I'm not quite ready to cut the cord yet, but the handwriting is on the wall. I'm watching more on Netflix & Hulu, and less on cable. And the same show is both shorter and more enjoyable on those ad-free services.
To add insult to injury, I was looking over my expenses the other day, and though cable isn't my biggest expense, it is the biggest expense that I could reasonably cut.
I still have my landline, but if it wasn't free as part of a bundle, I'd probably let it go. My mom still has her landline, but I convinced her to get a cellphone after her landline started acting up.
Yup. Time-Spectrum has my landline for no extra cost, but that means if I switch to someone else, I'll have the extra hassle of switching phone too. Or going 100% cellphone.
At one time, Mac laptops were far superior to PCs. The PCs earned the term "craptop" and never lasted over a year. My Macbooks, in contrast were rock-solid reliable, though I didn't find the UI any more "intuitive" than Windows. My more recent PCs didn't have those problems, but I can see how someone who got one of those craptops would prefer a Mac despite the higher price.
COBOL was/is a lot more readable because of the pseudo-english syntax. We used to try and write 'dirty' COBOL too: PERFORM UNNATURAL-ACTS VARYING PARTNERS FROM...
Those long winter evenings just flew by.
I didn't see it myself, but one of my old cow-orkers told me about another old-timer who was going through a divorce at the time, and wrote this:
I'm pretty sure I've seen non-trivial programs that AFAICT were written without thought or planning. And not even in a modern language (COBOL isn't considered modern).
Ebooks have one big advantage: size. My bookshelves are crammed. If I buy a dead-tree book, I'd have trouble finding room for it. I have plenty of room on my Kindle. Also, the last time I went on vacation, I barely had room for 3 books, and I was almost finished with the last one by the time I got home. I could read 3,000 books on my Kindle or iPhone. No danger of running out, and if I did, I could buy on the road.
2) Unlike before, there is such a huge quantity of material available for viewing, most people could spend their entire lives watching things they've never seen before running out. The only hit will be current pop culture, and trust me: Most people would be happier without it.
That's my situation. I have a bleepload of stuff on Netflix that I haven't gotten to yet, and another pile on Hulu. And that's just the stuff that's on my list.
That's exactly my problem. I've saved, and I'm probably in better shape for retirement than the vast majority. But is it enough?
I'll probably live to be over 100, partly because of family history, mostly because that's the worst case financially. I'll probably get whatever disease is most expensive, and the nation's leaders will bankrupt all the services.:(
I agree about reliability. Way back around 2003, I was having serious trouble with Time Warner internet. They claimed to be faster than DSL. They probably were, but for me, they went down at the drop of a hat. Any hat. Anywhere in the world.
DSL might have been slower, but it was much more reliable.
Twitter has an entirely different problem - the German language tend to be far more complicated than English. What fits into 140 characters in English can easily reach 200 characters in German, and even then be very imprecise. Most Germans tend to use it as a glorified news feed, less as something interactive.
Good point. All it takes is a few of those long German words, and they're already over the 140 limit.
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I'm not quite ready to cut the cord yet, but the handwriting is on the wall. I'm watching more on Netflix & Hulu, and less on cable. And the same show is both shorter and more enjoyable on those ad-free services.
To add insult to injury, I was looking over my expenses the other day, and though cable isn't my biggest expense, it is the biggest expense that I could reasonably cut.
I still have my landline, but if it wasn't free as part of a bundle, I'd probably let it go. My mom still has her landline, but I convinced her to get a cellphone after her landline started acting up.
Yup. Time-Spectrum has my landline for no extra cost, but that means if I switch to someone else, I'll have the extra hassle of switching phone too. Or going 100% cellphone.
So, your farts sound like "Alexa", "Amazon", or "Computer"? Or do you say whichever word before cutting loose?
I've noticed that whenever I get a spammail from AT&T wanting me to buy their crap, it's almost always an Android phone they're pushing.
At one time, Mac laptops were far superior to PCs. The PCs earned the term "craptop" and never lasted over a year. My Macbooks, in contrast were rock-solid reliable, though I didn't find the UI any more "intuitive" than Windows. My more recent PCs didn't have those problems, but I can see how someone who got one of those craptops would prefer a Mac despite the higher price.
The Mac is good because you're not forced to update (unlike Windows).
The iPhone is good because you CAN update (unlike Android).
They could kill two birds with one car. Introducing, the first poop-powered car! If they run out of fuel, they can scrape it off the streets.
COBOL was/is a lot more readable because of the pseudo-english syntax. We used to try and write 'dirty' COBOL too: ...
PERFORM UNNATURAL-ACTS VARYING PARTNERS FROM
Those long winter evenings just flew by.
I didn't see it myself, but one of my old cow-orkers told me about another old-timer who was going through a divorce at the time, and wrote this:
Perform Beat-Your-Wife Until She-Screams.
Sounded like fun.
Does reading /. count as consuming media?
I'm in favor of Trump going to Mars. I liked the idea of Bush going to Mars. Hell, I'd be happy if Obama and Clinton (both) went to Mars.
I'm pretty sure I've seen non-trivial programs that AFAICT were written without thought or planning. And not even in a modern language (COBOL isn't considered modern).
It would be interesting seeing a device driver in COBOL or Fortran.
Ebooks have one big advantage: size. My bookshelves are crammed. If I buy a dead-tree book, I'd have trouble finding room for it. I have plenty of room on my Kindle. Also, the last time I went on vacation, I barely had room for 3 books, and I was almost finished with the last one by the time I got home. I could read 3,000 books on my Kindle or iPhone. No danger of running out, and if I did, I could buy on the road.
I used an abacus in high school.
2) Unlike before, there is such a huge quantity of material available for viewing, most people could spend their entire lives watching things they've never seen before running out. The only hit will be current pop culture, and trust me: Most people would be happier without it.
That's my situation. I have a bleepload of stuff on Netflix that I haven't gotten to yet, and another pile on Hulu. And that's just the stuff that's on my list.
Heck, I have a whole bleepload of stuff on Netflix and Hulu that I haven't had time to see yet. It's going to be awhile before I even get to DS9.
That's exactly my problem. I've saved, and I'm probably in better shape for retirement than the vast majority. But is it enough?
I'll probably live to be over 100, partly because of family history, mostly because that's the worst case financially. I'll probably get whatever disease is most expensive, and the nation's leaders will bankrupt all the services. :(
These days, I consider anyone under 40 a kid.
Get off my lawn!
Alexa? Does this dress make me look fat?
"No, the dress has nothing to do with it".
I agree about reliability. Way back around 2003, I was having serious trouble with Time Warner internet. They claimed to be faster than DSL. They probably were, but for me, they went down at the drop of a hat. Any hat. Anywhere in the world.
DSL might have been slower, but it was much more reliable.
Some people don't get married in the first place for financial reasons (taxes, medical benefits, etc).
OTOH, I wouldn't want to be on the ground under dozens of people who "learned to fly in minutes".
Considering how many criminals post their crimes on Facebook, I wouldn't be so sure.
Twitter has an entirely different problem - the German language tend to be far more complicated than English. What fits into 140 characters in English can easily reach 200 characters in German, and even then be very imprecise. Most Germans tend to use it as a glorified news feed, less as something interactive.
Good point. All it takes is a few of those long German words, and they're already over the 140 limit.