This is a pretty common argument. However, I always see a common trend. "I was doing something wrong (in this case adultery) and I got caught because of some entirely unrelated event." As often as not, it's an entirely related event. If you hadn't been doing that in the first place, if you had been at home with your family where you belong(in this example), then this would not be an issue. I would like to hear an example that doesn't put down this idea based on your ability to break the law, or do something wrong, and get away with it.
I hear a lot of people that don't like Automatic tolling systems, in large part because it give the man ability to track them, but also because it could be easily used to catch them for speeding. Half of their concern is their freedom.... to get away with breaking the law.
5 years of monthly payments??!?!?!? What possible reason could you have for turning down the lifetime subscription? You've paid well over $600 for something that you could have paid less than half that. Of course, if you blame Tivo for taxes, maybe I'm wasting my keystrokes.
Why am I so damn paranoid that I can't see how convenient this would be? There are drawbacks to everything, but if you're smart, you can avoid them.
If you don't do anything that has potential to be exploited (or whatever you're afraid of) you'd live in a bubble, miles underground for the rest of your life. In fact, even that is probably objectionable for one reason or another...
Have you looked at hard drive tests recently? Western Digital are pretty quick as of late. Many times among the fastest. I trust Seagate very highly recently, but they've dropped to among the slowest. Check your info before you post based on information 18 months old...
The biggest reason I don't have a "tivo" type PC based device using an All-In-Wonder card or some other TV tuner is that they can not tune a Digital signal. So, if I have DirecTV (I do) or Digital Cable, I have to change the channel on my homemade "tivo" box, then record on my PC. Two steps. That, and the Tivo interface is just soooooooo smooth...
There are MANY chemicals in your drinking water, and in just about everything you eat that are poisonous, deadly, and a host of other nasty things. However, they are in the things you consume in such small amounts that it's arbitrary. For example, commonly Chlorine (Pure in gas form or Sodium Hypochlorite, for killing bacteria) and Fluoride (Hydrofluorosylicic Acid, for good dental health) are added to your drinking water. If you come into direct contact with either, you're in potentially big trouble. However, they are monitored incredibly closely, and exist in your water in such trace amounts that there is no chance if you're being harmed. If I recall correctly, Fluoride is usually maintained in Municipal drinking water between 1 and 2 parts per million. Fluoride levels are not dangerous until they're above that. Early indicators are brown spots on your teeth. The EPA monitors this like a hawk. If your water doesn't comply, you can't pump it any more.
On an additional interesting note, in the interest of "good taste" and healthy water, things such as Calcium, Magnesium and Iron (you probably take vitamin supplements with these) are removed, to improve water quality, and harsh chemicals are added in. I've always considered that somewhat comical.
I definitely agree. But there are not many that do this, for good reason. Take Loki Games for example. They put a huge effort into supporting the Linux gaming community. Look where it got them. I don't think the Linux gaming community should be ignored, but I definitely understand they limited interest it recieves. Anyone that knows anything about business understands that it's a very risky prospect to invest what's required in porting a game to linux, for the relatively small returns it's going to gain. I'd like to see a number on this, but I would guess that 50% or better of linux ports are just a donation to the charity that is Linux. They have to sell a pretty fair number of games to make back the money they spend on porting. This is the same reason they don't port much to Mac. If you make a Windows game, you have 90% of the planet (or whatever the % is now) and millyuns and millyuns of potential customers, so even if a VERY small portion of those people pick it up, it still will work out. However, the number of Linux gamers (the REAL Linux gamers, that aren't just content to dual boot) is so small that it's a very risky proposition to release a linux port.
Do you have any idea what you're talking about? The "nobody ever got fired for buying IBM" is older than dirt and truer than true. For one thing, Corporate America will rarely touch anything that's not Intel. Whether it be desktop or server, that's the hard truth. The old saying has changed a little, where it includes Dell and sometimes HPaq, but the point of the saying is that no one ever got fired for buying tried and true server hardware.
However, LOTS of people have gotten fired for taking a chance on something new, cheap, etc. I work for an OEM, and probably the biggest hurdle we have has nothing to do with support, warranty, performance, supply or any of that. Name is the biggest problem I face every day. I talk to people all day every day, and I can't tell you the number of times I talk to engineers/end users, etc that say, "We love your hardware/support/company/whatever, but you're not Dell/IBM/HPaq, so my boss/purchasing department/whoever, won't approve the purchase."
Sun MIGHT be an alternative for some, but I think your point is a little off base. Intel MAY have gotten into the server market on the cheap, low end, but that's definitely not the case now. Windows/Intel controls a sizeable portion of the market, where Sun and AMD control VERY little. I don't think it's an issue of cheaper anymore, it's an issue of proven hardware. I can't say anything about the software side of it. That's just an issue of more successful (if sometimes/frequently questionable) business practice.
AMD "server" hardware has been around for quite some time, in dual processor applications, and it hasn't even made a dent in the market. It's cheaper, but it just doesn't run as well as Intel hardware, and people just aren't buying into for whatever reason.
There is all sorts of bad data out there about how the current AMD chips are superior to the Intel ones, but the big companies wont even carry them. I'm sure some of this has to do with pressure from Intel and marketing and whatever, but a larger part has to do with quality.
Intel isn't Sun, but the do make great hardware. You don't just fall into that large of a market share.
From the people I know overseas they tell me that (because of unions) it takes an act of god for someone to lose their job."
This is about 75% of why unions suck. You can have a completely incompetent worker, that can not be fired becuase he's a member of the union. There are many that will take advantage of this. They'll do the absolute minimum required to maintain their job, because they know they can't be fired...
Supply and Demand is the reason for used college textbook prices, not damage or anything else. If demand dictated used book prices be higher than new, they would be. Or, if what you added or removed to/from the book added value, maybe it would sell higher. I think a better argument, based on the discussion so far is: Is CleanFlicks doing as service for their customers, for the customers benefit, or editing the content and reselling for the benefit of the company. Many of the previous posts mention this. Some say that "If I want someone to tear pages out of a book/remove frames from a movie because I'm unable or unmotivated to, that's my perogative." others say "You're editing copyrighted material, and reselling it." Both statements end up with the same result, it just twists the intent while accomplishing this task. I don't see this as a problem, if I want to show my kids Braveheart, but I'd rather they didn't see the boobies and blood. If there were a convenient way of doing this, I don't see it as any different than a TV version of a movie, just sans the commercials.
Frequently there are estimations and announcements made about the maximum this, or the upper limit of that, which are promptly proved untrue and replaced my other statements soon to be proven untrue.
Example:
I remember Willie Gates making a statement that no computer will EVER need more that 640k of RAM.
There have been many statements released about the top speed that silicon based processors can go, and the maximum number of transistors on a chip, many of which have been disproven.
How many of these statements must be shot down before these so called experts will quit making these statements? Will it ever end?
This says a lot more than is evident as face value. First, a degree is not a good investment. (Wrong)
Second, "rant rant rant" (Proves first statement wrong.
In a related story, you'd best not go outside your house, as you may be struck by lightning or hit by a falling meteor. At least, if you believe that someone is actually interested in you enough to attempt to reconstruct your data using this method. In fact, if you're actually worried about this occurring, you'd better get a restraining order against that stalker. Of course, I always wanted a stalker for my very own...
There is another clock speed issue to examine as well when comparing these technologies. There has been frequent mention of comparing RDRAM and P4 with Athlon with DDR, for various reasons. One of these is that the RDRAM is "faster" and more mature, so therefore will "level the playing field." The problem with this is the addiction to the clock speed rating. PC800 RDRAM does indeed run at 800 Mhz, but it only runs at a 4 bit bus width. DDR on the other hand, only runs at 266 Mhz FSB, but runs on a 64 bit bus width. Because of this, RDRAM chokes when you are doing RAM intensive tasks, where the DDR has plenty of additional bandwidth.
What do you mean, you only see your coworkers for an hour a day. Every non-tech job I've had, and every one that the original article mentions, there is a lot more interaction with coworkers. Firemen and "Army guys" in particular literally live together for a large portion of their time working together and generally spend more time with coworkers than with family. I worked in public works long ago, where I would spend 8 hours a day or more working directly with my coworkers. Any IT job I have had has very little physical interaction with my coworkers. An occasional shouted conversation over a cubicle wall, e-mails back and forth, but much less interaction than ANY of these other circumstances. Also, if you are working 60+ hours a week, you do need to find a new employer, unless you are the owner, or VERY well paid...
Any of the crusoe laptops would work. The Sony Picturebook and the Fujistu Lifebook P series (I think) are based on the crusoe laptop. They definitely aren't easy on the pocketbook, but they are the closest thing to what you are looking for. Having a battery that will last a week is about 687 miles on the other side of a pipe dream, but the Crusoe laptops, with the larger battery, will last up to 20 hours. This is nothing short of herculean for a laptop. These also do not include all of the frills that you mentioned. Just about ideal, based on what you mentioned....
If you're a fan of the cartoon (or the creator) this will be funny, otherwise, this may seem odd. Much like the show...
Great on Paper
on
Globalization
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
The real thing to examine is this: Is globalism really good, or is it similar to Socialism and various other ideas in that is looks excellent on paper, but in practice, never seems to work out just right. There are many ideas like this that appear to be the solution to everything, but when put into practice, become a big mess. My thought is that many of these things deserve a closer look before being put into practice so that we can avoid slogging through a mess.
Slashdot Mirror
This is a pretty common argument. However, I always see a common trend. "I was doing something wrong (in this case adultery) and I got caught because of some entirely unrelated event." As often as not, it's an entirely related event. If you hadn't been doing that in the first place, if you had been at home with your family where you belong(in this example), then this would not be an issue. I would like to hear an example that doesn't put down this idea based on your ability to break the law, or do something wrong, and get away with it.
I hear a lot of people that don't like Automatic tolling systems, in large part because it give the man ability to track them, but also because it could be easily used to catch them for speeding. Half of their concern is their freedom.... to get away with breaking the law.
5 years of monthly payments??!?!?!? What possible reason could you have for turning down the lifetime subscription? You've paid well over $600 for something that you could have paid less than half that. Of course, if you blame Tivo for taxes, maybe I'm wasting my keystrokes.
Why am I so damn paranoid that I can't see how convenient this would be? There are drawbacks to everything, but if you're smart, you can avoid them.
If you don't do anything that has potential to be exploited (or whatever you're afraid of) you'd live in a bubble, miles underground for the rest of your life. In fact, even that is probably objectionable for one reason or another...
Have you looked at hard drive tests recently? Western Digital are pretty quick as of late. Many times among the fastest. I trust Seagate very highly recently, but they've dropped to among the slowest. Check your info before you post based on information 18 months old...
The biggest reason I don't have a "tivo" type PC based device using an All-In-Wonder card or some other TV tuner is that they can not tune a Digital signal. So, if I have DirecTV (I do) or Digital Cable, I have to change the channel on my homemade "tivo" box, then record on my PC. Two steps. That, and the Tivo interface is just soooooooo smooth...
Elementary students don't need wifi? Don't you read the articles on /.????
There are MANY chemicals in your drinking water, and in just about everything you eat that are poisonous, deadly, and a host of other nasty things. However, they are in the things you consume in such small amounts that it's arbitrary. For example, commonly Chlorine (Pure in gas form or Sodium Hypochlorite, for killing bacteria) and Fluoride (Hydrofluorosylicic Acid, for good dental health) are added to your drinking water. If you come into direct contact with either, you're in potentially big trouble. However, they are monitored incredibly closely, and exist in your water in such trace amounts that there is no chance if you're being harmed. If I recall correctly, Fluoride is usually maintained in Municipal drinking water between 1 and 2 parts per million. Fluoride levels are not dangerous until they're above that. Early indicators are brown spots on your teeth. The EPA monitors this like a hawk. If your water doesn't comply, you can't pump it any more.
On an additional interesting note, in the interest of "good taste" and healthy water, things such as Calcium, Magnesium and Iron (you probably take vitamin supplements with these) are removed, to improve water quality, and harsh chemicals are added in. I've always considered that somewhat comical.
I definitely agree. But there are not many that do this, for good reason. Take Loki Games for example. They put a huge effort into supporting the Linux gaming community. Look where it got them. I don't think the Linux gaming community should be ignored, but I definitely understand they limited interest it recieves. Anyone that knows anything about business understands that it's a very risky prospect to invest what's required in porting a game to linux, for the relatively small returns it's going to gain. I'd like to see a number on this, but I would guess that 50% or better of linux ports are just a donation to the charity that is Linux. They have to sell a pretty fair number of games to make back the money they spend on porting. This is the same reason they don't port much to Mac. If you make a Windows game, you have 90% of the planet (or whatever the % is now) and millyuns and millyuns of potential customers, so even if a VERY small portion of those people pick it up, it still will work out. However, the number of Linux gamers (the REAL Linux gamers, that aren't just content to dual boot) is so small that it's a very risky proposition to release a linux port.
Do you have any idea what you're talking about? The "nobody ever got fired for buying IBM" is older than dirt and truer than true. For one thing, Corporate America will rarely touch anything that's not Intel. Whether it be desktop or server, that's the hard truth. The old saying has changed a little, where it includes Dell and sometimes HPaq, but the point of the saying is that no one ever got fired for buying tried and true server hardware.
However, LOTS of people have gotten fired for taking a chance on something new, cheap, etc. I work for an OEM, and probably the biggest hurdle we have has nothing to do with support, warranty, performance, supply or any of that. Name is the biggest problem I face every day. I talk to people all day every day, and I can't tell you the number of times I talk to engineers/end users, etc that say, "We love your hardware/support/company/whatever, but you're not Dell/IBM/HPaq, so my boss/purchasing department/whoever, won't approve the purchase."
Sun MIGHT be an alternative for some, but I think your point is a little off base. Intel MAY have gotten into the server market on the cheap, low end, but that's definitely not the case now. Windows/Intel controls a sizeable portion of the market, where Sun and AMD control VERY little. I don't think it's an issue of cheaper anymore, it's an issue of proven hardware. I can't say anything about the software side of it. That's just an issue of more successful (if sometimes/frequently questionable) business practice.
AMD "server" hardware has been around for quite some time, in dual processor applications, and it hasn't even made a dent in the market. It's cheaper, but it just doesn't run as well as Intel hardware, and people just aren't buying into for whatever reason.
There is all sorts of bad data out there about how the current AMD chips are superior to the Intel ones, but the big companies wont even carry them. I'm sure some of this has to do with pressure from Intel and marketing and whatever, but a larger part has to do with quality.
Intel isn't Sun, but the do make great hardware. You don't just fall into that large of a market share.
From the people I know overseas they tell me that (because of unions) it takes an act of god for someone to lose their job."
This is about 75% of why unions suck. You can have a completely incompetent worker, that can not be fired becuase he's a member of the union. There are many that will take advantage of this. They'll do the absolute minimum required to maintain their job, because they know they can't be fired...
Supply and Demand is the reason for used college textbook prices, not damage or anything else. If demand dictated used book prices be higher than new, they would be. Or, if what you added or removed to/from the book added value, maybe it would sell higher.
I think a better argument, based on the discussion so far is: Is CleanFlicks doing as service for their customers, for the customers benefit, or editing the content and reselling for the benefit of the company. Many of the previous posts mention this.
Some say that "If I want someone to tear pages out of a book/remove frames from a movie because I'm unable or unmotivated to, that's my perogative." others say "You're editing copyrighted material, and reselling it." Both statements end up with the same result, it just twists the intent while accomplishing this task. I don't see this as a problem, if I want to show my kids Braveheart, but I'd rather they didn't see the boobies and blood. If there were a convenient way of doing this, I don't see it as any different than a TV version of a movie, just sans the commercials.
Does anyone else catch this?
Frequently there are estimations and announcements made about the maximum this, or the upper limit of that, which are promptly proved untrue and replaced my other statements soon to be proven untrue.
Example:
I remember Willie Gates making a statement that no computer will EVER need more that 640k of RAM.
There have been many statements released about the top speed that silicon based processors can go, and the maximum number of transistors on a chip, many of which have been disproven.
How many of these statements must be shot down before these so called experts will quit making these statements? Will it ever end?
Ed
This says a lot more than is evident as face value.
First, a degree is not a good investment. (Wrong)
Second, "rant rant rant" (Proves first statement wrong.
In a related story, you'd best not go outside your house, as you may be struck by lightning or hit by a falling meteor. At least, if you believe that someone is actually interested in you enough to attempt to reconstruct your data using this method. In fact, if you're actually worried about this occurring, you'd better get a restraining order against that stalker.
Of course, I always wanted a stalker for my very own...
There is another clock speed issue to examine as well when comparing these technologies. There has been frequent mention of comparing RDRAM and P4 with Athlon with DDR, for various reasons. One of these is that the RDRAM is "faster" and more mature, so therefore will "level the playing field." The problem with this is the addiction to the clock speed rating. PC800 RDRAM does indeed run at 800 Mhz, but it only runs at a 4 bit bus width. DDR on the other hand, only runs at 266 Mhz FSB, but runs on a 64 bit bus width. Because of this, RDRAM chokes when you are doing RAM intensive tasks, where the DDR has plenty of additional bandwidth.
Just my $.02
Ed
What do you mean, you only see your coworkers for an hour a day. Every non-tech job I've had, and every one that the original article mentions, there is a lot more interaction with coworkers. Firemen and "Army guys" in particular literally live together for a large portion of their time working together and generally spend more time with coworkers than with family. I worked in public works long ago, where I would spend 8 hours a day or more working directly with my coworkers. Any IT job I have had has very little physical interaction with my coworkers. An occasional shouted conversation over a cubicle wall, e-mails back and forth, but much less interaction than ANY of these other circumstances. Also, if you are working 60+ hours a week, you do need to find a new employer, unless you are the owner, or VERY well paid...
Any of the crusoe laptops would work. The Sony Picturebook and the Fujistu Lifebook P series (I think) are based on the crusoe laptop. They definitely aren't easy on the pocketbook, but they are the closest thing to what you are looking for. Having a battery that will last a week is about 687 miles on the other side of a pipe dream, but the Crusoe laptops, with the larger battery, will last up to 20 hours. This is nothing short of herculean for a laptop. These also do not include all of the frills that you mentioned. Just about ideal, based on what you mentioned....
[include -something witty]
How're you doing?????
If you're a fan of the cartoon (or the creator) this will be funny, otherwise, this may seem odd. Much like the show...
The real thing to examine is this: Is globalism really good, or is it similar to Socialism and various other ideas in that is looks excellent on paper, but in practice, never seems to work out just right. There are many ideas like this that appear to be the solution to everything, but when put into practice, become a big mess. My thought is that many of these things deserve a closer look before being put into practice so that we can avoid slogging through a mess.
Ed