Bullet trains require something Amtrak will never have: lots of straight, well-built track to get up to that speed.
Besides, where is Amtrak going to get that money? They're struggling to maintain what they already have... What you're talking about is a HUGE investment.
The Acelas on the Northeast Corridor (one of the most important pieces of track Amtrak owns) were intended to provide higher-speed trains on conventional track by leaning into the turns. They generally do provide faster service when they're running, but of course the Acelas haven't been without their problems.
Yeah, and the iTunes ones probably came from master tapes, while the 45s.com guys are probably just ripping off the 45s, which means there's potential noise, and you have to worry about the quality of the turntable and all that.
If that's what they're doing, though, then it's the labor they're charging you for, not the records.
I think the real idea is that they don't want to sell it. But if someone does cough up the cash, then they'll sell it and retire.:)
It's not the acquisition cost - it's the acquisition time. There's another page on the site that says they searched for decades to finish one complete set. Sure, you can probably put one together, but it won't be easy, especially for those songs that hit #40 on the chart for 1 week in 1958 or something.
The Current Population Survey is run by the US Census Bureau for the BLS. Look on the Census Bureau's website - the methodology is there somewhere. If you're going to attack the CPS methodology, then you have NO concept of what statistics are - the CPS, since it's so important, receives a lot of scrutiny and as such is probably one of the best surveys in the world.
I use Linux at home, but my employer uses Windows 2000.
It's not that great at home, either, though. I got tired of showing friends where to click to switch the keyboard layout, and it was a hassle when I have to repair someone else's computer.
Re:Dvorak is very good
on
Advocating Dvorak
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I changed to Dvorak about 10 years ago. This year, I switched BACK!
Why? It caused too much trouble, especially at work when I needed to call the help desk. Windows doesn't handle keyboard mapping in a sane (to the user) manner - even if I switch it, until I reboot all my passwords will be entered in the layout that was active when I logged in.
I finally gave up. It was too much hassle, and I've never looked back. I can type just as quickly with QWERTY as I could with Dvorak.
Okay, thanks for the info. Still, it was a frustrating change since most installations now have switched.
As for not caring where they came from: I spent a lot of time writing a script that checked the sources of the variables (among other things) on a "new link" submission form in an effort to reduce spammers - but they still spent the time circumventing all of the restrictions I had in order to flood my database with links to adult websites. Apparently, they didn't read the part of the page that told them that I verify each submitted link is related to the site I run before it gets posted to the web.
So, after all the time I spent thinking about submission methods and the other related issues, they still spammed my database. I learned it's like a lock: if someone wants something badly enough, they'll get it. Still, I think raising the bar was worthwhile - if nothing else it slowed them down and made them waste even more time and money on a fruitless venture.
REGISTER_GLOBALS is one thing to "get". Why was that turned on by default in earlier versions? Everything I wrote before they changed that option requires it to be on because I wasn't aware of the security implications. Nothing I've written that way is on the web anywhere, so it's not doing anyone any harm, and I've learned more about security since then - but what about PHP coders that have released code requiring it to be on? Having REGISTER_GLOBALS set "off" right from the start would've saved a lot of headaches, because it would've helped force better programming technique and maybe even better data validation.
Then when that gets cracked there'll be 500+ messages on/. about how stupid they were for doing something so simple and how they should be protecting our data better than that.
I agree. I used to host (publically accessible) Mailman archives, and once a month, Google would come through and scan every message. My bandwidth usage that day was at least 10 times what it was on other days, but I wanted the messages to be searchable. Using this to set them to "archive" so they'd only be scanned a couple times a year would've been great.
FTA: They are known within the industry as "bottom feeders" who don't show any brand or merchant loyalty.
The arrogance it takes for an industry to come up with this phrase is just amazing. I think I'm generally more pro-business than most Slashdot readers, and I don't even fall into that category - I'll go with a brand/merchant I've used before even if they are priced a bit higher, if I feel I got good service, because I'd rather deal with a known quantity. But the "bottom feeders" term makes me want to slap some people around.
Perhaps what's really annoying me is that companies don't want to compete and so are doing everything they can to attract their "ideal" customer while saying "screw you" to the other guys. As someone who has been ignored at car dealers on several occasions (usually because of my apparent age or because of the borrowed car I was driving that day), I find the practice of turning customers away arrogant and annoying. Changing prices only makes it worse.
That's because everyone knows a Ferrari is a pretty fast car (even if it isn't that fast, it has the reputation, which is all that matters), so there's no need to prove it. Meanwhile the people that modify their Civics do have something to prove - a stock Civic is a slow car and they want to show theirs is much faster.
Maturity probably has something to do with it, too...
I had a miserable time installing XP on my home machine a while back. Some file it copied to my hard disc kept getting corrupted, and, even though I was planning to reformat the drive as NTFS, I *had* to put a formatted FAT32 partition on it to be able to install. Also, as a result of that file getting corrupted, I got the blue screen of death which gave me NO information about what to do (after the second or third time through I somehow figured out what the problem was, but only through guessing and experience - no way would a normal computer user have gotten it).
AC is right - I looked through a few and all I saw were blank forms, no actual data.
Not that it matters anyway - Google is merely the tool, and as anyone who has read a file swapping discussion on/. would know, it's not the tool that's bad.
My point was supposed to be that, in my server, I had to replace onboard graphics with an old nVidia card (which had to be replaced anyway) when the motherboard failed, since the motherboard I was swapping in didn't have IGP. I don't really want to have the extra heat, probably more power being drawn, etc., that the add-on card has over IGP, but short of buying a new motherboard I don't have much choice.
IGP definitely has some advantages if you aren't doing graphics-heavy work.
The other day, I replaced my nVidia VANTA 2 that I got with a computer in 2000 due to it displaying dark bands on the screen. But the card's not dead yet: it's in my server, where picture quality isn't a major issue.
I replaced it with a generic GeForce 4400 with 64 MB of RAM, I think, for $50, with S-Video out (not that I'll ever use that, but it's nice to have anyway). Seems to do just fine!
What's a lot of money to you and me isn't a lot to a bank. I might find $500 to be a tough loss, but to a bank it's probably the bright spot in their day. They probably have cases where thousands are missing, and those will probably get a higher priority.
Slashdot Mirror
Bullet trains require something Amtrak will never have: lots of straight, well-built track to get up to that speed.
Besides, where is Amtrak going to get that money? They're struggling to maintain what they already have... What you're talking about is a HUGE investment.
The Acelas on the Northeast Corridor (one of the most important pieces of track Amtrak owns) were intended to provide higher-speed trains on conventional track by leaning into the turns. They generally do provide faster service when they're running, but of course the Acelas haven't been without their problems.
Yeah, and the iTunes ones probably came from master tapes, while the 45s.com guys are probably just ripping off the 45s, which means there's potential noise, and you have to worry about the quality of the turntable and all that.
If that's what they're doing, though, then it's the labor they're charging you for, not the records.
Yes, but no DRM. ;)
:)
I think the real idea is that they don't want to sell it. But if someone does cough up the cash, then they'll sell it and retire.
It's not the acquisition cost - it's the acquisition time. There's another page on the site that says they searched for decades to finish one complete set. Sure, you can probably put one together, but it won't be easy, especially for those songs that hit #40 on the chart for 1 week in 1958 or something.
But I still think this is better - a quarter of a million dollars for a vinyl record (45 rpm) of every song that charted between 1950 and 1990.
Yeah, the summary sounded pretty interesting, but the "...plus a yearly fee" tacked on the end added an ominous tone.
Context: http://www.bls.census.gov/cps/tp/tp63.htm
Go read. Be warned, it's not short.
By the way, I'm not the guy that posted the above comments.
The Current Population Survey is run by the US Census Bureau for the BLS. Look on the Census Bureau's website - the methodology is there somewhere. If you're going to attack the CPS methodology, then you have NO concept of what statistics are - the CPS, since it's so important, receives a lot of scrutiny and as such is probably one of the best surveys in the world.
Yes, but can it run OS X?
I use Linux at home, but my employer uses Windows 2000.
It's not that great at home, either, though. I got tired of showing friends where to click to switch the keyboard layout, and it was a hassle when I have to repair someone else's computer.
I changed to Dvorak about 10 years ago. This year, I switched BACK!
Why? It caused too much trouble, especially at work when I needed to call the help desk. Windows doesn't handle keyboard mapping in a sane (to the user) manner - even if I switch it, until I reboot all my passwords will be entered in the layout that was active when I logged in.
I finally gave up. It was too much hassle, and I've never looked back. I can type just as quickly with QWERTY as I could with Dvorak.
Are you sure it's not Dire Straits?
Okay, thanks for the info. Still, it was a frustrating change since most installations now have switched.
As for not caring where they came from: I spent a lot of time writing a script that checked the sources of the variables (among other things) on a "new link" submission form in an effort to reduce spammers - but they still spent the time circumventing all of the restrictions I had in order to flood my database with links to adult websites. Apparently, they didn't read the part of the page that told them that I verify each submitted link is related to the site I run before it gets posted to the web.
So, after all the time I spent thinking about submission methods and the other related issues, they still spammed my database. I learned it's like a lock: if someone wants something badly enough, they'll get it. Still, I think raising the bar was worthwhile - if nothing else it slowed them down and made them waste even more time and money on a fruitless venture.
REGISTER_GLOBALS is one thing to "get". Why was that turned on by default in earlier versions? Everything I wrote before they changed that option requires it to be on because I wasn't aware of the security implications. Nothing I've written that way is on the web anywhere, so it's not doing anyone any harm, and I've learned more about security since then - but what about PHP coders that have released code requiring it to be on? Having REGISTER_GLOBALS set "off" right from the start would've saved a lot of headaches, because it would've helped force better programming technique and maybe even better data validation.
Why do they have to expand to the rest of the world? They can serve only one city if they want.
Then when that gets cracked there'll be 500+ messages on /. about how stupid they were for doing something so simple and how they should be protecting our data better than that.
I agree. I used to host (publically accessible) Mailman archives, and once a month, Google would come through and scan every message. My bandwidth usage that day was at least 10 times what it was on other days, but I wanted the messages to be searchable. Using this to set them to "archive" so they'd only be scanned a couple times a year would've been great.
FTA: They are known within the industry as "bottom feeders" who don't show any brand or merchant loyalty.
The arrogance it takes for an industry to come up with this phrase is just amazing. I think I'm generally more pro-business than most Slashdot readers, and I don't even fall into that category - I'll go with a brand/merchant I've used before even if they are priced a bit higher, if I feel I got good service, because I'd rather deal with a known quantity. But the "bottom feeders" term makes me want to slap some people around.
Perhaps what's really annoying me is that companies don't want to compete and so are doing everything they can to attract their "ideal" customer while saying "screw you" to the other guys. As someone who has been ignored at car dealers on several occasions (usually because of my apparent age or because of the borrowed car I was driving that day), I find the practice of turning customers away arrogant and annoying. Changing prices only makes it worse.
That's because everyone knows a Ferrari is a pretty fast car (even if it isn't that fast, it has the reputation, which is all that matters), so there's no need to prove it. Meanwhile the people that modify their Civics do have something to prove - a stock Civic is a slow car and they want to show theirs is much faster.
Maturity probably has something to do with it, too...
They were giving nuclear material to the Japanese, or at least trying to. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unterseeboot_234
That puts a new spin on "I'm feeling lucky", doesn't it?
I had a miserable time installing XP on my home machine a while back. Some file it copied to my hard disc kept getting corrupted, and, even though I was planning to reformat the drive as NTFS, I *had* to put a formatted FAT32 partition on it to be able to install. Also, as a result of that file getting corrupted, I got the blue screen of death which gave me NO information about what to do (after the second or third time through I somehow figured out what the problem was, but only through guessing and experience - no way would a normal computer user have gotten it).
AC is right - I looked through a few and all I saw were blank forms, no actual data.
/. would know, it's not the tool that's bad.
Not that it matters anyway - Google is merely the tool, and as anyone who has read a file swapping discussion on
Damn...what am I talking about?
My point was supposed to be that, in my server, I had to replace onboard graphics with an old nVidia card (which had to be replaced anyway) when the motherboard failed, since the motherboard I was swapping in didn't have IGP. I don't really want to have the extra heat, probably more power being drawn, etc., that the add-on card has over IGP, but short of buying a new motherboard I don't have much choice.
IGP definitely has some advantages if you aren't doing graphics-heavy work.
The other day, I replaced my nVidia VANTA 2 that I got with a computer in 2000 due to it displaying dark bands on the screen. But the card's not dead yet: it's in my server, where picture quality isn't a major issue.
I replaced it with a generic GeForce 4400 with 64 MB of RAM, I think, for $50, with S-Video out (not that I'll ever use that, but it's nice to have anyway). Seems to do just fine!
What's a lot of money to you and me isn't a lot to a bank. I might find $500 to be a tough loss, but to a bank it's probably the bright spot in their day. They probably have cases where thousands are missing, and those will probably get a higher priority.