The idea of paying for what we I wouldn't be so offensive if they would adopt that policy across the board. They're my (only choice for) cable TV, and I predominantly watch about 10 channels. But to get those 10 channels, I have to subscribe to 90. I could save myself a bucket load of cash if I only paid for what I used...
Comcast, however, has no immediate plans to offer a lower-priced, slower service.
Damn right they don't. When they took over @home in my area, download speed dropped by 75%, uploads dropped by 96% and prices went up by 25%. Comcast is a monopoly in my area, they know it, and they're taking advantage of it.
As a side note, I showed my girlfriend the article about sherwin williams, and she replied, "this linux thing isn't going away, is it?"...and now she's ready to learn.
Great, now how do I install one of these for each wall in my house, and get a customised version quake where I can go running from room to room before getting zapped by a bouncing eyeball...?
If you read the whole article, it turns out that the campus license (as opposed to the schools license) requires a license on a per person basis. ie, they're not just forcing you to pay for software that can't run on your hardware (Mac) but they're forcing you to pay for it on hardware that you may not even have.
More amusingly, MS requires a license for each person that is full time. Which they define as 200 hours (5/6 weeks) a year! Now I know what they mean when they say they're working on security full time.
I don't think it's going to be long before people/organizations actually start READING those agreements they sign... THAT'S when the shit will hit the fan for MS.
Actually, I think this makes sense for companies in the short term. And by short term I mean until MS change the license again. The reason is that the old school license is still available. This license will only be accepted if it makes economic sense. So, MS gives huges discounts on a per seat/PC basis, so that the total costs are less. Why would MS make it cheaper, and therefor lose money? Because it becomes very attractive to get rid of non-Windows OS' because there's no perceived cost to it. Windows then looks as free as Linux does for new hardware.
Its another master move by the MS marketing team. Sadly.
(3) The cameras are nothing more than a money making scheme.
I can't accept that at all.
Maybe not yet they're not. In the UK, they're had cameras like this for years, and they'vre proved to be such money spinners that cameras were no longer being put in accident black spots, but in risk free areas where people were known to speed a lot. It'll happen alright, just as soon as people accept the cameras because nobody speeds through their towns anymore, or the accident rates drop at badly designed junctions.
People watch TV to be entertained, they don't watch it for banal adverts. The advertising industry can produce interesting and amusing commercials, as is witnessed by the various programs that show only funny adverts from around the world. Also, didn't TiVo stats show that during the last superbowl the ads were replayed more than the game (and here)? Its time the industry woke up, and stopped boring people.
When they get all the data, are they going to be allowed to pick out the bits they want, or are they going to be forced through all the irrelevant mundane data that they're not interested in?
Oh ok, at your request I promise not to compare America with any countries that make you look bad. Wouldn't want to confuse you with all those developed nations. Is that really how you set your standards?
example, literacy rate of americans vs the rest of the world...
Did you actually research what you've written, or are you just stating an opinion that you think you are better? From the CIA world factbook on literacy:
97% - USA
100% - Autralia
98% - Bahamas
98% - Belgium
100% - Denmark
100% - Finland
99% - France
99% - Germanny
98% - Ireland
98% - Italy
99% - Japan
98% - South Korea
99% - UK
I could go, it realy hasn't been hard. Although I've picked on mostly european countries, even places the Bahamas beats the USA for literacy.
since americans are constantly being compared to other americans, our self-image is probably well below what it actually should
Hhhhhmmmm.... Perhaps you should rethink your opinion of yourself?
On that CNN page, there's a survey asking what you think your knowledge of science is. As of 9.30pm EST, 76% rated themseleves as either very good or excellent.
Either:
a) Web surveys are seriously flawed
b) Americans think they know everything
c) All of the above
Rumour has it, that Microsoft wants to get their hands on TV's existing blue screen technology - ie where something simple is superimposed onto something flash to make it _look_ like something really good is going on...
I bought a series 2 a couple of months ago, and by gollly is it the dogs bollocks or what? Thanks to that fastforward, I can now watch a 1 hour program in 40 minutes without the ads, which actually makes previously mediocre stuff watchable.
That said, I have had a problem - every now and then, at the beginning of a program the picture freezes, and control is lost. The only way is to switch to standby, and turn it back on. Its a pain, but there's no way back to non-tivo world.
Also, how bad is the indemnity clause in the series 1? This one borders on threatening death if you modify it.
And I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that every man, woman, child and manager on the earth doesn't want to re-purchase every piece of software and hardware they own.
Yes, you're absolutely right, but Microsoft are masters at getting people to constantly buy upgraded software and hardware. Everytime they release a new OS, you have to get an upgraded firewall, upgraded anti-virus, upgraded system tools etc etc. If you don't want to upgrade your software, don't upgrade the hardware. If you're forced into getting new hardware, stump up for the software.
Right now what they use is On-Reflective Off-Non Reflective. If the laser was able to detect that some of the bits were at 50% reflectivity, then you'd have 2 bits of data for every bit of reflectivity on the surface.
Actually, you'd have 1.5 bits of data per bit of reflectivity on the surface (there would be 3 states, 2 bits of data requires 4)
Oh boy, I misread that and thought that Amazon were offering patents for a single click. Would explain a few things if they were. I can see it all now
If you're in the USA, click here for your instant frivalous patent. For residents of saner parts of the world, please go away and think about it for 6 months and come back...
Slashdot Mirror
The idea of paying for what we I wouldn't be so offensive if they would adopt that policy across the board. They're my (only choice for) cable TV, and I predominantly watch about 10 channels. But to get those 10 channels, I have to subscribe to 90. I could save myself a bucket load of cash if I only paid for what I used...
- Comcast, however, has no immediate plans to offer a lower-priced, slower service.
Damn right they don't. When they took over @home in my area, download speed dropped by 75%, uploads dropped by 96% and prices went up by 25%. Comcast is a monopoly in my area, they know it, and they're taking advantage of it.-
...and now she's ready to learn.
Somebody mod that girlfriend up!As a side note, I showed my girlfriend the article about sherwin williams, and she replied, "this linux thing isn't going away, is it?"
- stuff TiVo pushes on you doesn't get counted against the 40 hours because they reserved a portion of the hard drive for that kind of crap
So am I to believe that being deprived of the recording space full time is better than being deprived of it part time? Guess again.Great, now how do I install one of these for each wall in my house, and get a customised version quake where I can go running from room to room before getting zapped by a bouncing eyeball...?
If you read the whole article, it turns out that the campus license (as opposed to the schools license) requires a license on a per person basis. ie, they're not just forcing you to pay for software that can't run on your hardware (Mac) but they're forcing you to pay for it on hardware that you may not even have.
More amusingly, MS requires a license for each person that is full time. Which they define as 200 hours (5/6 weeks) a year! Now I know what they mean when they say they're working on security full time.
- I don't think it's going to be long before people/organizations actually start READING those agreements they sign... THAT'S when the shit will hit the fan for MS.
Actually, I think this makes sense for companies in the short term. And by short term I mean until MS change the license again. The reason is that the old school license is still available. This license will only be accepted if it makes economic sense. So, MS gives huges discounts on a per seat/PC basis, so that the total costs are less. Why would MS make it cheaper, and therefor lose money? Because it becomes very attractive to get rid of non-Windows OS' because there's no perceived cost to it. Windows then looks as free as Linux does for new hardware.Its another master move by the MS marketing team. Sadly.
- (3) The cameras are nothing more than a money making scheme.
Maybe not yet they're not. In the UK, they're had cameras like this for years, and they'vre proved to be such money spinners that cameras were no longer being put in accident black spots, but in risk free areas where people were known to speed a lot. It'll happen alright, just as soon as people accept the cameras because nobody speeds through their towns anymore, or the accident rates drop at badly designed junctions.I can't accept that at all.
People watch TV to be entertained, they don't watch it for banal adverts. The advertising industry can produce interesting and amusing commercials, as is witnessed by the various programs that show only funny adverts from around the world. Also, didn't TiVo stats show that during the last superbowl the ads were replayed more than the game (and here)? Its time the industry woke up, and stopped boring people.
When they get all the data, are they going to be allowed to pick out the bits they want, or are they going to be forced through all the irrelevant mundane data that they're not interested in?
- how about in order of population
Oh ok, at your request I promise not to compare America with any countries that make you look bad. Wouldn't want to confuse you with all those developed nations. Is that really how you set your standards?- i rest my case
Yes, you're right, your argument is pretty weak.- example, literacy rate of americans vs the rest of the world...
Did you actually research what you've written, or are you just stating an opinion that you think you are better? From the CIA world factbook on literacy:- 97% - USA
I could go, it realy hasn't been hard. Although I've picked on mostly european countries, even places the Bahamas beats the USA for literacy.100% - Autralia
98% - Bahamas
98% - Belgium
100% - Denmark
100% - Finland
99% - France
99% - Germanny
98% - Ireland
98% - Italy
99% - Japan
98% - South Korea
99% - UK
- since americans are constantly being compared to other americans, our self-image is probably well below what it actually should
Hhhhhmmmm.... Perhaps you should rethink your opinion of yourself?Either:
b) Americans think they know everything
c) All of the above
Rumour has it, that Microsoft wants to get their hands on TV's existing blue screen technology - ie where something simple is superimposed onto something flash to make it _look_ like something really good is going on...
- Interesting idea, although it'll be interesting to see if the idea catches on.
Shouldn't there a preview button when submitting stories, and a sarcastic remark if you don't use it?I bought a series 2 a couple of months ago, and by gollly is it the dogs bollocks or what? Thanks to that fastforward, I can now watch a 1 hour program in 40 minutes without the ads, which actually makes previously mediocre stuff watchable.
That said, I have had a problem - every now and then, at the beginning of a program the picture freezes, and control is lost. The only way is to switch to standby, and turn it back on. Its a pain, but there's no way back to non-tivo world.
Also, how bad is the indemnity clause in the series 1? This one borders on threatening death if you modify it.
- Microsoft is holding back the industry
Yes, you're absolutely right, but Microsoft are masters at getting people to constantly buy upgraded software and hardware. Everytime they release a new OS, you have to get an upgraded firewall, upgraded anti-virus, upgraded system tools etc etc. If you don't want to upgrade your software, don't upgrade the hardware. If you're forced into getting new hardware, stump up for the software.And I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that every man, woman, child and manager on the earth doesn't want to re-purchase every piece of software and hardware they own.
Or get Linux.
How often does Win2K register these ip addresses? Is it once an hour or so, or is there really a million win2k boxes being rebooted every hour?
How on earth am I expected to come up with decent user interface? I'm a geek, I don't even have a decent human interface!
Thanks you the idea, I'm going to run off and draw up a patent.
- Right now what they use is On-Reflective Off-Non Reflective. If the laser was able to detect that some of the bits were at 50% reflectivity, then you'd have 2 bits of data for every bit of reflectivity on the surface.
Actually, you'd have 1.5 bits of data per bit of reflectivity on the surface (there would be 3 states, 2 bits of data requires 4)Apprently, they already sell vacuums
It'll still be in English dictionaries, its the American ones it'll be removed from....
An IIS server that can distribute thousands of files? What's their secret?
Just how did the RIAA find out about this? Is it another IIS vulnerability?
- Amazon's 1 click patent
Oh boy, I misread that and thought that Amazon were offering patents for a single click. Would explain a few things if they were. I can see it all now