It is if you're a shop. People don't live in websites, they set them up in order to offer information to the public - that's what they're for.
If a physical shop wants to restrict itself to a specific clientele, they will set up a system with member cards and security. The same goes for websites.
You're assuming that things only get rounded up. Maybe that's the case where you live, and then you do indeed get scammed, but here rounding works the usual math way:.0-.4 = 0;.5-.9 = 1. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. As a whole, it's a fair system.
Hell, in the Netherlands, shops commonly round to the nearest ten eurocents, so they don't have to deal with the copper change. It's common practice, and it all works out in the end.
Since you are suggesting that everything they leave open is deliberate, I should say it's high time to start suing their balls off for all the security holes, viruses and botnets they've enabled.
It being a fact of modern life doesn't excuse it. If you can't be bothered to talk to friends offline, then maybe you don't really know what friends are.
I occasionally neglect my offline contacts too, I'm not innocent. But as soon as I realise that I've been doing that, I'll make sure to poke them and catch up. These are people I've shared important parts of my life with, and I'm not about to throw them out like garbage.
Yes, but not as much as you now think you will be - it is more likely to be an evolution than a revolution; it'll just be the amalgam of gradual advances in a dozen different fields.
It will still be a great thing, of course - the first fully functional synthetic organism; but we'll be more prepared for it than we'll ever be for first contact, for instance.
Agreed, but a tad too far to the wrong side, for me. I prefer to point it out first, and ignore if they don't get it. Minor difference that may still save the willing quite a bit of time and frustration.
I am not changing the meaning of customer. From a business point of view, a customer is someone who brings money into your business.
It's well-known that the Xboxes themselves are sold at a loss or close to it, in order to create a market.
The ones who bring in the gaming money for Microsoft, are the game developers who pay royalties on every game sold; and with targeted advertising, also the advertisers.
The 'average consumer' who buys an Xbox, is the product sold to those latter two, in the form of games buyers and eyeballs.
It was a *joke*. I feel that the idea that things are satisfactory is anathema to the geek mindset, which tends to go something along the lines of "Hey, Cool. How does it work? I wonder if I can make it go to eleven..."
The pingping project is mostly Belgacom-backed, though; and while there are other businesses, the trial seems to be limited mostly to parkings and Belgacom buildings, from what I see.
Given that I left the group four years ago, I suspect they won't welcome me with open arms if I try to grab lunch in the mess hall. Not that I have much desire to, mind you:-)
Being rude for the sake of being rude is wrong, I agree. However, being pathologically friendly is also not the right answer: if a user asks "stupid" questions, you should point out in no uncertain terms where he is, what to expect and how to do his homework before bothering people with inane questions that a quick google could have solved just as well, but faster.
That does not mean you can't at the same time point him towards the answer, but it'll also help the willing ones get smarter while hopefully chasing the unwilling ones off.
I'm on a few mailinglists, and while I do my best to provide clear, concise, correct and helpful answers to questions, I keep being amazed at how some people simply don't bother to do the basics first. Like, you know, even looking in the general direction of the manual.
One of the lists I'm most active on these days is the MySQL one, given that I'm almost fulltime DBAing these days. Note that MyQSL has excellent and comprehensive online manuals for every version you care to run.
I've seen people actually think that list is populated by MySQL employees who are paid to answer their every stupid question, and get impatient and testy if they haven't seen an answer in ten minutes.
i've seen people spam the list with first their inane RTFM questions, followed by a great big stream of "insights" on how he solved it and the most obvious straight-from-the-manual statements.
I've seen people who seem to think that the list is there to write their queries for them. After I got rather miffed and wrote a bit of a sharp mail at one of them about basic manners, what the list is for, how to ask questions properly and what to do before you even think of asking the list; that guy now consistently does his homework, tries to work it out for himself and if he really doesn't find it or wants another opinion, politely puts the question to the list in a clear and concise way. Of course he now gets all the help he needs, and he's even put a few quite interesting things to the list in the mean time. He has, interestingly, also taken to calling me 'Sir' whenever he asks me a question. I never asked for it, but I have to admit I kinda like it:-)
Sometimes it's necessary to make it quite clear to people what they can and cannot expect from online help, and how to behave there. This used to be perfectly acceptable, but since Eternal September began, the flood of ignorance has gotten so vast that I can fully imagine it can sometimes be hard to remember actually helping people in the middle of all the stupidity.
If cavity searches become required, I'm damn well gonna be eating copious quantities of the hottest indian food I can find 12 to 24 hours before check-in.
Slashdot Mirror
It is if you're a shop. People don't live in websites, they set them up in order to offer information to the public - that's what they're for.
If a physical shop wants to restrict itself to a specific clientele, they will set up a system with member cards and security. The same goes for websites.
You're assuming that things only get rounded up. Maybe that's the case where you live, and then you do indeed get scammed, but here rounding works the usual math way: .0-.4 = 0; .5-.9 = 1. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. As a whole, it's a fair system.
Hell, in the Netherlands, shops commonly round to the nearest ten eurocents, so they don't have to deal with the copper change. It's common practice, and it all works out in the end.
glennbecksperm ?
Yes, and your life would be how much worse for it, exactly ?
More interestingly, how much time would you win for doing other, possibly more useful or interesting things ?
The difference between a friend and an acquaintance isn't quibbling over terminology, either, by the way. If you don't realise that, I pity you.
I believe we have a misunderstanding as to what constitutes a friend, as opposed to an acquaintance.
If the responses you get from PR aren't well considered or prepared, maybe you need a better PR. You know, one that actually does it's fucking job.
Since you are suggesting that everything they leave open is deliberate, I should say it's high time to start suing their balls off for all the security holes, viruses and botnets they've enabled.
It being a fact of modern life doesn't excuse it. If you can't be bothered to talk to friends offline, then maybe you don't really know what friends are.
I occasionally neglect my offline contacts too, I'm not innocent. But as soon as I realise that I've been doing that, I'll make sure to poke them and catch up. These are people I've shared important parts of my life with, and I'm not about to throw them out like garbage.
> I will be impressed when they make a cyborg
Yes, but not as much as you now think you will be - it is more likely to be an evolution than a revolution; it'll just be the amalgam of gradual advances in a dozen different fields.
It will still be a great thing, of course - the first fully functional synthetic organism; but we'll be more prepared for it than we'll ever be for first contact, for instance.
Agreed, but a tad too far to the wrong side, for me. I prefer to point it out first, and ignore if they don't get it. Minor difference that may still save the willing quite a bit of time and frustration.
It was "absent" from those deep strata, too, until we found it.
I see your point, but remeber that we haven't exactly had an army of exobiologists romping around on other worlds, not even the moon.
I am not changing the meaning of customer. From a business point of view, a customer is someone who brings money into your business.
It's well-known that the Xboxes themselves are sold at a loss or close to it, in order to create a market.
The ones who bring in the gaming money for Microsoft, are the game developers who pay royalties on every game sold; and with targeted advertising, also the advertisers.
The 'average consumer' who buys an Xbox, is the product sold to those latter two, in the form of games buyers and eyeballs.
It was a *joke*. I feel that the idea that things are satisfactory is anathema to the geek mindset, which tends to go something along the lines of "Hey, Cool. How does it work? I wonder if I can make it go to eleven..."
The pingping project is mostly Belgacom-backed, though; and while there are other businesses, the trial seems to be limited mostly to parkings and Belgacom buildings, from what I see.
Given that I left the group four years ago, I suspect they won't welcome me with open arms if I try to grab lunch in the mess hall. Not that I have much desire to, mind you :-)
> computers are [...] pretty satisfactory.
Alright, that's it. Turn in your geek card and get out of here.
Being rude for the sake of being rude is wrong, I agree. However, being pathologically friendly is also not the right answer: if a user asks "stupid" questions, you should point out in no uncertain terms where he is, what to expect and how to do his homework before bothering people with inane questions that a quick google could have solved just as well, but faster.
That does not mean you can't at the same time point him towards the answer, but it'll also help the willing ones get smarter while hopefully chasing the unwilling ones off.
This.
I'm on a few mailinglists, and while I do my best to provide clear, concise, correct and helpful answers to questions, I keep being amazed at how some people simply don't bother to do the basics first. Like, you know, even looking in the general direction of the manual.
One of the lists I'm most active on these days is the MySQL one, given that I'm almost fulltime DBAing these days. Note that MyQSL has excellent and comprehensive online manuals for every version you care to run.
I've seen people actually think that list is populated by MySQL employees who are paid to answer their every stupid question, and get impatient and testy if they haven't seen an answer in ten minutes.
i've seen people spam the list with first their inane RTFM questions, followed by a great big stream of "insights" on how he solved it and the most obvious straight-from-the-manual statements.
I've seen people who seem to think that the list is there to write their queries for them. After I got rather miffed and wrote a bit of a sharp mail at one of them about basic manners, what the list is for, how to ask questions properly and what to do before you even think of asking the list; that guy now consistently does his homework, tries to work it out for himself and if he really doesn't find it or wants another opinion, politely puts the question to the list in a clear and concise way. Of course he now gets all the help he needs, and he's even put a few quite interesting things to the list in the mean time. He has, interestingly, also taken to calling me 'Sir' whenever he asks me a question. I never asked for it, but I have to admit I kinda like it :-)
Sometimes it's necessary to make it quite clear to people what they can and cannot expect from online help, and how to behave there. This used to be perfectly acceptable, but since Eternal September began, the flood of ignorance has gotten so vast that I can fully imagine it can sometimes be hard to remember actually helping people in the middle of all the stupidity.
In other words: the experiment has failed, time to sterilise the equipment ?
No, it is I, Leclerc.
> (as opposed to lawful coercion?)
Ah, come on, baby, please, I need it. You know it won't take long...
Both are working for the benefit of their users/customers. You are just misguided about who MS' customers are.
Of course. It's way to dangerous to just let anyone in there, what with my woman chained to the sink.
Semiconductors care about the direction of *flow*, not charge. Batteries, afaik, only pump electrons, not positrons.
Yes, that's right, blow up the planet. Didn't you read the "powerful explosions" part ?
If cavity searches become required, I'm damn well gonna be eating copious quantities of the hottest indian food I can find 12 to 24 hours before check-in.