I ask my mechanic why he's doing something, but once he moves off into bafflegab, I'm left with two choices: trust that he's a professional or don't.
Yes, but you still understand the basic concepts of your vehicle: You know it needs fuel to run. You know what the oil does and why it's important. Likewise with coolant. If you don't, you should.
I did not mean to imply that someone should be able to create or repair all of the devices they use. Merely that they understand how the device works. I don't expect everyone to be able to diagnose and repair their own vehicle. However, if the temperature light were to come on, I would expect the driver to understand the cooling system enough that he pulls over, lets it cool off, then checks for adequate fluid. A willingness to learn these things is what separates you from the common sheep.
I think I could probably walk around almost anyone's house or the environment they work in and identify at least some things about which they know little or nothing other than how to operate the item in question in a simple way.
I agree, and this is exactly the point I'm making: People need to do a little research into the items they use. I don't think it is at all infeasible for people to learn how to operate items used on a daily basis in more than a simple way. Assuming a person had never used a telephone before, it would take less than a minute to learn. Why not spare the extra 5 minutes and learn how to use it's advanced features - speakerphone, voicemail, transfer, conferencing, hold, mute, etc? Any reasonably intelligent person can handle this.
The same thing goes for items around your house: You may understand how to change the channels on your VCR, but you should also learn how to set the clock and program timers. To merely plug it in and leave it blinking "12:00" shows your ignorance (I don't know how) or apathy (I don't care how). In the first case, it also shows a hint of stupidity (I'm not smart enough to learn how).
You also undoubedly understand the details of manufacturing your carpet, your clothes,...
Nowhere did I say one should understand the details of manufacturing. I said, and I quote, "If you have no desire to learn the details of how something works, you shouldn't be using it." I'll say it again: The details of how something works. Not the details of how something is made. There is a huge difference.
And if you fly or use the train I'm sure you could give us a riveting lecture on the details of a locomotive or jet engine, as well as how quickly you could diagnose a problem, replace a broken part, or take the captain's chair in the cockpit should the pilot fall ill.
As a passenger, I am not "using" (or operating) the vehicle, the engineer or pilot is. Thus, the responsibility to know the details of the vehicle lies on them (although there is a certain responsibility on the part of the passenger to know at least a little about the vehicle, lest they do something stupid and endanger themselves). If you were looking over my shoulder while I operated a computer, I would not expect you to know what I'm doing. However, if you yourself were operating the computer, then yes, you should know what you are doing. Neglecting to learn is pure ignorance at best, complete stupidity at worst. Would you allow your teenager to hop in a car for the first time and learn to drive as he goes? Of course not. You'd send him to a class to learn a thing or two beforehand.
As a side note, I am more than capable of taking the captain's chair in the cockpit of a commercial airliner should the pilot fall ill. I've never been on a train and don't know a thing about operating one, though I'm pretty sure I could figure out how to stop one if I had to.
- electrical lines and switchboxes, phone hookups, plumbing, heating elements and sewage.
- your computer (a given), as well as your speakers, stereo system, cable box, television, toaster, coffee pot, microwave oven, digital clock radio, refrigerator, hot water heater, vacuum cleaner, etc. etc. If you don't, you shouldn't be using any of these devices.
Let's be quite clear here: In no way did I suggest anyone be able to build a vaccumn cleaner from scratch, repair a refrigerator, or wire up a home for electrical service. Rather, I said people need to understand how the devices work.
Knowing how an item works allows you to use it correctly. If you don't understand the basic concepts of electricity, you'll do what my neighbor did last night: Sucked the cord up into her vaccumn cleaner, tore the insulation off of it, pulled it back out while the unit was still running, then continued vaccumning with bare copper wire hanging out. Had she understood how vaccumn cleaners work, she never would have put her hand up into the spinning brush, and had she understood how electricity works, she would have unplugged it immediately. Her insistance on using these items (vaccumn cleaner and AC power) without learning their details could have cost her a couple of fingers, or worse.
How about another side note? : I've wired many circuits in my home, including my attic lighting & garage outlets. I wired my entire home with cat5 cabling for phone & computer networking. I didn't take care of the plumbing, but could have with no problems had I the desire to do so. Heating elements are basically giant resistors. I've repaired many of my electronics and home appliances and know how every one of them works. So, yes, I do know the intimate details of how everything in my home works. As a matter of fact, I helped in the construction and could have built the entire home myself had I the desire to do so.
We passed the days when one could master the art of understanding/producing all of the appliances used in daily life about 10,000 years ago, right after the end of the Stone Age. I think just about everyone understands this, except young arrogant fools who fail to think through their absurd notions before posting them to a public forum.
Millions of people understand all of the appliances used in daily life (not how to produce them, but a general overview of how they work, and how to use them). If you do not know these things, then I take pity on you. Your ignorance and failure to learn how to use the devices around you will one day get you into trouble if it hasn't already.
Some of the replies missed my point entirely, including yours. I did not say, nor did I mean to imply, that one should learn everything related to anything they do. Using your example, if one listens to music, they should learn how to properly operate the equipment they listen to the music on. They don't need to know exactly how the insides of the receiver work or how the music is made, but if the left speaker quits working, they should be able to adjust the balance and check the connections.
To answer your question: Yes, I know how to play instruments. I can read and write sheet music, I've played the violin since the 5th grade, and recently (~2 years) taught myself how to play the piano.
The simple fact of the matter is many people don't WANT to learn the in-depth operation of a computer just like most don't want to learn the exact details of how a car, tv, vcr or whatever works.
Ignorance is bliss, isn't it?
For the record, I don't consider people like this very smart. If you have no desire to learn the details of how something works, you shouldn't be using it. I know a guy who had no desire to learn how his car works. When the oil light came on, he didn't care, because he didn't know what it meant. When the engine siezed a couple of days later and it cost him $3000 to replace, he finally decided it might be a good idea to learn a little about his vehicle.
Maybe that's the difference between intelligent people and the common sheep. Intelligent people actually make an attempt to understand the products they use. The common sheep only learn the bare minimum to get by and nothing more.
This isn't funny. "ryanwright" stalked this woman, giving her legitimate reason to think she was in danger. He was the only person who knew she wasn't--how the hell would she have known otherwise?
"Stalked"? Following someone around campus, sending threatening letters on a regular basis, constantly harassing: That's stalking. This was a JOKE. You might not find it funny, but as far as I'm concerned it wasn't any worse of a Halloween prank than jumping out and scaring someone. Nowadays, I wouldn't find it as funny, because nobody would be puzzled to have messages pop-up on their screen. In that time, I (and the others who were with me) found it quite funny as she certainly didn't know what the hell was going on.
Note that we didn't pick this girl out for any reason other than she was sitting straight across from us. If it had been a guy there, the prank would have been pulled on him. If that had been the case, or if I had been a female, I'm willing to bet you wouldn't be up on your high horse condemning me over this.
As for the rest of your comments: You worry for other women? Because some friends and I pulled a prank on someone almost 10 years ago? Personally, I worry about people like you: People who blow everything way out of proportion. People who can turn a simple joke into a sexual harassment case, or accuse the prankster of being a stalker.
I'm not editing or creating a derivative version of anything. I'm simply choosing to not watch the commercials. If I get up to make some popcorn in the middle of a "Friends" episode (or - God forbid - use the FF button to skip forward a few minutes during a boring scene), I haven't suddenly created a derivative version.
By your logic, the people who want free TV are forbidden by YOU from having it because you have this need to create a derivative (without-commercials) version of the show.
That's insane. Am I coming into your living room and forcing you to skip commercials? Didn't think so. In no way does my preference for skipping commercials forbid someone else from watching them. Unless you're in my home, in which case you'll have to ask nicely if you want to watch them.
The issue is NOT personal use. Think about it. One company is making money by stripping the commercial value out of another company's product.
ReplayTV is not stripping the commercial value out of television. They're simply providing the means for consumers to skip past parts they don't like. Consumers have done this since television was invented. They channel surf during commercials. They walk out of the room. They read magazines. They use the FF button on their VCRs. ReplayTV is just another method for consumers to do the same things they've been doing. Since both the box and the commercial skipping features are OPTIONAL, your idea that they are stripping the value out of television is false. If ReplayTV forcefully attached their boxes to everyone's televisions and stripped the commercials, you would have a point and I would be on your side.
It all boils down to this: Nobody has the right to come in and demand how I view their content. Once the content is in my hands, I choose where, how, when and why I want to watch it. If I want to skip parts, I will. If broadcasters don't like that, they'll have to figure a way to change my mind. Laws, lawsuits, etc, will not work.
The only REASON anyone is interested in the feature is because it is unfair to broadcasters and their advertisers.
By that logic, it's also unfair if I take a leak or make some popcorn during a commercial break. Maybe we should start putting seatbelts on couches? You have to buckle yourself in before you're allowed to watch TV, and when a commercial starts, the buckle locks so you can't get out of your chair. Would that be fair to broadcasters and their advertisers?
Why the hell are we compromising for them? WE are the consumers; WE get to decide whether we watch something or not. If we don't want to watch commercials, they can't force us to. Technology is quickly making current revenue streams for broadcasters obsolete. Too bad. They can find new revenue streams. It happens all the time in other industries.
This is a free society - it is unreasonable to expect consumers to change their behavior to keep some industry profitable. The broadcasters may win this lawsuit, but they'll never be able to stop us from skipping commercials. They'll just have to come up with a new revenue stream. Those that don't will die. End of story.
Uhh..let me see....you sent messages to a girl pretending to spy on her.
Then you threatened her.
This is funny? And you got modded up....*sigh*...
Oh, come on... I was 19 years old in the glory days of Windows 3.1 when nobody knew computers could send messages to each other. It was years before our campus had Internet access; we were all using 386s and the phrase "instant messaging" hadn't even been invented. For all she knew, the computer was talking to her... I thought it was hilarious.
Not a ghost story, but I scared the hell out of a girl in the CS lab at my local college many years ago. They were running Netware & Windows 3.1, and I thought it would be fun to harass someone. I did a "whoami" on my omputer and the one next to me, then sent a few test messages to figure out how the rest of the users in the lab were named. Pretty basic stuff: lab304. lab305. lab306. I counted computers and deduced the name of the account the gal across from me was using, then started sending messages.
I started with, "Hello". She stopped typing, looked at her screen for a second, figured out how to clear the message and went on typing her essay, love letter, or whatever it was. Not much of a reaction...
"I can see you." Again, nothing. She just cleared the message. Damnit. What does a guy have to do to get a reaction around here?!
"Why are you ignoring me?" This time she stopped, looked around the room a little, then resumed working.
"Whom are you looking for? I can still see you." She ignored this one.
"You're wearing (insert color of her clothes, I forget what they were but I described them for her), and you have a black jacket on the back of your chair." She immediately stood up and began scanning the room with a worried look on her face.
"Sit down. NOW." She did.
"If you don't want to get hurt I suggest you do exactly as I say. Eject the disk from your computer, NOW." The poor girl was trembling. She was scared out of her mind - it was hilarious. She ejected the disk as fast as she could.
"Good. Now, stay put. I will be there in 20 seconds." She got up, grabbed her books and RAN out of the lab as fast as she could!
Looking back, I almost feel bad, but it was worth it to see the expression on her face. I never saw her in the CS lab again...
Nick Petreley is a moron. Intelligent people don't make blanket statements like "Open source programmers stink at error handling." Next thing you know, he'll be telling you "Closed source programmers use more descriptive variables." How the hell does he know?
Programming traits - just like preferences for pizza toppings, frequency in bathing and type of pr0n - vary from programmer to programmer. Some implement proper error handling, others could care less. It doesn't matter whether they're working on an open or closed source project. If the open-source programmers all traded places with the closed-source programmers, you'd have the same ratios of proper vs. improper error handling (although the traffic from open-source-programmers.com to goatse.cx would probably spike).
Has anyone actually put together a PC that will control fuel injection, ignition and/or ABS/traction control or what not?
Am I the only one who doesn't find the idea of booting your car up sort of, well, to put it nicely... completely fucking INSANE?! Can you imagine having to wait 20 minutes for Linux to fsck your disk before being allowed to drive your car?! Can you imagine having to stop processes before it will turn off?!! Can you imagine what happens when the 12 year old in the car next to you roots your car?!?!!? Can you imagine a beowulf cluster of these?!?!?!?!
A Mini-DV Camcorder. I can't get it to communicate through firewire because I have no drivers for it.
Mini-DV camcorders don't need their own drivers, and as such are not bundled with them. All you need is a standard firewire driver, and the camera should interface with it no problem. I found this out when trying to grab images from a $4000 Sony unit my company purchased. Even at that price range, the techs still had no idea what Firewire was. I sat on the phone for hours trying to find out where to download the drivers before finally talking to a high level tech who was able to steer me in the right direction.
What OS are you using? Windows 95, 98 and NT (?) do not support firewire video editing. You need 98SE, ME, or 2000. If you're not using one of these, give it a shot, it might solve your problem.
I'm always annoyed when I see the term "masses" used on Slashdot. Do you build your own car, or do you drive one of those built for "the masses." Do you drink Coke, watch The Simpsons, and buy clothes from a store? So do "the masses."
I don't have the ability to build my own car from scratch, but I did buy one that wasn't built for "the masses", rather for "the odd enthusiast", and heavily modified it.
I don't drink Coke, I don't watch the Simpsons, and I buy as few clothes from a store as I can get away with. So, no, I am nothing like "the masses."
When the HP 7100 2x CDR/RW drive came out, I ponied up $400 for one. 11 months later, it started giving buffer underrun errors within the first few seconds of burning any CD. I put it in other computers, reformatted, tried everything - no dice. So I called HP.
They made me spend 2 hours on the phone (long distance on my tab) troubleshooting it. They didn't care that I had already tried everything they proposed, they wanted me to try it while I was on the phone with them. So I did. They then asked me to do something and, if it didn't work, call them back the next day. I did, and when I called them back, they made me go through the whole 2 hour phone conversation again, retrying everything I'd done the previous day! When I voiced my objection, I was told that the drive would absolutely not be replaced unless I did this.
So, 4 hours and $40 worth of phone calls later, they gave me an RAM number and replaced the drive. The new drive arrived and lasted a mere 4 months before dying the same death. I spoke with coworkers who had the SAME problem with the SAME drive. This time, HP flat out refused to replace the drive. They said my warranty had expired. (Apparently, you don't get another warranty with a new drive) I believe this particular model of drive, or a certain batch of them, had this as a problem and I believe HP knew it. I made dozens of phone calls, wrote letters, and talked to dozens of people online who also had the problem with their 7100.
When I muttered something about a class action lawsuit, HP changed their mind and decided to replace my drive. I told them that I absolutely would not accept another 7100 and demanded they send the 8100, their (at the time) flagship 4x burner. They did so. I've had that 8100 for the past 3 years and it's still working flawlessly to this day.
HP products are usually great, but I'm really put off by their customer service methods. It seems they would rather fight with every customer and treat them like bargain hunting thieves than show a little respect. I'm glad they finally came through for me, but I shouldn't have had to fight with and threaten them over it.
I have fixed wireless Internet access, and I'm not impressed with the company. For $120 a month (after tax) I'm supposed to get 1Mbps in both directions, a static IP, and unlimited bandwidth. What a deal, right? Well...
First, it took them 3 months to install the thing after many promises. They never returned phone calls (still don't for the most part). It would have taken longer but I pitched a huge fit and ended up on the phone with their CEO. The install cost $300 and came with a 1 year contract. This was back in March of this year. (oh, and that $300 was just an install fee: They still own the equipment.)
The first two months, the service was slow. I was lucky to get 100Kbps, one tenth of my bandwidth. Their techs told me my antenna wasn't getting a strong enough signal, but they refused to move it for me (they installed it in the first place!). So I spent $40 on a nice tripod-mount mast for my roof and moved the antenna up high, pushing my signal rate through the roof. The bandwidth didn't increase one bit, and after some investigation, I found out they had a tiny pipe (I'm told a single T1) serving a few hundred customers.
Then, they switched providers and my bandwidth jumped. I still wasn't getting my full 1Mbps, but it came pretty damn close most of the time (usually between 700 and 900Kbps), so I was satisfied. About a month ago they lost their high speed pipe and went back to the slow crap, and my bandwidth dropped to ~80Kbps. I pitched another fit, ended up on the phone with the CEO, and got half off this month's access. Right now, the bandwidth is a little better, but most of the time I'm still below 500Kbps and I'm still paying $120 a month for it. Friends in the know tell me they're running out of venture capital, fast.
I have no other choices for broadband. Qest doesn't give a damn about DSL and has no plans to roll it out in my area. Cable modem service from Charter Communications has been "on it's way" now for three years, and they keep pushing it back. Now it's "sometime in 2002." The next county (literally 5 minutes away) is served by Verizon and they have DSL that works great - if you can get service. It's so spotty that out of a couple dozen people I know who want it, only two actually can get it.
Wireless broadband is the only solution out here, but unfortunately, it seems to be run by people who don't exactly know what they're doing. Why they can't make it work with as many customers as they have is beyond me, but I'm surprised they haven't been sued for false advertising yet. They're still advertising bandwidth between 1Mbps and 10Mbps for various prices, but if they can't even keep up with the 1Mbps how the hell are they going to sell a 10Mbps link?! The answer: They can't.
Yes, I understand that just some Rent-A-Cop rubbing my legs isn't going to stop the determined individual, but it certainly isn't a bad idea.
Yeah, especially if she's attractive.
Really, why not turn this into something fun? Campaign to get a few attractive females on the "scanning" staff, then bring some questionable items out one day along with a bullshit story delivered poorly enough to warrant a full body cavity search.
About the only thing you can do in that situation is force them to produce the consent form with your signature -- if they can't produce it, they can't search you.
Nope, but they can hand you another form and give you the choice between signing it and submitting to a search or going home unemployed...
If you have a pool in a fenced-in backyard, and some kid climbs over your fence and drowns, you can bet your ass you're responsible.
In our fucked up society, you're right. But that's not how it should be. If someone circumvents your protection device (a fence) and harms themselves (drowns in your pool), he only has himself to blame.
Personally, if some kid ever drowns in my swimming pool after climbing my fence, I'm going to sue his parents for trespassing and mental anguish. With any luck, a nice trespassing conviction would prevent a successful lawsuit against me.
What a ridiculous idea. What with people stocking up on gas masks these days, we don't need them clamoring for "desktop biodetectors" that will never prove useful for more than 0.0001% of the population. Way to add to the paranoia,/.
It's a bitch if you are doing that when it rings. Yow! (from personal experience.)
No kidding. I was helping a friend with his phone once. I used to strip both wires at once with my teeth. Had 'em both in my mouth and someone tried to call him. Hurt like hell, and left my tongue numb for half an hour...
The US Justice Department would beg to differ. I buy into their findings much easier than I buy into yours.
The choice now is not Microsoft or no computer. If you dont believe, ask Sun, RedHat, SuSe, TurboLinux, IBM, Apple and a host of others.
Perhaps for you, this is true. For your average user, it is not. Do you really think someone's grandmother could successfully install and use *nix? A choice that is impossible for the average person to implement is not a choice.
but I know people that are MCSEs that don't know they can use some other ISP even that they exist
Bullshit. Anyone capable of getting an MCSE on his/her own (without cheating) is perfectly capable of setting up & using a different ISP. Despite what some/. users may think, an MCSE does require a fair bit of intelligence to obtain. Note that I said "fair bit": Don't expect them to be able to use a Unix box, let alone administer one, but they certainly understand dial-up connections, messaging protocols and, yes, they know they have a choice in ISPs.
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I ask my mechanic why he's doing something, but once he moves off into bafflegab, I'm left with two choices: trust that he's a professional or don't.
Yes, but you still understand the basic concepts of your vehicle: You know it needs fuel to run. You know what the oil does and why it's important. Likewise with coolant. If you don't, you should.
I did not mean to imply that someone should be able to create or repair all of the devices they use. Merely that they understand how the device works. I don't expect everyone to be able to diagnose and repair their own vehicle. However, if the temperature light were to come on, I would expect the driver to understand the cooling system enough that he pulls over, lets it cool off, then checks for adequate fluid. A willingness to learn these things is what separates you from the common sheep.
I think I could probably walk around almost anyone's house or the environment they work in and identify at least some things about which they know little or nothing other than how to operate the item in question in a simple way.
I agree, and this is exactly the point I'm making: People need to do a little research into the items they use. I don't think it is at all infeasible for people to learn how to operate items used on a daily basis in more than a simple way. Assuming a person had never used a telephone before, it would take less than a minute to learn. Why not spare the extra 5 minutes and learn how to use it's advanced features - speakerphone, voicemail, transfer, conferencing, hold, mute, etc? Any reasonably intelligent person can handle this.
The same thing goes for items around your house: You may understand how to change the channels on your VCR, but you should also learn how to set the clock and program timers. To merely plug it in and leave it blinking "12:00" shows your ignorance (I don't know how) or apathy (I don't care how). In the first case, it also shows a hint of stupidity (I'm not smart enough to learn how).
You also undoubedly understand the details of manufacturing your carpet, your clothes, ...
Nowhere did I say one should understand the details of manufacturing. I said, and I quote, "If you have no desire to learn the details of how something works, you shouldn't be using it." I'll say it again: The details of how something works. Not the details of how something is made. There is a huge difference.
And if you fly or use the train I'm sure you could give us a riveting lecture on the details of a locomotive or jet engine, as well as how quickly you could diagnose a problem, replace a broken part, or take the captain's chair in the cockpit should the pilot fall ill.
As a passenger, I am not "using" (or operating) the vehicle, the engineer or pilot is. Thus, the responsibility to know the details of the vehicle lies on them (although there is a certain responsibility on the part of the passenger to know at least a little about the vehicle, lest they do something stupid and endanger themselves). If you were looking over my shoulder while I operated a computer, I would not expect you to know what I'm doing. However, if you yourself were operating the computer, then yes, you should know what you are doing. Neglecting to learn is pure ignorance at best, complete stupidity at worst. Would you allow your teenager to hop in a car for the first time and learn to drive as he goes? Of course not. You'd send him to a class to learn a thing or two beforehand.
As a side note, I am more than capable of taking the captain's chair in the cockpit of a commercial airliner should the pilot fall ill. I've never been on a train and don't know a thing about operating one, though I'm pretty sure I could figure out how to stop one if I had to.
- electrical lines and switchboxes, phone hookups, plumbing, heating elements and sewage.
- your computer (a given), as well as your speakers, stereo system, cable box, television, toaster, coffee pot, microwave oven, digital clock radio, refrigerator, hot water heater, vacuum cleaner, etc. etc. If you don't, you shouldn't be using any of these devices.
Let's be quite clear here: In no way did I suggest anyone be able to build a vaccumn cleaner from scratch, repair a refrigerator, or wire up a home for electrical service. Rather, I said people need to understand how the devices work.
Knowing how an item works allows you to use it correctly. If you don't understand the basic concepts of electricity, you'll do what my neighbor did last night: Sucked the cord up into her vaccumn cleaner, tore the insulation off of it, pulled it back out while the unit was still running, then continued vaccumning with bare copper wire hanging out. Had she understood how vaccumn cleaners work, she never would have put her hand up into the spinning brush, and had she understood how electricity works, she would have unplugged it immediately. Her insistance on using these items (vaccumn cleaner and AC power) without learning their details could have cost her a couple of fingers, or worse.
How about another side note? : I've wired many circuits in my home, including my attic lighting & garage outlets. I wired my entire home with cat5 cabling for phone & computer networking. I didn't take care of the plumbing, but could have with no problems had I the desire to do so. Heating elements are basically giant resistors. I've repaired many of my electronics and home appliances and know how every one of them works. So, yes, I do know the intimate details of how everything in my home works. As a matter of fact, I helped in the construction and could have built the entire home myself had I the desire to do so.
We passed the days when one could master the art of understanding/producing all of the appliances used in daily life about 10,000 years ago, right after the end of the Stone Age. I think just about everyone understands this, except young arrogant fools who fail to think through their absurd notions before posting them to a public forum.
Millions of people understand all of the appliances used in daily life (not how to produce them, but a general overview of how they work, and how to use them). If you do not know these things, then I take pity on you. Your ignorance and failure to learn how to use the devices around you will one day get you into trouble if it hasn't already.
Do you listen to music?
Do you know how to play an instrument?
Some of the replies missed my point entirely, including yours. I did not say, nor did I mean to imply, that one should learn everything related to anything they do. Using your example, if one listens to music, they should learn how to properly operate the equipment they listen to the music on. They don't need to know exactly how the insides of the receiver work or how the music is made, but if the left speaker quits working, they should be able to adjust the balance and check the connections.
To answer your question: Yes, I know how to play instruments. I can read and write sheet music, I've played the violin since the 5th grade, and recently (~2 years) taught myself how to play the piano.
The simple fact of the matter is many people don't WANT to learn the in-depth operation of a computer just like most don't want to learn the exact details of how a car, tv, vcr or whatever works.
Ignorance is bliss, isn't it?
For the record, I don't consider people like this very smart. If you have no desire to learn the details of how something works, you shouldn't be using it. I know a guy who had no desire to learn how his car works. When the oil light came on, he didn't care, because he didn't know what it meant. When the engine siezed a couple of days later and it cost him $3000 to replace, he finally decided it might be a good idea to learn a little about his vehicle.
Maybe that's the difference between intelligent people and the common sheep. Intelligent people actually make an attempt to understand the products they use. The common sheep only learn the bare minimum to get by and nothing more.
This isn't funny. "ryanwright" stalked this woman, giving her legitimate reason to think she was in danger. He was the only person who knew she wasn't--how the hell would she have known otherwise?
"Stalked"? Following someone around campus, sending threatening letters on a regular basis, constantly harassing: That's stalking. This was a JOKE. You might not find it funny, but as far as I'm concerned it wasn't any worse of a Halloween prank than jumping out and scaring someone. Nowadays, I wouldn't find it as funny, because nobody would be puzzled to have messages pop-up on their screen. In that time, I (and the others who were with me) found it quite funny as she certainly didn't know what the hell was going on.
Note that we didn't pick this girl out for any reason other than she was sitting straight across from us. If it had been a guy there, the prank would have been pulled on him. If that had been the case, or if I had been a female, I'm willing to bet you wouldn't be up on your high horse condemning me over this.
As for the rest of your comments: You worry for other women? Because some friends and I pulled a prank on someone almost 10 years ago? Personally, I worry about people like you: People who blow everything way out of proportion. People who can turn a simple joke into a sexual harassment case, or accuse the prankster of being a stalker.
When you edit it, it is different.
I'm not editing or creating a derivative version of anything. I'm simply choosing to not watch the commercials. If I get up to make some popcorn in the middle of a "Friends" episode (or - God forbid - use the FF button to skip forward a few minutes during a boring scene), I haven't suddenly created a derivative version.
By your logic, the people who want free TV are forbidden by YOU from having it because you have this need to create a derivative (without-commercials) version of the show.
That's insane. Am I coming into your living room and forcing you to skip commercials? Didn't think so. In no way does my preference for skipping commercials forbid someone else from watching them. Unless you're in my home, in which case you'll have to ask nicely if you want to watch them.
The issue is NOT personal use. Think about it. One company is making money by stripping the commercial value out of another company's product.
ReplayTV is not stripping the commercial value out of television. They're simply providing the means for consumers to skip past parts they don't like. Consumers have done this since television was invented. They channel surf during commercials. They walk out of the room. They read magazines. They use the FF button on their VCRs. ReplayTV is just another method for consumers to do the same things they've been doing. Since both the box and the commercial skipping features are OPTIONAL, your idea that they are stripping the value out of television is false. If ReplayTV forcefully attached their boxes to everyone's televisions and stripped the commercials, you would have a point and I would be on your side.
It all boils down to this: Nobody has the right to come in and demand how I view their content. Once the content is in my hands, I choose where, how, when and why I want to watch it. If I want to skip parts, I will. If broadcasters don't like that, they'll have to figure a way to change my mind. Laws, lawsuits, etc, will not work.
The only REASON anyone is interested in the feature is because it is unfair to broadcasters and their advertisers.
By that logic, it's also unfair if I take a leak or make some popcorn during a commercial break. Maybe we should start putting seatbelts on couches? You have to buckle yourself in before you're allowed to watch TV, and when a commercial starts, the buckle locks so you can't get out of your chair. Would that be fair to broadcasters and their advertisers?
Why the hell are we compromising for them? WE are the consumers; WE get to decide whether we watch something or not. If we don't want to watch commercials, they can't force us to. Technology is quickly making current revenue streams for broadcasters obsolete. Too bad. They can find new revenue streams. It happens all the time in other industries.
This is a free society - it is unreasonable to expect consumers to change their behavior to keep some industry profitable. The broadcasters may win this lawsuit, but they'll never be able to stop us from skipping commercials. They'll just have to come up with a new revenue stream. Those that don't will die. End of story.
Uhh..let me see....you sent messages to a girl pretending to spy on her.
Then you threatened her.
This is funny? And you got modded up....*sigh*...
Oh, come on... I was 19 years old in the glory days of Windows 3.1 when nobody knew computers could send messages to each other. It was years before our campus had Internet access; we were all using 386s and the phrase "instant messaging" hadn't even been invented. For all she knew, the computer was talking to her... I thought it was hilarious.
Not a ghost story, but I scared the hell out of a girl in the CS lab at my local college many years ago. They were running Netware & Windows 3.1, and I thought it would be fun to harass someone. I did a "whoami" on my omputer and the one next to me, then sent a few test messages to figure out how the rest of the users in the lab were named. Pretty basic stuff: lab304. lab305. lab306. I counted computers and deduced the name of the account the gal across from me was using, then started sending messages.
I started with, "Hello". She stopped typing, looked at her screen for a second, figured out how to clear the message and went on typing her essay, love letter, or whatever it was. Not much of a reaction...
"I can see you." Again, nothing. She just cleared the message. Damnit. What does a guy have to do to get a reaction around here?!
"Why are you ignoring me?" This time she stopped, looked around the room a little, then resumed working.
"Whom are you looking for? I can still see you." She ignored this one.
"You're wearing (insert color of her clothes, I forget what they were but I described them for her), and you have a black jacket on the back of your chair." She immediately stood up and began scanning the room with a worried look on her face.
"Sit down. NOW." She did.
"If you don't want to get hurt I suggest you do exactly as I say. Eject the disk from your computer, NOW." The poor girl was trembling. She was scared out of her mind - it was hilarious. She ejected the disk as fast as she could.
"Good. Now, stay put. I will be there in 20 seconds." She got up, grabbed her books and RAN out of the lab as fast as she could!
Looking back, I almost feel bad, but it was worth it to see the expression on her face. I never saw her in the CS lab again...
Nick Petreley is a moron. Intelligent people don't make blanket statements like "Open source programmers stink at error handling." Next thing you know, he'll be telling you "Closed source programmers use more descriptive variables." How the hell does he know?
Programming traits - just like preferences for pizza toppings, frequency in bathing and type of pr0n - vary from programmer to programmer. Some implement proper error handling, others could care less. It doesn't matter whether they're working on an open or closed source project. If the open-source programmers all traded places with the closed-source programmers, you'd have the same ratios of proper vs. improper error handling (although the traffic from open-source-programmers.com to goatse.cx would probably spike).
Has anyone actually put together a PC that will control fuel injection, ignition and/or ABS/traction control or what not?
.. Sorry, I got a little carried away there...
Am I the only one who doesn't find the idea of booting your car up sort of, well, to put it nicely... completely fucking INSANE?! Can you imagine having to wait 20 minutes for Linux to fsck your disk before being allowed to drive your car?! Can you imagine having to stop processes before it will turn off?!! Can you imagine what happens when the 12 year old in the car next to you roots your car?!?!!? Can you imagine a beowulf cluster of these?!?!?!?!
A Mini-DV Camcorder. I can't get it to communicate through firewire because I have no drivers for it.
Mini-DV camcorders don't need their own drivers, and as such are not bundled with them. All you need is a standard firewire driver, and the camera should interface with it no problem. I found this out when trying to grab images from a $4000 Sony unit my company purchased. Even at that price range, the techs still had no idea what Firewire was. I sat on the phone for hours trying to find out where to download the drivers before finally talking to a high level tech who was able to steer me in the right direction.
What OS are you using? Windows 95, 98 and NT (?) do not support firewire video editing. You need 98SE, ME, or 2000. If you're not using one of these, give it a shot, it might solve your problem.
I'm always annoyed when I see the term "masses" used on Slashdot. Do you build your own car, or do you drive one of those built for "the masses." Do you drink Coke, watch The Simpsons, and buy clothes from a store? So do "the masses."
I don't have the ability to build my own car from scratch, but I did buy one that wasn't built for "the masses", rather for "the odd enthusiast", and heavily modified it.
I don't drink Coke, I don't watch the Simpsons, and I buy as few clothes from a store as I can get away with. So, no, I am nothing like "the masses."
they gave me an RAM number
That should say 'RMA number'...
When the HP 7100 2x CDR/RW drive came out, I ponied up $400 for one. 11 months later, it started giving buffer underrun errors within the first few seconds of burning any CD. I put it in other computers, reformatted, tried everything - no dice. So I called HP.
They made me spend 2 hours on the phone (long distance on my tab) troubleshooting it. They didn't care that I had already tried everything they proposed, they wanted me to try it while I was on the phone with them. So I did. They then asked me to do something and, if it didn't work, call them back the next day. I did, and when I called them back, they made me go through the whole 2 hour phone conversation again, retrying everything I'd done the previous day! When I voiced my objection, I was told that the drive would absolutely not be replaced unless I did this.
So, 4 hours and $40 worth of phone calls later, they gave me an RAM number and replaced the drive. The new drive arrived and lasted a mere 4 months before dying the same death. I spoke with coworkers who had the SAME problem with the SAME drive. This time, HP flat out refused to replace the drive. They said my warranty had expired. (Apparently, you don't get another warranty with a new drive) I believe this particular model of drive, or a certain batch of them, had this as a problem and I believe HP knew it. I made dozens of phone calls, wrote letters, and talked to dozens of people online who also had the problem with their 7100.
When I muttered something about a class action lawsuit, HP changed their mind and decided to replace my drive. I told them that I absolutely would not accept another 7100 and demanded they send the 8100, their (at the time) flagship 4x burner. They did so. I've had that 8100 for the past 3 years and it's still working flawlessly to this day.
HP products are usually great, but I'm really put off by their customer service methods. It seems they would rather fight with every customer and treat them like bargain hunting thieves than show a little respect. I'm glad they finally came through for me, but I shouldn't have had to fight with and threaten them over it.
I have fixed wireless Internet access, and I'm not impressed with the company. For $120 a month (after tax) I'm supposed to get 1Mbps in both directions, a static IP, and unlimited bandwidth. What a deal, right? Well...
First, it took them 3 months to install the thing after many promises. They never returned phone calls (still don't for the most part). It would have taken longer but I pitched a huge fit and ended up on the phone with their CEO. The install cost $300 and came with a 1 year contract. This was back in March of this year. (oh, and that $300 was just an install fee: They still own the equipment.)
The first two months, the service was slow. I was lucky to get 100Kbps, one tenth of my bandwidth. Their techs told me my antenna wasn't getting a strong enough signal, but they refused to move it for me (they installed it in the first place!). So I spent $40 on a nice tripod-mount mast for my roof and moved the antenna up high, pushing my signal rate through the roof. The bandwidth didn't increase one bit, and after some investigation, I found out they had a tiny pipe (I'm told a single T1) serving a few hundred customers.
Then, they switched providers and my bandwidth jumped. I still wasn't getting my full 1Mbps, but it came pretty damn close most of the time (usually between 700 and 900Kbps), so I was satisfied. About a month ago they lost their high speed pipe and went back to the slow crap, and my bandwidth dropped to ~80Kbps. I pitched another fit, ended up on the phone with the CEO, and got half off this month's access. Right now, the bandwidth is a little better, but most of the time I'm still below 500Kbps and I'm still paying $120 a month for it. Friends in the know tell me they're running out of venture capital, fast.
I have no other choices for broadband. Qest doesn't give a damn about DSL and has no plans to roll it out in my area. Cable modem service from Charter Communications has been "on it's way" now for three years, and they keep pushing it back. Now it's "sometime in 2002." The next county (literally 5 minutes away) is served by Verizon and they have DSL that works great - if you can get service. It's so spotty that out of a couple dozen people I know who want it, only two actually can get it.
Wireless broadband is the only solution out here, but unfortunately, it seems to be run by people who don't exactly know what they're doing. Why they can't make it work with as many customers as they have is beyond me, but I'm surprised they haven't been sued for false advertising yet. They're still advertising bandwidth between 1Mbps and 10Mbps for various prices, but if they can't even keep up with the 1Mbps how the hell are they going to sell a 10Mbps link?! The answer: They can't.
Yes, I understand that just some Rent-A-Cop rubbing my legs isn't going to stop the determined individual, but it certainly isn't a bad idea.
Yeah, especially if she's attractive.
Really, why not turn this into something fun? Campaign to get a few attractive females on the "scanning" staff, then bring some questionable items out one day along with a bullshit story delivered poorly enough to warrant a full body cavity search.
About the only thing you can do in that situation is force them to produce the consent form with your signature -- if they can't produce it, they can't search you.
Nope, but they can hand you another form and give you the choice between signing it and submitting to a search or going home unemployed...
If I worked at the National Institutes of Heath I would expect to be searched
Yeah - we'd all be in trouble if one of them there candy bars fell into the wrong hands...
I'm not sure whether to mod this +5, Funny or -50, Complete Fucking Moron. Can someone help me decide?
If you have a pool in a fenced-in backyard, and some kid climbs over your fence and drowns, you can bet your ass you're responsible.
In our fucked up society, you're right. But that's not how it should be. If someone circumvents your protection device (a fence) and harms themselves (drowns in your pool), he only has himself to blame.
Personally, if some kid ever drowns in my swimming pool after climbing my fence, I'm going to sue his parents for trespassing and mental anguish. With any luck, a nice trespassing conviction would prevent a successful lawsuit against me.
What a ridiculous idea. What with people stocking up on gas masks these days, we don't need them clamoring for "desktop biodetectors" that will never prove useful for more than 0.0001% of the population. Way to add to the paranoia, /.
It's a bitch if you are doing that when it rings. Yow! (from personal experience.)
No kidding. I was helping a friend with his phone once. I used to strip both wires at once with my teeth. Had 'em both in my mouth and someone tried to call him. Hurt like hell, and left my tongue numb for half an hour...
Microsoft is not monopoly.
The US Justice Department would beg to differ. I buy into their findings much easier than I buy into yours.
The choice now is not Microsoft or no computer. If you dont believe, ask Sun, RedHat, SuSe, TurboLinux, IBM, Apple and a host of others.
Perhaps for you, this is true. For your average user, it is not. Do you really think someone's grandmother could successfully install and use *nix? A choice that is impossible for the average person to implement is not a choice.
but I know people that are MCSEs that don't know they can use some other ISP even that they exist
/. users may think, an MCSE does require a fair bit of intelligence to obtain. Note that I said "fair bit": Don't expect them to be able to use a Unix box, let alone administer one, but they certainly understand dial-up connections, messaging protocols and, yes, they know they have a choice in ISPs.
Bullshit. Anyone capable of getting an MCSE on his/her own (without cheating) is perfectly capable of setting up & using a different ISP. Despite what some