Have you looked at Canada's criteria for admitting skilled professionals? It's remarkably egalitarian and open - much better than the US. You basically fill out a checklist based on things like degrees held, languages spoken... the higher you score, the easier/faster it is to get in. Canada has a form of 'open' visa, where if you qualify (say, if you have a degree and know a bit of French) you can enter Canada to look for work without actually having a job offer.
Compare that to the US and the H1-B system, where if you're outside the US you must have an offer letter and apply for the visa from outside the country (3-6 month wait for the visa to be granted, if you're lucky) and your degree has to be directly related to the job you've got the offer for.
So yeah, the basic criteria to be able to go to Canada and look for a job 'on spec' are; hold an Advanced Degree, speak either English or French fluently, and have a passing familiarity with the other.
Yeah, the Computer Misuse Act was the first thing I thought of when I heard First4Internet was a UK company. if the CPS looked at this, they'd be foolish to not recommend prosecution.
So what needs to happen is someone who's been infected with this shit (perhaps a UK ex-pat?) needs to report this to the Flying Squad's IT folks.
Do you realize that both Intel and Microsoft *pay Dell* cash-money to front their stuff?
It's called Marketing Incentives. That little Intel jingle? Or the Intel symbol? Put it in an advert, get $$$ from Intel (... so long as you only sell Intel). Put a 'Designed for Windows XP' sticker on a case, get $$$ from Microsoft (... so long as you only sell Microsoft). Sell AMD or non-MS operating systems, and Dell loses millions of dollars in incentives. So the marginal cost of selling other stuff is very high.
When AMD and Linux(tm) can match the marketing incentives of Intel and Microsoft, Dell will change. And not a moment before.
Dell needs to realize that they could sell you a cheap AMD system with Linux installed.
Dell does realize this. They have accountants who have run the numbers far more carefully than you or I. And their conclusion is that the marginal cost to Dell is around $200 more per machine. Which is why those non-MS systems are more expensive than their MS counterparts.
Garriott continues, "In Korea, if you go to a customer and say 'I want to sell you a product, and then charge a monthly fee,' they say, 'You're crazy. Why would I buy a product?' In the US it's actually the opposite. If you go to a customer and say 'Here is a free product, I'd like you to try it and then pay me a monthly fee.' Most Americans say, 'The value of this product is exactly what I pay for it.' So when you give it to them free, they think it's worthless."
"From our market research and studies, if we sell them the product at retail, they like the product more, they have more value to it, they think it's worth what they paid for it, and they try to get that value back on the computer, learning about the game, and then they have a higher chance of paying a subscription fee afterwards.
What I take away from this is that the quality of a product to a US consumer is not linked to things like features and fun, but to how much they paid for it. I could give away World's Best Game, and there'd be consumers out there who'd think it was crap because they didn't pay for it. On the other hand, charge $50 for crap, and suddenly folks like it because it cost them $50.
This explains a great deal about the typical US consumer.
Yes, his name breaks the ToS. That's not the problem.
The problem is Blizzard's enforcement of the ToS.
For example, how hard would it be for a 'banned' name to be added to a blacklist (perhaps even spanning across all servers) that prevented anyone else from later coming along and rolling a toon with that name? Apparently it's too hard for Blizzard, because they don't do that. And folks who are forced to change their names often see other toons later on with the same name.
For example, there's a guy on my RP server called 'SurLuncelot'. He's level 60, and claims he's "got around" the name change requirement several times after being reported. That ain't right.
They could have done that, but it would have added a *lot* of weight - and that would have reduced payload. Shuttle's design was all about trade-offs; one of the initial requirements from the Air Force was for a very generous cross-range requirement, that ate up a lot of spare weight.
They'd already added extra engines to the orbiter to give it an abort capability, remember. Anyway, if you're interested read the above link for a detailed history of the design compromises that were made.
Well, I think he was saying is that the ones who get the press are the ones who make the crazy statements and do the stupid things. The Press loves Stupid and Crazy. Moderate, rational statements get little airtime.
The result of this is it makes all environmentalists look like flaming wingnuts. Because those are the only sort Joe Sixpack sees on TV.
There are many environmental concerns that are important, easily addressed and do not involve comparing pet owners to slave owners - but these issues get little airtime.
City of Villains is coming out soon, too. The original CoH saw a significant player loss when WoW came out, and I dare say they were banking on CoV to try to win some customers back. But given the choice of $50 for CoV or $30 for a WoW expansion, I know which I'd pick. Heck, even if they were released at the same price, I'd go with the WoW expansion.
UMich has Sakai running for 27,000 students. There's not much difference between that and 40,000 - you just need a few more application servers.
Sakai also has far better test & quizzes than anything else out there. The pedagogy that's gone into it is astounding.
Both WebCT and BB sent reps to the last Sackai conference (SEPP in Baltimore). They see the product as a direct competitor, and are using it as an indicator for feature requests.
Moodle and Sakai simply don't do the same things on the same scale as WebCT and presumably Blackboard. It's like comparing Dia to Visio, of course we'd all rather use Dia, but we go with the more functional product.
While you're right about Moodle, Sakai does do things at the same scale as BB and WebCT. UMich has a Sakai install with 27,000 users. Sakai works for big installs.
Sakai also has the best test-taking modules out there, period. It's still got some rough edges, but it's at least as functional as WebCT and BB - the paradigm is just a bit different.
I am required to pimp the Sakai project, an open source collaboration between a bunch of schools, including UMich, Indiana, MIT, Stanford and Berkeley. The biggest production install is UMich, with around 100,000 students using it.
So let's have it both ways. Sure, 2 year contracts for a Razr you got from the carrier is fine. I can live with that. But what if you're bringing your own phone to the party? Say I own my own unlocked Motorola v600 , and all I need to get basic voice service (all I need anyway) is a SIM? Can I get a SIM card for a small fee, then get billed monthly with no cancellation penalty?
No, I can't. I can get a "Free" phone, but that comes with a 1 year contract. I can get a 'pay as you go' phone, but I have to buy the phone from them, and the call rates are higher.
Last I checked, Cingular/ATT don't let you bring your own phone. T-mobile *might*, as they're tiny here in the US, but are owned by Deutsch Mobile, a Euro firm that has a clue. Verizon won't, because they're CDMA and they seek to 'value add' by only having crippled phones on their network.
In the end, it's all about profit maximisation. There's less profit to be had from flexible billing structures, so they don't do it. And that leads to lopsided contracts that favor the carriers. (of the 'we can cut you off at any time, but if you cancel before term that's $300 please' variety).
Not really. The question was "What does the vehicle do if it's stopped, and how does this impact it's mission?". The obstacles could be anything from people to wooden pallets coated in silver foil, raised vertically (the sensors would probably see that as a very solid wall). But it doesn't matter. The problem is the vehicle *must* have sensors to stop it from driving into things that it can't beat (cliff faces, large buildings, concrete bollards, etc).
So what happens once the vehicle is coralled? And how does this impact it's mission?
Because you might steal that free promotional download and show it to other people, that's why! Then how would Universal make money on that free promotional download or the movie that the free promotional download is promoting?
I mean, come on, it's not that hard! You must tightly control the distribution of free promotional downloads, otherwise filesharers will destroy your company!:)
They want to see your driver's license to 'verify' the card (which is a no-no anyway, according to the Master Agreement with Visa and MC), but then they don't match signatures on the card to the slip.
So they do one thing they're manifestly not supposed to do according to their Card Agreement, and they fail to do the one thing they're supposed to do.
And then they wonder why they have fraud chargebacks.
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Have you looked at Canada's criteria for admitting skilled professionals? It's remarkably egalitarian and open - much better than the US. You basically fill out a checklist based on things like degrees held, languages spoken ... the higher you score, the easier/faster it is to get in. Canada has a form of 'open' visa, where if you qualify (say, if you have a degree and know a bit of French) you can enter Canada to look for work without actually having a job offer.
Compare that to the US and the H1-B system, where if you're outside the US you must have an offer letter and apply for the visa from outside the country (3-6 month wait for the visa to be granted, if you're lucky) and your degree has to be directly related to the job you've got the offer for.
So yeah, the basic criteria to be able to go to Canada and look for a job 'on spec' are; hold an Advanced Degree, speak either English or French fluently, and have a passing familiarity with the other.
Order in the next 15 minutes, and we'll throw in a front-page info-mercial on Slashdot for FREE!
Yeah, the Computer Misuse Act was the first thing I thought of when I heard First4Internet was a UK company. if the CPS looked at this, they'd be foolish to not recommend prosecution.
So what needs to happen is someone who's been infected with this shit (perhaps a UK ex-pat?) needs to report this to the Flying Squad's IT folks.
Do you realize that both Intel and Microsoft *pay Dell* cash-money to front their stuff?
... so long as you only sell Microsoft). Sell AMD or non-MS operating systems, and Dell loses millions of dollars in incentives. So the marginal cost of selling other stuff is very high.
It's called Marketing Incentives. That little Intel jingle? Or the Intel symbol? Put it in an advert, get $$$ from Intel (... so long as you only sell Intel). Put a 'Designed for Windows XP' sticker on a case, get $$$ from Microsoft (
When AMD and Linux(tm) can match the marketing incentives of Intel and Microsoft, Dell will change. And not a moment before.
Dell needs to realize that they could sell you a cheap AMD system with Linux installed.
Dell does realize this. They have accountants who have run the numbers far more carefully than you or I. And their conclusion is that the marginal cost to Dell is around $200 more per machine. Which is why those non-MS systems are more expensive than their MS counterparts.
This explains a great deal about the typical US consumer.
Yes, but it clearly wasn't Star Wars. It was designed by the guy who did EQ, and it didn't have spaceships at launch.
When did you ever see Han Solo grind for loot? Or Princess Leia crafting?
Hence; EQ in Space. Not Star Wars.
Well, Duh.
Their initial plan was "Take EQ and slap a SW wrapper around it".
When that didn't work and WoW kicked their arses, they decided to change course: "Take WoW and slap a SQ wrapper around it".
...because then it'd only get 40K subscribers and flop.
( EQ2, I'm lookin' at you... )
It's just sloppy reporting.
They mean 100,000 lights and 60 miles of corridors.
One light every three feet of corridor doesn't sound so crazy, does it?
Yes, his name breaks the ToS. That's not the problem.
The problem is Blizzard's enforcement of the ToS.
For example, how hard would it be for a 'banned' name to be added to a blacklist (perhaps even spanning across all servers) that prevented anyone else from later coming along and rolling a toon with that name? Apparently it's too hard for Blizzard, because they don't do that. And folks who are forced to change their names often see other toons later on with the same name.
For example, there's a guy on my RP server called 'SurLuncelot'. He's level 60, and claims he's "got around" the name change requirement several times after being reported. That ain't right.
They could have done that, but it would have added a *lot* of weight - and that would have reduced payload. Shuttle's design was all about trade-offs; one of the initial requirements from the Air Force was for a very generous cross-range requirement, that ate up a lot of spare weight.
http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/shuttle.htm
They'd already added extra engines to the orbiter to give it an abort capability, remember. Anyway, if you're interested read the above link for a detailed history of the design compromises that were made.
Well, I think he was saying is that the ones who get the press are the ones who make the crazy statements and do the stupid things. The Press loves Stupid and Crazy. Moderate, rational statements get little airtime.
The result of this is it makes all environmentalists look like flaming wingnuts. Because those are the only sort Joe Sixpack sees on TV.
There are many environmental concerns that are important, easily addressed and do not involve comparing pet owners to slave owners - but these issues get little airtime.
Exactly!
It's also unlikely that a Roman warship would be 80 years old - with all the attendant water-logging of the wood that implies.
City of Villains is coming out soon, too. The original CoH saw a significant player loss when WoW came out, and I dare say they were banking on CoV to try to win some customers back. But given the choice of $50 for CoV or $30 for a WoW expansion, I know which I'd pick. Heck, even if they were released at the same price, I'd go with the WoW expansion.
Yeah. I thought natural gas was actually scarcer than petroleum... or at least, there were less currently exploited reserves of the stuff.
Or even better: "Jack Thompson threatens local Sick Children's Charity organizers"
UMich has Sakai running for 27,000 students. There's not much difference between that and 40,000 - you just need a few more application servers.
Sakai also has far better test & quizzes than anything else out there. The pedagogy that's gone into it is astounding.
Both WebCT and BB sent reps to the last Sackai conference (SEPP in Baltimore). They see the product as a direct competitor, and are using it as an indicator for feature requests.
Moodle and Sakai simply don't do the same things on the same scale as WebCT and presumably Blackboard. It's like comparing Dia to Visio, of course we'd all rather use Dia, but we go with the more functional product.
While you're right about Moodle, Sakai does do things at the same scale as BB and WebCT. UMich has a Sakai install with 27,000 users. Sakai works for big installs.
Sakai also has the best test-taking modules out there, period. It's still got some rough edges, but it's at least as functional as WebCT and BB - the paradigm is just a bit different.
Moodle is only one of many!
I am required to pimp the Sakai project, an open source collaboration between a bunch of schools, including UMich, Indiana, MIT, Stanford and Berkeley. The biggest production install is UMich, with around 100,000 students using it.
This Autonomous Vehicles will not be complete until their right turn signal is switched on all the time.
So let's have it both ways. Sure, 2 year contracts for a Razr you got from the carrier is fine. I can live with that. But what if you're bringing your own phone to the party? Say I own my own unlocked Motorola v600 , and all I need to get basic voice service (all I need anyway) is a SIM? Can I get a SIM card for a small fee, then get billed monthly with no cancellation penalty?
No, I can't. I can get a "Free" phone, but that comes with a 1 year contract. I can get a 'pay as you go' phone, but I have to buy the phone from them, and the call rates are higher.
Last I checked, Cingular/ATT don't let you bring your own phone. T-mobile *might*, as they're tiny here in the US, but are owned by Deutsch Mobile, a Euro firm that has a clue. Verizon won't, because they're CDMA and they seek to 'value add' by only having crippled phones on their network.
In the end, it's all about profit maximisation. There's less profit to be had from flexible billing structures, so they don't do it. And that leads to lopsided contracts that favor the carriers. (of the 'we can cut you off at any time, but if you cancel before term that's $300 please' variety).
Not really. The question was "What does the vehicle do if it's stopped, and how does this impact it's mission?". The obstacles could be anything from people to wooden pallets coated in silver foil, raised vertically (the sensors would probably see that as a very solid wall). But it doesn't matter. The problem is the vehicle *must* have sensors to stop it from driving into things that it can't beat (cliff faces, large buildings, concrete bollards, etc).
So what happens once the vehicle is coralled? And how does this impact it's mission?
Because you might steal that free promotional download and show it to other people, that's why! Then how would Universal make money on that free promotional download or the movie that the free promotional download is promoting?
:)
I mean, come on, it's not that hard! You must tightly control the distribution of free promotional downloads, otherwise filesharers will destroy your company!
Oh, you mean the Non-person Humilation and Service Denial Line of Beligerence?
Yeah, I only go to Fry's now if I can pay cash and get something I know I won't be returning.
Best example of this I've seen: Fry's in CA.
They want to see your driver's license to 'verify' the card (which is a no-no anyway, according to the Master Agreement with Visa and MC), but then they don't match signatures on the card to the slip.
So they do one thing they're manifestly not supposed to do according to their Card Agreement, and they fail to do the one thing they're supposed to do.
And then they wonder why they have fraud chargebacks.