The PIN checking proprietory hardware is in the card chip. The card is queried with the PIN and merely responds 'accept' or 'reject'.
On the chip, the PIN is pretty solidly encrypted.
Of course the transaction information has to go over the air/wire back to the merchant provider (and from there to the card issuer). This doesn't always happen in real-time, mind - for fast flow environments, retailers often have a floor limit below which transactions are assumed to be accepted. There's a risk of intermittent fraud, but the increased speed makes it an acceptable one. When you're buying your train ticket, this is *enormously* useful.
Actually, this is surprisingly insightful (I've already posted comments so can someone else with mods please mod parent up?)
Department stores place perfume counters right near the doors explicitly to attract high spending shoppers (women primarily) into the store. Once they're in the store, there's a much better chance of them buying something else.
If we saw the analysis of Apple stores *with* this system against those without (bet your bottom they're doing - or have already done - an A/B test), I'd guess the number of *non*iPod purchases will be relatively up. Doesn't have to be a PowerMac either - non hardware sales have likely got a better margin anyway. iTMS vouchers particularly...
Yes, but the assessment of this risk will have been part of the business case, along the lines of
Estimated of fraudulent chargebacks: x
Estimated average cost: m
Total losses to fraudulent chargebacks: f[0]=xm
Total losses to fraud: f=f[0] + f[1] +... + f[n]
Total incremental profit before fraud: p. Total profit after fraud: p-f.
If p is still above desired minimum: accept the risk and proceed.
Start up Safari and browse here. Count how many times the word "movie" appears.
Now count how many times 'movie' appears in relation to 'editing'.
Oh, that's right, none. Once in relation to burning movies to DVD, but (a) nothing about how they were created and (b) only in context of buying an upgrade.
In the era of Chip and PIN cards, this is even more common, as you have to enter a PIN to validate your card (rather than signing the CC slip). So unless you want a long queue at the till (rarely located conveniently in restaurants - it's a staff functionality, not a customer one), you really need these wireless devices able to be taken to each table.
I work away from home most weeks, so eat out 3+ nights a week, and it's been *months* since I've seen anything else in a restaurant (other than tiny mom and pop ones, and even there, many of them have it).
Bribery is offering something to a person in order to persuade him or her to perform an action.
60% off the sticker price if you perform the rebate actions... sounds like a bribe to me.
In my rebate example, the store induced me into a contract under false pretenses... you walk up to the shelf, and you are confronted by a sales sticker: "$19.95 after rebate". Then in very small print, it says "other terms and conditions may apply". Then you open the box, and find a post card. You fill out the post card with your address. The post card does not say that you have to fill out all of the information. 6 months go by, and there is no refund to be seen. You call up the company...eventually talk to someone...and they say, "you didnt qualify for the rebate because you didn't fill out your email address, or your job, or income" etc.
Your problem is not with the bribe per se, but that it's either (1) a genuine attempt to capture that data (in which case it's insanely badly done) or (2) a simple sales promotion where they're simply trying to not pay the rebate nor capture that data (in which case you're entirely right, my heart bleeds for you, but it's entirely non-relevant to this discussion)
So, if I paid $50 for something worth $20, I would be entitled to treble damages of 90 dollars. Usually the statutes provide a minimum of $100 of damages.
Depends on your definition of 'worth' and whether that resonates with what a court would decide. That you can pay retail and decide not to give your data away would argue that the true worth is $50.
So, no, I am not expecting something for nothing. I am expecting to enter into a contract knowing all of of the terms. I don't consider myself bound by a one-sided contract that doesn't disclose all of the terms to me. In fact, in most countries additional or different terms alter a contract materially forcing these additional terms to either drop out of the contract or null the contract entirely.
True, most jurisdictions would allow you to return your widget and get your $50 back. But perhaps not after you've used it for 6 months...
Nor am I expected to go out of my way to call up a company or dig through the box to unearth a contract and read it AFTER THE FACT.
Well, EULAs, but I suspect we're not arguing here...
...stop whining and pay the retail price like everyone else.
So, if I walk into a store, buy an item that is on sale with a rebate...and then I find out when I go home that I have to supply additional information, beyond my mailing address, to get the rebate check, I get pissed. Why? Because I was tricked. I made a deal with the store - I'll pay you $50 for this, if I get a $10 rebate. I did not bargain to give away my private information.
So, you're expecting something for nothing..? And you're calling the stores grasping? And you didn't actually read the information nor expect that there *would* be terms and conditions attached nor bother your arse to find out what they might be?
And I note you're not even able to understand the difference between blackmail and bribery. The store is bribing you to give the information with a 20% discount - don't want it, fine; stop whining and pay the retail price like everyone else. They're not blackmailing you one bit.
I then ask them how much their company paid for the "collection module" for their POS software - I know it isn't cheap. I then ask what they paid to have it setup, and have the results of this current campaign implemented. That isn't cheap either...Clearly my zipcode is worth an assload of money
Because equally clearly, all this was implemented soley to capture SmurfButcherBob's information...
Now for those of us who aren't challenged in the thinking department, the fairly small total cost to add a data collection module to standard software, that therefore doesn't need its own per-till implementation project but is instead rolled into the normal upgrade cycle for tens of thousands of tills across thousands of stores across many chains (what, you think PoS software is bespoke anywhere except the very largest of chains?) is divided across the millions of transactions.
Hate to break it to you, bucko, but your purchase of anusol on its own isn't worth squat. It's only worthwhile across all those transactions, most of which don't involve you.
Michael Jackson called - he's misplaced his ego and thinks you may be able to help.
If the information has value, why don't they pay me for it?
Let me see, less information means poorly targeted advertising. Which means (a) you see even more adverts than otherwise (b) the company spends more on advertising for the same amount of sales. Which means that in order to make the same profit margin, the price has to go up.
Still think you don't get any value from your precious information, sport?
We can also average out a time where Joe starts his car every single day for as long as we'd like using his OnStar information, we can determine a definitive pattern of his daily life with ease. What about the chewing gum?, simple, RFID tags gave us that info.
...providing we're standing *really* close to the packet, and/or have a detector the size of a house (minimum area of detector varies with the square of the distance to the tag), and have RFID tags that are far cheaper than are currently available (current prices are more than the entire pack of gum) have constructed a business case to make it worthwhile to record every pack of gum and link it to multiple other databases.
So, when you've put down your copy of Minority Report, please return to the real world.
But when they start serving me ads based on what country I live in... I become annoyed.
I'm not sure you mean this - I think you'd rather not have adverts that are entirely irrelevant, for products you can't buy and/or aren't at all interested in.
Good targeting means actually you see fewer ads, because the advertisers don't have to waste money on advertising stuff to people who have absolutely no chance of every buying it.
This is why spam is so pernicious - it doesn't target one bit. It just indiscriminately sends the same advert to everyone regardless of how interested they'd actually be in the product. Thinking of the range of spams I've been sent over the last 10 years of email, I can't think of a single one that I had any interest in the product.
You must keep in mind that this system is monitoring any car and keeping records for up to five years, so there's plenty of opportunities to do some creative correlations on the data. If system is smart enough to monitor color and make of a car as well as license plate, it becomes even more scary ("Red Ford Focus with license plate xyz123 mysteriously vanished, but a Blue Ford Focus with license plate abc456 which really should be on a White Renault Espace mysteriously materialized at roughly same location" => "we better schedule an informal chat with owner of xyz123")
You really think HMG is organised enough to be able to do this? You have such naive confidence...
Even if you are a farmer, being able to predict the rains, know about prices, fertilizers and the like helps. In the past (late 70s/80s, I think), in some parts of the south, India had a programme to help fishermen be informed about storms and the like by having a special radio channel that broadcast such information. They gave all the fishermen free transistor radios and told them to use it - and guess what? Several lives were saved, productivity increased and people in general were happy.
There's a fantastic project now in a couple of African countries giving out GSM phones to farmers to let them know the prices at markets via SMS and WAP - if it takes 1/2 a day or more to travel to your chosen market, knowing which one you'll get the best price at matters. Similarly, buyers who travel the farms have the same access, so everyone can negotiate from a shared knowledge of prices.
As is uses SMS, this is much cheaper than a voice call which would have to be quite long to get the same information. GSM coverage is near universal, and the system is being used by people who've never had a phone before.
It's amazing what you learn when you listen to the World Service... or nab the podcast.
I was wondering if a used notebook for $100 wouldn't deliver similiar performance that this device does but with a bigger more usuable screen.
Those of us who have actually been following the design of this device know full well that a 'normal' notebook screen is no damned good, and this device will have quite a different display technology.
Reason? The device has to be usable outdoors, in full sunshine. Many of the target locations run classes outdoors. You ever tried using a lappy in strong sunshine?
The only benefit is the handcrank, which capability could probably be added cheap (via mass production) as a second hand power adapters as most notebook have a universal power adapter AFAIK.
Actually, for many users, power bricks are pointless, not (just) because of the non-standardisation of output power required, but for the non-standardisation and non-existence of power input. To build universal devices, they have to run in areas without mains power.
Frankly, your donated laptop would be of severely limited use to many developing areas that are truly without computing. Might be of some use in semi-developed areas, mind.
Behind my monitor, on my office wall, is the Edificios del Mundo poster of the tallest buildings in the world, with heights to roof, antenna & spire where appropriate.
Target Market for applications - while applications for the learners are required, the main requirement now is for teacher tools, to enable teachers to create teaching content, worksheets, cross words, tests.
So if you ignore the child-friendly artwork (not that it's entirely insignificant), what you have (beyond standard *buntu) is:
A bunch of pretty basic and standard educational applications - although the Timetabling app isn't to be sniffed at
Unless you're home-schooling (and ideally, homeschooling several families together), or your school is using Edubuntu and you want to standardise on it at home too, this isn't going to be much more helpful to you at home than any other *buntu.
Yup, if you work the same stuff, day in, day out, then these are not the droids you are searching for.
If, on the other hand, the thing you're working on has defined outputs/goals, and has a defined beginning and end, then hey, it's a project. And MBAs try not to touch those things with a bargepole.
" My point was that Hastert providing a comments section would give people the impression that Republicans aren't afraid of criticism. The latest news hasn't been too good for the GOP and their members are showing that they are a bit thin skinned."
I doubt those will go anywhere unless a significant number of Democratic congressmen created blogs that allowed comments. And I believe if they tried, they would quickly find out why the speaker didn't allow comments on his. I mean if you think/. trolls are bad...
Yeah, completely. Just look at those nutcases who post on lemon-lyman.com...
"We are stronger than ever because we have a research lab in Cambridge, we have one now in China, one in India and that is where the top problems in computer science are going to be solved."
I'm not sure what Mr. Gates is implying here. But if I were on one of the U.S. campuses, I'd be pissed, and a little nervous.
If you mean customers in a B2B, relatively low volume, high value, complex DMU (Decision Making Unit) type customers using saleforce/partner selling sense, then sure, SAP are very big players. If you're looking to tie sales and forecasts (don't get me started on trade funds...) into your enterprise financials, then SAP will always be on and near top of your RFP list. This is the space Oracle play in too. Siebel are also very strong here - excluding the links to the financial backend which are a matter for integration.
However, if you're looking at Consumers - very high volume, relatively low spend (nb: automotive purchase for yourself counts as low spend here), simple DMU type characteristics - then SAP are nowhere. Siebel are king here, in most all verticals they support, both on outbound campaigns and customer service/contact centre sides. If you want a single player to do all that, then you generally won't seriously look much further. Oracle do have OK-ish offerings here, but you'd typically only choose them if you want one vendor for your entire infrastructure.
(Note that for CPG companies the difference is absolutely crucial as they address both audiences)
What Oracle have done is very strongly consolidate their foothold in the Customer space and become the 800lb gorilla in the Consumer space, leaping ahead of SAP in the One Vendor To Rule Them All stakes.
So while they've now got a very strong claim to be the Number One CRM company (which Siebel pretty much were anyway), their more important claim is to be the Number One Enterprise Applications company.
Slashdot Mirror
The PIN checking proprietory hardware is in the card chip. The card is queried with the PIN and merely responds 'accept' or 'reject'.
On the chip, the PIN is pretty solidly encrypted.
Of course the transaction information has to go over the air/wire back to the merchant provider (and from there to the card issuer). This doesn't always happen in real-time, mind - for fast flow environments, retailers often have a floor limit below which transactions are assumed to be accepted. There's a risk of intermittent fraud, but the increased speed makes it an acceptable one. When you're buying your train ticket, this is *enormously* useful.
Actually, this is surprisingly insightful (I've already posted comments so can someone else with mods please mod parent up?)
Department stores place perfume counters right near the doors explicitly to attract high spending shoppers (women primarily) into the store. Once they're in the store, there's a much better chance of them buying something else.
If we saw the analysis of Apple stores *with* this system against those without (bet your bottom they're doing - or have already done - an A/B test), I'd guess the number of *non*iPod purchases will be relatively up. Doesn't have to be a PowerMac either - non hardware sales have likely got a better margin anyway. iTMS vouchers particularly...
Now count how many times 'movie' appears in relation to 'editing'.
Oh, that's right, none. Once in relation to burning movies to DVD, but (a) nothing about how they were created and (b) only in context of buying an upgrade.
In the era of Chip and PIN cards, this is even more common, as you have to enter a PIN to validate your card (rather than signing the CC slip). So unless you want a long queue at the till (rarely located conveniently in restaurants - it's a staff functionality, not a customer one), you really need these wireless devices able to be taken to each table.
I work away from home most weeks, so eat out 3+ nights a week, and it's been *months* since I've seen anything else in a restaurant (other than tiny mom and pop ones, and even there, many of them have it).
60% off the sticker price if you perform the rebate actions... sounds like a bribe to me.
Your problem is not with the bribe per se, but that it's either (1) a genuine attempt to capture that data (in which case it's insanely badly done) or (2) a simple sales promotion where they're simply trying to not pay the rebate nor capture that data (in which case you're entirely right, my heart bleeds for you, but it's entirely non-relevant to this discussion)
Depends on your definition of 'worth' and whether that resonates with what a court would decide. That you can pay retail and decide not to give your data away would argue that the true worth is $50.
True, most jurisdictions would allow you to return your widget and get your $50 back. But perhaps not after you've used it for 6 months...
Well, EULAs, but I suspect we're not arguing here...
There is that...
So, you're expecting something for nothing..? And you're calling the stores grasping? And you didn't actually read the information nor expect that there *would* be terms and conditions attached nor bother your arse to find out what they might be?
And I note you're not even able to understand the difference between blackmail and bribery. The store is bribing you to give the information with a 20% discount - don't want it, fine; stop whining and pay the retail price like everyone else. They're not blackmailing you one bit.
Because equally clearly, all this was implemented soley to capture SmurfButcherBob's information...
Now for those of us who aren't challenged in the thinking department, the fairly small total cost to add a data collection module to standard software, that therefore doesn't need its own per-till implementation project but is instead rolled into the normal upgrade cycle for tens of thousands of tills across thousands of stores across many chains (what, you think PoS software is bespoke anywhere except the very largest of chains?) is divided across the millions of transactions.
Hate to break it to you, bucko, but your purchase of anusol on its own isn't worth squat. It's only worthwhile across all those transactions, most of which don't involve you.
Michael Jackson called - he's misplaced his ego and thinks you may be able to help.
Let me see, less information means poorly targeted advertising. Which means (a) you see even more adverts than otherwise (b) the company spends more on advertising for the same amount of sales. Which means that in order to make the same profit margin, the price has to go up.
Still think you don't get any value from your precious information, sport?
So, when you've put down your copy of Minority Report, please return to the real world.
I'm not sure you mean this - I think you'd rather not have adverts that are entirely irrelevant, for products you can't buy and/or aren't at all interested in.
Good targeting means actually you see fewer ads, because the advertisers don't have to waste money on advertising stuff to people who have absolutely no chance of every buying it.
This is why spam is so pernicious - it doesn't target one bit. It just indiscriminately sends the same advert to everyone regardless of how interested they'd actually be in the product. Thinking of the range of spams I've been sent over the last 10 years of email, I can't think of a single one that I had any interest in the product.
You really think HMG is organised enough to be able to do this? You have such naive confidence...
There's a fantastic project now in a couple of African countries giving out GSM phones to farmers to let them know the prices at markets via SMS and WAP - if it takes 1/2 a day or more to travel to your chosen market, knowing which one you'll get the best price at matters. Similarly, buyers who travel the farms have the same access, so everyone can negotiate from a shared knowledge of prices.
As is uses SMS, this is much cheaper than a voice call which would have to be quite long to get the same information. GSM coverage is near universal, and the system is being used by people who've never had a phone before.
It's amazing what you learn when you listen to the World Service... or nab the podcast.
Those of us who have actually been following the design of this device know full well that a 'normal' notebook screen is no damned good, and this device will have quite a different display technology.
Reason? The device has to be usable outdoors, in full sunshine. Many of the target locations run classes outdoors. You ever tried using a lappy in strong sunshine?
Actually, for many users, power bricks are pointless, not (just) because of the non-standardisation of output power required, but for the non-standardisation and non-existence of power input. To build universal devices, they have to run in areas without mains power.
Frankly, your donated laptop would be of severely limited use to many developing areas that are truly without computing. Might be of some use in semi-developed areas, mind.
Actually, if you want size in 2 dimensions, the Millaue Viaduct has to be in the contenders. 325m x 2500m is something indeed.
Behind my monitor, on my office wall, is the Edificios del Mundo poster of the tallest buildings in the world, with heights to roof, antenna & spire where appropriate.
Tapei 101: Spire: 508m, Roof: 448m
Sears Tower: Roof: 442m, Antenna: 527m
All well and good, until you consider:
Ostankino Tower, Moscow: Antenna: 540m
CN Tower: Antenna: 553m
More useful diagrams and comparisons here.
Something like this?
I think you've hit a nail on the head, btw
Most of what makes Edubuntu different from *buntu isn't actually relevant for home use. To quote the Design Goals:
So if you ignore the child-friendly artwork (not that it's entirely insignificant), what you have (beyond standard *buntu) is:
Unless you're home-schooling (and ideally, homeschooling several families together), or your school is using Edubuntu and you want to standardise on it at home too, this isn't going to be much more helpful to you at home than any other *buntu.
Yeah, the BA T1 domestic lounge is nice, isn't it?
My flight out of there on Thursday was delayed over 2 hours, so I didn't get home until midnight...
Still, being able to IRC (mmmm irc.cgi) with mates from their terminals was good as always.
Yup, if you work the same stuff, day in, day out, then these are not the droids you are searching for. If, on the other hand, the thing you're working on has defined outputs/goals, and has a defined beginning and end, then hey, it's a project. And MBAs try not to touch those things with a bargepole.
Hahahah oh that's good. Tell me another one.
True, in some areas of IT, you can get away with murder on costs. But only on internal projects.
*sigh* you think you're up to posting on this thread and miss a screaming West Wing reference?
Season 3, Episode 16 ("US Poet Laureate"). Here's the Episode Transcript.
My apologies though - it's LemonLyman.com (I was going by the DVD subtitles as you never see the URL onscreen).
I dunno. Jealousy? Sheer bloody envy? Blind fury?
Depends on what you mean by the C in CRM.
If you mean customers in a B2B, relatively low volume, high value, complex DMU (Decision Making Unit) type customers using saleforce/partner selling sense, then sure, SAP are very big players. If you're looking to tie sales and forecasts (don't get me started on trade funds...) into your enterprise financials, then SAP will always be on and near top of your RFP list. This is the space Oracle play in too. Siebel are also very strong here - excluding the links to the financial backend which are a matter for integration.
However, if you're looking at Consumers - very high volume, relatively low spend (nb: automotive purchase for yourself counts as low spend here), simple DMU type characteristics - then SAP are nowhere. Siebel are king here, in most all verticals they support, both on outbound campaigns and customer service/contact centre sides. If you want a single player to do all that, then you generally won't seriously look much further. Oracle do have OK-ish offerings here, but you'd typically only choose them if you want one vendor for your entire infrastructure.
(Note that for CPG companies the difference is absolutely crucial as they address both audiences)
What Oracle have done is very strongly consolidate their foothold in the Customer space and become the 800lb gorilla in the Consumer space, leaping ahead of SAP in the One Vendor To Rule Them All stakes.
So while they've now got a very strong claim to be the Number One CRM company (which Siebel pretty much were anyway), their more important claim is to be the Number One Enterprise Applications company.