It's not like millions of people use linux 1.0 either - people do use win95, and are going t be discouraged to find out they can't get help from the company anymore.
Re:What the fuck do I do in the Winter?
on
This is IT?
·
· Score: 1
I live in Canada. It can be extremely difficult to get around on foot during the winter, let alone in a car with four wheel drive. What the fuck am I going to do with a scooter? An "enclosed" scooter isn't going to do me any good if it can crash through 6 inches of snow and ice. And I am not talking about northern Canada, I am talking about major urban areas - we get snow, and a scooter throug hsnow is an unrealistic pipe dream.
I think you are missing the point of the article. Basically, Google does one thing - searches the internet. You only have to type in one box and click one button. So, of course the interface, which is uncluttered and intuitive, works fine. The article is about systems that involve thousands of files, and how to allow humans to manage large amounts of information. You make arguments like people will lose information in a 3D system. Well, people are already losing in formation in their 2D system, so this argument is fairly weak. In fact, being overwhelmed with directories, file systems and storage is exactly what these people are combatting with their research. Our current system is far from effective, and if they can come up with something better, then great. Personally, I find the idea of sitting in front a box and typing to access information to be ludicrous and backward. We should stop trying to perfect the GUI and move on to the next step in computer integration. The fact that you have to take a course to understand how to use a PC indicagtes that our current interpretation of PC'S is failing. You don't have to take a course to use your fridge, and computers need to be that integrated in our lives.
At last, an article suffers the slashdot effect from the start. Could this mean that people are actually *gasp* reading the article first before offering their opinions? Of course, it is basically a tech schematic, but still, it proves we can be taught.
Hi,
To make a long thread even longer - when I said tech support is shared, I also qualified that by saying that it is farmed out to third parties. IE: Tech support for central canada is covered by one call center in montreal, and another call center in Moncton, NB, for dialup, and a seperate highspeed call center in HULL. Some basci infrastructure, such as lines ans switches is also shared. Sympatico is a behemoth.
The information on all sympatico users is centrally stored and accessible by each of the smaller units of sympatico, regarding billing, etc.
Actually, you are not entirely correct. I worked for Sympatico for a period of six months, and the agreements that they have with other Telcos extend beyond similar look and feel. Billing and tech support is shared, and the tech support is farmed out to third party groups. Directly, Bell services Quebec and Ontario, though some regions of Quebec get their local telephone and internet access through a smaller telco. Bell is veryy much involved in the distribution and management of the Sympatico service in all of Canada. The service is in general unreliable, overpriced, and ill-advised.
After having worked there, and seen the juggernaut advancing towards their doom, I would not reccomend anyone use their service. Essentially, Bell is still acting like they are the only game in town, and that it is ok if they lose hundreds of clients a week as they are still picking up hundreds of clients a week. This cannot continue indefinitely, and things will get worse before they get better.
Incidently, I have been using the Videotron service in Hull, Quebec, Aylmer Quebec and Montreal Quebec.
Look, if you want broadband to work, you need a company focussed on their customers, with a manageable customer base and no plans for massive expansion. Videotron, in Quebec, Canada, provides reliable, inexpensive cable internet to one province, and one province only, with a possible market of around 5 milions people. They have kept their operation small, their staff trained, and decided not to expand into other provinces. In this way, they are able to maintain a high level of service. Your mileage may vary, but I have only had 2 down days of service, living in 2 large metropolitan regions of Quebec, in 2 years.
This is in direct contrast to Bell Canada, who's attempt service all of Canada has led to an incrdibly bad DSL service and Rogers cable modem service collapsing under the immense wieght of their customers.
The moral: Don't bite off more than you can chew. Canada may not be as competitive, but there are lessons to be learned from staying in business long enough to make money off the customers you already have.
Where to begin - My great-grandfather built the house that my parents currently live in at the beginning of the last century. My grandfather grew up in that house. The strange things started to happen towards the end of the second world war. My grandfather's brother was killed over Sicily, and buried overseas. The night he found out about the news, my great-grandfather went across the river to the sawmill he owned and paced the yard. His son appeared to him, in uniform, and told him not to worry, and that he was ok. A short time later, my grandfather awoke to see the image of his older brother standing at the end of his bed, smiling at him, and then fading away into the darkness.
We moved into the house when I was 8 years old. My great grandmother died peacefully in her sleep, in what was to become my bedroom. I had had a good relationship with both of my great grandparents. The first things I began to noticed were the balls of light at night. For the frist 6 months, a white ball of light the size of a softball would travel back and forth across the bottom of the wall opposite my head. I blocked every light source and curtained all the windows, (the house is in the country so not much outside light anyway), but the light remained. Later, it moved into the hallway directly opposite my head as I slept, and then after another few months, disappeared. I like to think of it as my great-grandmother watching over me.
But it didn't end there. At night, after 11 or se when everyone had gone to bed, I would hear what sounded like big band era music coming from the basement, through the heating ducts. I would go out into the living room (I was the only one who slept on the ground floor), but I could onyl hear it coming from my room. It wasn't until last year that I mentioned it to anyone, and that's when I found out that my great-granparents would always listen to their big band records in the basement/den that they had.
I have seen objects move, seen movement in hallways when I was the only one home in the house. I once saw a small statuette fly 6 feet off a piano into the middle of the room. My sister has some more negative experiences with the house. She is 2 years younger than I (19) and will not stay in the house alone at night. She either invites a friend over, or leaves. She has seen and heard doors slam, windows close, heard loud noises and felt presences. Which leads me to the scariest single thing thing that has ever happened to me at the house.
I no longer live with my parents, and when I go back to visit, I sleep in the basement, on a hideaway couch. I have never had any creepy feelings or bad dreams in the basement, and as a child I used to mow the lawn in a cemetery as a summer job, so I do not scare easily. One night, around 2 am, I woke up, staring out into the room, and I SWEAR I saw a thin hand reaching OUT OF THE DARKNESS towards my face. Scared out of my mind, I lunged towards a lamp and after several agonising seconds turned on the light and saw nothing at all except an empty room. I ran upstairs, lit a candle, put it beside my bed and tried to forget about it, but I couldn't. I am getting chills just writing this. This happened last April. Now, when I visit, I have to have a small light on in the basement, or I CANNOT sleep. It is the only time I have felt or seen anything other than the protective spirits of my family in the house.
I don't know if I am more sensitive to spirits, or what, but I have had some other experiences that were definitely weird. I like my parents house, but some people, like my sister and my best friend, refuse to spend the night there, as it gives them the creeps.
How long will the writer last if it is constantly being dropped, banged against your thigh when you walk/jog, or piled under a stack of books on a desk or a schoolbag? I mean, the mechanism to write cd's must be fairly delicate....
re: Read this:Questionable Source - read carefully
on
The Hypermedia Hazard
·
· Score: 1
The fact that he describes a subway station as "perfect conditions" to release a nerve agent was the first thing that made me question him - I don't see how anything with as strong winds and constantly moving population as a subway would be conducive to a successful nerve gas attack. So it's uderground, so what? So are a lot of wind tunnels. The nerve agent would easily be dispersed by the constatnt rushes of air, not giving it time to settle on people or let them inhale sufficient quantities.
Who is this retired sgt? What makes him credible? Did he work as a potato washer, a tank gunner, a grunt? What's the deal? Looks like some feelgood propaganda to me. Don't believe everything you read, boys and girls. Including everything I write.
So at first, Katz writes an article lauding the proliferation of media coverage/multiple sources of info regarding the Spet. 11 attacks, stating that it shows how traditional media's stasis is defeated by new 'net media's instant info. Now, Katz tells us that lots of different info from lots of different sources is actually "bad", confusing, and impacts negatively on the "truth". It's like his office has big dartboard full of buzz topics.
Well, let's say you are takin a class in a computer science field (coding, architecture, etc). Computers suddenly become necessary. Unless you are learning how to design MS user interfaces, in which case crayons and construction paper are all you really need.
Anyone remember the old story, about 8 months ago, where Nike had a promotion that you could customize your sneakers by getting a word or two added on at the factory? Well, a guy in the U.S. tried to get the words "Sweatshop" or "Slavery" on the side of his sneaks, and he was denied, even after repeated letters and inquiries/complaints. Essentially, he was attempting to use the company's own product to mock/draw attention to their shortfalls, and Nike was not amused.
-
Katz amongst the Guerillas
on
A New Kind of War
·
· Score: 0, Flamebait
Can't yo just see JonKatz camped out in the hills of Afghanistan, huddled under a poncho in soaking wet khaki pants, speaking into a satellite phone/shortwave radio: "Do any of of you have any ideas how to keep dry? Maybe some of YOU are working on anti-wetness technologies. Can mountainous weather accurately be tracked? Will we be encrypting the few ouces of rice I eat every morning?"
Come on, Katz, write what you know and stay out of Dan Rather's territory. You lack of insight and rehash of other people's ideas is tedious and uninteresting.
Re:What can 60 billion dollars buy?
on
A New Kind of War
·
· Score: 1
Well, how about Three Mile Island? A jet impact into one or more of the cooling towers could have a fairly negative impact on most of the northeast US.
Slashdot Mirror
I live in Canada. It can be extremely difficult to get around on foot during the winter, let alone in a car with four wheel drive. What the fuck am I going to do with a scooter? An "enclosed" scooter isn't going to do me any good if it can crash through 6 inches of snow and ice. And I am not talking about northern Canada, I am talking about major urban areas - we get snow, and a scooter throug hsnow is an unrealistic pipe dream.
I think you are missing the point of the article. Basically, Google does one thing - searches the internet. You only have to type in one box and click one button. So, of course the interface, which is uncluttered and intuitive, works fine. The article is about systems that involve thousands of files, and how to allow humans to manage large amounts of information. You make arguments like people will lose information in a 3D system. Well, people are already losing in formation in their 2D system, so this argument is fairly weak. In fact, being overwhelmed with directories, file systems and storage is exactly what these people are combatting with their research. Our current system is far from effective, and if they can come up with something better, then great. Personally, I find the idea of sitting in front a box and typing to access information to be ludicrous and backward. We should stop trying to perfect the GUI and move on to the next step in computer integration. The fact that you have to take a course to understand how to use a PC indicagtes that our current interpretation of PC'S is failing. You don't have to take a course to use your fridge, and computers need to be that integrated in our lives.
What do you think Tiger Woods and and Michael Jordan are selling to Nike? Or what about those KISS action figures, for that matter?
At last, an article suffers the slashdot effect from the start. Could this mean that people are actually *gasp* reading the article first before offering their opinions? Of course, it is basically a tech schematic, but still, it proves we can be taught.
Now I'll be able to quickly find out the answer to that question that has been bugging me since I firs tsaw porn - Did she get the job or not?
When was the last time you honestly paid for a game?
Hi,
To make a long thread even longer - when I said tech support is shared, I also qualified that by saying that it is farmed out to third parties. IE: Tech support for central canada is covered by one call center in montreal, and another call center in Moncton, NB, for dialup, and a seperate highspeed call center in HULL. Some basci infrastructure, such as lines ans switches is also shared. Sympatico is a behemoth.
The information on all sympatico users is centrally stored and accessible by each of the smaller units of sympatico, regarding billing, etc.
Actually, you are not entirely correct. I worked for Sympatico for a period of six months, and the agreements that they have with other Telcos extend beyond similar look and feel. Billing and tech support is shared, and the tech support is farmed out to third party groups. Directly, Bell services Quebec and Ontario, though some regions of Quebec get their local telephone and internet access through a smaller telco. Bell is veryy much involved in the distribution and management of the Sympatico service in all of Canada. The service is in general unreliable, overpriced, and ill-advised.
After having worked there, and seen the juggernaut advancing towards their doom, I would not reccomend anyone use their service. Essentially, Bell is still acting like they are the only game in town, and that it is ok if they lose hundreds of clients a week as they are still picking up hundreds of clients a week. This cannot continue indefinitely, and things will get worse before they get better.
Incidently, I have been using the Videotron service in Hull, Quebec, Aylmer Quebec and Montreal Quebec.
Look, if you want broadband to work, you need a company focussed on their customers, with a manageable customer base and no plans for massive expansion. Videotron, in Quebec, Canada, provides reliable, inexpensive cable internet to one province, and one province only, with a possible market of around 5 milions people. They have kept their operation small, their staff trained, and decided not to expand into other provinces. In this way, they are able to maintain a high level of service. Your mileage may vary, but I have only had 2 down days of service, living in 2 large metropolitan regions of Quebec, in 2 years.
This is in direct contrast to Bell Canada, who's attempt service all of Canada has led to an incrdibly bad DSL service and Rogers cable modem service collapsing under the immense wieght of their customers.
The moral: Don't bite off more than you can chew. Canada may not be as competitive, but there are lessons to be learned from staying in business long enough to make money off the customers you already have.
Where to begin - My great-grandfather built the house that my parents currently live in at the beginning of the last century. My grandfather grew up in that house. The strange things started to happen towards the end of the second world war. My grandfather's brother was killed over Sicily, and buried overseas. The night he found out about the news, my great-grandfather went across the river to the sawmill he owned and paced the yard. His son appeared to him, in uniform, and told him not to worry, and that he was ok. A short time later, my grandfather awoke to see the image of his older brother standing at the end of his bed, smiling at him, and then fading away into the darkness.
We moved into the house when I was 8 years old. My great grandmother died peacefully in her sleep, in what was to become my bedroom. I had had a good relationship with both of my great grandparents. The first things I began to noticed were the balls of light at night. For the frist 6 months, a white ball of light the size of a softball would travel back and forth across the bottom of the wall opposite my head. I blocked every light source and curtained all the windows, (the house is in the country so not much outside light anyway), but the light remained. Later, it moved into the hallway directly opposite my head as I slept, and then after another few months, disappeared. I like to think of it as my great-grandmother watching over me.
But it didn't end there. At night, after 11 or se when everyone had gone to bed, I would hear what sounded like big band era music coming from the basement, through the heating ducts. I would go out into the living room (I was the only one who slept on the ground floor), but I could onyl hear it coming from my room. It wasn't until last year that I mentioned it to anyone, and that's when I found out that my great-granparents would always listen to their big band records in the basement/den that they had.
I have seen objects move, seen movement in hallways when I was the only one home in the house. I once saw a small statuette fly 6 feet off a piano into the middle of the room. My sister has some more negative experiences with the house. She is 2 years younger than I (19) and will not stay in the house alone at night. She either invites a friend over, or leaves. She has seen and heard doors slam, windows close, heard loud noises and felt presences. Which leads me to the scariest single thing thing that has ever happened to me at the house.
I no longer live with my parents, and when I go back to visit, I sleep in the basement, on a hideaway couch. I have never had any creepy feelings or bad dreams in the basement, and as a child I used to mow the lawn in a cemetery as a summer job, so I do not scare easily. One night, around 2 am, I woke up, staring out into the room, and I SWEAR I saw a thin hand reaching OUT OF THE DARKNESS towards my face. Scared out of my mind, I lunged towards a lamp and after several agonising seconds turned on the light and saw nothing at all except an empty room. I ran upstairs, lit a candle, put it beside my bed and tried to forget about it, but I couldn't. I am getting chills just writing this. This happened last April. Now, when I visit, I have to have a small light on in the basement, or I CANNOT sleep. It is the only time I have felt or seen anything other than the protective spirits of my family in the house.
I don't know if I am more sensitive to spirits, or what, but I have had some other experiences that were definitely weird. I like my parents house, but some people, like my sister and my best friend, refuse to spend the night there, as it gives them the creeps.
Or at least get charged for all the free spam they spray all over slashdot.
It actually costs the same or less, as it holds less info....It's not too hard to come by.
How long will the writer last if it is constantly being dropped, banged against your thigh when you walk/jog, or piled under a stack of books on a desk or a schoolbag? I mean, the mechanism to write cd's must be fairly delicate....
The fact that he describes a subway station as "perfect conditions" to release a nerve agent was the first thing that made me question him - I don't see how anything with as strong winds and constantly moving population as a subway would be conducive to a successful nerve gas attack. So it's uderground, so what? So are a lot of wind tunnels. The nerve agent would easily be dispersed by the constatnt rushes of air, not giving it time to settle on people or let them inhale sufficient quantities.
Who is this retired sgt? What makes him credible? Did he work as a potato washer, a tank gunner, a grunt? What's the deal? Looks like some feelgood propaganda to me. Don't believe everything you read, boys and girls. Including everything I write.
I think you might be thinking of Hypercard, which my friends and I used to make little games with on our old Macs.....
So at first, Katz writes an article lauding the proliferation of media coverage/multiple sources of info regarding the Spet. 11 attacks, stating that it shows how traditional media's stasis is defeated by new 'net media's instant info. Now, Katz tells us that lots of different info from lots of different sources is actually "bad", confusing, and impacts negatively on the "truth". It's like his office has big dartboard full of buzz topics.
sounds like a lot of rural areas in the midwest...
Worldwide, you would think that Milk was beating coke hands down. I mean, it's the first thing most of us ever drink when we are born....
Well, let's say you are takin a class in a computer science field (coding, architecture, etc). Computers suddenly become necessary. Unless you are learning how to design MS user interfaces, in which case crayons and construction paper are all you really need.
Ah Yes - Woman at your side, qind in your face - and fluttering overhead, the flag of the Federation. Charming.
Station!
Anyone remember the old story, about 8 months ago, where Nike had a promotion that you could customize your sneakers by getting a word or two added on at the factory? Well, a guy in the U.S. tried to get the words "Sweatshop" or "Slavery" on the side of his sneaks, and he was denied, even after repeated letters and inquiries/complaints. Essentially, he was attempting to use the company's own product to mock/draw attention to their shortfalls, and Nike was not amused.
-
Can't yo just see JonKatz camped out in the hills of Afghanistan, huddled under a poncho in soaking wet khaki pants, speaking into a satellite phone/shortwave radio: "Do any of of you have any ideas how to keep dry? Maybe some of YOU are working on anti-wetness technologies. Can mountainous weather accurately be tracked? Will we be encrypting the few ouces of rice I eat every morning?"
Come on, Katz, write what you know and stay out of Dan Rather's territory. You lack of insight and rehash of other people's ideas is tedious and uninteresting.
What an exceptionally good comment.
Well, how about Three Mile Island? A jet impact into one or more of the cooling towers could have a fairly negative impact on most of the northeast US.