them to eat healthy, or, better yet, why should the government even be involved in health issues such as obesity"
Because they have the power to do something.
That's what separates liberals and liberatarians. Liberals believe that the government has a responsibility to serve the public, and that it should do so by funding programs that are effective.
Things like standardized healthcare, public roads, public schools, police services, fire departments, and many other government services are both necessary and effective ways of increasing the standard of living.
We're not hearless bastards. We shouldn't act like it for some foolish ideological belief in what government "should" do.
Next time you turn on the lights, you can be damned glad that the government bothered to subsidize the deployment of the power grid that makes them work. The next time you want to drive to the store, you can be damned glad that the government bothered to build roads. And the next time you get in an accident, you can be damned glad that the government will ensure that you get the healthcare that you need.
Unless, of course, you live in the United States. In which case, I hope you have good health insurance.
"However many laptop power supplies are designed with the assumption that there will be this big battery installed acting as a capacitor."
No, they don't. Li-Ion batteries are destroyed if they are mischarged, and placing the battery in parallel with the power supply would be extremely dangerous. The battery would likely burn and/or explode the first time that it was connected due to overcharging.
Modern laptops have extensive power circuitry to preciscely control the charging cycle of the battery. The battery is never used as "a capacitor". That's what the real capacitors are for.
"The credit belongs to the creators of X11"
Except that X is far more low-level than RDP, and the fact that it is "backwards" from the perspective of accessing a server. To get X working over NAT, you need something like X-forwarding with SSH. Not to mention that you *need* SSH or an equivelent because X doesn't have built-in encryption.
Not to mention that GTK+ and QT both backbuffer their drawing, so you effectively are transmitting large bitmaps accross the link, in some cases without any encryption.
No, RDP isn't "new", but it's far better implemented than X. RDP is usable over 1xRTT. Try that with X.
Umm, Slashdot has made this mistake before and it will make it again, so let me say this:
THIS IS NOT RFID.
RFID is a term used to describe a number of standards.
Chase is deploying "contactless smartcards" (ISO 14443). Contactless smartcards, like regular smartcards, use public-key encrpytion technology. Being able to activate / read the card does zero good, because the secret is stored in the card and never revealed.
ISO 14443 is also far more secure than magstripe cards, which have no encryption whatsoever.
"DEC"
Now owned by HP. DEC technology has a major role in AMD's Opteron. Alpha is still sold.
"Cray"
Never went away. They are still a major player in "big iron".
Digital Research
"Douglas Aircraft"
Eventually purchased by Boeing. MD-80s are still flying today.
"Zilog"
Millions of Zilog processors are in calculators and other devices. Most of TI's calculator line is Z80 powered.
"No, I don't expect that. It's bizarre. It's wrong."
Then you're an idiot. Active cooling has been standard on graphics cards since the days of the GeForce2. And power connectors have been a staple since the Radeon 9700.
As it turns out, huge ICs with millions of transistors require cooling. And power.
Shocker there.
"was based on a standard X86 PC to begin with"
Not in the least. XBox may be x86-based, but it is by no means a PC. It's ceratinly "PC like" in several regards, but it has a very nonstandard BIOS, custom DRM chips, and a custom chipset that's not PC compatible.
The closest thing to the XBox in the PC world is probably NVIDIA's NForce chipset, which is not surprising considering that it is derived from XBox technology. But NForce is still a long way from the XBox.
"This doesn't seem to generate much of a performance hit, so I wonder why Microsoft is going for a different approach?"
They aren't. Both MSN desktop search and the fast search in Longhorn use the built-in API calls in Windows that allow you to monitor filesystem operations. There's no need for integration into the "filesystem layer" because that functionality is already built into the OS.
"In a nutshell, it's a chain-driven set of pulleys that resemble a pair of cones that move together and apart to give you a near infinite number of ratio combinations."
U nderstanding/PowerSplitDevice.htm
WRONG!
The Prius does not have a "chain-driven set of pulleys". In fact, it doesn't even have a true CVT.
The Prius uses a planetary gear system (similar to a differential) called the "power split device" which divides torque between MG1, MG2, and the gasoline engine.
It provides most of the benefits of a CVT system, but "shifting" is done by transferring power between the two motors electronically.
More info:
http://home.earthlink.net/~graham1/MyToyotaPrius/
"Simple and functional"
Yes, and highly polluting. Emissions standards have improved significantly in the last 30 years.
Moreover, they use less fuel (assuming you don't buy a 3 ton SUV) and require less maintenence.
The reality is, there *is* no alternative medicine. There is tested, proven medicine, and there is untested, unproven medicine.
It's certainly possible that Osteopathy has benefits. But unless you can provide the studies that *back that up*, I'm going to stick with what is proven.
It's common for "alternative" medicine believers to tell grandiose stories about how the "establishment" is trying to cover up their mistakes and promote "bad" treatments.
But, think about this: if "conventional" medicine is really so bad, why does it work so well? When I take 10mg of loradatine (Claritin), my allergies clear up. I can feel the effect - and, more importantly, double-blind tests can measure the effect.
Medicine, like all sciences, is an evolving process. We've been wrong about a lot of things in the past, and we're wrong about a lot of things today. But I'd rather take an imperfect system than one that is completely unproven.
"A core tenet of Osteopathy is that Structure and Function are interrelated - hence the importance of applying appropriate adjustments to the body's structure (spine, bones, muscles and tendons) to a body that is not functioning properly."
There's another crap argument. You make the statement that it's a "core tenent" without actually backing it up. Where are the studies that *show* that structural adjustments can fix chemical problems? You have neither described the mechanism nor provided evidence that your method works.
Believe what you want. I'm going to believe what's tested and verifiable.
"WebTV"
Not a mistake. Yes, WebTV (now MSNTV) is a flop, but it provided the foundation for Microsoft TV, an increasingly successful product that is now being liscenced by cable companies, including Comcast.
DX:IW runs fine on my system with DirectX 9.0c (GeForce 6600GT).
So do a lot of other older games.
Time to market is what makes GNOME/Ubuntu such a powerful combination. The 6-month release cycle means that users get new features and bugfixes more quickly, and the fact that Ubuntu's cycle is synced to GNOME's cycle means that the distro almost always has an up-to-date desktop interface.
It's a bit like Longhorn vs. Mac OS X - Microsoft has chosen to ship major upgrade five years after the release of XP, while Apple has shipped smaller (but still significant) upgrades on a more regular basis.
"Viruses exploit a flaw in the security model of the OS."
No, they don't. Worms and trojans frequently exploit holes in the OS, but traditional viruses work by modifying executables. Unless we disable the ability to write to the disk (or disable the ability to execute code), viruses aren't going away.
". there is no such thing as text message interop! You cant text other networks. So you need to know the network of your friends."
Bullshit. I've texed plenty of people on Verizon, Cingular, and Sprint with my T-Mobile phone. Try it before you spout crap.
". phones are bound to a particular area code. If you move, you either need a new number, or people pay long distance rates to get to your phone."
Guess what? Long-distance is actually *cheaper* in the US than calling a mobile is in Europe.
"you pay to receive calls, on your mobile. So family minutes are cut in half if they are used intra-family."
Yes, you do. But the person calling doesn't. Look at the rates for calling a mobile in Europe - then tell me that we get a raw deal here. Even by multiplying the rates in the US by two (to account for the fact that both parties pay), I still pay less per minute than in Europe.
"When you buy a phone, you pay an "activation fee" for some idiot in the shop to turn it on and press a few buttons."
Generally waived if you buy your phone at the right place.
"Different network providers have different handsets. You cant juggle SIM cards around or choose the phone you want."
You certainly can. Some phones are SIM-locked, but I can use any GSM-1900 compatible phone with T-Mobile. I've had 13 different handsets in the last two years (4 grayscale Sidekicks, 4 color sidekicks, 2 Sidekick 2s, 2 Treo 180s, a HTC Wallaby Pocket PC Phone, and a basic Nokia).
"you pay to receive text messages!"
I don't pay to send or recieve text messages. Nor do I pay by the kilobyte for GPRS like you do in Europe. I get flat-rate ulimited data & SMS for $15 a month.
"you pay to receive calls, on your mobile. So family minutes are cut in half if they are used intra-family"
Not so. I don't pay to calls to any other phone on my network (T-Mobile USA). I can call my family *all I want* and not use any of my minutes.
"prepay is very expensive, minutes expire unless you phone is topped up, not available everywhere"
Prepay runs on the same networks as non-prepay. Cards are availabile at gas stations, supermarkets, and many other locations. Prices average to about $0.15 per minute, cheaper than prepaid in Europe. Expiration varies, but T-Mobile, for example, gives you 365 days.
"you need to work out which providers have approximate coverage in the places you live, work and travel."
Namely, most of them. Verizon, Cingular, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Nextel all have major population centers and larger towns covered. Anything with more than 10,000 people will have coverage, as will interstate highways. Some providers are better, some are worse.
T-Mobile is generally considered the weakest provider, coverage-wise, in the US. I have no problems using their service 99% of the time.
"you then need to decide between prepay or x-minute contracts"
This is different from Europe how?.
Your comment shows that you are misinformed about the US wireless industry.
For $85 per month, my family gets:
- 3 phones
- 500 pooled minutes
- Free nighttime calling, weekend calling, and calling to other T-Mobile subscribers
- Unlimited GPRS on two of the phones
- Unlimited SMS on my phone
- No long-distance to any number in the US
- No roaming anywhere in the US
If you don't want GPRS, you can do even better:
For $40:
- 600 "peak" minutes
- Unlimited off-peak (night) and weekend minutes
- Unlimited calling to other subscribers on the same network
- No roaming or long-distance charges in the US
Run the numbers. Compare the rates. You'll see that they are much lower in the US.
The "cheapness" of wireless in Europe is a myth.
Ironically, this is partially Blizzard's doing.
If you've played WOW, you know what I mean. There's something conspicuously missing from the WOW experience - loading screens.
Halo did this to a degree, as have other MMOs. But in WOW, you can go anywhere on the (huge) continent without loading.
I always laughed when you encountered the 1-minute loading screens in Half-Life 2. I'm glad that Epic is finally picking up the ball.
Unreal Engine rocks. Unreal Engine 3 will rock even more.
"VW's TDI powered cars put all 4-passenger hybrids to shame."
How so? Even though diesel has more than 30% more energy per gallon than gasoline, the TDI still can't beat the Prius in MPG. And it doesn't even come close in particulate and NOx emissions.