Good for Shell! They made a BUSINESS decision! It is NOT GOOD BUSINESS practice to "invest" in something that DOES NOT WORK. Wind & solar are (at this time) cost prohibitive!
Ummmmm... Did you happen to forget how your computer was created? Your cell phone? How about your car? Your TV? They were created because someone "invested" in something that didn't exist, through all the steps of the things that didn't work, until they reached a product that *did* work.
If/when the day comes where it is more efficient to produce wind/solar power, you will see the energy companies jump on it. Same thing with these stupid "hybrid" cars. They are more expensive, use "more energy" to produce than a regular car.
Just how, pray-tell, are wind, solar, and "hybrid" cars ever supposed to get to a point where "they work" unless companies with MORE than enough money (like.. I dunno... Shell, perhaps?) invest in such technologies?
I happen to believe that Shell is shooting themselves in the foot. If they paid for the research, they'd be able to own many (if not all ) of the patents that go along with the tech, which means not only that they could have made money on selling the items, but they could make MORE in licensing their patents to other companies.
They, along with a small group of other companies, pretty much "own" the oil industry. Tell me, again, how it's NOT smart for them to "own" solar or wind technology in the same way?
Don't get me wrong. As a company, they can decide where to spend their money, no matter how stupid I think their decision might be. I just don't see how it's *not* a completely batshit-insane choice to exit some very potentially profitable markets knowing that your entire company profit center is based upon an item that is quite finite.
You appear to have misread the statement. It says you will receive a store "gift/credit card" for the amount you are paying for whatever item you're protecting. At that point, you can buy whatever current thing replaces the thing that you had to return, or buy something else.
That still doesn't mean I'd buy one of those plans. Of course, I build my own computers, so I'd never have to worry about that anyway. Newegg never hassles me if I tell it I don't want the plan they offer on each thing I've ever purchased, and that's exactly the way these B&M stores should handle it.
Whoa? Full purchase price? Not a replacement item? Not after they try to get it repaired? That actually might be worth doing...
My problem with those plans is that they always give you the run around when you try to make them honor them. "They don't make this anymore," or "we don't have stock on this item," or whatever lame excuse they give always slows things down. "That's not my problem" doesn't seem to register with them until I've said it a half dozen times.
1) Data was a machine. All they have to do is "rediscover" the Positron technology, and stumble into an archive of data's memory, then you have the being and the experiences both.
I have one word to answer your first point:
"before" (though it was pronounced "b-4", with a pause in it)
During Nemesis, Data dumped all his memory into "before" in an attempt to help him "grow beyond his programming".
You're acting as if the advertisements aren't being displayed -- to my knowledge, the advertisements that are presented (usually 4 to 5 times, from my own viewing of various shows) while watching the video still play.
I don't know if my Dodge Caliber is an actual American car, or a rebadged import, however, at nearly 37k miles (just shy of three years ownership), it's doing rather well -- so far. There was one recall (it was some sort of software issue dealing with a sensor), but otherwise it's been quite nice to drive. Just wish I had the ability to wait the 6 months I was quoted for a wait time for a manual transmission model. Not much you can do when a local mechanic (that has a good reputation!) fucks up your engine in the process of changing the timing belt and, as a result, refuses to make it right. Just starting a new job, and living 13 miles (one direction) from that job, I couldn't trust that my newly damaged, but previously trusty, Ford Contour would be reliable enough to drive while I waited. I'm sure one cylinder being full of oil (to the point that the spark plug, when removed, had oil dripping form its tip) wasn't a good sign..:(
If you do what you suggest below, but hit any of the arrow buttons *once*, the mouse is then active to move the window around. Left clicking "stops" the move and leaves the window where ever you clicked.
On Windows, if you right click the taskbar icon, use the 'Move' menuitem and then position the window using the cursor keys. Left click to 'cancel' this move-mode.
(I learned this when using the Windows 'Display settings' dialog, which is just too big to see the OK/Cancel buttons on the bottom. You'd think that'd be the first window to make fit in small resolutions!)
An earth devastated by an asteroid is still a much more friendly place to live on then either Moon or Mars. Self sustaining off-world colonies won't happen for many many years to come.
Actually, the "large" dealership in my town (of roughly 17k people) has quite a bit of back-end hardware. They have multiple satellite links (one each to the "big three"), multiple servers, and the majority of the service manuals/etc (when last I visited a good three or more years ago) where all pulled via these links. Some of the servers were used for some sort of "Ford TV" that played in certain places throughout the building. Nearly every desk had a PC on it, though I'm not sure exactly why. Many times when I visited, a good majority of the people were just sitting around talking to each other (there was some sort of Intranet, but not internet, service available on these machines).
The dealership is a rather long building from the last service bay to the front of the building, and does have a small amount of fiber for a link from the server room to the front of the building.
I've also seen some companies link all their core switches together via very short fiber links (I'm not sure why, and this was a long time ago in computer time...;) ).
Cars were my first assumption, but what kind of car dealership has fiber runs?
I'm sure the service department has some massive NAS for their service manuals, but fiber?
They must be dealing in something else. That, or there's more IT in selling cars than I know about.
Really? You'd better tell Nappa/AutoZone/etc that their Mopar parts for my Dodge are more expensive than the dealer.
Here's a hint -- The oil filter was under $10 while at the dealer it was just over twice that. Other parts I've acquired had similar price differences. Often there is an aftermarket part that is somewhat cheaper than the Mopar, and sometimes I use them. All are cheaper than going through the dealer.
You probably did yourself. It is very hard to get brand named spare parts through non-dealers and either way they are very expensive. The "aftermarket" as the auto industry calls it are basically reverse-engineered spare parts for frequently used products.
There are multiple models of "PC laptops" that have upgradable graphics hardware. My brother has a Gateway model (I don't recall it's model number and he's in Iraq right now), and I've seen many an article on Dell's with upgrade options. I believe Alienware also has/had at least one model.
Contrast this with exactly zero models of Apple laptop hardware that have ever had upgradable graphics.
graphics cards (not upgradable in iMac and laptops, but not upgradable on PC laptops either
Actually, no. You can use nlite to take your current CD, slipstream SP2 and 3 into it, and even pre-install drivers/software (like WMP). Yes, it will take some time downloading the files, and even a small amount of technical knowledge. You can have a computer-techy friend do it, or have a computer store do it (at a cost less than buying a "new" copy of XP).
Even if you didn't want to go through all the above, you could just download the latest WMP from MS and install it (as others had mentioned), and it won't cost you a dime (other than your internet connection/time, of course).
However, since "you don't use" it, I don't see why you are defending yourself so vigorously. All you had to say is "Sorry -- I didn't realize newer XP CD's came with newer versions of WMP preloaded." No need to make up all these silly excuses in order to defend yourself and bash MS at the same time. Microsoft provides *plenty* perfectly valid reasons for us to harp on them without resorting to that...
I should have clarified: Since XP SP2, it has come with WM9 but for those who still have older discs like me, I would have to buy a new copy just to get a WMP that I don't use.
Every version of XP I've seen comes with either WMP9 or WMP10.
But then again, WMA DRM = Works in Windows PCs without installing additional software
You still have to install a newer version of Windows Media Player than the default. On XP it comes with WMP 6.4 which doesn't have a lot of functionality. WMA DRM works on a lot of different PMPs; however, it doesn't work equally well on all of them or as well as FairPlay works with iPod. That's the main reason the iPod is more popular; it just works.
Re:The news item is rather subjective though.
on
Ruckus Closes Down
·
· Score: 1
Actually, Ruckus was free for students. I happen to work for the ITS department of a college, and I'd never heard about any payments we had to make for it. I do know that, if we got a certain percentage of our students signed up and using the service, the Ruckus folks would place a server at our location to help with bandwidth issues.
It did have a monthly fee for faculty/staff, however.
IE-Tab doesn't really simplify things that much, and its not inconceivable that something will work differently in actual IE than IE-tab.
Must be nice to have enough screen space to have two browsers open. Even with 2 22" monitors, I *still* find myself moving windows around, and constantly minimizing/maximizing windows (though just not as often as when I had a 17" and a 19").
Having all browser windows open in *one* program, in my mind, seems better in several situations.
That is a good opinion, however, there are many reasons to send a picture that is larger than 500k to someone, primary for my family being that many of them will either print the picture, or take it to a place with one of those photo kiosks and have them printed, so they can display them in their homes.
That purpose, specifically, is why I run a family gallery (got in on a "unlimited space/bandwidth" promotion with Dreamhost). People either upload the pictures directly, or send them to me in a big zip file that I upload myself. In fact, one of my brothers has a TON of pictures hung/displayed in his home and a very large portion of them are either self printed or printed at a photo kiosk.
Found some information about it. I recalled only seeing one brand with any Shotgun mentions on their boxes, but couldn't remember until I read the information I linked to. It was Diamond Multimedia, and no ISP in my area (out of about 4 or so) supported it, so none of them ever stayed out of the store for long (people would buy them, then within hours return them).
Heh.. I had forgotten all about those. Didn't they just use two analog lines, and only work properly if you were calling someone else with a similar setup (or an ISP with Shotgun support)?
...was in the "Two-thirds simply don't want it. The bigger issue is a lack of perceived value" camp until he started receiving many rather large pictures and short home movies (usually taken from a digital camera) of his grand kids. He was also attempting to upload pictures he'd taken to the family Gallery (it runs Gallery), but it took so long to do (he has a 7+ MP camera, so the pictures were rather large). After finally biting the bullet and getting *the cheapest* "broadband" he could find (I think it was 128k down / 64k up), within a couple weeks he had upgraded to a mid-level broadband package (somewhere around 1.5mb down/256(or more) up) and was finding himself doing so much more with it. I personally believe the final straw that made him actually upgrade his package was the ability to see/talk to his middle son (one of my two younger brothers) while he was/is deployed in Iraq (on his third tour now, I believe).
There are some people that just aren't going to want it, no matter what you show them can be done with it, but I think a large percentage of those 2/3 that "don't perceive the value" simply haven't had anyone explain/show them what value they could be getting.
Yes, it was the ST225. My memory, like those drives, just isn't what it used to be with age.:)
As to the customers with their failed WD drives -- none of them were used in RAID mode. They were on simple K62 through AthlonXP based desktops running WinXP Home (for the most part).
It's like claiming that if we forced all the Mexicans to go home, that Americans would take the fruit-picking jobs.
I've got an easy fix for that. Take all the assholes that actively sit at home, doing absolutely nothing but suck up state funds, and *throw* them into the fields. "You find work on your own, or you work here if you want welfare. Period. Nothing in life is free. You don't find work on your own or work here, you don't receive funds."
Slashdot Mirror
Errr.. Wasn't that the point I took the time to type out, which you responded to?
Yes, I had an opinion in my post, but your reply to it only makes sense if you didn't read my entire post.
They may have shot themselves in the foot, but that's THEIR decision to make, is the guy's point.
If they want profit today over what their customers MIGHT want tomorrow... that's their call.
Good for Shell! They made a BUSINESS decision! It is NOT GOOD BUSINESS practice to "invest" in something that DOES NOT WORK. Wind & solar are (at this time) cost prohibitive!
Ummmmm... Did you happen to forget how your computer was created? Your cell phone? How about your car? Your TV? They were created because someone "invested" in something that didn't exist, through all the steps of the things that didn't work, until they reached a product that *did* work.
If/when the day comes where it is more efficient to produce wind/solar power, you will see the energy companies jump on it.
Same thing with these stupid "hybrid" cars. They are more expensive, use "more energy" to produce than a regular car.
Just how, pray-tell, are wind, solar, and "hybrid" cars ever supposed to get to a point where "they work" unless companies with MORE than enough money (like.. I dunno... Shell, perhaps?) invest in such technologies?
I happen to believe that Shell is shooting themselves in the foot. If they paid for the research, they'd be able to own many (if not all ) of the patents that go along with the tech, which means not only that they could have made money on selling the items, but they could make MORE in licensing their patents to other companies.
They, along with a small group of other companies, pretty much "own" the oil industry. Tell me, again, how it's NOT smart for them to "own" solar or wind technology in the same way?
Don't get me wrong. As a company, they can decide where to spend their money, no matter how stupid I think their decision might be. I just don't see how it's *not* a completely batshit-insane choice to exit some very potentially profitable markets knowing that your entire company profit center is based upon an item that is quite finite.
You appear to have misread the statement. It says you will receive a store "gift/credit card" for the amount you are paying for whatever item you're protecting. At that point, you can buy whatever current thing replaces the thing that you had to return, or buy something else.
That still doesn't mean I'd buy one of those plans. Of course, I build my own computers, so I'd never have to worry about that anyway. Newegg never hassles me if I tell it I don't want the plan they offer on each thing I've ever purchased, and that's exactly the way these B&M stores should handle it.
Whoa? Full purchase price? Not a replacement item? Not after they try to get it repaired? That actually might be worth doing...
My problem with those plans is that they always give you the run around when you try to make them honor them. "They don't make this anymore," or "we don't have stock on this item," or whatever lame excuse they give always slows things down. "That's not my problem" doesn't seem to register with them until I've said it a half dozen times.
1) Data was a machine. All they have to do is "rediscover" the Positron technology, and stumble into an archive of data's memory, then you have the being and the experiences both.
I have one word to answer your first point:
"before" (though it was pronounced "b-4", with a pause in it)
During Nemesis, Data dumped all his memory into "before" in an attempt to help him "grow beyond his programming".
You're acting as if the advertisements aren't being displayed -- to my knowledge, the advertisements that are presented (usually 4 to 5 times, from my own viewing of various shows) while watching the video still play.
So far, so good...
I don't know if my Dodge Caliber is an actual American car, or a rebadged import, however, at nearly 37k miles (just shy of three years ownership), it's doing rather well -- so far. There was one recall (it was some sort of software issue dealing with a sensor), but otherwise it's been quite nice to drive. Just wish I had the ability to wait the 6 months I was quoted for a wait time for a manual transmission model. :(
Not much you can do when a local mechanic (that has a good reputation!) fucks up your engine in the process of changing the timing belt and, as a result, refuses to make it right. Just starting a new job, and living 13 miles (one direction) from that job, I couldn't trust that my newly damaged, but previously trusty, Ford Contour would be reliable enough to drive while I waited. I'm sure one cylinder being full of oil (to the point that the spark plug, when removed, had oil dripping form its tip) wasn't a good sign..
*sigh*
I think this was the first post I've ever seen on slashdot that contained the words "nigger" and "cocks" that *wasn't* down-modded! ;)
If you do what you suggest below, but hit any of the arrow buttons *once*, the mouse is then active to move the window around. Left clicking "stops" the move and leaves the window where ever you clicked.
On Windows, if you right click the taskbar icon, use the 'Move' menuitem and then position the window using the cursor keys. Left click to 'cancel' this move-mode.
(I learned this when using the Windows 'Display settings' dialog, which is just too big to see the OK/Cancel buttons on the bottom. You'd think that'd be the first window to make fit in small resolutions!)
Especially with *that* attitude!
An earth devastated by an asteroid is still a much more friendly place to live on then either Moon or Mars. Self sustaining off-world colonies won't happen for many many years to come.
You also have to account for your neighbor who is addicted to porn and downloads it constantly seeding at 100% for days on end.
Hey, don't talk about me like that when I'm not around ;)
Only two minutes from OP to reply -- You type pretty fast for only having one hand available!
Actually, the "large" dealership in my town (of roughly 17k people) has quite a bit of back-end hardware. They have multiple satellite links (one each to the "big three"), multiple servers, and the majority of the service manuals/etc (when last I visited a good three or more years ago) where all pulled via these links. Some of the servers were used for some sort of "Ford TV" that played in certain places throughout the building. Nearly every desk had a PC on it, though I'm not sure exactly why. Many times when I visited, a good majority of the people were just sitting around talking to each other (there was some sort of Intranet, but not internet, service available on these machines).
The dealership is a rather long building from the last service bay to the front of the building, and does have a small amount of fiber for a link from the server room to the front of the building.
I've also seen some companies link all their core switches together via very short fiber links (I'm not sure why, and this was a long time ago in computer time... ;) ).
Cars were my first assumption, but what kind of car dealership has fiber runs?
I'm sure the service department has some massive NAS for their service manuals, but fiber?
They must be dealing in something else. That, or there's more IT in selling cars than I know about.
In Soviet Russia ...
1. Meme Very Tired. No Longer Wired.
2. 'Soviet Russia' ceased to exist last century.
3. Profit!!!
I for one welcome our previous-century-meme based overlords.
It only works with Hot Grits poured over Natalie Portman, if I recall correctly.
Really? You'd better tell Nappa/AutoZone/etc that their Mopar parts for my Dodge are more expensive than the dealer.
Here's a hint -- The oil filter was under $10 while at the dealer it was just over twice that. Other parts I've acquired had similar price differences. Often there is an aftermarket part that is somewhat cheaper than the Mopar, and sometimes I use them. All are cheaper than going through the dealer.
You probably did yourself. It is very hard to get brand named spare parts through non-dealers and either way they are very expensive. The "aftermarket" as the auto industry calls it are basically reverse-engineered spare parts for frequently used products.
There are multiple models of "PC laptops" that have upgradable graphics hardware. My brother has a Gateway model (I don't recall it's model number and he's in Iraq right now), and I've seen many an article on Dell's with upgrade options. I believe Alienware also has/had at least one model.
Contrast this with exactly zero models of Apple laptop hardware that have ever had upgradable graphics.
graphics cards (not upgradable in iMac and laptops, but not upgradable on PC laptops either
Actually, no. You can use nlite to take your current CD, slipstream SP2 and 3 into it, and even pre-install drivers/software (like WMP). Yes, it will take some time downloading the files, and even a small amount of technical knowledge. You can have a computer-techy friend do it, or have a computer store do it (at a cost less than buying a "new" copy of XP).
Even if you didn't want to go through all the above, you could just download the latest WMP from MS and install it (as others had mentioned), and it won't cost you a dime (other than your internet connection/time, of course).
However, since "you don't use" it, I don't see why you are defending yourself so vigorously. All you had to say is "Sorry -- I didn't realize newer XP CD's came with newer versions of WMP preloaded." No need to make up all these silly excuses in order to defend yourself and bash MS at the same time. Microsoft provides *plenty* perfectly valid reasons for us to harp on them without resorting to that...
I should have clarified: Since XP SP2, it has come with WM9 but for those who still have older discs like me, I would have to buy a new copy just to get a WMP that I don't use.
Every version of XP I've seen comes with either WMP9 or WMP10.
You still have to install a newer version of Windows Media Player than the default. On XP it comes with WMP 6.4 which doesn't have a lot of functionality. WMA DRM works on a lot of different PMPs; however, it doesn't work equally well on all of them or as well as FairPlay works with iPod. That's the main reason the iPod is more popular; it just works.
Actually, Ruckus was free for students. I happen to work for the ITS department of a college, and I'd never heard about any payments we had to make for it. I do know that, if we got a certain percentage of our students signed up and using the service, the Ruckus folks would place a server at our location to help with bandwidth issues.
It did have a monthly fee for faculty/staff, however.
IE-Tab doesn't really simplify things that much, and its not inconceivable that something will work differently in actual IE than IE-tab.
Must be nice to have enough screen space to have two browsers open. Even with 2 22" monitors, I *still* find myself moving windows around, and constantly minimizing/maximizing windows (though just not as often as when I had a 17" and a 19").
Having all browser windows open in *one* program, in my mind, seems better in several situations.
That is a good opinion, however, there are many reasons to send a picture that is larger than 500k to someone, primary for my family being that many of them will either print the picture, or take it to a place with one of those photo kiosks and have them printed, so they can display them in their homes.
That purpose, specifically, is why I run a family gallery (got in on a "unlimited space/bandwidth" promotion with Dreamhost). People either upload the pictures directly, or send them to me in a big zip file that I upload myself. In fact, one of my brothers has a TON of pictures hung/displayed in his home and a very large portion of them are either self printed or printed at a photo kiosk.
Found some information about it. I recalled only seeing one brand with any Shotgun mentions on their boxes, but couldn't remember until I read the information I linked to. It was Diamond Multimedia, and no ISP in my area (out of about 4 or so) supported it, so none of them ever stayed out of the store for long (people would buy them, then within hours return them).
Heh.. I had forgotten all about those. Didn't they just use two analog lines, and only work properly if you were calling someone else with a similar setup (or an ISP with Shotgun support)?
...was in the "Two-thirds simply don't want it. The bigger issue is a lack of perceived value" camp until he started receiving many rather large pictures and short home movies (usually taken from a digital camera) of his grand kids. He was also attempting to upload pictures he'd taken to the family Gallery (it runs Gallery), but it took so long to do (he has a 7+ MP camera, so the pictures were rather large). After finally biting the bullet and getting *the cheapest* "broadband" he could find (I think it was 128k down / 64k up), within a couple weeks he had upgraded to a mid-level broadband package (somewhere around 1.5mb down/256(or more) up) and was finding himself doing so much more with it. I personally believe the final straw that made him actually upgrade his package was the ability to see/talk to his middle son (one of my two younger brothers) while he was/is deployed in Iraq (on his third tour now, I believe).
There are some people that just aren't going to want it, no matter what you show them can be done with it, but I think a large percentage of those 2/3 that "don't perceive the value" simply haven't had anyone explain/show them what value they could be getting.
Yes, it was the ST225. My memory, like those drives, just isn't what it used to be with age. :)
As to the customers with their failed WD drives -- none of them were used in RAID mode. They were on simple K62 through AthlonXP based desktops running WinXP Home (for the most part).
It's like claiming that if we forced all the Mexicans to go home, that Americans would take the fruit-picking jobs.
I've got an easy fix for that. Take all the assholes that actively sit at home, doing absolutely nothing but suck up state funds, and *throw* them into the fields. "You find work on your own, or you work here if you want welfare. Period. Nothing in life is free. You don't find work on your own or work here, you don't receive funds."
Problem solved!