The evidence of what happened is clear: 2007 was the best year in almost a decade for decent movie releases. And, I'm not talking about just the big crappy blockbusters, but actual good movies like There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men. The increase in box office intake correlates to what we've (intelligent people) been saying all along - put out good content and people will consume it.
People are sick of crappy popular music and the only stuff that sells in huge quantities is kiddie stuff because they are easy audiences and don't realize that Hannah Montana can't hit a note without autotune. That is the main reason why the music industry is hurting - the talent is abandoning them and their old ways. Pretty soon though, you will find that as video equipment comes down in price and editing software is cheaply available, independent movies will come out and have global distribution the same way any musician can over the internet. The talent will slowly migrate to the new business model while the old studios will cry foul on their own customers. The best thing the movie studios can do to slow down the inevitable is to put out more good movies and stop trying to cheapen your brand by remaking everything just for a quick buck.
It seems pretty much correct for me. If the part costs $75.00, the shipping is about $20.00 each way, the packaging another $5 plus it also had to be shipped one way to the customer, so tack on another $5. Add in labor costs (including phone and service technician time) and $250.00 is very reasonable, if not rather cheap.
Why are you calling Dell yourself? What are you going to accomplish? Your insurance company should be handling this, and it they are not then you should hire a lawyer to deal with this if you are looking for any kind of compensation.
How is it irrelevant that I can go out right now to just about any retailer that sells PS3s in my area and buy one now, but can't do the same for the Wii? You want statistics? Go look them up for yourself, but the fact is that far less PS3's have been manufactured and shipped than Wiis and they are still sitting on shelves. The PS3 has an uphill battle to win this generation's console war, and I don't think it will do it.
I played around with one at a Target the other day and my impressions of the device itself were that it is fantastic. Unfortunately from reading reviews it falls flat on its face when it comes to the software integration. Doing the job half-assed is as good as not donig the job at all.
So, even if you are using a 3rd party battery or have one of the replaced ones, you know they won't let you use it anyway. That's one less airline I will be using. Stupid. Just stupid.
Why not ban all muslims from airplanes, since a few muslims hijacked some airplanes? IT'S THE SAME THOUGHT PROCESS. You think the muslims are pissed about the pope right now? Wait 'till you piss off some Apple fanatics - then you will be in a living hell.
You can buy the DVD's on the internet for cheaper prices, and there is no technical curve to playing a DVD. Unless the software creates a burnable DVD that can play on any DVD player with one click, this will fail hard and fast. The only reason iTunes works is because the iPod exists. Its easy to get your music on to the portable player, plus you can burn it to a CD that can be played in any other CD player. The only appeal this Unbox has is the instant gratification of getting a movie on a whim. Unfortunately, most people dont want to watch movies on their computer - they want it on their TV. Most people do not have a media PC hooked up to their TV. So Amazon provides no proper delivery system to get this to the TV set and not one popular leading portable device to drive the portable market either. Is their even a cheap rental option that can beat out NetFlix? Wow, suits can't think.
If Amazon wants to make this actually work, they will sell you the crappy as hell drm'ed digital video AND send you the actual DVD in the mail for the price of the regular DVD. That way you can get the instant gratification and not get ripped off.
""Everyone we've spoken to definitely wants an alternative to iTunes and the iPod. MySpace could be that alternative."
This statement sounds really uninformed in its context in the article. There are a lot of alternatives, but most people don't want them. Anybody who has any tech savvy needs to take their head out of their ass when they come up with ideas like this. The reason why people put up with Apple's DRM'ed technology is because its easy to use. Non-tech people can and do use it, and those same people avoid the other options because they are confusing. Now, I understand that selling a DRM-less MP3 will work with the iPod, which is very important to compete, but how will it be delivered to the user? Will it automatically show up in a playlist in a program such as iTunes so that a non-tech person doesn't have to search for the downloaded file and put it where it belongs so he/she can immediately play it after its done? There are a lot of little details that Apple paid attention to that contribute to its success with this industry. Until someone can come up with a total solution that plays as nicely as iTunes and works with the iPod, they will all be dead in the water.
As technical people, this news sounds great, but we are a relatively small population compared to the rest of the world. In order for an idea like this to work on the level of iTunes/iPod, the less-than-savvy need to be addressed.
I always thought that porn is what drove the latest & greatest in internet technology, unfortunatley in recent years that technology has been classified as spy/mal-ware. I wonder if there are any web 2.0 porn sites out there? Then again, wouldn't one of those "hot or not" sites be considered web 2.0? I guess porn is the true pioneer of the internet!
Its not all - it depends on the user. I have a 12" powerbook and I've used it daily (I nearly run my whole business off of it during the day) for 3 years and there is no discoloration at all. I also periodically clean it to avoid those nasty problems. Go into any office and you'll always see a few people whose keyboards look like they've been through hell and back, while others who have the same exact keyboard and it look almost new. Its all about personal hygiene folks - some people are sweaty and/or slobs!
You also hear about these kind of complaints from Apple users because a lot of them (us) are finicky and obsessive to say the least. The majority of Dell owners could care less because their laptops are a means to an end, while Apple users had to seek out their "precious" machine and made a conscious decision to go with Apple's products as opposed to following the majority of computer users out there. Many Apple users are to their hardware as many Linux users are to their software - they are a tad extremest in their opinions and like to be heard.
While you are correct in my being wrong, your point is clouded by the fact that you posted as AC. Why are people on this site so disingenuous and feel that when they have something they perceive to be even slightly negative to say they can't use their actual ID's to say it? I have no problem admitting to a mistake and no problem correcting someone when I think they are wrong, but either way I have the decency to be logged in when I say it.
Maybe you don't get it my friend - The capital B stands for Bytes, and the lowercase b in you 10Mbps stands for bits. Therefore 1 megabyte = 8,388,608 bits, where 1 megabit = 1,048,576 bits, so your connection gets 10,485,760 bits per second, while his gets 125,829,120 bits per second. Still not impressed??
I've been waiting a long time for Slashdot to upgrade the look, and I welcome the new font (I always disable serif fonts in my browser anyway). The coolest part is the Apple section - go check it out, its very nice!
And to the current mods who are modding down all the comments on the change, maybe you should all chill out and realize that this is a big topic for the loyal Slashdotters and a bit more interesting that the story these comments fall under.
So naturally, she's lost a little bit of context and remarked that she'd like to rewind the radio to catch what she missed. Of course, you can't do this now with a car stereo, nor will you ever if the RIAA has their way.
Your wife needs a good satellite radio tuner - Both XM & Sirius have units that will allow you to rewind, pause & record (XM lets you record Tivo-ish style on their portable units - I don't think Sirius has anything that does live radio & records for more than a few minutes). Plus they both have a good selection of talk radio programs.
Does anybody else think this is very Japanese? LIke they are going with a very Hello-Kitty cutesy little name - and its weird like those little robot toys you get in a Japanese toy store. This sounds like a name straight out of a Katamari game.
Why do you think that USA is so hated by the general population in the Middle-East?
Personally, I think it may have more to do with generations of religious zealotry breeding a general hatred of western culture, and cartel-like governments using that to control the population and secure their own power. Then again, we do pretty much the same thing in USA.
Cell phones are too confusing for most people who use them beyond making a phone call. I can't for-see any cell manufacturers writing a well established program that would handle their music and make the transfer of songs to the device easy and transparent, let alone provide content that is affordable (these are the same people who sell ring tones for up to $3.00 USD for a piece of a song at really bad quality). What are they gonna use? Windows Media Player? Have you ever set up an MP3 player that uses WMP? I have seen average users get rid of non-iPod MP3 players because they couldn't figure out how to get music on it.
What about sound quality? Apple's first step in designing the iPod was to make sure that it was an excellent sounding piece of audio equipment. I don't think a cell manufacturer is going to share the same passion as Apple to make a great audio experience. The iPod has always been an audio device first and foremost and its great at what it does. The recent video capable iPods display video as a secondary feature and the focus is indeed on playing music, not watching it. Maybe they will create a device that is the reverse of that one day, but that's another discussion altogether.
The last thing is customer service. Do you call Motorola when you have questions about you phone? Not me, I have to call my carrier. My carrier also sets the bar for me for the worst customer service experience possible. Do you think a convergence device is going to make the carriers beef up their customer service departments? Neither do I.
Exactly my point. If I'm looking at a nude piece of art and some tooth-fairy worshipping zealot thinks its gross, I shouldn't be stopped. They have a choice not to look over your shoulder.
And if you are worried about the children, guess what? They got here through SEX!! Yes, a penis actually entered a vagina and sperm was injected! There might have even been some oral sex to get the whole thing started!!
How about not worrying about the kids being parented by the government and start parenting them yourself.
Slashdot Mirror
The evidence of what happened is clear: 2007 was the best year in almost a decade for decent movie releases. And, I'm not talking about just the big crappy blockbusters, but actual good movies like There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men. The increase in box office intake correlates to what we've (intelligent people) been saying all along - put out good content and people will consume it.
People are sick of crappy popular music and the only stuff that sells in huge quantities is kiddie stuff because they are easy audiences and don't realize that Hannah Montana can't hit a note without autotune. That is the main reason why the music industry is hurting - the talent is abandoning them and their old ways. Pretty soon though, you will find that as video equipment comes down in price and editing software is cheaply available, independent movies will come out and have global distribution the same way any musician can over the internet. The talent will slowly migrate to the new business model while the old studios will cry foul on their own customers. The best thing the movie studios can do to slow down the inevitable is to put out more good movies and stop trying to cheapen your brand by remaking everything just for a quick buck.
It seems pretty much correct for me. If the part costs $75.00, the shipping is about $20.00 each way, the packaging another $5 plus it also had to be shipped one way to the customer, so tack on another $5. Add in labor costs (including phone and service technician time) and $250.00 is very reasonable, if not rather cheap.
Why are you calling Dell yourself? What are you going to accomplish? Your insurance company should be handling this, and it they are not then you should hire a lawyer to deal with this if you are looking for any kind of compensation.
Totally.
How is it irrelevant that I can go out right now to just about any retailer that sells PS3s in my area and buy one now, but can't do the same for the Wii? You want statistics? Go look them up for yourself, but the fact is that far less PS3's have been manufactured and shipped than Wiis and they are still sitting on shelves. The PS3 has an uphill battle to win this generation's console war, and I don't think it will do it.
I played around with one at a Target the other day and my impressions of the device itself were that it is fantastic. Unfortunately from reading reviews it falls flat on its face when it comes to the software integration. Doing the job half-assed is as good as not donig the job at all.
I'm searching, for posts, with complete, overuse, and, misuse, of the comma.
So, even if you are using a 3rd party battery or have one of the replaced ones, you know they won't let you use it anyway. That's one less airline I will be using. Stupid. Just stupid.
Why not ban all muslims from airplanes, since a few muslims hijacked some airplanes? IT'S THE SAME THOUGHT PROCESS. You think the muslims are pissed about the pope right now? Wait 'till you piss off some Apple fanatics - then you will be in a living hell.
You can buy the DVD's on the internet for cheaper prices, and there is no technical curve to playing a DVD. Unless the software creates a burnable DVD that can play on any DVD player with one click, this will fail hard and fast. The only reason iTunes works is because the iPod exists. Its easy to get your music on to the portable player, plus you can burn it to a CD that can be played in any other CD player. The only appeal this Unbox has is the instant gratification of getting a movie on a whim. Unfortunately, most people dont want to watch movies on their computer - they want it on their TV. Most people do not have a media PC hooked up to their TV. So Amazon provides no proper delivery system to get this to the TV set and not one popular leading portable device to drive the portable market either. Is their even a cheap rental option that can beat out NetFlix? Wow, suits can't think.
If Amazon wants to make this actually work, they will sell you the crappy as hell drm'ed digital video AND send you the actual DVD in the mail for the price of the regular DVD. That way you can get the instant gratification and not get ripped off.
""Everyone we've spoken to definitely wants an alternative to iTunes and the iPod. MySpace could be that alternative."
This statement sounds really uninformed in its context in the article. There are a lot of alternatives, but most people don't want them. Anybody who has any tech savvy needs to take their head out of their ass when they come up with ideas like this. The reason why people put up with Apple's DRM'ed technology is because its easy to use. Non-tech people can and do use it, and those same people avoid the other options because they are confusing. Now, I understand that selling a DRM-less MP3 will work with the iPod, which is very important to compete, but how will it be delivered to the user? Will it automatically show up in a playlist in a program such as iTunes so that a non-tech person doesn't have to search for the downloaded file and put it where it belongs so he/she can immediately play it after its done? There are a lot of little details that Apple paid attention to that contribute to its success with this industry. Until someone can come up with a total solution that plays as nicely as iTunes and works with the iPod, they will all be dead in the water.
As technical people, this news sounds great, but we are a relatively small population compared to the rest of the world. In order for an idea like this to work on the level of iTunes/iPod, the less-than-savvy need to be addressed.
I always thought that porn is what drove the latest & greatest in internet technology, unfortunatley in recent years that technology has been classified as spy/mal-ware. I wonder if there are any web 2.0 porn sites out there? Then again, wouldn't one of those "hot or not" sites be considered web 2.0? I guess porn is the true pioneer of the internet!
Looks like I'll have to switch my buddy Mike Hunt as well.
Isn't the correct term for this Geek Bone?
Its not all - it depends on the user. I have a 12" powerbook and I've used it daily (I nearly run my whole business off of it during the day) for 3 years and there is no discoloration at all. I also periodically clean it to avoid those nasty problems. Go into any office and you'll always see a few people whose keyboards look like they've been through hell and back, while others who have the same exact keyboard and it look almost new. Its all about personal hygiene folks - some people are sweaty and/or slobs!
You also hear about these kind of complaints from Apple users because a lot of them (us) are finicky and obsessive to say the least. The majority of Dell owners could care less because their laptops are a means to an end, while Apple users had to seek out their "precious" machine and made a conscious decision to go with Apple's products as opposed to following the majority of computer users out there. Many Apple users are to their hardware as many Linux users are to their software - they are a tad extremest in their opinions and like to be heard.
While you are correct in my being wrong, your point is clouded by the fact that you posted as AC. Why are people on this site so disingenuous and feel that when they have something they perceive to be even slightly negative to say they can't use their actual ID's to say it? I have no problem admitting to a mistake and no problem correcting someone when I think they are wrong, but either way I have the decency to be logged in when I say it.
Maybe you don't get it my friend - The capital B stands for Bytes, and the lowercase b in you 10Mbps stands for bits. Therefore 1 megabyte = 8,388,608 bits, where 1 megabit = 1,048,576 bits, so your connection gets 10,485,760 bits per second, while his gets 125,829,120 bits per second. Still not impressed??
I've been waiting a long time for Slashdot to upgrade the look, and I welcome the new font (I always disable serif fonts in my browser anyway). The coolest part is the Apple section - go check it out, its very nice!
And to the current mods who are modding down all the comments on the change, maybe you should all chill out and realize that this is a big topic for the loyal Slashdotters and a bit more interesting that the story these comments fall under.
So naturally, she's lost a little bit of context and remarked that she'd like to rewind the radio to catch what she missed. Of course, you can't do this now with a car stereo, nor will you ever if the RIAA has their way.
Your wife needs a good satellite radio tuner - Both XM & Sirius have units that will allow you to rewind, pause & record (XM lets you record Tivo-ish style on their portable units - I don't think Sirius has anything that does live radio & records for more than a few minutes). Plus they both have a good selection of talk radio programs.
Does anybody else think this is very Japanese? LIke they are going with a very Hello-Kitty cutesy little name - and its weird like those little robot toys you get in a Japanese toy store. This sounds like a name straight out of a Katamari game.
Why do you think that USA is so hated by the general population in the Middle-East?
Personally, I think it may have more to do with generations of religious zealotry breeding a general hatred of western culture, and cartel-like governments using that to control the population and secure their own power. Then again, we do pretty much the same thing in USA.
Cell phones are too confusing for most people who use them beyond making a phone call. I can't for-see any cell manufacturers writing a well established program that would handle their music and make the transfer of songs to the device easy and transparent, let alone provide content that is affordable (these are the same people who sell ring tones for up to $3.00 USD for a piece of a song at really bad quality). What are they gonna use? Windows Media Player? Have you ever set up an MP3 player that uses WMP? I have seen average users get rid of non-iPod MP3 players because they couldn't figure out how to get music on it.
What about sound quality? Apple's first step in designing the iPod was to make sure that it was an excellent sounding piece of audio equipment. I don't think a cell manufacturer is going to share the same passion as Apple to make a great audio experience. The iPod has always been an audio device first and foremost and its great at what it does. The recent video capable iPods display video as a secondary feature and the focus is indeed on playing music, not watching it. Maybe they will create a device that is the reverse of that one day, but that's another discussion altogether.
The last thing is customer service. Do you call Motorola when you have questions about you phone? Not me, I have to call my carrier. My carrier also sets the bar for me for the worst customer service experience possible. Do you think a convergence device is going to make the carriers beef up their customer service departments? Neither do I.
-Will they allow you to drink beer and eat wings? Probably not
-Will they let you pause the DVR so you can take a phone call or take a piss? Definitely not
-Will you be allowed to scream obscenities at the top of your lungs when you team screws up? Most likely not
Sports viewing in public belongs in Bars. A movie theater seems like a lousy place to watch a game.
I believe those are called 4d.
Only retarded Apple fanboys pronounce it as 'ten'.
I need to edit that statement for truth:
Only informed people pronounce it as "ten".
There, now we all feel better, don't we?
Define "porn".
Exactly my point. If I'm looking at a nude piece of art and some tooth-fairy worshipping zealot thinks its gross, I shouldn't be stopped. They have a choice not to look over your shoulder.
And if you are worried about the children, guess what? They got here through SEX!! Yes, a penis actually entered a vagina and sperm was injected! There might have even been some oral sex to get the whole thing started!!
How about not worrying about the kids being parented by the government and start parenting them yourself.