How about a GPS unit that recieves, and a radio transmitter that gives out it's location. No need to involve anything with the computer components itself.
A small group of friends and I were bored last weekend. We briefly considered crossing the border and conquering Canada (we live in WNY), but then we remembered about the strip clubs and canadian beer.
But heed my words, the minute they stop giving out blow jobs in the back room for $20C ($2.50 USD) you guys are fucking toast.
Interesting theory, but I think it needs a bit of refinment. How does the massive bias against MS fit in? The linux propoganda (and the related double standard)? The stupid, predictable one-liners at the end of every story? The lack of anything resembling journalistic integrity? Michael's stupidity? These factors don't exactly add to the mystique you're describing.
Umm yeah. But if the computer actually worked, that would sort of take the humor/irony of trying to stop someone from stealing your computer by filling it with concrete. You would actaully be trying to find a legitmate anti-theift device then, in which case there are probably several hundred ways you can do it that would be much better than filling your case with some heavy nonconductive material.
Well, it wouldn't be that expensive if the DeBeers diamond cartel didn't keep diamond prices so inflated. Most people aren't aware of just how common diamonds really are..
Why is everyone so upset with the Microsoft monopoly, but turns a blind eye to the evil DeBeers empire of South Africa? What is wrong with you people??
Counting cards (a term usually associated with blackjack, not poker) isn't illegal - at least at every casino I've been to. It's legal for the player to use any information given to him (which includes the cards that have been shown to him) in any way he sees fit - players just aren't allowed to use outside help in interpretting this information (such as computers, calculators, etc) or obtain any information they shouldn't have through the course of fair play (ie look at the dealers down card).
The flip side is, of course, that a casino can bar you from playing a specific game or (less often) from the casino as a whole for any reason they see fit or for no reason at all. However, they certainly can't have you arrested for keeping a high/low count in blackjack and definately can't take any winnings away that you may have already won.
Microsoft hasn't had an original program since BASIC? Huh? They have made dozens of programs that are spectacular. You're aware that Microsoft is a large company, and does a lot more than operating systems, right?
Microsoft Excel is spectacular, and there are tons of original ideas packed into that. In fact, Microsoft Office in general hasn't become the defacto standard for 90% of companies out there because it was made by Microsoft, it got that way because it's damn good and better than anything Corel or other competing companies could come up with. Microsoft's flight simulators were the best around at one point. I was fond of DOS 6.22. Encarta was a well designed program as well.
Not to mention Oni and Halo, which are technically microsoft products.:)
Goldeneye for N64. In fact, now that I think about it.. Nintendo has done pretty well with movie based titles. Rouge Squadron was a good Star Wars title.
And ET was fucking cool. I still remember cute little ET sticking his head up to eat a pixel (reese) and getting caged in a 16 block by 16 block cell until that guy came and rescued me. And the part in the forest type thing where you got back on your space ship?? It was probably one of my most favorite games, second only to maybe Midnight Maddness.
Take one guess.... I used to be a technical support supervisor for one of these huge corporations that Katz is talking about. The boss of the same guys and girls that everyone is complaining about, or posting on here about how much their job sucks.
I'm naturally of the opinion that I was worth my weight, and probably 2 or 3 of the other 8 supervisors I worked with I considered worth their weight as well.
We're not talking about the same thing. I'm talking about guy A working for MegaHuge Corp B making $8 an hour. Someone working at Dell or Compaq or Gateway.
You, on the other hand, sound like someone who works for tiny software company C with less than 100 employees, and you can down the hall and talk to the guy who made the product. That's a totally different enviroment, you might actually feel like an individual there.
It depends on the person. Any tech support supervisor worth his/her weight should make it their job to either promote or "separate" every single agent on their team.
Haha.. that's ironic you should go on that little rant. Every single person I've ever known that has worked in tech support has suggested at one point or another (either in jest or totally serious) that people should be licensed to use computers.
In all fairness though, Katz is right. You just have to keep in mind it goes both ways: Tech support agents may be rude, apathetic, and overall uncaring, but they got that way by talking to retarded customers day in and day out for month after month. A new tech support agent on the phone who hasn't been "broken in" yet isn't like that. He/she might be an idiot, but at least they're customer service friendly...
Now that I think about it, in addition to taking into account the low pay, terrible working conditions, and unbareable monotomy - I think the equation you need to keep in mind with tech support is that Competance is inversely proportaional to Customer service. The reason behind this is because as the agent gets more experienced and knows more and more about the product, he or she starts to hate the "stupid customers" more and more. When they start on the phone it's the opposite, new agents are sort of scared and intimidated by the customers.
Ah well. And to what someone said earlier about promoting the talent out of tech support, that's the way it worked at the place I was at too. Instead, it wasn't into design jobs.. it was into management or IT. It's all about getting off of the phones.
Yes, and quite frankly this story and the resulting spin on it is quite ridiculous. Most people here (with the exception of Slashdot editors) seem to realize that. It's things like this that makes me wish I could moderate up and down main stories instead of just the comments on them. Someone should make a site like that.....
I propose that for next April 1st, Slashdot pretend to show some journalistic integrity and overall neutrality in the stories they post. Every story lately seems to turn into an editorial with the addition of that one liner. It's especially bad with stories involving Microsoft. It just gets old after a while.
I know this is a linux site and is going to have a "prolinux" spin, but that should be expressed in the stories they choose to post, and not in editorial comments in each and every single story - especially when the editorial comments misinterpret or are just plain ignorant. It's irresponsible.
I'm not sure it was a price issue. I think Apple just didn't want them selling their OS for the Mac platform. Or maybe Intel was just in Microsofts pocket (or vice-versa). *shrug*
Iomega purposely made Zip drives so they couldn't read floppy drives. They wanted to make sure people purchased zip media, that's where they make all their money. The zip drives have a next to nothing margin.
Speaking of data recovery, I've always been curious about it. Does anyone know any professional data recovery techniques, or any resources that I can find out more about them?
Umm.. they kind of already do this, except instead of posting their comments, they say them outloud - and instead of slashdot, they talk in some big building in Washington DC.
Slashdot Mirror
How about a GPS unit that recieves, and a radio transmitter that gives out it's location. No need to involve anything with the computer components itself.
A small group of friends and I were bored last weekend. We briefly considered crossing the border and conquering Canada (we live in WNY), but then we remembered about the strip clubs and canadian beer.
But heed my words, the minute they stop giving out blow jobs in the back room for $20C ($2.50 USD) you guys are fucking toast.
Not a plural noun? Huh!? You mean you only have one penis?
Interesting theory, but I think it needs a bit of refinment. How does the massive bias against MS fit in? The linux propoganda (and the related double standard)? The stupid, predictable one-liners at the end of every story? The lack of anything resembling journalistic integrity? Michael's stupidity? These factors don't exactly add to the mystique you're describing.
Someone should write a script to automatically post this message in reply to every /. news story.
Umm yeah. But if the computer actually worked, that would sort of take the humor/irony of trying to stop someone from stealing your computer by filling it with concrete. You would actaully be trying to find a legitmate anti-theift device then, in which case there are probably several hundred ways you can do it that would be much better than filling your case with some heavy nonconductive material.
Well, it wouldn't be that expensive if the DeBeers diamond cartel didn't keep diamond prices so inflated. Most people aren't aware of just how common diamonds really are..
Why is everyone so upset with the Microsoft monopoly, but turns a blind eye to the evil DeBeers empire of South Africa? What is wrong with you people??
American Pyscho.
Counting cards (a term usually associated with blackjack, not poker) isn't illegal - at least at every casino I've been to. It's legal for the player to use any information given to him (which includes the cards that have been shown to him) in any way he sees fit - players just aren't allowed to use outside help in interpretting this information (such as computers, calculators, etc) or obtain any information they shouldn't have through the course of fair play (ie look at the dealers down card).
The flip side is, of course, that a casino can bar you from playing a specific game or (less often) from the casino as a whole for any reason they see fit or for no reason at all. However, they certainly can't have you arrested for keeping a high/low count in blackjack and definately can't take any winnings away that you may have already won.
Microsoft hasn't had an original program since BASIC? Huh? They have made dozens of programs that are spectacular. You're aware that Microsoft is a large company, and does a lot more than operating systems, right?
:)
Microsoft Excel is spectacular, and there are tons of original ideas packed into that. In fact, Microsoft Office in general hasn't become the defacto standard for 90% of companies out there because it was made by Microsoft, it got that way because it's damn good and better than anything Corel or other competing companies could come up with. Microsoft's flight simulators were the best around at one point. I was fond of DOS 6.22. Encarta was a well designed program as well.
Not to mention Oni and Halo, which are technically microsoft products.
The Mule, from the Foundation books?
Yeah really.
I'm obviously buying them from the wrong place. At a local OfficeMax they're around $20 for 50 = $.40 per disk. Those are for the good 16xs, though.
Goldeneye for N64. In fact, now that I think about it.. Nintendo has done pretty well with movie based titles. Rouge Squadron was a good Star Wars title.
And ET was fucking cool. I still remember cute little ET sticking his head up to eat a pixel (reese) and getting caged in a 16 block by 16 block cell until that guy came and rescued me. And the part in the forest type thing where you got back on your space ship?? It was probably one of my most favorite games, second only to maybe Midnight Maddness.
Take one guess.... I used to be a technical support supervisor for one of these huge corporations that Katz is talking about. The boss of the same guys and girls that everyone is complaining about, or posting on here about how much their job sucks.
I'm naturally of the opinion that I was worth my weight, and probably 2 or 3 of the other 8 supervisors I worked with I considered worth their weight as well.
We're not talking about the same thing. I'm talking about guy A working for MegaHuge Corp B making $8 an hour. Someone working at Dell or Compaq or Gateway.
You, on the other hand, sound like someone who works for tiny software company C with less than 100 employees, and you can down the hall and talk to the guy who made the product. That's a totally different enviroment, you might actually feel like an individual there.
Whoa whoa... What does fish have to do with dictionaries? You're confusing me, cut it out.
It depends on the person. Any tech support supervisor worth his/her weight should make it their job to either promote or "separate" every single agent on their team.
Then you get a new team, rinse wash and repeat.
Haha.. that's ironic you should go on that little rant. Every single person I've ever known that has worked in tech support has suggested at one point or another (either in jest or totally serious) that people should be licensed to use computers.
In all fairness though, Katz is right. You just have to keep in mind it goes both ways: Tech support agents may be rude, apathetic, and overall uncaring, but they got that way by talking to retarded customers day in and day out for month after month. A new tech support agent on the phone who hasn't been "broken in" yet isn't like that. He/she might be an idiot, but at least they're customer service friendly...
Now that I think about it, in addition to taking into account the low pay, terrible working conditions, and unbareable monotomy - I think the equation you need to keep in mind with tech support is that Competance is inversely proportaional to Customer service. The reason behind this is because as the agent gets more experienced and knows more and more about the product, he or she starts to hate the "stupid customers" more and more. When they start on the phone it's the opposite, new agents are sort of scared and intimidated by the customers.
Ah well. And to what someone said earlier about promoting the talent out of tech support, that's the way it worked at the place I was at too. Instead, it wasn't into design jobs.. it was into management or IT. It's all about getting off of the phones.
Perhaps, but not ignorant editoral comments on every single Microsoft post. Don't you see anything wrong with that?
Yes, and quite frankly this story and the resulting spin on it is quite ridiculous. Most people here (with the exception of Slashdot editors) seem to realize that. It's things like this that makes me wish I could moderate up and down main stories instead of just the comments on them. Someone should make a site like that.....
I propose that for next April 1st, Slashdot pretend to show some journalistic integrity and overall neutrality in the stories they post. Every story lately seems to turn into an editorial with the addition of that one liner. It's especially bad with stories involving Microsoft. It just gets old after a while.
I know this is a linux site and is going to have a "prolinux" spin, but that should be expressed in the stories they choose to post, and not in editorial comments in each and every single story - especially when the editorial comments misinterpret or are just plain ignorant. It's irresponsible.
I'm not sure it was a price issue. I think Apple just didn't want them selling their OS for the Mac platform. Or maybe Intel was just in Microsofts pocket (or vice-versa). *shrug*
Iomega purposely made Zip drives so they couldn't read floppy drives. They wanted to make sure people purchased zip media, that's where they make all their money. The zip drives have a next to nothing margin.
Speaking of data recovery, I've always been curious about it. Does anyone know any professional data recovery techniques, or any resources that I can find out more about them?
Screw Sid Meier, get Carmack!
Umm.. they kind of already do this, except instead of posting their comments, they say them outloud - and instead of slashdot, they talk in some big building in Washington DC.