My brother is an automotive technician for a small local shop, and he works what is known as "flat rate" (I don't know whether that's an industry-standard term or not). Basically, every job has an associated time which it should take to do it, and that's what you get paid, regardless of how long it actually takes.
So for example, he's switching out the clutch on my '85 Subaru hatchback. He looks up the job and discovers that it should take 4.6 hours (yes, I made that up). He quotes me the price for parts + 4.6 hours of shop labor. I agree to pay this price. Because he kicks ass, he actually gets it done in 3.5 hours. I still pay the shop the full cost, and the shop still pays him for 4.6 hours of labor. However, if he screws the pooch and takes 7 hours, he is STILL only getting paid for 4.6. Efficient mechanics are rewarded for their skill, and nobody gets screwed over.
A good pay period can have him earning 55 hours of wages for 40 hours of work. Of course, what actually happens is that I leach off him and he does the labor for free, but my wife babysits his kid and I fix his PC, so it works out in the end.
Seriously. I should know better, but if you even read the summary, you would know that the guy was leaking trade secrets. It's not like they used a Vulcan mind meld on him to suck out all of his good ideas. He took proprietary work-related information from his employer and gave it away on the Internet.
On a side note, it's crap like this that really screws it for other contractors. When I was a contractor at HP, we had such a good working relationship with the people there that we were allowed to use the basketball court. None of the other contractors were.
By your own figures, you could burn out your 2GHz processor 4 times and still have spent 10 pounds less.
Re:Maybe I just don't get it...
on
Hardware Bits
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· Score: 2
You don't get it.
But now I do. Many thanks. Too bad that someone wasted a +1 insightful on my previous comment, though. =)
This would be worthwhile, I suppose, if you actually had fans and water pumps hooked up to your PC.
Maybe I just don't get it...
on
Hardware Bits
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· Score: 3, Insightful
Our total cost for this project was approximately $25.00. Considering that we can now power up to 7 external components, we believe it is well worth it. Now when we turn on our computer, anything that is connected to the surge protector will power on automatically....water pump, fan, auxiliary PSU, printer etc...etc.
I know some mods are worth doing just because, but this strikes me as a little... odd. The last thing I want to do is run more stuff off my power supply. Why not save a couple bucks (and your PS) and just buy a power strip?
Enlightenment, anyone?
It just seems unlikely to me...
on
Affero's Hack-a-Thon
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· Score: 5, Interesting
...that your average Joe is going to respect your wishes to make a micropayment to an organization he's never heard of.
User: "So what do you want for this?" Tech: "If you find my service useful, please consider contributing $25 to blah blah blah" (at this point user has tuned tech out) User: (Internal monologue) "He doesn't want my money, apparently. Very well. I shall buy bread and circuses. Huzzah!"
Maybe it would be better just to take their money and donate it for them. =)
Any activity which holds you from interactive with other people for a very long time is quite harmful to you, even if you don't actually *like* people.
Perhaps even especially if you don't like people. I view most social interaction outside my close group of friends like I used to view vegetables: not pleasant, but a good idea for a healthy existence.
Wow, I could've written this. I was a relatively casual player--perhaps 15-20 hours a week. I had a friend who stopped just short of failing out because of Astaria. She DID lose her place in the honors program we were in.
Isn't this illegal? Are Sierra Aware of your activities?
This is a tricky issue that could be, and already has been, argued to death on both sides. The answer is, nobody really knows. Either way, we have openly stated that we will shut our project down at any time. Sierra, along with many game developers, are aware of the projects existence, yet have refrained from contacting us. We take this as reserved acceptance. Overall, we have remained very respectful to Sierra, and only want to aid in increasing their sales and revive an interest in their products.
This sounds like my strategy at work when testing new things. "If I don't ask, he can't say no." =)
Seriously, though, this is cool. My wife loves all of those games--even their mention is enough to spark a half hour nostalgia session about the good ol' Amiga gaming days. Methinks I shall have to surreptitiously put this on her machine at home...
Robbie started the whole shebang, at least in the concept if not in actual fact.
IIRC, Robbie was the first robot story Asimov did, under the title "Strange Playfellow" (which he hated; it was an editorial change). I guess it would pretty much have to be the basis, then. =)
Actually, I suspect that Bicentennial Man was actually based on the book Bicentennial Man--itself an Asimov short story expanded by Robert Silverberg into a novel.
Starship Troopers (or Yes, it will be that bad..)
on
Will Smith as I, Robot
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· Score: 3, Interesting
I think it will be that bad.
The project originated as "Hardwired," a futuristic script by Jeff Vintar that was amalgamated with elements of "I, Robot" when Fox bought rights to Asimov's landmark book.
If you read the "making of" book to Starship Troopers (the movie), this is essentially what happened there. Some guy had an idea for a movie and someone else said "Hey, that sounds like this book I once read." They buy the rights, slap the title and a few character names on it, and release a really crappy movie combining the worst elements of each story.
The making-of book (which I thumbed through at Barnes & Noble) was fairly amusing--the scriptwriter was very defensive about how he had written a faithful adaptation of the original book before the producers hacked it to match their initial story concept. I wish more people in Hollywood had the grace to apologize for what they've inflicted on us... =)
I don't get it. You're still going to have to compare them all. From the company's perspective, the "best" plan is the most expensive--are you going to take their word for it?
It's obvious that everyone who is upset in this thread has no concept of marketing. Marketing is beautiful and unfortunetaly not used to its fullest potential. I think that's a shame.
If all such information was used for was matching up the best services for each user, it would be a great thing. However, that's not how it works in Reality Land
To use cell phone service for an example: if demographic evidence from your calling record points out to marketing weasels that you could really use a new cell phone, do you think that only the best provider for your needs is going to be knocking on your door? Sure they will. But so will every one of their competitors. Companies are in business to make a profit. They don't want you to have the best service. They want you to have their service. The marketing department from Verizon has no interest in you finding the best deal for you--not if it means you go with Cingular. You will be inundated, and must now spend time trying to decipher plans from the numerous (and often contradictory) pamphlets. [Yes, we did this recently. It sucked.]
Marketing could be useful, but not the way it's commonly done. Say there was another company, for example, that provided (for a modest sum) research and recommendations based on your demographic profile. THAT would be useful, perhaps. That company would already have your business--to keep it, they need to find you the best deals on other things (phones, groceries, ISP, oil changes, magazines, etc.), so they are motivated to really help you.
I don't have the time to check out every possible scenerio available with every company out there. It's their job to take the data they have and then present me with their best offers.
If you don't want to spend time shopping for the best deal, then go ahead and opt in--no one wants to take that away from you.
For myself, I will shop when I want a service, and would prefer to be left alone until such time. No calls. No mail. No e-mail. Definitely no visits.
Most such waivers have "except as prohibited by state and federal laws" clauses thrown in there somewhere. It sounds like this is what Verizon is trying to get the feds to protect them from.
... that makes me stay in my apartment and read. You can't go anywhere, buy anything, talk to anyone, read anything (oh crap, nevermind), or watch anything without someone using it to fuel marketing.
Welcome to the information age. The question is no longer whether you are being served, but to whom.
Slashdot Mirror
So for example, he's switching out the clutch on my '85 Subaru hatchback. He looks up the job and discovers that it should take 4.6 hours (yes, I made that up). He quotes me the price for parts + 4.6 hours of shop labor. I agree to pay this price. Because he kicks ass, he actually gets it done in 3.5 hours. I still pay the shop the full cost, and the shop still pays him for 4.6 hours of labor. However, if he screws the pooch and takes 7 hours, he is STILL only getting paid for 4.6. Efficient mechanics are rewarded for their skill, and nobody gets screwed over.
A good pay period can have him earning 55 hours of wages for 40 hours of work. Of course, what actually happens is that I leach off him and he does the labor for free, but my wife babysits his kid and I fix his PC, so it works out in the end.
Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing.
On a side note, it's crap like this that really screws it for other contractors. When I was a contractor at HP, we had such a good working relationship with the people there that we were allowed to use the basketball court. None of the other contractors were.
By your own figures, you could burn out your 2GHz processor 4 times and still have spent 10 pounds less.
Psychic. =)
Enlightenment, anyone?
User: "So what do you want for this?"
Tech: "If you find my service useful, please consider contributing $25 to blah blah blah" (at this point user has tuned tech out)
User: (Internal monologue) "He doesn't want my money, apparently. Very well. I shall buy bread and circuses. Huzzah!"
Maybe it would be better just to take their money and donate it for them. =)
I saw a Mad Max replicar at a Ford show outside of Portland, OR this summer. VERY shiny. If I had any pictures scanned, I would link them.
<gratuitous link>
Instead, gaze at the wondrous beauty that is the 1974 Capri--slightly, ahem, used. =)
Wow, I could've written this. I was a relatively casual player--perhaps 15-20 hours a week. I had a friend who stopped just short of failing out because of Astaria. She DID lose her place in the honors program we were in.
I'm sure this is documented somewhere.
Once they're finished, anyway. =)
Seriously, though, this is cool. My wife loves all of those games--even their mention is enough to spark a half hour nostalgia session about the good ol' Amiga gaming days. Methinks I shall have to surreptitiously put this on her machine at home...
The title of the book was The Positronic Man. The short story may have gone under either title; I don't recall. Must be time to dig them out again.
Actually, I suspect that Bicentennial Man was actually based on the book Bicentennial Man--itself an Asimov short story expanded by Robert Silverberg into a novel.
The making-of book (which I thumbed through at Barnes & Noble) was fairly amusing--the scriptwriter was very defensive about how he had written a faithful adaptation of the original book before the producers hacked it to match their initial story concept. I wish more people in Hollywood had the grace to apologize for what they've inflicted on us... =)
[Yes, OK, I know, it's still not quite big enough to launch cats. But you could launch kittens.]
[And no, I'm not really that disturbed. Probably.]
I don't get it. You're still going to have to compare them all. From the company's perspective, the "best" plan is the most expensive--are you going to take their word for it?
To use cell phone service for an example: if demographic evidence from your calling record points out to marketing weasels that you could really use a new cell phone, do you think that only the best provider for your needs is going to be knocking on your door? Sure they will. But so will every one of their competitors. Companies are in business to make a profit. They don't want you to have the best service. They want you to have their service. The marketing department from Verizon has no interest in you finding the best deal for you--not if it means you go with Cingular. You will be inundated, and must now spend time trying to decipher plans from the numerous (and often contradictory) pamphlets. [Yes, we did this recently. It sucked.]
Marketing could be useful, but not the way it's commonly done. Say there was another company, for example, that provided (for a modest sum) research and recommendations based on your demographic profile. THAT would be useful, perhaps. That company would already have your business--to keep it, they need to find you the best deals on other things (phones, groceries, ISP, oil changes, magazines, etc.), so they are motivated to really help you.
For myself, I will shop when I want a service, and would prefer to be left alone until such time. No calls. No mail. No e-mail. Definitely no visits.
Most such waivers have "except as prohibited by state and federal laws" clauses thrown in there somewhere. It sounds like this is what Verizon is trying to get the feds to protect them from.
(posting from Poulsbo, WA)
Welcome to the information age. The question is no longer whether you are being served, but to whom.