Social media didn't create this trend, Matt. Hop in your TARDIS and fly back a thousand years and you'll have Kings and Queens demanding the painters take a few extra pounds off their royal portraits...
I hate to nitpick but since it does go to your point, actually if you went back you would find Kings and Queens demanding extra pounds added to the portraits. Being overweight was a sign of wealth and very much in style. It isn't just about the images we present to others but also the interpretations a particular culture will make of those images.
Disclaimer: I would love a Tesla model S, but even with the mentioned loans could not possibly justify buying one over saving up for my children's education.
It is ridiculous to try to prop up the success of a company by government backed loans. If electric cars will succeed, let them do so on their own. I personally hope they do, but think that X-Prize style awards for better batteries/chargers is the best way to do that.
However, I think student loans are one of the worst things our government has ever backed(worse than the Tesla loans). By providing them we encourage an already existing problem of people getting degrees when they should be learning a trade instead, and mounting up debt that will take them twice as long to pay back. Scholarships and Pell Grants already exist as an excellent tool for providing assistance to the most needy, and the most deserving. Furthermore, working your way through college is not only doable, but builds character while reducing the amount of trouble students get in to. For those instances where there is a real need for a loan, such as medical school, the government isn't really needed. In addition to grants, the government already provides assistance for those who have served (GI Bill) and those who will promise to serve (ROTC Scholarships). There is some of that in the private sector (hospitals, chick-fil-a, etc.), but I'm all for the government encouraging more of it.
Finally, if we did a better job at the grade school level we wouldn't be trying to squeeze unprepared students into college curriculum while they are building up tremendous debt attending institutions they won't be able to graduate from. The real problem with government assisted student loans (and most risky/payday loans in the private sector, but that is a separate gripe) is that they are an attack on those the current system has already failed while giving an empty promise of an easy out.
Motor Trend named the Chevy Vega the car of the year in 1971. Car and Driver named the Renault Alliance as one of 1983's 10 best cars. In 1985 the Ford Merkur also made this list. You might enjoy this.
Hey, my first car was a Vega and I resent your insinuation. Mine might have been 15 years old the first time I got behind the wheel of it, but it survived that long, and kept on running... I could get over 100 mph (after accelerating about 5 minutes) in that thing, despite parts of it being held together with chicken wire. Just because our nickname for it was "The Green Skunk"... OK, looking back, it might not have been the car it felt like at the time. No wonder my Mom was so quick to pawn it off on me and get a new car.
I think it is VERY valid that software should be written to accommodate localization and the inevitability of non-western names. However, the article is referring to a finite user base (the university students) which will predominately be made up of users uniquely identifiable as first.last name (1.6% collision). I think it would be serious over-engineering for this situation to try to program for every possible conflict (including non-western characters). Auto-add the middle initial, treat any remaining conflicts with a tie-breaker and deal with non-western names on a case by case basis. The real key is to establish in the policy that a user can request a new email alias if the default address does not represent their true name.
I would much rather see a labeling requirement if the government sees a need to interfere with the free market. Inform the consumers, rather than baby-sitting them. Bulb packagaing could be required to print, in an appropriate size, the 5-year average cost of purchasing and using the bulbs(including power and replacements). Add in actual lumen output and consumers can make informed decisions and the market could properly adjust over time.
Consumers should be able to decide if they really want to pay $3.00 for a 6 pack of bulbs they will spend $100 using, or if they want to go ahead and pony up $8 for CFLs with a 5 year cost of $20. I think the incandescent bulbs would die off pretty quickly(except for the niche applications where they are needed). Of course, they could get 6 of the L Prize Philips for $150, but the cost/benefit isn't quite there yet, and the market that wants those is currently buying them.
Ensuring consumers are informed is one of the best uses of government. Limiting freedoms, one of the worst.
For children in that age range the Byte Brother books (A series along the lines of the Old Encyclopedia Brown books from the mid-80s) might actually be a good tool for such a class. The series follows a pair of brothers using Basic to solve various challenges in each book (from whether a train operator is lying to how many marbles are in a jar). In truth, you can solve the problems with just a calculator and some algebra, but the books show solving the problems in Basic. The first book in the series is "The Bytes Brothers Input an Investigation" and is apparently available on Amazon.
I'm sure it is WELL too far into the development of the next generation of consoles, but a true chip built with this technology would need a lot of speed improvement to look VERY good at 720p or 1080i and would easily walk all over anything the competitors could do until they implemented the same technology.
Reading the article, it looks like Microsoft is really targeting Embedded systems. Suppose you are a corporation and deciding which Embedded OS to use for your new camera. Do you use an Embedded Free Software system, and pay Microsoft $0.25 / camera so that your cards will be automatically read when the user puts them into their Windoze PC?
What if Microsoft only charges $0.20 for it's embedded OS?
Even if the Microsoft Embedded OS would cost you $1.00 / unit (and I have know idea of this pricing) you are still in far muddier water if you want to keep users happy.
The tech support calls when people expect to be able to access thier cards w/out installing any additional software on their XP machine alone would make it worthwhile to fork over the $0.25 / unit. (And you've got to have a million sales to meet that $250,000 cap).
Instantaneous transportation
on
What is 'IT'?
·
· Score: 2
OK, just a theory, but one that meets the criteria specified. IT could be a device allowing instantaneous movement from one location to another. Whether by teleportation or whatever, IT requires a device on both ends, and there is a version which will be installed in most homes to accomodate a person, and one for business to accomodate transport/shipping.
This satisfies all the criteria as follows:
1) IT is not a medical invention.
Obviosly.
2) In a private meeting with Bezos, Jobs and Doerr, Kamen assembled two Gingers -- or ITs -- in 10 minutes, using a screwdriver and hex wrenches from components that fit into a couple of large duffel bags and some cardboard boxes.
"IT" would only have to be big enough to form a "doorway" or maybe two for demonstration.
3) The invention has a fun element to it, because once a Ginger was turned on, Bezos started laughing his "loud, honking laugh".
IT could be used in humorous ways, waving from across the room, etc.
4) There are possibly two Ginger models, named Metro and Pro -- and the Metro may possibly cost less than $2,000.
Once again, one for shipment of goods, one for each and every home.
5) Bezos is quoted as saying that IT "...is a product so revolutionary, you'll have no problem selling it. The question is, are people going to be allowed to use it?"
I can REALLY see legislation coming into place because this constitutes a threat to national security.
6) Jobs is quoted as saying: "...If enough people see the machine you won't have to convince them to architect cities around it. It'll just happen."
Two words: No streets.
7) Kemper says the invention will "sweep over the world and change lives, cities, and ways of thinking."
Yup, it would sure do that... An 8 hour day at the office would be just that... an 8 hour day.
8) The "core technology and its implementations" will, according to Kamen, "have a big, broad impact not only on social institutions but some billion-dollar old-line companies." And the invention will "profoundly affect our environment and the way people live worldwide. It will be an alternative to products that are dirty, expensive, sometimes dangerous and often frustrating, especially for people in the cities."
OK, we have automotive, trucking, and air-line industries... and replacement of all cars in the house for only $2000 would SURELY be a less dirty, less expensive, less dangerous solution, that would especially help those in high traffic areas. And who here hasn't been frustrated while driving?
9) IT will be a mass-market consumer product "likely to run afoul of existing regulations and or inspire new ones," according to Kemper. The invention will also likely require "meeting with city planners, regulators, legislators, large commercial companies and university presidents about how cities, companies and campuses can be retro-fitted for Ginger."
OK, this one, well you would have to put up legislation to limit what this can do to continue to control international travelfor a variety of reasons from drug trafficing to terrorism.
Anyway, those are just thoughts that make sense to me as one possibility of IT.
Slashdot Mirror
as the article states, nexus 7s are bricked, nexus 5s are in a boot loop. You'll find a lot of Twitter activity under #nexus7bricked.
Social media didn't create this trend, Matt. Hop in your TARDIS and fly back a thousand years and you'll have Kings and Queens demanding the painters take a few extra pounds off their royal portraits...
I hate to nitpick but since it does go to your point, actually if you went back you would find Kings and Queens demanding extra pounds added to the portraits. Being overweight was a sign of wealth and very much in style. It isn't just about the images we present to others but also the interpretations a particular culture will make of those images.
Disclaimer: I would love a Tesla model S, but even with the mentioned loans could not possibly justify buying one over saving up for my children's education.
It is ridiculous to try to prop up the success of a company by government backed loans. If electric cars will succeed, let them do so on their own. I personally hope they do, but think that X-Prize style awards for better batteries/chargers is the best way to do that.
However, I think student loans are one of the worst things our government has ever backed(worse than the Tesla loans). By providing them we encourage an already existing problem of people getting degrees when they should be learning a trade instead, and mounting up debt that will take them twice as long to pay back. Scholarships and Pell Grants already exist as an excellent tool for providing assistance to the most needy, and the most deserving. Furthermore, working your way through college is not only doable, but builds character while reducing the amount of trouble students get in to. For those instances where there is a real need for a loan, such as medical school, the government isn't really needed. In addition to grants, the government already provides assistance for those who have served (GI Bill) and those who will promise to serve (ROTC Scholarships). There is some of that in the private sector (hospitals, chick-fil-a, etc.), but I'm all for the government encouraging more of it.
Finally, if we did a better job at the grade school level we wouldn't be trying to squeeze unprepared students into college curriculum while they are building up tremendous debt attending institutions they won't be able to graduate from. The real problem with government assisted student loans (and most risky/payday loans in the private sector, but that is a separate gripe) is that they are an attack on those the current system has already failed while giving an empty promise of an easy out.
Motor Trend named the Chevy Vega the car of the year in 1971. Car and Driver named the Renault Alliance as one of 1983's 10 best cars. In 1985 the Ford Merkur also made this list. You might enjoy this.
Hey, my first car was a Vega and I resent your insinuation. Mine might have been 15 years old the first time I got behind the wheel of it, but it survived that long, and kept on running... I could get over 100 mph (after accelerating about 5 minutes) in that thing, despite parts of it being held together with chicken wire. Just because our nickname for it was "The Green Skunk"... OK, looking back, it might not have been the car it felt like at the time. No wonder my Mom was so quick to pawn it off on me and get a new car.
Why the hell does everyone assume western names?
I think it is VERY valid that software should be written to accommodate localization and the inevitability of non-western names. However, the article is referring to a finite user base (the university students) which will predominately be made up of users uniquely identifiable as first.last name (1.6% collision). I think it would be serious over-engineering for this situation to try to program for every possible conflict (including non-western characters). Auto-add the middle initial, treat any remaining conflicts with a tie-breaker and deal with non-western names on a case by case basis. The real key is to establish in the policy that a user can request a new email alias if the default address does not represent their true name.
I would much rather see a labeling requirement if the government sees a need to interfere with the free market. Inform the consumers, rather than baby-sitting them. Bulb packagaing could be required to print, in an appropriate size, the 5-year average cost of purchasing and using the bulbs(including power and replacements). Add in actual lumen output and consumers can make informed decisions and the market could properly adjust over time.
Consumers should be able to decide if they really want to pay $3.00 for a 6 pack of bulbs they will spend $100 using, or if they want to go ahead and pony up $8 for CFLs with a 5 year cost of $20. I think the incandescent bulbs would die off pretty quickly(except for the niche applications where they are needed). Of course, they could get 6 of the L Prize Philips for $150, but the cost/benefit isn't quite there yet, and the market that wants those is currently buying them.
Ensuring consumers are informed is one of the best uses of government. Limiting freedoms, one of the worst.
You can't use the 70% option for a .99 book. The requirement is a price between 2.99 and 9.99 for the 70% option: List Price Requirements
For children in that age range the Byte Brother books (A series along the lines of the Old Encyclopedia Brown books from the mid-80s) might actually be a good tool for such a class. The series follows a pair of brothers using Basic to solve various challenges in each book (from whether a train operator is lying to how many marbles are in a jar). In truth, you can solve the problems with just a calculator and some algebra, but the books show solving the problems in Basic. The first book in the series is "The Bytes Brothers Input an Investigation" and is apparently available on Amazon.
Sounds like a business method to me. Think I'll patent it!
I'm sure it is WELL too far into the development of the next generation of consoles, but a true chip built with this technology would need a lot of speed improvement to look VERY good at 720p or 1080i and would easily walk all over anything the competitors could do until they implemented the same technology.
Reading the article, it looks like Microsoft is really targeting Embedded systems. Suppose you are a corporation and deciding which Embedded OS to use for your new camera. Do you use an Embedded Free Software system, and pay Microsoft $0.25 / camera so that your cards will be automatically read when the user puts them into their Windoze PC?
What if Microsoft only charges $0.20 for it's embedded OS?
Even if the Microsoft Embedded OS would cost you $1.00 / unit (and I have know idea of this pricing) you are still in far muddier water if you want to keep users happy.
The tech support calls when people expect to be able to access thier cards w/out installing any additional software on their XP machine alone would make it worthwhile to fork over the $0.25 / unit. (And you've got to have a million sales to meet that $250,000 cap).
OK, just a theory, but one that meets the criteria specified. IT could be a device allowing instantaneous movement from one location to another. Whether by teleportation or whatever, IT requires a device on both ends, and there is a version which will be installed in most homes to accomodate a person, and one for business to accomodate transport/shipping.
This satisfies all the criteria as follows:
1) IT is not a medical invention.
Obviosly.
2) In a private meeting with Bezos, Jobs and Doerr, Kamen assembled two Gingers -- or ITs -- in 10 minutes, using a screwdriver and hex wrenches from components that fit into a couple of large duffel bags and some cardboard boxes.
"IT" would only have to be big enough to form a "doorway" or maybe two for demonstration.
3) The invention has a fun element to it, because once a Ginger was turned on, Bezos started laughing his "loud, honking laugh".
IT could be used in humorous ways, waving from across the room, etc.
4) There are possibly two Ginger models, named Metro and Pro -- and the Metro may possibly cost less than $2,000.
Once again, one for shipment of goods, one for each and every home.
5) Bezos is quoted as saying that IT "...is a product so revolutionary, you'll have no problem selling it. The question is, are people going to be allowed to use it?"
I can REALLY see legislation coming into place because this constitutes a threat to national security.
6) Jobs is quoted as saying: "...If enough people see the machine you won't have to convince them to architect cities around it. It'll just happen."
Two words: No streets.
7) Kemper says the invention will "sweep over the world and change lives, cities, and ways of thinking."
Yup, it would sure do that... An 8 hour day at the office would be just that... an 8 hour day.
8) The "core technology and its implementations" will, according to Kamen, "have a big, broad impact not only on social institutions but some billion-dollar old-line companies." And the invention will "profoundly affect our environment and the way people live worldwide. It will be an alternative to products that are dirty, expensive, sometimes dangerous and often frustrating, especially for people in the cities."
OK, we have automotive, trucking, and air-line industries... and replacement of all cars in the house for only $2000 would SURELY be a less dirty, less expensive, less dangerous solution, that would especially help those in high traffic areas. And who here hasn't been frustrated while driving?
9) IT will be a mass-market consumer product "likely to run afoul of existing regulations and or inspire new ones," according to Kemper. The invention will also likely require "meeting with city planners, regulators, legislators, large commercial companies and university presidents about how cities, companies and campuses can be retro-fitted for Ginger."
OK, this one, well you would have to put up legislation to limit what this can do to continue to control international travelfor a variety of reasons from drug trafficing to terrorism.
Anyway, those are just thoughts that make sense to me as one possibility of IT.