The entire magazine distribution system in the United States is about to crumble. Two of the major wholesalers/distributors..Source and Anderson..have decided to up their rates to cover costs. Since they never upped their rates before, like most other companies.
Now the publishers, for the most part, are telling them to go fuck themselves.
Expect to see a major disruption and change in the way all magazines are handled in the US.
Japan already had a guitar hero type game, called GuitarFreaks. Also, DrumMania is a drum simulator. BeatMania is a DJ simulator. Finally, KeyboardMania is a musical keyboard simulator.
Since our versions have been inferior to their versions, why not just license their versions and port them over? Oh wait. We don't want the good ones. The American version of beatmania for the PS2 was horrible compared to the Japanese ones. To the point that it drove me to import ones from Japan. For example, the Japanese ones had more songs, better music, more options, etc. Whereas the American one lacked options, didn't have many songs, etc.
My first stop would be back to the store I purchased it from. Software, is a license. Therefore, when that license is revoked for whatever reason, the software no longer works..either by legal system or it actually stops working as in this case. Everyone that wants their money back should get it back.
Mistakes happen. Even retarded and far-reaching mistakes.
Lets see if Epic can put its money where its mouth is when it preaches about DRM. I know if I got an instant no-questions-asked refund after this, that would be enough to appease me.
Sure, and if you want to get to your destination airport on time, buy a damn airport and a jet to go along with it. No, better make that two airports. Otherwise you're just asking for them to take your money and not give you what they had promised.
Endorsements usually don't carry much, if any, liability. You can endorse sham-wow all you want but shouldn't be sued because it doesn't work. Its all opinion.
If any of you have ever used a 'Vista capable' computer that this article describes you'll realize that they're Vista capable just like a Honda Civic is capable of towing a flatbed full of logs.
We want to get away from our human urges, as they aren't under our complete control at all times. So, you're horny? That's great, find someone and go have some fun. Science has provided you with ways to get out of most of the downsides (aka pregnancy and STDs). Its natural to be horny, despite what people seem to think.
Human nature cares little for what society thinks. Even the most refined and upper class lady might look over at a grungy biker and wonder what he might be like in the sack. Teachers might look at their underage students. Students might look at each other or their teachers. Everyone is pretty much looking at everyone else that's past puberty.
The problem comes from people that are attracted to people that have not developed secondary sex characteristics..AKA children. Those are the creepy uncles and free-candy-in-my-van types. That's why all of those laws exist.
This is where human nature and society differ. Human nature says to go ahead and check that fifteen year old out. Society says that the creepy uncle who raped the two year old and the teenager that got sent some naked pics are both cut from the same cloth and need to be treated the same way. So both of them face the rest of their lives as being unable to find decent work, probably unable to find a decent urban locale to live in, and having to live with the stigmata of being a sex offender.
Could you imagine if we applied this to other laws, as well? The crimes of assault and of vandalism are now being lumped into the same category as arson. Your econobox car with the 120hp engine is being taxed/insured at the same rate as a $100,000 street-legal race car. Etc.
What you just said will weigh heavily on the justice system.
I hope SOMEONE in the justice system has some brains..more than enough to say, "Just doin' my job.." and instead to say something like, "Well, since none of you have a record, all of you consent, and are all underage, we're not going to prosecute this at all because it might send the message that people under the age of 18 should be terrified of nudity."
Of course it adds up. The sinister plot is that since they don't lump them together and call them Extra Fees which might show up as something like $5 on every bill, most people don't complain. Its called being nickle-and-dimed for a reason. Its like when you buy a car and they throw in 20-30 extra hidden fees and tarrifs that they didn't tell you about when you were quoted the price and said you wanted to buy the car. Then they showed you the paperwork, bam, an extra ten percent onto the price of the car.
But really, what option is there? There's no law preventing someone from passing fines/tarrifs/extra taxes on to their customers. I was involved with an ISP that had a lawsuit levied against it because one of the sysadmins abused their power to stalk an ex-lover of theirs. Guess what started appearing on the monthly bill? Yep, a new and strange charge that increased the price by about 10%.
Busses are often used only by the people that have no other choice.
Which means the homeless, the poor, lower class people, etc.
Now, the noble in me is going to say to treat everyone equally. Which I try to do. However, the realist in me knows that my co-workers and boss aren't going to care where I got that urine stain on my clothes, just that its there. They also won't care that I missed the bus because it came thirty minutes early, forcing me to wait an hour for the next one.
The only thing they'll care about is that I have a way to get there, but chose not to use it in favor of a less reliable method.
This is a good example of the potential benefits to using EEG-enhanced biofeedback. Unfortunately, due to the expense of decently sensitive EEG gear, it won't be common for home use. Maybe someone can crank out some cheap SQUIDs?
Things are heading down to an employment singularity.
Remember the days where you could walk into a place and hand them the help wanted sign in the window, and after a few questions, you were hired? The interviews were usually on the spot with the manager on duty and you had your job right then.
Now-a-days, everyone wants to run background checks. Everyone drug tests. Everyone makes you fill out a pretty big application, and every job I've applied for had a basic personality exam. It asked questions like, "Do you steal office supplies?" etc
As employment gets harder and employers get choosier, even the faintest gray mark on your record will mean that you're going to have trouble finding work. Because there's a lot of people out there with totally clean records, or at least, a lot of people that can make their records look clean. The more 'dirt' they can weed out, the better.
One of the most difficult-to-obtain jobs that I had been in, that didn't require a lot of experience, just several interviews, ended up being very lacking in diversity. The same kinds of people..same attitudes..same personalities..etc.
In the end, assuming a sufficiently large pool of candidates, tests like this will only ensure that each pool of positions only hires a certain kind of person. Innovation will suffer at the hands of liability and perceived perfection. After all, who made the choice to hire the guy that scored 3% less on his personality exam? Looks like your hiring skill is fading..why didn't you just follow procedure?
The plan is sound and reasonable.
The customers are not.
Most people that order software will not tell you to ship the product when its good and ready. They'll ask you if you can have it done in half of the reasonable amount of time. As soon as you say no, you've just heard them hang up.
Supposing that you for some reason do agree to their terms, their requirements and scope of the project will fluctuate wildly. If you try to pidgen hole them into coming up with a design and sticking to it, or tell them that you can't change that email program you bid for into a fully functional custom secure web-browser and 3d engine by the deadline, they'll probably walk out.
Supposing that you for some reason accept these and try to get the product out, it will be either late or very close to the ship date. The company will tell you that there's no time for testing and to ship the product now.
If you refuse, you're going to face large fines/breach of contract/etc. If you accept, you've just shipped shitty and incomplete software.
The problem, again, is not in the design. The issue is twofold: There will always be someone to say 'yes' and that people do not understand the time and money required to develop GOOD software.
The real solution is for the ISP software to just redirect all attempts to connect to the internet to a 'You're infected with x here's how to fix it. Call us if you need us to lead you through it, and we'll activate your account again.'
Of course the ISPs would never create more work for themselves without it leading to more profit.
You know, this kind of thing used to be on a case by case basis. If someone wrote something in their diary, it pretty much didn't matter. If they wrote it and then published it and started selling it, then it did matter. I think cases like these need to be handled on a case by case basis as well. Does it seem reasonable that all of the above could have happened? Yes it is reasonable that it could have happened. Is legal action being taken against the chiropractor's office? No.
There should be no burden of proof for the defendant. How can you prove what someone said in a conversation, without recording devices or witnesses? I mean, I could whisper in your ear that I wanted to slit your throat and burn your house down, and the police may still come after me for threatening you, but they damn sure aren't going to arrest me for attempted murder/arson if they couldn't find any evidence of me preparing to do so.
Replace bank robber with foreign army. No SWAT team or rescue mission wants to kill the hostages, but sometimes it happens. Should the rescuers be held responsible for the deaths of the hostages? Depends.
A SWAT team has a lot more to answer for than a military. If Hamas hides behind civilians and the Israelis mow them both down, who do you think is to blame? Hamas KNOWS there's an entire nation's worth of armed forces coming for them, and they KNOW that they might not stop for civilians. So they hide behind them? They're the ones that are 100% at fault for this.
I would buy a PS3 in a heartbeat if I knew what I know now.
For one thing, I can use it as a media center, with the help of TVersity. I can play DVDs, blu-rays, upload my pictures, etc.
The games are pretty awesome from what I've bought. I've bought several games from the PSN as well, and they've all been fun. And in the winter time, it helps to keep my room warm!
What a student chooses to do with their time in class, as long as it isn't disrupting others, is their business. If they're in college and can pass the tests, fine. As long as the teacher or school doesn't care.
How about using say..Wordpad? It comes with Windows, so its not an additional expense. Has decent features and is very usable. Also you don't have to re-learn it every year.
Or Open Office, perhaps?
Hell, even notepad.
I've never purchased a copy of MS Office and I don't use it at home. I use Open Office at home, and MS Office on the computers at school and work.
Services require time, effort, and materials. Depending on the service, any or all of these can be expensive.
Traditionally, when you buy something, you pay one time or one total, and it becomes yours. This rake is $5+tax. It can be yours for that much.
Services are different, as they can require on-going time, effort, and material. You want your landscaping done every week? The service is $5+tax per week. In this case, the landscaping needs the time and effort of the employees, and their equipment and material that will be used on your hard.
A cell phone plan, for example, requires a cell phone, people to manage the offices, technicians, infrastructure, etc. The service costs money in regular installments.
What Microsoft is trying to do is like the landscaping company charge based on people looking at your yard, and based on how often you walk through the yard. Or charging you for turning your cell phone on to see what time it is or play Snakes while you wait on the subway. It costs them personally nothing to allow you to do this, as you've paid off the landscapers and the cell phone company, but since you are doing it..there has to be some intrinsic value in it. Value that can be exploited, apparently.
Do you supply a top-of-the-line PC and internet connection for us gamers? It might be worth it then, provided we don't game too much.
Do you supply a flexible, strong, compatible laptop for the school crowd? It might be worth it then, provided you don't provide incentives to universities or schools to dump more homework on the poor students.
What about the in-car entertainment system? Cell phones?
If I'm buying the equipment, I'm not going to pay monthly for something I currently get for free. The consumers, even the dumb ones, will be looking for alternatives. If no better alternatives exist, they'll be created.
In short, I hope Microsoft does launch this nice program, hopefully with the backing of the law, and other absurd things so we can watch the anvil break the camel's back.
One thing I do when I make fun of large trucks or SUVs is the work factor.
"I need this truck because I work in x field that might someday require the use of said truck, or someone else will get the bonus points that should have been mine instead."
or
"I have a kid, so I need this SUV so I can haul them and their sixteen different friends around to parties and such..I'll be the envy of the neighborhood!"
Commercials seem to plant these ideas into people's head. They take the fear that they feel and run with it, to show them what is possible with their particular brand of wheel'd monstrosity. Fine advertising, I'd say..its very effective. Everytime I ask someone why they chose over they always use one of those two reasons..the men because they need to haul stuff (when they don't) and the women because they need to protect their families and be good mothers (which has nothing to do with ).
Because if the case becomes public spectacle, the jurors have the possibility of being swayed by the reactions of their friends/family/lovers/etc. The only way to keep this from happening would be to lock them all in their hotel rooms without communication for a few days, and pay them well so they don't flip out.
Slashdot Mirror
The entire magazine distribution system in the United States is about to crumble. Two of the major wholesalers/distributors..Source and Anderson..have decided to up their rates to cover costs. Since they never upped their rates before, like most other companies.
Now the publishers, for the most part, are telling them to go fuck themselves.
Expect to see a major disruption and change in the way all magazines are handled in the US.
Japan already had a guitar hero type game, called GuitarFreaks. Also, DrumMania is a drum simulator. BeatMania is a DJ simulator. Finally, KeyboardMania is a musical keyboard simulator.
Since our versions have been inferior to their versions, why not just license their versions and port them over? Oh wait. We don't want the good ones. The American version of beatmania for the PS2 was horrible compared to the Japanese ones. To the point that it drove me to import ones from Japan. For example, the Japanese ones had more songs, better music, more options, etc. Whereas the American one lacked options, didn't have many songs, etc.
My first stop would be back to the store I purchased it from. Software, is a license. Therefore, when that license is revoked for whatever reason, the software no longer works..either by legal system or it actually stops working as in this case. Everyone that wants their money back should get it back.
Mistakes happen. Even retarded and far-reaching mistakes.
Lets see if Epic can put its money where its mouth is when it preaches about DRM. I know if I got an instant no-questions-asked refund after this, that would be enough to appease me.
"It's not exactly cheap though"
Sure, and if you want to get to your destination airport on time, buy a damn airport and a jet to go along with it. No, better make that two airports. Otherwise you're just asking for them to take your money and not give you what they had promised.
Endorsements usually don't carry much, if any, liability. You can endorse sham-wow all you want but shouldn't be sued because it doesn't work. Its all opinion.
If any of you have ever used a 'Vista capable' computer that this article describes you'll realize that they're Vista capable just like a Honda Civic is capable of towing a flatbed full of logs.
Its been this way for quite a while.
We want to get away from our human urges, as they aren't under our complete control at all times. So, you're horny? That's great, find someone and go have some fun. Science has provided you with ways to get out of most of the downsides (aka pregnancy and STDs). Its natural to be horny, despite what people seem to think.
Human nature cares little for what society thinks. Even the most refined and upper class lady might look over at a grungy biker and wonder what he might be like in the sack. Teachers might look at their underage students. Students might look at each other or their teachers. Everyone is pretty much looking at everyone else that's past puberty.
The problem comes from people that are attracted to people that have not developed secondary sex characteristics..AKA children. Those are the creepy uncles and free-candy-in-my-van types. That's why all of those laws exist.
This is where human nature and society differ. Human nature says to go ahead and check that fifteen year old out. Society says that the creepy uncle who raped the two year old and the teenager that got sent some naked pics are both cut from the same cloth and need to be treated the same way. So both of them face the rest of their lives as being unable to find decent work, probably unable to find a decent urban locale to live in, and having to live with the stigmata of being a sex offender.
Could you imagine if we applied this to other laws, as well? The crimes of assault and of vandalism are now being lumped into the same category as arson. Your econobox car with the 120hp engine is being taxed/insured at the same rate as a $100,000 street-legal race car. Etc.
What you just said will weigh heavily on the justice system.
I hope SOMEONE in the justice system has some brains..more than enough to say, "Just doin' my job.." and instead to say something like, "Well, since none of you have a record, all of you consent, and are all underage, we're not going to prosecute this at all because it might send the message that people under the age of 18 should be terrified of nudity."
Of course it adds up. The sinister plot is that since they don't lump them together and call them Extra Fees which might show up as something like $5 on every bill, most people don't complain. Its called being nickle-and-dimed for a reason. Its like when you buy a car and they throw in 20-30 extra hidden fees and tarrifs that they didn't tell you about when you were quoted the price and said you wanted to buy the car. Then they showed you the paperwork, bam, an extra ten percent onto the price of the car.
But really, what option is there? There's no law preventing someone from passing fines/tarrifs/extra taxes on to their customers. I was involved with an ISP that had a lawsuit levied against it because one of the sysadmins abused their power to stalk an ex-lover of theirs. Guess what started appearing on the monthly bill? Yep, a new and strange charge that increased the price by about 10%.
A bottom brick that's about as secure as an oblong pebble.
Busses are often used only by the people that have no other choice.
Which means the homeless, the poor, lower class people, etc.
Now, the noble in me is going to say to treat everyone equally. Which I try to do. However, the realist in me knows that my co-workers and boss aren't going to care where I got that urine stain on my clothes, just that its there. They also won't care that I missed the bus because it came thirty minutes early, forcing me to wait an hour for the next one.
The only thing they'll care about is that I have a way to get there, but chose not to use it in favor of a less reliable method.
Exactly the kind of kick the US ISPs need to decide that the world is a evil place and that only websites within the US will be allowed.
This is a good example of the potential benefits to using EEG-enhanced biofeedback. Unfortunately, due to the expense of decently sensitive EEG gear, it won't be common for home use. Maybe someone can crank out some cheap SQUIDs?
Things are heading down to an employment singularity.
Remember the days where you could walk into a place and hand them the help wanted sign in the window, and after a few questions, you were hired? The interviews were usually on the spot with the manager on duty and you had your job right then.
Now-a-days, everyone wants to run background checks. Everyone drug tests. Everyone makes you fill out a pretty big application, and every job I've applied for had a basic personality exam. It asked questions like, "Do you steal office supplies?" etc
As employment gets harder and employers get choosier, even the faintest gray mark on your record will mean that you're going to have trouble finding work. Because there's a lot of people out there with totally clean records, or at least, a lot of people that can make their records look clean. The more 'dirt' they can weed out, the better.
One of the most difficult-to-obtain jobs that I had been in, that didn't require a lot of experience, just several interviews, ended up being very lacking in diversity. The same kinds of people..same attitudes..same personalities..etc.
In the end, assuming a sufficiently large pool of candidates, tests like this will only ensure that each pool of positions only hires a certain kind of person. Innovation will suffer at the hands of liability and perceived perfection. After all, who made the choice to hire the guy that scored 3% less on his personality exam? Looks like your hiring skill is fading..why didn't you just follow procedure?
The plan is sound and reasonable. The customers are not. Most people that order software will not tell you to ship the product when its good and ready. They'll ask you if you can have it done in half of the reasonable amount of time. As soon as you say no, you've just heard them hang up. Supposing that you for some reason do agree to their terms, their requirements and scope of the project will fluctuate wildly. If you try to pidgen hole them into coming up with a design and sticking to it, or tell them that you can't change that email program you bid for into a fully functional custom secure web-browser and 3d engine by the deadline, they'll probably walk out. Supposing that you for some reason accept these and try to get the product out, it will be either late or very close to the ship date. The company will tell you that there's no time for testing and to ship the product now. If you refuse, you're going to face large fines/breach of contract/etc. If you accept, you've just shipped shitty and incomplete software. The problem, again, is not in the design. The issue is twofold: There will always be someone to say 'yes' and that people do not understand the time and money required to develop GOOD software.
The real solution is for the ISP software to just redirect all attempts to connect to the internet to a 'You're infected with x here's how to fix it. Call us if you need us to lead you through it, and we'll activate your account again.'
Of course the ISPs would never create more work for themselves without it leading to more profit.
You know, this kind of thing used to be on a case by case basis. If someone wrote something in their diary, it pretty much didn't matter. If they wrote it and then published it and started selling it, then it did matter. I think cases like these need to be handled on a case by case basis as well. Does it seem reasonable that all of the above could have happened? Yes it is reasonable that it could have happened. Is legal action being taken against the chiropractor's office? No.
There should be no burden of proof for the defendant. How can you prove what someone said in a conversation, without recording devices or witnesses? I mean, I could whisper in your ear that I wanted to slit your throat and burn your house down, and the police may still come after me for threatening you, but they damn sure aren't going to arrest me for attempted murder/arson if they couldn't find any evidence of me preparing to do so.
Different situation entirely.
Replace bank robber with foreign army. No SWAT team or rescue mission wants to kill the hostages, but sometimes it happens. Should the rescuers be held responsible for the deaths of the hostages? Depends.
A SWAT team has a lot more to answer for than a military. If Hamas hides behind civilians and the Israelis mow them both down, who do you think is to blame? Hamas KNOWS there's an entire nation's worth of armed forces coming for them, and they KNOW that they might not stop for civilians. So they hide behind them? They're the ones that are 100% at fault for this.
Honestly, it was never an issue of price.
I would buy a PS3 in a heartbeat if I knew what I know now.
For one thing, I can use it as a media center, with the help of TVersity. I can play DVDs, blu-rays, upload my pictures, etc.
The games are pretty awesome from what I've bought. I've bought several games from the PSN as well, and they've all been fun. And in the winter time, it helps to keep my room warm!
What a student chooses to do with their time in class, as long as it isn't disrupting others, is their business. If they're in college and can pass the tests, fine. As long as the teacher or school doesn't care.
But its not 'The Internet' if some sites are blocked by the ISP, is it?
Its 'The Internet according to Carl's Jr.'
or
'The Internet according to Fairpoint'
It should be labeled as such. In fact, its named should be changed to TIATF-SP. Or else false advertising charges could be brought.
How about using say..Wordpad? It comes with Windows, so its not an additional expense. Has decent features and is very usable. Also you don't have to re-learn it every year.
Or Open Office, perhaps?
Hell, even notepad.
I've never purchased a copy of MS Office and I don't use it at home. I use Open Office at home, and MS Office on the computers at school and work.
Services require time, effort, and materials. Depending on the service, any or all of these can be expensive.
Traditionally, when you buy something, you pay one time or one total, and it becomes yours. This rake is $5+tax. It can be yours for that much.
Services are different, as they can require on-going time, effort, and material. You want your landscaping done every week? The service is $5+tax per week. In this case, the landscaping needs the time and effort of the employees, and their equipment and material that will be used on your hard.
A cell phone plan, for example, requires a cell phone, people to manage the offices, technicians, infrastructure, etc. The service costs money in regular installments.
What Microsoft is trying to do is like the landscaping company charge based on people looking at your yard, and based on how often you walk through the yard. Or charging you for turning your cell phone on to see what time it is or play Snakes while you wait on the subway. It costs them personally nothing to allow you to do this, as you've paid off the landscapers and the cell phone company, but since you are doing it..there has to be some intrinsic value in it. Value that can be exploited, apparently.
What's in it for the consumer?
Do you supply a top-of-the-line PC and internet connection for us gamers? It might be worth it then, provided we don't game too much.
Do you supply a flexible, strong, compatible laptop for the school crowd? It might be worth it then, provided you don't provide incentives to universities or schools to dump more homework on the poor students.
What about the in-car entertainment system? Cell phones?
If I'm buying the equipment, I'm not going to pay monthly for something I currently get for free. The consumers, even the dumb ones, will be looking for alternatives. If no better alternatives exist, they'll be created.
In short, I hope Microsoft does launch this nice program, hopefully with the backing of the law, and other absurd things so we can watch the anvil break the camel's back.
One thing I do when I make fun of large trucks or SUVs is the work factor.
"I need this truck because I work in x field that might someday require the use of said truck, or someone else will get the bonus points that should have been mine instead."
or
"I have a kid, so I need this SUV so I can haul them and their sixteen different friends around to parties and such..I'll be the envy of the neighborhood!"
Commercials seem to plant these ideas into people's head. They take the fear that they feel and run with it, to show them what is possible with their particular brand of wheel'd monstrosity. Fine advertising, I'd say..its very effective. Everytime I ask someone why they chose over they always use one of those two reasons..the men because they need to haul stuff (when they don't) and the women because they need to protect their families and be good mothers (which has nothing to do with ).
Because if the case becomes public spectacle, the jurors have the possibility of being swayed by the reactions of their friends/family/lovers/etc. The only way to keep this from happening would be to lock them all in their hotel rooms without communication for a few days, and pay them well so they don't flip out.
That's expensive.