Re:New EPROMs are silly
on
Hack Your Car
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· Score: 1
People in general are stupid. They're going to read this and think, wow, I could get a performance boost with just a chip? They're not going to do cost/benefit analysis
Whose fault is that? It is a buyer's responsibility to weigh the pros and cons in any purchase, especially when it comes to building/upgrading a car. It's not like the author said, "Buy now pretty shiny chip for super happy fast fun time!". He explained the benefits, and described the potential risks. If somebody wants to go out and kill their brand new Honda without learning all he/she can about the upgrade, they deserve whatever they get.
Re:New EPROMs are silly
on
Hack Your Car
·
· Score: 1
Now, hold on.
For one thing, Dan himself stated that chips don't do "nothing". He simply stated that they didn't offer as much bang-for-the-buck as a series of mechanical modifications would. He also stated that these chips, while usually a little overly optimistic about the kind of gains one would normally see on a stock car, often perform as advertised.
Furthermore, nowhere in the NYT article (I read it, did you?) was it said that anybody should buy one of these simply based on the author's description. What they did say was that chips usually offered a performance increase, at the risk of lower fuel economy, poor emissions, and the possibility of ruining an engine.
I do agree that an upgraded ECU should only be considered after extensive upgrades, when the air/fuel curve and boost settings would need to be altered anyway. But to say that chips do "nothing" to a stock engine is at best, an exaggeration. At worst, it's an outright lie.
... from what ones I've seen at the store, the blacks aren't quite as dark as the plasmas or traditional CRTs.
Chances are the set wasn't properly calibrated. Blacks are truly black on a DLP set, so they can get just as dark as a CRT or plasma. Do a side-by-side comparison with a LCD projection TV, and you'll see what a crappy black level looks like.
No, in this case, features define quality. A Toshiba Cinema Display has a 1080p native resolution, assignable color, brightness, and contrast settings for _each_ input, and a super-sexy cabinet. A Philips LCoS is just another low-buck thin display.
If you want to see what the loving hand of government does do a business, go look at Amtrack or the Post Office.
Amtrak runs efficiently, with a very small number of accidents compared to, say, airlines. As far as the USPS goes, figure out a way to handle the exceedingly high volume of mail that goes through every facility's doors every day, and I'll tip my hat to you.
What you seem to be forgetting is that those two are examples of services with _very_ high volume. It takes a great deal to keep all that running smoothly. Do you think you could do a better job?
Nobody ever said/. was a news site (least of all the editors). It's an editorial site, one that's driven by discussion of the news, not by the news itself.
It's been my opinion for some time that the editors have actually been encouraged to put jabs like that in, just for the sake of inflating threads (and subsequently, revenue from ad banners).
It's because of the other factors that have been mentioned (laptops catching up with desktops basically).
It's less about catching up with desktops as it is catching up with the home user. It was pretty clear a while ago that there was going to be a threshold where, for at least a while, the average user wouldn't be able to justify the newest and fastest hardware. That realization for consumers gave laptops a chance to catch up in the marketplace, as it gave the average user everything he/she needs, without making any sacrifices in terms of usability.
Couple that with the trend of laptop prices going down in general, and it's pretty easy to see why sales are up so much.
Yes, there will always be a minority of DIY and power-users who will keep demanding MORE, BETTER, FASTER, and they will, to some extent, keep driving the hardware market. I think a lot of/.'ers seem to forget, however, that that type of person is a minority. Most people just want something they can use to send e-mail or get work done.
If ATI would like to increase their sales, they had damn well get us IT people on their side... we influence far more people than they realize... and that can make or break a company.
Most hardware manufacturers don't make the big bucks by selling their parts a la carte, they make the big bucks through huge OEM deals with system builders. Why do people always seem to ignore that?
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Whose fault is that? It is a buyer's responsibility to weigh the pros and cons in any purchase, especially when it comes to building/upgrading a car. It's not like the author said, "Buy now pretty shiny chip for super happy fast fun time!". He explained the benefits, and described the potential risks. If somebody wants to go out and kill their brand new Honda without learning all he/she can about the upgrade, they deserve whatever they get.
For one thing, Dan himself stated that chips don't do "nothing". He simply stated that they didn't offer as much bang-for-the-buck as a series of mechanical modifications would. He also stated that these chips, while usually a little overly optimistic about the kind of gains one would normally see on a stock car, often perform as advertised.
Furthermore, nowhere in the NYT article (I read it, did you?) was it said that anybody should buy one of these simply based on the author's description. What they did say was that chips usually offered a performance increase, at the risk of lower fuel economy, poor emissions, and the possibility of ruining an engine.
I do agree that an upgraded ECU should only be considered after extensive upgrades, when the air/fuel curve and boost settings would need to be altered anyway. But to say that chips do "nothing" to a stock engine is at best, an exaggeration. At worst, it's an outright lie.
He is that good.
Chances are the set wasn't properly calibrated. Blacks are truly black on a DLP set, so they can get just as dark as a CRT or plasma. Do a side-by-side comparison with a LCD projection TV, and you'll see what a crappy black level looks like.
Speak of what you know.
Sony's been doing this for years. Sounds like it's par for the course, and a business model Intel can fit into quite easily.
I'm guessing nobody told you. They have to be female virgins. You and your 12 roommates won't accomplish much.
Uhm... because FM transmitters sound like garbage?
Flame on.
What you call abysmal, I call acceptable, given the volume. Try sending a 5 oz. letter for .35 via FedEx. You'll get laughed at.
Amtrak runs efficiently, with a very small number of accidents compared to, say, airlines. As far as the USPS goes, figure out a way to handle the exceedingly high volume of mail that goes through every facility's doors every day, and I'll tip my hat to you.
What you seem to be forgetting is that those two are examples of services with _very_ high volume. It takes a great deal to keep all that running smoothly. Do you think you could do a better job?
Most of the new high-end TVs are released with a tuner-free version for about $500 less.
Not much of one.
(-1, Republican)
You should have seen this for yourself, considering how long you've been a member.
Dick.
It's been my opinion for some time that the editors have actually been encouraged to put jabs like that in, just for the sake of inflating threads (and subsequently, revenue from ad banners).
Actually, "encyclopedia" is the plural form of "encyclopedium". Sit down.
Sir, you may very well be the epitome of laziness.
Fugazi (Dischord), Bright Eyes (Saddle Creek), Cursive (Saddle Creek). Where's my cookie?
Hold on. Let me run that through my engrish-english translator...
Because they can?
Holy sheeyat.... A sub-thousander! I didn't think there were any around anymore.
It's less about catching up with desktops as it is catching up with the home user. It was pretty clear a while ago that there was going to be a threshold where, for at least a while, the average user wouldn't be able to justify the newest and fastest hardware. That realization for consumers gave laptops a chance to catch up in the marketplace, as it gave the average user everything he/she needs, without making any sacrifices in terms of usability.
Couple that with the trend of laptop prices going down in general, and it's pretty easy to see why sales are up so much.
Yes, there will always be a minority of DIY and power-users who will keep demanding MORE, BETTER, FASTER, and they will, to some extent, keep driving the hardware market. I think a lot of /.'ers seem to forget, however, that that type of person is a minority. Most people just want something they can use to send e-mail or get work done.
Most hardware manufacturers don't make the big bucks by selling their parts a la carte, they make the big bucks through huge OEM deals with system builders. Why do people always seem to ignore that?
The trick is, kick somebody's ass on the first day, or become somebody's bitch.
Greasebally was kind of the point. It's hard to make Norton look like an 18 year old weaselly punk, with Giovanni Ribisi, it comes naturally.