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User: spafbi

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  1. Ugh... Let's not pay attention to any facts... on Motorola Receives Backlash For Revealing a 'Shameless' Copy of the iPhone X as Its New Model (bbc.co.uk) · · Score: 1

    I wish ignorant reporters would do a little fact checking and stop going on about Android phones blatantly copying the iPhone X notch. The Essential phone (an Android device) was released with a notch (albeit a smaller one) six months before the iPhone X, so it's not exactly an original "Apple" idea. As for the other aesthetics of the devices, there's not much variation you can do on a flat rectangular device that's mostly/all screen on one side and mostly flat on the other.

  2. 25/3 service is likely a decade away from me... on Millions In US Still Living Life In Internet Slow Lane (arstechnica.com) · · Score: 1

    I live 1.1 miles outside of the city limits of an Austin, Texas metro suburb. AT&T only provides 1.5Mb DSL (1.5Mb down, 384Kb up) here - too slow for my regular video conferencing/presentations (I often work out of my home office). The local cable company won't provide service at my address. I have to settle for line of site Internet access at 9Mb down, 1Mb up - it works okay for me, but it also costs a fairly steep $106/mo. I'd love to have "broadband" service at 25/3, but that's probably another 10 years away from me...if I'm lucky.

  3. DWI arrests spike after Uber/Lyft leave Austin on Uber Doesn't Decrease Drunk Driving, Finds New Study (washingtonpost.com) · · Score: 0

    We've seen an increase in drunk driving incidents since Uber and Lyft left Austin a couple of months ago. http://keyetv.com/news/local/d...

  4. It's a Tamagotchi cell phone! on Samsung Wants To Bring Back the Flip Phone With Bendable Screens · · Score: 1

    This is brilliant! All the kids will want one so they, too, may brag about how long they've been able to keep their pet^H^H^H cell phone healthy and alive.

  5. Consumers pay extra on AT&T Proposes Net Neutrality Compromise · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I did not RTA, but from the summary it sounds as if AT&T's proposal would allow AT&T to instead charge customers extra based on the applications they wish to use. No, thank you. AT&T, you already charge too much for broadband services which are far below the performance of broadband offered in much of the developed world. Charging consumers even more is an insult to the consumer, and an abuse of your government-granted utility monopolies (at least in may areas of the US).

  6. Re:Artificial ISP imposed limitations on Are DVDs Inconvenient On Purpose? · · Score: 1

    And, yes, I do understand the original poster's call for a "virtual DVD checkout" plan, and would welcome such a service as bandwidth, traffic prioritization , and data usage will allow.

  7. Artificial ISP imposed limitations on Are DVDs Inconvenient On Purpose? · · Score: 1

    As long as ISPs continue to implement bandwidth metering, and the use of network traffic shaping to decrease the speed at which streams from streaming media providers who have not paid additional tolls to said ISPs to have prioritized speeds for delivery of content to their customers, physical media such as DVDs and Blu-ray discs will be a virtual necessity to deliver new content to folks afflicted by ISPs which impose artificial limits on traffic priority, bandwidth, and data usage. On a personal level, While I do use streaming services with frequency, I do have to keep an eye on my data usage. To help keep data usage lower, I find the use of services such as Netflix and Redbox fulfill my requirements for new content in a relatively convenient manner. I will likely continue to use physical media as a primary alternative to 'easy' streaming solutions as long as ISPs continue to practice consumer unfriendly practices.

  8. Re:Church Committee? on Church Committee Members Say New Group Needed To Watch NSA · · Score: 1

    You, sir, are correct. My reply, while informative, was indeed lacking in oomph. Perhaps next time.

  9. Re:Church? on Church Committee Members Say New Group Needed To Watch NSA · · Score: 3, Informative

    Ahem... from wikipedia: "The Church Committee was the United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, a U.S. Senate committee chaired by Senator Frank Church (D-ID) in 1975." ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...

  10. Re:Church Committee? on Church Committee Members Say New Group Needed To Watch NSA · · Score: 1

    Ahem... from wikipedia: "The Church Committee was the United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, a U.S. Senate committee chaired by Senator Frank Church (D-ID) in 1975." ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...

  11. Re:If you want updates, buy Nexus on Microsoft To Abandon Windows Phone? · · Score: 1

    As I understand it... and I could be wrong... you are both sort of right... The updates for Nexus devices are pushed out by Google. Google keeps updating Nexus devices until they deem the devices as unable to adequately run the latest updates to Android. Google has already worked their magic and has available, right now, updates for most of the Nexus phones using GSM networks. However, due to the nature of CDMA networks, Google has to wait for the CDMA carriers to provide APKs containing the core telephony functionality and requisite platform keys for each respective carrier's CDMA networks. Once the said APKs are available, Google will work their magic on the device image and push out an update notification to your device. And if you are ever in doubt as to whether or not a new Android version is available for your Nexus device, you can always check here for the latest factory images for Nexus devices: https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images

  12. Battlefield 3 and Diablo 3 on Ask Slashdot: What Video Games Keep You From Using Linux? · · Score: 1

    Battlefield 3 and Diablo 3 would be on my short list. I already play Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO) on Linux. I will even sometimes run two instances of LotRO simultaneously, which I can also do on Windows, but Linux runs two LotRO clients much more smoothly on Linux than it does on Windows.

  13. Love it... and you can do it on the cheap! on Ask Slashdot: What's Your Take On Stand-Up Desks? · · Score: 1

    I "converted" my desk to a standing desk by using old flat surfaced printer stands to effectively raise my desk surface. I placed my monitor on one stand towards the back of my desk; keyboard and mouse on another towards the front. I've used this configuration for over a year and a half and now have an extreme distaste for having to do my work sitting down (when not at my desk, that is). One of the nicer benefits, too, is that I can keep items which would have previously been on my desk surface within easy reach by placing said items below the keyboard/mouse stand...such as my coffee+warmer! More effective horizontal surface to use! Woot!

  14. Re:use a live usb stick on Ask Slashdot: Using Company Laptop For Personal Use · · Score: 2

    If the laptop has eSATA (many do), I'd take it a step further and boot off an external hard drive or SSD. That way, after selecting your external drive as the temporary boot device, you'd be able to use whatever OS you choose without having to sacrifice performance. I strongly encourage you to not modify the operating system and software of your company's laptop. It's not worth the potential headaches of termination and/or diminished professional reputation.

  15. You won't get me to use Bing any time soon ... on Google vs. Bing — a Quasi-Empirical Study · · Score: 3, Informative

    One avenue companies utilize in trying to get you to use their products and services is through TV advertisements. While I have seldom been swayed to use products or services because of a TV ad, I often go out of my way to NOT use products or services from advertisers with either annoying ads or ads which go out of their way to insult the viewers' intelligence. Given Bing's current 'search overload' annoyvertisement (yeah, I'm coining a new word here), and regardless of Bing's competence in producing useful search results, I'll use the more-than-adequate Google search results which are easily customized using a few easy to remember search operators (http://www.google.com/help/cheatsheet.html).

  16. Re:Hoorah! on House Passes Massive Medical Insurance Bill, 219-212 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...provided by insanely profitable corporations.

    Insanely profitable corporations? The average profit margin of hospitals is around 3.4%. Health care plans ring in at a whopping 4.4%. (source: Yahoo! finance - http://biz.yahoo.com/p/sum_qpmd.html). Sure, the healthcare companies have the economies of scale on their side, but with margins that low I would rather place my investment dollars into higher margin businesses.

  17. Re:here we have a nugget of scientific observation on Black Soot May Be Aiding Melting In the Himalayas · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Wow... here, have some Prozac. I've often wondered why folks on Slashdot... Nevermind. I was just about to start ranting about how folks here on Slashdot rant as if they're actually going to change someone else's opinion.

  18. If implemented in military hospitals... on Lockheed Snags $31 Million To Reinvent the Internet, Microsoft To Help · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... and used to interconnect medical devices, it'd give a whole new meaning to "blue screen of death"

  19. It's easier to walk inside the campus buildings... on How Microsoft Has Changed Without Bill Gates · · Score: 1

    ...as his ego is no longer blocking the halls.

  20. Oooh... How I have got the fish tank for him! on 15-Year-Old Invents Algae-Powered Energy System · · Score: 2, Funny

    Since his system uses algae, I bet my fish tank could feed and power a small country.

  21. What? No Mr. Fusion? on Steorn's "Free Energy" Jury Comes Back To Bite Them · · Score: 5, Funny

    And I bought a DeLorean in preparation just for this... Thanks a lot, Steorn. Bah!

  22. Grand Theft Auto: Edinburgh on UK Tax Breaks For "Culturally British" Games · · Score: 2, Funny

    Okay... maybe not.

  23. "Want to see something really scary?" on Could a Meteor Have Brought Down Air France 447? · · Score: 1

    I think it's scientifically more plausible that a malicious flying gremlin is responsible for the disappearance of the plane. If it's a good enough explanation for WWII airmen, it's good enough for me.

  24. I've got to be more careful when reading... on Sony Unveils PS3 Motion Controller · · Score: 3, Funny
    I read part of the summary as:

    "A senior sits on top of the TV and detects the position, distance and movement of two controllers held in a user's hand..."

    My first thought was to picture an elderly person sitting on top of my TV.

  25. Re:Boxes? on Black & White Goes Gold · · Score: 1
    There is only one box. The game comes in a DVD box with a reversible sleeve. For images of the sleeve, click these links: You will notice that both images show the following statement: "This package contains exactly the same game as the black/white pakaging. Reversible sleeve."