The message is actually aimed at consumers. This isn't an attempt to gouge the revenue of multi-national corporations for one day -- that would be next to impossible.
Instead, we're trying to get individual people to realize that they don't *need* to consume everything that's offered. Most people who go shopping on Black Friday do so because they know they'll find cheap stuff, without really having anything specific in mind. Buy this, buy that, it doesn't matter because it's all really cheap!
Buy Nothing Day poses the question, "Do I really need to buy this?"
Actually, such an application is being considered by the military. Although they haven't committed to anything, they find it appealing to be able to make an enemy hear a decoy explosion, or even deafen the bejezus out of him!
I'm not a theater owner, but I know and am related to some people who are (i.e., take this with the standard grain of salt). The reluctance to adopt digital technology, at least in its initial stages, seems to be beyond just the buy-in cost.
There seems to be an overall concern of initially purchasing expensive technology that quickly becomes dated and then being forced to maintain pace with the current standard to stay in the game. With traditional film projectors, the cost of materials can be so low because film is an old technology it's therefore cheaper to use (not to mention the simplicity of its mechanics).
Another issue is a specific theater's control over the showing of a particular movie. The utopian situation is one in which a theater can choose to play any movie at any time, but it seems that, at least initially, movies would be streamed at a specific time, stripping theaters of their control over showtimes.
Again, that's second-hand information, so I can't guarantee the accuracy of these claims (remember that grain of salt?). Along with the concept of streaming, a theater would have to provide a means of forming a connection with the provider, which, whether via satellite or ground, would probably be quite costly.
So we've identified that an LCD light bulb may *become* cheap to replace, but we're not considering the autonomy of the theaters, the price to maintain the equipment or the new method of delivery.
Just my moderately uninformed opinion on the subject...
Unfortunately this injunction seems to be only applicable to Bulkregister's clients. Does anyone know of other registrars who are currently taking similar action?
Although some call "broadband" anything that's faster than a modem, an important distinction might be that the broadband medium is capable of transmitting over multiple frequencies. i.e., cable = TV + internet, DSL = voice + data.
Of course, most people just use it to mean a fast connection.
is that the higher-ups only begin to question the legality/ethics of software monitoring when it happens to them directly.
Although I'm not a big fan of workplace monitoring, this instance smacks of that guy whose neighbor told him about the how p2p likes to find kids, give them pr0n and take their bikes.
In a perfect world, the folks in D.C. would listen to the concerns of those of us who are bugged by privacy intrusions when they first start. I guess I'm not really one to complain, since I've never written a letter to my congressdude.
Maybe we should start writing. That way we'll be justified in complaining when congressmen/judges only care about things affecting them directly, or when they hear it from their neighbor's kid's cat.
It's not enough to throw a senior at a computer and expect that they'll learn just from holding the mouse. I learned what I know about computers by screwing up my parents' machines and then having to fix them, and I'm sure many of the Slashdotters out there can identify with that experience.
But many seniors have very specific needs when it comes to computers. They often don't have the time (or don't even care) to learn video editing or perl or anything us young'ns find interesting. For them, emailing their grandkids and "surfing" is sufficient.
Essentially there's no difference between the elderly as a specific group learning computers than any other group. Teach them not to fear the computer, show them a few cool things, and then let them loose.
In my experience (I've had several tutoring sessions with seniors), the they sit down at a computer to get something done, not to learn about disk partitions. What helps them accomplish their task du jour is repetition .
If they want to learn email, ebay, or "surfing," sit down with them for an hour, walk them through it, and have them write it all down. Then have them repeat the process. It's important to get them to do it on their own, even if they use a list as a crutch. I want to cry when I see the old folks who don't use their 1.2 GHz machines, simply because they're confused by the system.
Keep things simple for seniors, and force them to practice. Just don't "let them loose," because they'll most likely just get frustrated and shut it off.
If you know of any seniors whose powerhouse machines are collecting dust in the corner, give them my number. I could use an upgrade!
Slashdot Mirror
The message is actually aimed at consumers. This isn't an attempt to gouge the revenue of multi-national corporations for one day -- that would be next to impossible.
Instead, we're trying to get individual people to realize that they don't *need* to consume everything that's offered. Most people who go shopping on Black Friday do so because they know they'll find cheap stuff, without really having anything specific in mind. Buy this, buy that, it doesn't matter because it's all really cheap!
Buy Nothing Day poses the question, "Do I really need to buy this?"
If not, then don't! If so, do it Saturday. ; )
curb your consumption
Actually, such an application is being considered by the military. Although they haven't committed to anything, they find it appealing to be able to make an enemy hear a decoy explosion, or even deafen the bejezus out of him!
I'm not a theater owner, but I know and am related to some people who are (i.e., take this with the standard grain of salt). The reluctance to adopt digital technology, at least in its initial stages, seems to be beyond just the buy-in cost.
There seems to be an overall concern of initially purchasing expensive technology that quickly becomes dated and then being forced to maintain pace with the current standard to stay in the game. With traditional film projectors, the cost of materials can be so low because film is an old technology it's therefore cheaper to use (not to mention the simplicity of its mechanics).
Another issue is a specific theater's control over the showing of a particular movie. The utopian situation is one in which a theater can choose to play any movie at any time, but it seems that, at least initially, movies would be streamed at a specific time, stripping theaters of their control over showtimes.
Again, that's second-hand information, so I can't guarantee the accuracy of these claims (remember that grain of salt?). Along with the concept of streaming, a theater would have to provide a means of forming a connection with the provider, which, whether via satellite or ground, would probably be quite costly.
So we've identified that an LCD light bulb may *become* cheap to replace, but we're not considering the autonomy of the theaters, the price to maintain the equipment or the new method of delivery.
Just my moderately uninformed opinion on the subject...
Unfortunately this injunction seems to be only applicable to Bulkregister's clients. Does anyone know of other registrars who are currently taking similar action?
test
Coincidentally, I received a postcard from Charter@Home today telling me that @Home just filed for bankruptcy.
They basically told me to say bye-bye to my internet on 30 Nov.
Of course, there's the possiblity that @Home will not have to terminate their contract, but I'm already looking for an alternative.
(Now I'm starting to wish I hadn't sacrificed my modems to the 120V AC gods.)
Although some call "broadband" anything that's faster than a modem, an important distinction might be that the broadband medium is capable of transmitting over multiple frequencies. i.e., cable = TV + internet, DSL = voice + data.
Of course, most people just use it to mean a fast connection.
I'm not sure if I understood your description, but are you looking for something like this?
I use it on my palm and it works out pretty well.
The article looks a little like this [slashdot.org] one.
/. and all that blah blah blah blah blah [add rant]....
Don't editors read
It shouldn't be too long before the Department of Transportation gets a new home:
www.dot.dot
is that the higher-ups only begin to question the legality/ethics of software monitoring when it happens to them directly.
Although I'm not a big fan of workplace monitoring, this instance smacks of that guy whose neighbor told him about the how p2p likes to find kids, give them pr0n and take their bikes.
In a perfect world, the folks in D.C. would listen to the concerns of those of us who are bugged by privacy intrusions when they first start. I guess I'm not really one to complain, since I've never written a letter to my congressdude.
Maybe we should start writing. That way we'll be justified in complaining when congressmen/judges only care about things affecting them directly, or when they hear it from their neighbor's kid's cat.
It's not enough to throw a senior at a computer and expect that they'll learn just from holding the mouse. I learned what I know about computers by screwing up my parents' machines and then having to fix them, and I'm sure many of the Slashdotters out there can identify with that experience.
But many seniors have very specific needs when it comes to computers. They often don't have the time (or don't even care) to learn video editing or perl or anything us young'ns find interesting. For them, emailing their grandkids and "surfing" is sufficient.
Essentially there's no difference between the elderly as a specific group learning computers than any other group. Teach them not to fear the computer, show them a few cool things, and then let them loose.
In my experience (I've had several tutoring sessions with seniors), the they sit down at a computer to get something done, not to learn about disk partitions. What helps them accomplish their task du jour is repetition .
If they want to learn email, ebay, or "surfing," sit down with them for an hour, walk them through it, and have them write it all down. Then have them repeat the process. It's important to get them to do it on their own, even if they use a list as a crutch. I want to cry when I see the old folks who don't use their 1.2 GHz machines, simply because they're confused by the system.
Keep things simple for seniors, and force them to practice. Just don't "let them loose," because they'll most likely just get frustrated and shut it off.
If you know of any seniors whose powerhouse machines are collecting dust in the corner, give them my number. I could use an upgrade!