On something like the California Zephyr, room prices START at around $1200 and go up from there. One of their hard-ass coach seats is basically $400 Note: This is for a round trip.
The Zephyr takes you 55 hours to get you to California. About the same time it takes to drive.
A car would cost you the same price as a ticket (less if you're on a short trip). Plus, when you arrive YOU HAVE A CAR.
But, especially with limited time, flying is the way to go. There and back in an aggregate single day of travel. Compared to driving or flying you basically "get back" 4 days of your time that way.
Except when a bank gets robbed, you still have your money.
When Bitcoin exchange gets scrubbed, and your bitcoins get stolen you still have...your certainty that you were participating in a "next gen currency system"?
I simply am not gullible enough to trust it. It's primary revenue generation platform is a pyramid scheme. And it's clearing system is an unregulated free-for-all and an absolute quagmire with no protections at all.
And look at what I've written. If a bank gets hacked or robbed, you still have your money. You're federally insured.
You get your bitcoins scammed or stolen? Your recourse is...what?
Yes. It's been many years. As for Bitcoin doing fine. Being a clearinghouse for money launderers and drug dealers? Uhm. Okay!
If you know something about computer science and theory of computability, you'd know that bitcoins are actually much harder to acquire than a government issued currency, and is therefore much harder to manipulate (e.g. like gold).
Harder to acquire? Maybe.
Harder to manipulate? Not if you're running a shady exchange.
I'm sure at least ONE of the exchanges out there is trying to run a clean, secure, legit business. Simply because I can't think of one off the top of my head doesn't mean it isn't happening.
That still doesn't help if all the rest of them are getting broken into, or the people running them are shady.
Other than the fact that exchanged have been broken into and people have been robbed of bitcoins of supposedly VERY non-trivial worth.
With the government, a bank, and the dollar, you have some assurance of getting your money back.
With Bitcoin, it's "Sucks to be you!"
And that also doesn't account for the fact that many of these exchanges operate with ZERO oversight.
Sure, they can only do it for so long before trust is broken. But how long is that? And how much is lost during that time?
And, since starting up a venture online is far more trivial than starting up a physical business, what's to stop the perpetrators from simply spinning up another exchange again later under a new identity?
Or, what's to stop them from starting up multiple, parallel exchanges and manipulating Bitcoin?
NOTHING.
If you're stupid and want to trust a pyramid scheme like this. Fine. I'll simply laugh at you until you lose your "investment". Then I'll laugh *harder*.
You can still die from an airplane crash even if you're not on that airplane.
Again, the world is inherently unsafe. Now this doesn't mean you should lock yourself into a concrete bunker and never venture forth. But that *has* to be some acknowledgement of this basic fact.
Also, you're never going to make sure "nobody" has guns. You just aren't. Because you're not going to disarm the police or the military.
Also, you're not going to get around any sort of black market for firearms. If you make sure nobody but criminals and crazies have guns, you still have the problem of criminals and crazies with guns.
Yeah. If they're expecting that, they're fucking nuts.
No. Plain-Jane PC sales don't have the room for explosive growth that tablets and phones do. The problem is, the devices they're betting on are media "consumption" devices.
That's fine and all.
But there's still a HUGE installed base of PCs whose sole purpose is "productivity".
These machines see almost no benefit from tacking a touchscreen on. And they do things that are either impractical for touch interfaces or just flat out unfeasible.
The rasputinian PC has been "dying" for over 30 years now. As a form factor/concept, it isn't going away. Period. Anyone who tells you different is an intellectual cripple or lying and probably trying to sell you something unsavory.
Give it the same credence deserved of the 2012 Apocalypse. (None.)
That the owners stop trying to replace productivity stations like desktops and workstations with tablets.
While based on similar-to-identical hardware, their usage and productivity profiles are COMPLETELY different.
Windows 8 is one of the bastardized expressions of this desire to "unify" a productivity device (laptop/workstation) with a dedicated media consumption device (a tablet).
Is it REALLY all that surprising that the results suck so badly?
You have (and shall) never hear the term "console port".
The main problem with a LOT of PC games, nowadays, is they've been dumbed down, and lots of features stripped out or simply never done (or done right) in the first place. Simply to make it easier to share code-bases between a console port and the PC game.
DCUO is a prime example of this.
It's so incredibly limited, and the controls for the game absolutely SUCK. Why? Because they designed it with a controller in mind. They limited the game's models and costume options because most consoles just couldn't handle the sheer variety a full-blown costume/model system would have given them.
As a result, you have a console fighter game masquerading as a PC MMO. And it does NEITHER well.
Slashdot Mirror
Really?
DITCH METRO!
Because it's not "an extra C-note or two".
On something like the California Zephyr, room prices START at around $1200 and go up from there.
One of their hard-ass coach seats is basically $400
Note: This is for a round trip.
The Zephyr takes you 55 hours to get you to California. About the same time it takes to drive.
A car would cost you the same price as a ticket (less if you're on a short trip). Plus, when you arrive YOU HAVE A CAR.
But, especially with limited time, flying is the way to go. There and back in an aggregate single day of travel.
Compared to driving or flying you basically "get back" 4 days of your time that way.
Like the BILLIONS some of these providers were paid BY THE GOVERNMENT and WITH OUR TAX MONEY for the development of broadband?
You know, all that money they frittered away?
Yup.
DDOS'ing someone is the equivalent of shouting someone down and then kicking them in the face so they stay shut up.
So recognizing a pyramid scheme and a means for illegal money laundering is illogical?
Okay....
If you get your funds stolen or scammed via a bad site, it's called a CHARGEBACK.
You don't have the same recourse with Bitcoin.
So stop the stupid act (unless it's not an act). Then just...stop.
Uh huh...
Links?
Okay. So, to make a scam feel more legit, I should participate in said scam?
What kind of fucking drugs are YOU on?
Maybe for you it isn't.
But you're looking at it as some nice, big technology experiment.
I'm looking at it as what it's claiming to be.
Currency.
Sure. The crypto might be nice and all. Interesting as hell.
But the distributed transaction clearing system is simply ripe for abuse.
Except when a bank gets robbed, you still have your money.
When Bitcoin exchange gets scrubbed, and your bitcoins get stolen you still have...your certainty that you were participating in a "next gen currency system"?
Yeah. Whatever.
I don't "have anything against" Bitcoin.
I simply am not gullible enough to trust it. It's primary revenue generation platform is a pyramid scheme. And it's clearing system is an unregulated free-for-all and an absolute quagmire with no protections at all.
And look at what I've written. If a bank gets hacked or robbed, you still have your money. You're federally insured.
You get your bitcoins scammed or stolen? Your recourse is...what?
Yes. It's been many years. As for Bitcoin doing fine. Being a clearinghouse for money launderers and drug dealers? Uhm. Okay!
If you know something about computer science and theory of computability, you'd know that bitcoins are actually much harder to acquire than a government issued currency, and is therefore much harder to manipulate (e.g. like gold).
Harder to acquire? Maybe.
Harder to manipulate? Not if you're running a shady exchange.
I'm sure at least ONE of the exchanges out there is trying to run a clean, secure, legit business. Simply because I can't think of one off the top of my head doesn't mean it isn't happening.
That still doesn't help if all the rest of them are getting broken into, or the people running them are shady.
Oh. I never denied that it wasn't crony capitalism.
I'm just making the point that Bitcoin is a scam. Top to bottom, with greed being its only TRULY cohesive force.
Other than the fact that exchanged have been broken into and people have been robbed of bitcoins of supposedly VERY non-trivial worth.
With the government, a bank, and the dollar, you have some assurance of getting your money back.
With Bitcoin, it's "Sucks to be you!"
And that also doesn't account for the fact that many of these exchanges operate with ZERO oversight.
Sure, they can only do it for so long before trust is broken. But how long is that? And how much is lost during that time?
And, since starting up a venture online is far more trivial than starting up a physical business, what's to stop the perpetrators from simply spinning up another exchange again later under a new identity?
Or, what's to stop them from starting up multiple, parallel exchanges and manipulating Bitcoin?
NOTHING.
If you're stupid and want to trust a pyramid scheme like this. Fine. I'll simply laugh at you until you lose your "investment".
Then I'll laugh *harder*.
Is the US going away tomorrow? No.
Are they going away next year? No.
Are they going away in 5-10 years? No.
Is "A. Random H@X0R" going away tomorrow? Who?
Are they going away next year? Who?
Are they gone in 5-10 years? Who?
Essentially currency is based on trust.
For anyone who's not a complete, gullible rube, Bitcoin fails the "smell test" there.
Yep! This'll stop the government from coming after you!
Not!
And good job. Base your business off a virtual currency with ZERO backing and no control whatsoever.
As the reply below you shows.
You can still die from an airplane crash even if you're not on that airplane.
Again, the world is inherently unsafe. Now this doesn't mean you should lock yourself into a concrete bunker and never venture forth. But that *has* to be some acknowledgement of this basic fact.
Also, you're never going to make sure "nobody" has guns. You just aren't. Because you're not going to disarm the police or the military.
Also, you're not going to get around any sort of black market for firearms. If you make sure nobody but criminals and crazies have guns, you still have the problem of criminals and crazies with guns.
Sorry. What you're looking at is someone contorting statistics to try and prove a point.
That's like saying "100% of people who've never flown have never died in an airplane crash".
App success is PRIMARILY based on NOT getting rejected by Apple first.
After that, it's totally quality and marketing.
Why are people still stupid enough to trust Apple enough to sink money and development time into their silly, arbitrary little prison-platform?
Yeah! You COULD sell a bajillion copies! If they don't hamstring you and waste all your time and money.
You can imagine that you're Elon Musk and that you're revolutionizing private space travel.
The reality is, on Apple's platform, you're really Robert Stroud.
Yeah. If they're expecting that, they're fucking nuts.
No. Plain-Jane PC sales don't have the room for explosive growth that tablets and phones do.
The problem is, the devices they're betting on are media "consumption" devices.
That's fine and all.
But there's still a HUGE installed base of PCs whose sole purpose is "productivity".
These machines see almost no benefit from tacking a touchscreen on. And they do things that are either impractical for touch interfaces or just flat out unfeasible.
The rasputinian PC has been "dying" for over 30 years now. As a form factor/concept, it isn't going away. Period.
Anyone who tells you different is an intellectual cripple or lying and probably trying to sell you something unsavory.
Give it the same credence deserved of the 2012 Apocalypse. (None.)
Why the transaction will ALWAYS be in the merchant's favor of course!
That the owners stop trying to replace productivity stations like desktops and workstations with tablets.
While based on similar-to-identical hardware, their usage and productivity profiles are COMPLETELY different.
Windows 8 is one of the bastardized expressions of this desire to "unify" a productivity device (laptop/workstation) with a dedicated media consumption device (a tablet).
Is it REALLY all that surprising that the results suck so badly?
It's that simple.
The answer to making PC games better isn't to make them MORE like a consoles.
It's to make them LESS like consoles.
You have (and shall) never hear the term "console port".
The main problem with a LOT of PC games, nowadays, is they've been dumbed down, and lots of features stripped out or simply never done (or done right) in the first place. Simply to make it easier to share code-bases between a console port and the PC game.
DCUO is a prime example of this.
It's so incredibly limited, and the controls for the game absolutely SUCK. Why? Because they designed it with a controller in mind. They limited the game's models and costume options because most consoles just couldn't handle the sheer variety a full-blown costume/model system would have given them.
As a result, you have a console fighter game masquerading as a PC MMO. And it does NEITHER well.