What you are talking is a la cart pricing, and most people who want that still want the channels they want available 24/7 ("unlimited" in that time period) and not just individual shows. They just want to stop paying for all the bundled channels.
The problem with your scenario is that it will make TV more expensive overall.
Imagine a buffet where making the food, regardless of quantity, costs a set amount per dish. They could make unlimited spinach or 5 cups, it will cost the same.
Now, is that buffet better served by charging $20 at the door for all you can eat or charging you $12 per plate? Yes, if they went the plate route, you'd have a lot of people eating less (one plate probably) but they still have the same costs and thus less profit.
TV is exactly like that. A show generally costs the same to license or produce regardless of how many people watch it at any one time (ratings aside).
All it would do is generally lower ratings, lowering their sales, and they'd probably have to start cutting back on the amount of dishes/shows they make.
I, personally, like the idea of paying for what you use.
People already paid for what they used. It's called bandwidth, and they brought the tier level they needed. That it was on 24/7 just meant that they got 30 days of it. All the companies are doing is jacking up the price while giving you less time.
This isn't water or electricity. Bandwidth is not a limited resource in the same way. This is just a company trying to keep overselling what it has and not upgrade.
As a customer, I do mind metered internet because it's bullshit.
This isn't electricity (minimal and always on anyway so the difference is negligible, at least for these middle men) or anything, this is about forcing limited supply when there isn't any.
Would you like metered television too? No longer broadcast to you 24/7, now you get to watch 90 minutes a day, and after that you have to pay? Would that make sense to you?
Bandwidth is already rationed by setting speed levels. I already pay quite a bit more a month for the highest speed level residential and businesses even more so.
People rationing bandwidth at night by not using any isn't going to save anyone anything. It's just dark fiber.
More so, I would argue that mindsets like yours is setting us back. The need for speed is what brings us advances, getting us forward, allowing surgeries and other amazing stuff over the net. Metering is just a setback there.
All metered internet will do is make the Cable ISP slobber as they grab netflix and hulu by the balls and cut off their customers through draconian price increases. By some reports, they already lost some 25 million customers. You don't think they want to stem and reverse the flow? They are hurting, and they are hurting because they didn't change with the times (NO, I don't want the sports channels and every other overpriced bundle just to see the 3 channels I watch, fuck off.)
if there were competitors, and not just vendors screaming free market when they adjust prices but then hold up monopoly contracts with the city/state when a community tries to come together and go their own way.
If it's truly faulty hardware Apple will typically own up to it and offer repairs free of charge. I have the 2008 MBP that had a logic board issue and Apple replaced it for free even though I was well past the warranty and didn't have AppleCare.
Let's see, last time I had a Mac (Powerbook) I needed for development reasons, the logic board went out twice. Both times they wanted me to pay for it. It was only 2 years old the first time (~2005ish). Second time I said fuck it.
My parents had Apple Care and their iPad screen just cracked all of a sudden. Was there when it happened. Right down the bezel, looked like a ditch. There was no impact on the side or front. They refused to do anything but replace the whole thing for $250.
So, I have to say, it's obviously depends where you're at. In my area, Apple is shit on service. BTW, all these instances we tried to take care of it at the local Apple Store.
I prefer their phones and tablets for ease of ownership, but definitely not for the service I get.
I really like my $20 MS comfort curve keyboard. Recently got a new computer and the chicklet style keyboard was unusable for me so I tossed it.
It's the same reason I don't go for laptops in general. I wish someone did some innovating at least, like make a keyboard that can pop up and split in half or something. Until then, I have to stick with desktops for real work or be prepared to carry a second usb keyboard around, killing portability and laptoppiness.
People really put in a lot of money to save people. Automation in it's current state aint gonna save you a dime (especially lights and crap) and cause a lot of headaches when it comes time to fix. Especially light switches where the ~$1 switches are damn reliable tech.
I have all sort of low tech solutions, but for lighting, I recommend fixtures that take a normal A19 edison bulb. People always want to put in fancy flurorescent lights (not CFLs, just the odd shaped pieces) but the bulbs are always more expensive and never advance. With the standard A19, you can be assured of being able to buy the latest and highest variety tech. If you like track lights, you can buy A19 track light fixtures as well pretty cheap if you look around that look fine (as low as $5 ebay sales new, $7-9 normal)
Then buy 60w Cree light bulbs at Home Depot, they are the best and with subsidies, they cost $8 a piece in my area (down from $13 unsubsidized).
Unlike CFLs, they are instant on, use a few watts less electricity, and look normal. And the 2700k watt variety should attract less bugs (no ultraviolet emmittage) but that shouldn't be conflated with no bugs.
I installed lights, noticed the reflectors were less than optimal in ceiling lights and outdoor lights, that the 60w just wasn't strong enough, used a hightech item from the supermarket known as aluminum foil, placed it strategically and hidden from normal view and was able to get more light than 100w equivalent (23w) CFLs or 100w incandescent. My kitchen went from 256 watts fluorescent tubes to 76w ceiling lights (mostly because the tubes were typically places in center of the room trying to light be sheer power whereas the ceiling lights were placed accordingly). My living room went from 69 watt CFLs to 28.5w cree leds with the same lighting just because of aluminum foil.
My greater point is that aluminum foil and other simple stuff is much more reliable than fancy gadgets that turn things off every once in a while
You can also consider light switch motion detectors, but they too are expensive but at least it's a single point of failure and can be replaced with a standard switch should things go wrong.
The only tech I would really use is a good thermostat.
Talking about that, if you have any interest in solar and the like, look into David W. Allan's home in Colorado, situated 6000 ft high, that uses only solar passive heating.
My impression is that the most expensive part of the car are the batteries (probably costing more alone than a low end Honda) and from the charts I've seen, we've barely double energy density since 1990, despite all the rage portable computing and phones and other devices that have undoubtedly poured money into this market.
I think a series hybrid built off of the same concepts as a diesel electric train is feasible and worthwhile, bringing to the table the ability to have a small battery and small generator ICE to overcome all the limitations of a low battery energy density, ability to fuel fast, and the need to size an ICE to maximum acceleration load rather than average load.
NSA always will try to expand and it's stands to reason that the Chinese and their companies aren't under NSA sway, so the backdoors they build in are not under NSA control so the NSA has to try to crack them the hard way. In no way does it mean they don't have the US population under total surveillance.
I'm just a user of DuoLingo (free, highly recommended, Rosetta Stone is scared to death of this shit) on my tablet as well as Khan Academy. I advanced way more in my language effort on this than any other way, at least for beginner/lower_intermediate purposes.
Although both can be used on a regular computer too and smartphone.
Idk, I don't think for kids bigger is better. I guess I know when I see it, but the current iPad is already heavy after a while for my hands.
But tablets in general will be awesome in education coupled with programs like DuoLingo. Some kids really need to learn at their own pace (with a minimum requirement), that factory like schoolrooms just don't provide.
But as much as I like Apple tablets, not for school. Just too expensive. I bought from Aldi a 7" $99 medion brand tablet for family recently (free and clear, no 2 year plans attached), and I'm impressed how competent it is. Not the most beautiful screen, some things take several clicks, and battery life isn't an iPad.... but it plays netflix, has skype and most other programs, and surfs the net, and google's voice to text was surprisingly good. $99. I was blown away. Who knows how cheap they will get. If a kid breaks or loses that, who cares compared to an iPad.
Do they also list the stock ownership,stock options and bonuses of every employee too?
No snark, genuinely interested in how far transparency goes and how far it has to go before transparency is actually achieved.
And what is the goal?
I know some people that do the work of 4 of their colleagues, would it be wrong to pay them 4x more? Afterall, the company still saves on healthcare, parking spaces, and other redundant costs. What a person is worth is not always reducable to a position.
How come can small communities in Scandinavian countries and those here in the states (that regularly get attacked by an incumbent utility) come together and afford to lay it?
When it doesn't affect you, anything is a good place to tax.
But forget the corps, how many small business jobs will be lost? Printers who print those ad-ridden placemats for diners, how about business cards? Will signmakers take a hit too? Not to mention those who put up billboards or shoot and act in TV or radio adverts. And I'm sure the USPS will fall even faster in the red and iirc, they are the nations largest nonmilitary employer.
You might as well argue that Americans are spent out, it's just a war between manufacturers/credit cards/etc and all those legitimate expenditures should be nontax deductible.
I'd rather go the other way, get the government out of picking winners/losers here and institute across the board apt tax while wiping out income/capital gains/inheritance taxes (keeping ss and gas taxes because they correspond with payout).
At best, this is an argument for a consumption tax but only coupled with a savings deduction that counts as double. Since that's what americans have problems with, saving.
Slashdot Mirror
What you are talking is a la cart pricing, and most people who want that still want the channels they want available 24/7 ("unlimited" in that time period) and not just individual shows. They just want to stop paying for all the bundled channels.
The problem with your scenario is that it will make TV more expensive overall.
Imagine a buffet where making the food, regardless of quantity, costs a set amount per dish. They could make unlimited spinach or 5 cups, it will cost the same.
Now, is that buffet better served by charging $20 at the door for all you can eat or charging you $12 per plate? Yes, if they went the plate route, you'd have a lot of people eating less (one plate probably) but they still have the same costs and thus less profit.
TV is exactly like that. A show generally costs the same to license or produce regardless of how many people watch it at any one time (ratings aside).
All it would do is generally lower ratings, lowering their sales, and they'd probably have to start cutting back on the amount of dishes/shows they make.
People already paid for what they used. It's called bandwidth, and they brought the tier level they needed. That it was on 24/7 just meant that they got 30 days of it. All the companies are doing is jacking up the price while giving you less time.
This isn't water or electricity. Bandwidth is not a limited resource in the same way. This is just a company trying to keep overselling what it has and not upgrade.
As a customer, I do mind metered internet because it's bullshit.
This isn't electricity (minimal and always on anyway so the difference is negligible, at least for these middle men) or anything, this is about forcing limited supply when there isn't any.
Would you like metered television too? No longer broadcast to you 24/7, now you get to watch 90 minutes a day, and after that you have to pay? Would that make sense to you?
Bandwidth is already rationed by setting speed levels. I already pay quite a bit more a month for the highest speed level residential and businesses even more so.
People rationing bandwidth at night by not using any isn't going to save anyone anything. It's just dark fiber.
More so, I would argue that mindsets like yours is setting us back. The need for speed is what brings us advances, getting us forward, allowing surgeries and other amazing stuff over the net. Metering is just a setback there.
All metered internet will do is make the Cable ISP slobber as they grab netflix and hulu by the balls and cut off their customers through draconian price increases. By some reports, they already lost some 25 million customers. You don't think they want to stem and reverse the flow? They are hurting, and they are hurting because they didn't change with the times (NO, I don't want the sports channels and every other overpriced bundle just to see the 3 channels I watch, fuck off.)
if there were competitors, and not just vendors screaming free market when they adjust prices but then hold up monopoly contracts with the city/state when a community tries to come together and go their own way.
I don't see a difference between that and bold. Running chrome and tried safari too.
Let's see, last time I had a Mac (Powerbook) I needed for development reasons, the logic board went out twice. Both times they wanted me to pay for it. It was only 2 years old the first time (~2005ish). Second time I said fuck it.
My parents had Apple Care and their iPad screen just cracked all of a sudden. Was there when it happened. Right down the bezel, looked like a ditch. There was no impact on the side or front. They refused to do anything but replace the whole thing for $250.
So, I have to say, it's obviously depends where you're at. In my area, Apple is shit on service. BTW, all these instances we tried to take care of it at the local Apple Store.
I prefer their phones and tablets for ease of ownership, but definitely not for the service I get.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W33HRc1A6c
I really like my $20 MS comfort curve keyboard. Recently got a new computer and the chicklet style keyboard was unusable for me so I tossed it.
It's the same reason I don't go for laptops in general. I wish someone did some innovating at least, like make a keyboard that can pop up and split in half or something. Until then, I have to stick with desktops for real work or be prepared to carry a second usb keyboard around, killing portability and laptoppiness.
Next time don't vote for a guy with no real trackrecord. For a politician, actions always speak louder than words.
Great, what possibly could go wrong there?
The thing they are releasing this summer for $100? Just via photogaphs and turning the object?
Granted, the resolution is probably going to be fuzzy, but still.
People really put in a lot of money to save people. Automation in it's current state aint gonna save you a dime (especially lights and crap) and cause a lot of headaches when it comes time to fix. Especially light switches where the ~$1 switches are damn reliable tech.
I have all sort of low tech solutions, but for lighting, I recommend fixtures that take a normal A19 edison bulb. People always want to put in fancy flurorescent lights (not CFLs, just the odd shaped pieces) but the bulbs are always more expensive and never advance. With the standard A19, you can be assured of being able to buy the latest and highest variety tech. If you like track lights, you can buy A19 track light fixtures as well pretty cheap if you look around that look fine (as low as $5 ebay sales new, $7-9 normal)
Then buy 60w Cree light bulbs at Home Depot, they are the best and with subsidies, they cost $8 a piece in my area (down from $13 unsubsidized).
Unlike CFLs, they are instant on, use a few watts less electricity, and look normal. And the 2700k watt variety should attract less bugs (no ultraviolet emmittage) but that shouldn't be conflated with no bugs.
I installed lights, noticed the reflectors were less than optimal in ceiling lights and outdoor lights, that the 60w just wasn't strong enough, used a hightech item from the supermarket known as aluminum foil, placed it strategically and hidden from normal view and was able to get more light than 100w equivalent (23w) CFLs or 100w incandescent. My kitchen went from 256 watts fluorescent tubes to 76w ceiling lights (mostly because the tubes were typically places in center of the room trying to light be sheer power whereas the ceiling lights were placed accordingly). My living room went from 69 watt CFLs to 28.5w cree leds with the same lighting just because of aluminum foil.
My greater point is that aluminum foil and other simple stuff is much more reliable than fancy gadgets that turn things off every once in a while
You can also consider light switch motion detectors, but they too are expensive but at least it's a single point of failure and can be replaced with a standard switch should things go wrong.
The only tech I would really use is a good thermostat.
Talking about that, if you have any interest in solar and the like, look into David W. Allan's home in Colorado, situated 6000 ft high, that uses only solar passive heating.
http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/david-w-allans-solar-home/
I find the Trombe wall:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trombe_wall
Solarium with ducts, and eutetic salts concept fascinating.
They pretty much adhere to the KISS concept, which is what I recommend overall.
Everything we observed so far was on this tiny dot of a planet in a single solar system in a single galaxy.
Is it just me, or does it seem a bit insane to give universal postulates too much credence when we have such a limited view of the place?
On a notebook?
Why buys Mac Desktops?
Will that be anytime soon though?
My impression is that the most expensive part of the car are the batteries (probably costing more alone than a low end Honda) and from the charts I've seen, we've barely double energy density since 1990, despite all the rage portable computing and phones and other devices that have undoubtedly poured money into this market.
http://www.akbars.net/images/battery%20energy%20density.png
I think a series hybrid built off of the same concepts as a diesel electric train is feasible and worthwhile, bringing to the table the ability to have a small battery and small generator ICE to overcome all the limitations of a low battery energy density, ability to fuel fast, and the need to size an ICE to maximum acceleration load rather than average load.
NSA always will try to expand and it's stands to reason that the Chinese and their companies aren't under NSA sway, so the backdoors they build in are not under NSA control so the NSA has to try to crack them the hard way. In no way does it mean they don't have the US population under total surveillance.
Since the Constitution is a straightjacket on Government itself, it applies everywhere the Government acts, on US soil or not, in theory.
In practice, it gets more and more ignored.
You haven't worked with corporate VB programmers too much, have you?
No we didn't. You may have, I may have, but there are plenty of programmers or budding programmers that have hardly ever touched one.
This story for /. is way better than most of the fluff usually here, so I'm confused why you would bash it down.
No.
I'm just a user of DuoLingo (free, highly recommended, Rosetta Stone is scared to death of this shit) on my tablet as well as Khan Academy. I advanced way more in my language effort on this than any other way, at least for beginner/lower_intermediate purposes.
Although both can be used on a regular computer too and smartphone.
Idk, I don't think for kids bigger is better. I guess I know when I see it, but the current iPad is already heavy after a while for my hands.
But tablets in general will be awesome in education coupled with programs like DuoLingo. Some kids really need to learn at their own pace (with a minimum requirement), that factory like schoolrooms just don't provide.
But as much as I like Apple tablets, not for school. Just too expensive. I bought from Aldi a 7" $99 medion brand tablet for family recently (free and clear, no 2 year plans attached), and I'm impressed how competent it is. Not the most beautiful screen, some things take several clicks, and battery life isn't an iPad.... but it plays netflix, has skype and most other programs, and surfs the net, and google's voice to text was surprisingly good. $99. I was blown away. Who knows how cheap they will get. If a kid breaks or loses that, who cares compared to an iPad.
Do they also list the stock ownership ,stock options and bonuses of every employee too?
No snark, genuinely interested in how far transparency goes and how far it has to go before transparency is actually achieved.
And what is the goal?
I know some people that do the work of 4 of their colleagues, would it be wrong to pay them 4x more? Afterall, the company still saves on healthcare, parking spaces, and other redundant costs. What a person is worth is not always reducable to a position.
Why go for a 1000+ watt spaceheater when a 40 watt bulb does the trick?
How come can small communities in Scandinavian countries and those here in the states (that regularly get attacked by an incumbent utility) come together and afford to lay it?
When it doesn't affect you, anything is a good place to tax.
But forget the corps, how many small business jobs will be lost? Printers who print those ad-ridden placemats for diners, how about business cards? Will signmakers take a hit too? Not to mention those who put up billboards or shoot and act in TV or radio adverts. And I'm sure the USPS will fall even faster in the red and iirc, they are the nations largest nonmilitary employer.
You might as well argue that Americans are spent out, it's just a war between manufacturers/credit cards/etc and all those legitimate expenditures should be nontax deductible.
I'd rather go the other way, get the government out of picking winners/losers here and institute across the board apt tax while wiping out income/capital gains/inheritance taxes (keeping ss and gas taxes because they correspond with payout).
At best, this is an argument for a consumption tax but only coupled with a savings deduction that counts as double. Since that's what americans have problems with, saving.