Somehow I just can't see it all that maliciously. Mediocrity tends to be borne from mediocrity more than from malice or oppressive intent.
I do agree that the effects you state may be a result of mediocre school education, but I think the cause is more that education systems are bein run too much from the top. Constituents want results, which are more often found from individual attention, but the pressure is applied via an impersonal top-down bureaucracy. The only way a bureaucracy can see results is to measure them. The only way to see results is with uniform methods and measures. Uniformity (in this situation) leads to mediocrity.
Although the H.S. system as it is leads to fads, uniformity, and fear of reaction, I doubt that it's designed with a significant ear to the people benifited by normal perpetuation.
Me, however, I can't stand iTunes. It's got the idea, like many Apple products, that there's an "Apple" way of doing things, and the software will fight you to the death if you want to do something a different way. Granted, the Apple way is usually the easiest, but sometimes I need to complexify things, for various reasons.
My biggest personal beef: I can't sort tracks by filename. I make MP3 (ISO9660) compilations by just prefixing the filenames with a number. It's easily done with a Perl script I have set up (reads an.M3U and "Collects for Output"), and most hardware players order by filename. iTunes, however, works totally from ID3 tags.
This is my biggest peeve, but I can see this mentality in most of Apple's products. It's either "Do it the easy way" or "fight the system".
I can't really fault Apple for this. I'm just not their target market. I'm irrelevant to them. Macs are made and marketed more to work seamlessly and hide confusing options, at the expense of lost or hidden options. (Like Firefox vs Mozilla)
As for MP3 players, I have a CD-based player and an iRiver iFP (flash-based) for convenience. It doesn't have the ease-of-use of the iPod, but it was cheaper, had high-quality mic-level recording (the primary reason I bought it), the FM tuner, and more stupid little features that I wanted in a player.
Although it's migrating, there's no denying that digitally-based graphic design started and remained primarily Apple's territory. When there are still curmudgeonly old printers and clueless water-treading designers left over from the dawn of digital still hanging on, it's no suprise that Apple is still around.
As for this "REALLY pro stuff", I'd say it's going out of style. As general-purpose computers continue to accelerate, the need for dedicated hardware (apart from peripherals) is dwindling. Companies who may have bought an Avid, now set up a general-purpose machine with Final Cut Pro, or in more specific cases, a similar more specialized software. With the ubiquity and speed of genpurp computers, not only is dedicated hardware higher-priced, it's may also be less intuitive, as opposed to an app built on a known OS.
Apple has somewhat of an advantage, as its Darwin/UNIX core gives it more familiarity and port-ability, as well as easier wide compatibility for ports, from older proprietary UNIX-based systems than making the app for Windows. Of course, this is negligable, since most software of that type that is past the level of "dedicated" or "in-house" will be compiled for both popular OSs, since a business is more likely to buy from a competitor than to change platforms in order to use a certain piece of software.
I'm sorry, can I call you back? I've got 1994 on the other line, and it's just livid about wanting something-or-other back. I'll talk to you when I get this all sorted out.
I think you're contradicting the wrong part of the analogy. Spam that is spam is similar to pollution in the aspects that the GPP mentioned.
Of course, you're right. You can't really make a perfect legislative "spam filter" for the same sorts of reasons you can't make a perfect technical one. It's hard to define what is "spam", and what is opted-into, when you have things like vague partner-opt-in EULAs and legitimately signed-on mailing lists.
Slashdot Mirror
Somehow I just can't see it all that maliciously. Mediocrity tends to be borne from mediocrity more than from malice or oppressive intent.
I do agree that the effects you state may be a result of mediocre school education, but I think the cause is more that education systems are bein run too much from the top. Constituents want results, which are more often found from individual attention, but the pressure is applied via an impersonal top-down bureaucracy. The only way a bureaucracy can see results is to measure them. The only way to see results is with uniform methods and measures. Uniformity (in this situation) leads to mediocrity.
Although the H.S. system as it is leads to fads, uniformity, and fear of reaction, I doubt that it's designed with a significant ear to the people benifited by normal perpetuation.
Yeah, but here's trademark law for you, over here.
Omit the registering and the lawsuit, and I might be interested.
Would it be unconstitutional if Congress made a law to... you know... just smack this guy with a rolled-up newspaper or something?
The time is not to make fun of the patent system in general. It is the right time to call for reform in the United States.
Can't we do both?
And isn't Media Mail something around the level of "Last Class", gets-there-when-it-gets-there mail?
Yep. If you find Hell in Sweden, generally, it's illegal.
I've seen dynamite ad copy before, but this is ridiculous!
I've heard there's this thing called "parenting". Any ideas?
Damn unions.
Oh, don't get so sentimental. Things explode all the time.
Yeah, but when I hear the tornado sirens, I turn on the TV to see what it's about. Usually, it's just the first-someday-of-the-month test.
So don't plug the wire into the TV.
Or, should it just be left up to market forces without the FCC breathing down broadcasters' necks?
Radio, maybe, but newspapers? "Tornado hits your city... yesterday."
Although newspapers are better for an in-depth look at the news, realtime media does have a place in giving urgent and time-sensitive news.
Chill. It's a metaphor.
Won't someone think of the analogies!!!
Me, however, I can't stand iTunes. It's got the idea, like many Apple products, that there's an "Apple" way of doing things, and the software will fight you to the death if you want to do something a different way. Granted, the Apple way is usually the easiest, but sometimes I need to complexify things, for various reasons.
.M3U and "Collects for Output"), and most hardware players order by filename. iTunes, however, works totally from ID3 tags.
My biggest personal beef: I can't sort tracks by filename. I make MP3 (ISO9660) compilations by just prefixing the filenames with a number. It's easily done with a Perl script I have set up (reads an
This is my biggest peeve, but I can see this mentality in most of Apple's products. It's either "Do it the easy way" or "fight the system".
I can't really fault Apple for this. I'm just not their target market. I'm irrelevant to them. Macs are made and marketed more to work seamlessly and hide confusing options, at the expense of lost or hidden options. (Like Firefox vs Mozilla)
As for MP3 players, I have a CD-based player and an iRiver iFP (flash-based) for convenience. It doesn't have the ease-of-use of the iPod, but it was cheaper, had high-quality mic-level recording (the primary reason I bought it), the FM tuner, and more stupid little features that I wanted in a player.
Although it's migrating, there's no denying that digitally-based graphic design started and remained primarily Apple's territory. When there are still curmudgeonly old printers and clueless water-treading designers left over from the dawn of digital still hanging on, it's no suprise that Apple is still around.
As for this "REALLY pro stuff", I'd say it's going out of style. As general-purpose computers continue to accelerate, the need for dedicated hardware (apart from peripherals) is dwindling. Companies who may have bought an Avid, now set up a general-purpose machine with Final Cut Pro, or in more specific cases, a similar more specialized software. With the ubiquity and speed of genpurp computers, not only is dedicated hardware higher-priced, it's may also be less intuitive, as opposed to an app built on a known OS.
Apple has somewhat of an advantage, as its Darwin/UNIX core gives it more familiarity and port-ability, as well as easier wide compatibility for ports, from older proprietary UNIX-based systems than making the app for Windows. Of course, this is negligable, since most software of that type that is past the level of "dedicated" or "in-house" will be compiled for both popular OSs, since a business is more likely to buy from a competitor than to change platforms in order to use a certain piece of software.
Especially when the link wasn't in the summary and the poster was doing us all a service.
(In the US) the court would (should?) have to prove that the sellers WERE paying the spammers.
One home, one work, municipal wireless, coffeeshop wireless...
I'm sorry, can I call you back? I've got 1994 on the other line, and it's just livid about wanting something-or-other back. I'll talk to you when I get this all sorted out.
Exodus 20:4 "You shall not...
Right. You. Obviously, this does not apply to them or me.
Are you certain? Some people may have died for a flag. Not to say they weren't (IMO) misguided.
I think you're contradicting the wrong part of the analogy. Spam that is spam is similar to pollution in the aspects that the GPP mentioned.
Of course, you're right. You can't really make a perfect legislative "spam filter" for the same sorts of reasons you can't make a perfect technical one. It's hard to define what is "spam", and what is opted-into, when you have things like vague partner-opt-in EULAs and legitimately signed-on mailing lists.