Fotunately they didn't put it there. We got enough people to sign a petition and made a big stink at the council meeting. They eventually built one, but they put it at the edge of town near the highway. It's on the other side of a hill, so not really visible to any houses in town.
What bugs me is they sort of tried sneaking it in there. But that was 5 years ago so I try not to hold it against the greedy jerks that run our town. They've got enough marks against them for stuff this year alone:)
Sorry, had a bad morning at work (already). In any case, didn't mean to go all offensive.
In any case this was 5 years ago. There's a tower now but it near the highway out of view from the residential areas. We have pretty full coverage with the digital services from all major providers. And everything is fine.
My biggest problem with the whole thing is they tried sneaking it in. They kept very quiet about it, didn't announce it or anything. I think the only way our neighborhood found out about it is someone on our street happened to attend a town hall meeting and immediately spread the word.
Or research minor cellular telephone concepts like how AT&T and Verizon signal quality has no (positive) effect on Sprint signal quality.
Wow, what a jerk.
Seriously, Sprint was also on a tower nearby as well. It would get like 75% bars in most of the town (which for 5 years ago isn't that bad).
It wasn't going to be a "tree" cell tower, but a full blown tower (I think around 280' or 300') in an otherwise nice green suburban area. Again, just across the street from our house, a few feet away from our neighbor's fence.
Good cell coverage is already a decent selling point (what business person wants to live in an area without it). But as I said the coverage was already great at the time. They eventually built one but near the highway which was far away from the residential section.
If you're going to disagree, then fine. But being a dick helps nobody.
My family was in a situation with this a few years ago. When I was in college, the town wanted to sell a small plot of land directly behind my neighbors across the street to (I think) Sprint. They wanted to put up a HUGE cell tower to cover the town and the nearby highway. Of course the people for it were those out of sight from the monstrosity or those that would have benefitted financially. It was one of those things where they tried to be quiet about it, and I don't think they even announced that they were going to vote on it.
This thing woud have dwarfed everything around it, houses and the few very short trees. It was a full sized tower you'd see off the Parkway. It would have been right behind their fence and right across the street from our house. We put up flyars showing how tall it was compared to the nearby houses, and it was like 3x taller (perhaps more, I forget).
Such a thing is an eyesore, and I could deal with that. However, big eyesoard drop property values and we consider our house an asset. They plan on moving out in a few years when they retire and obviously don't want their property value plummetting when the have to sell. It's really their one big asset.
It was tough to dissuade the town, they were getting money and were explaining how much better our cell coverage would be. That was a laugh as the coverage in town was already damn good (full bars on Verizon and AT&T at the time). So big deal, the town gets another ~50k a year and our [b]already great[/b] cell coverage would have gotten an iota better.
I can't blame individuals for wanting to do it, especially if they need the money. But for our town to want to do it for what would have been (let's face it) a small amount for a well-off town was rediculous.
And if you started with Windows 2000 you'd be paying around as much (~500 USD) as OSX unless you're smart and get an OEM version or try upgrading. And with OSX you can install the OS on up to (I believe) 5 computers legally, unlike Windows XP which forces you to buy a new copy for each one.
Each release has more to it than one feature, it's just that in this case Spotlight and a few other small ones are just the big noticeable ones. Kind of like Windows XP's GUI and wireless support were the only "obvious" changes from 2000 (yet a lot of other stuff changed in the background).
But I think Apple said that after Tiger they're going to slow down a bit.
Definately see the series in some form or another before going to see the movie. The movie appears to deal with the whole back-story that was floating around since the first episode.
It's really a good series, but I know some that didn't like it. Personally I wasn't a big fan of it when it was first on TV, but I downloaded the first ep and got hooked. Bought the DVD boxed set the very next day.
Such devices won't immediately cause the plain to crash, but there are 2 things that could happen: slight static and all-out interference.
When taking off and landing, the last thing you want is static interfering with the radio signal or the ILS system. Slight interference during landing might make the pilot misjudge something. Do you really want to chance it?
Then there's the "oh sh!t" factor. Who knows how well the electronics in planes can handle radio noise. Sure, 99% of the time everything might be alright, but a cr@ppy system might go down leaving the pilots in a pickle.
I mean, imagine if 10 people started playing against each other with their PSP's in ad-hoc mode. All of the noise would kind of be bad.
Cable killed commercial tv long ago. TiVo is putting the stake in it.
First of all, isn't doing so well right now. Sure they've just signed some deals with cable companies but they're whole commercial skipping thing is probably not going to be allowed.
Secondly, do you even have cable? Commercials flood that thing just about as much as broadbast. The worst is when you're watching a show and you hear some non-setting sounds followed by some icons appearing at the bottom of the screen. Sometimes they're just for other shows the channel has, but once or twice I've seen it for a product. I've missed plot-essential dialogue thanks to the morons that thought this was a good idea.
Do ads on TV still work? Probably not as much as they used to. But they're still all over the place and the only channels without them are PBS and premium channels (HBO, Showtime, etc).
It depends on how long he's been out of work. Take me for example, I still have a job as a contractor but I could see myself getting layed off soon with the others in my company. So I'd start looking for work ASAP.
At my job I work a lot over the weekends and during the evenings to get stuff done. I'm an idiot and do stuff "off the record" because I'd rather hit a deadline with a finished product than deal with the red tape of going over the number of hours I'm contracted for.
So, if I started looking for work tomorrow I'd have very little "past work" to show. I work 40 hours a week and an additional 10-15 most weeks; that doesn't leave much time for outside projects. Or should I say after weeks of programming 50 or 55 hours a week I really don't want to waste what little free time I have on an additional number of hours programming on my own.
But if I was looking for work already for a few months I might have something to show them as I'd start working on something I could market myself.
Not everyone has the free time to do outside work, and this is coming from someone that's single. I can't imagine many parents (man or woman) having that much time on free projects.
What's the point in buying Apple Mini with preinstalled Mac OS X, when I may buy some of VIA-based boxes and install Linux on familiar x86 platform. Yes, I know PowerPC advocates have the point, but I prefer to deal with just one hardware platform, that's easier.
The point is now Apple has bypassed 2 major choke points with the mac: price and size. A lot of people have wanted to try out a Mac of their own, but they were either too expensive to bother or they didn't want the iMac with it's built-in monitor taking up even more room on their desk. Now with the Mini they can get a Mac for $500 USD (base configuration) and it's small enough to put anywhere on (or under) your desk.
Now, for the non-geeks: not everyone is tech savvy enough to know a) about mini-itx or Via low-voltage CPUs b) how to build a machine c) install and use Linux
Mac's "just work." Someone with no PC experience can just plug the thing in and get it working. The same can't be said about Linux.
Now, as for buying a Mini just to turn it into a Linux box... that's another debate all together.
Well, currently only 1 Cylon is pregnant at the end of Season 1 and she's still on Caprica.
I have to wonder if Starbuck will bring her back to the Galactica. While many people on the tvtome forums think so, it's a bit out there. Starbuck's already learned from personal experience that Cylons are heller strong and the ship they're in is puny. The Cylon could easily overpower her if she wanted.
I hate BestBuy. They've screwed me on a couple of things, them saying 1 thing then insisting on another. I've walked out mid-purchase before because I've caught a stupid cashier lying to my face.
In any case, the poor bastard should get some money either from BestBuy or the county. I think too many people sue for stupid reasons in this country, but this is definately 1 case where it's warranted.
In any case, the kid should get fired. Yeh yeh you could say "well it was an honest mistake." Well, even honest mistakes should get you fired when you cause something as big as this.
I'm still kind of young (25), so it wasn't THAT long ago I was a cashier. I know how it is, and how annoying it can be to deal with stupid customers. But what he did was monumentally stupid.
Hardware benchmarks aren't what bother me, it's stability that matters to me.
The first PC I built from scratch was in college (my previous computers were either my parents or a small-shop one I bought). I hit the hardware sites and many claimed that a particular ASUS board was great and rock solid. I was naive and took the 3 or 4 sites word at it and bought it. I started having MAJOR problems and later found out it was the Via chipset on the board. Forums were FLOODED with the exact same complaints. I eventually had to replace the board.
Since then I don't buy hardware until I've searched forums for personal experiences with said product. I'll still look at some review sites but I now take what they say with a grain of salt.
I can't see this being decent unless all of the transformers are CGI'd in. Even then...
Personally I think a CGI version should be made. Beast Wars was well done and when they found "the Ark" with the transformers inside I actually felt a tear running down my cheek.
Unforuntately, the latest incarnations of Transformers (Armada, Energon, etc) have ruined it for me. First it became a Pokemon clone only with some big bots collecting small bots to help them fight (gotta catch'em all!). The animation was poor (person stood still in signle frame while energy bolts shot from his arms and shoulders).
I can't see them replicating the coolness of the old movie though. That was just great.
I'm sure it's true, but I can't help but think of an episode of the West Wing.
In 1 episode it's nearing ther President's re-election campaign. He's about to go see a famous and fancy musical based on the War of the Roses (not the movie, the event).
His opponent wants to meet with the President during intermission (kind of a public meeting) but the president declines. He doesn't like the guy and this is a nice occasion for him. So he declines.
The opponent then leaks to the press that the President invited him to sit with him during the musical and speak with him during intermission, and his "people" confirm the false rumor. Before the White House can reply the whole world is buying into the rumor. Calling him a liar isn't going to fly well because all of the reporters think it's true (heck, they "discovered" a rumor and got it confirmed: job accomplished).
If you're trying to get someone to do something, sometimes telling the world that they've promised to do it forces their hand. Because now the public expects it to happen.
And sometimes it pisses them off royally. But who cares if they hate you already?
Seems like we're trending towards multiple everything recently.. multicore CPUs, SLI.. how long before this propagates to everything?
Wouldn't doubt it.
You can only improve on things so long before you need a complete redesign. Adding more to the mix is a great stopgap that extends the usefulness of technology.
At some point AMD and Intel are going to have to perform a MAJOR redesign (even bigger than the dual-core). Granted this might not be until we reach the 7GHz mark, but there is an invisible line somewhere.
There is one big downside for the consumer though: increased prices. Dual-Core CPU's will be more expensive than regular ones. SLI graphics will require buying 2 cards. RAID storage requires multiple hard drives.
Personally I think it would be cool if my next computer were dual-core with SLI video ports and a RAID setup. Whether or not I can afford it, that's another story.
With the obvious effects of distributed and grid computing Sony's supposed cell tech might actually prove to be interesting (though I'd prefer it on a more local scale).
I live in a small town in NJ, it's about a mile wide (at most) and at other points maybe 1/2 a mile wide.
The images aren't that old for us. An apartment complex that was finished maybe 2 years ago is up and it looks like it's finished in the image. Also a small street was put in with like 4 houses is there and I think that was done within the last 2-ish years. Beyond that I can't recall any other changes in landscape that could help me narrow it down. But it's not too old for me.
I remember looking at some satellite images of my down in 2000. The picture of my house had a large spruce tree that a storm uprooted around 1995.
Sure there are your standard plane trips and waiting at the DMV, but really, do you spend so much time at the DMV that you'd spend $350 for the PSP and 2 games?
I have coworkers that have to regularly make business trips. They're either taking a 4 hour Acela Express from NJ to MA or 7 hour flight from from NJ to Europe. Some of these people make 2 trips a month to one place or another.
If I had to travel as much as some of these people do I'd buy a handheld unit in a heartbeat. The company laptops are too slow for anything really and are locked pretty tight so that only some of us can install software as it is. So the only options are read a book (been doing that), listen to music, or watch a DVD.
Fortunately I only go on like 4 trips a year and they're usually just the train rides. But when these rare trips come up I'm always tempted to buy something (either Nintendo DS or now the PSP).
Most of Europe allows their kids to drink wine with dinner. I'd let my kids drink wine with dinner too if I wasn't so afraid they'd tell a nosy neighbor and have the State come and take my kids away for child endangerment.
Back when I was in school, they'd give the kids a form each year. It was for the school directory (think little phonebook each family got each year).
You had to fill it out and there was a box saying you never serve alcohol in your house, drink in front of your children, or serve alchohol to children in your home. This was then denoted by an asterix next to your name in the student directory; the premise being that parents could help gauge whether to let "little Timmy" go to the Smith's house.
My parents always laughed at this. According to the description even drinking a glass of wine in front of the children during holidays was against the form let alone letting them taste a little red wine during their holiday feast. To put things in perspective, both my parents were born in Poland where a kid having a taste of wine for Chistmas dinner was common, let alone the whole drinking age thing. Neither has a drinking problem (just the occasional glass of wine on Sunday dinner). However they signed it in the end because they knew what the other family's reaction would be.
In any case I remember hearing my friends' parents complain that so-and-so didn't sign the form and it was outrageous that they let their kids drink or drink in front of them; going on and on and on about it and dragging other families into it. Meanwhile those same complaining parents actually drank beer in front of their kid's friends.
Battery doesn't bother me that much and didn't back then. I used (and still use) rechargable AA batteries for all of my portable electronics that require batteries; even back in the old days of GameBoy (tm).
I always had a set ready and charged when I'd be done. My parents drilled it into me back then that it wasn't worth paying for batteries over and over for stuff like that when I could buy a set of rechargables that would last me a LONG time.
But most didn't have that option, so I guess that is one of the big issues. As for Kirby, was it even popular back then? I thought it wasn't until later that it started sellign well.
True. I laugh when I hear people freaking out: it's not like there's a clock counting down to April 1.
However, many companies do react in a similar way. I'm aware of some companies that have VB6 programs they've developed in-house that they're looking at re-writing specifically because of this. Their reasoning is if it's not supported then who knows how well it's going to run on Windows a couple of versions down the line. Also, if they run into some major problem they may be SOL.
Personally I'd put money on Java lasting a while. Between Sun and other vendors, even if Sun decides to drop support for Java there'll be enough support around to keep apps running for a while. It's too wide-spread to simply die all at once.
Slashdot Mirror
Fotunately they didn't put it there. We got enough people to sign a petition and made a big stink at the council meeting. They eventually built one, but they put it at the edge of town near the highway. It's on the other side of a hill, so not really visible to any houses in town.
:)
What bugs me is they sort of tried sneaking it in there. But that was 5 years ago so I try not to hold it against the greedy jerks that run our town. They've got enough marks against them for stuff this year alone
Sorry, had a bad morning at work (already). In any case, didn't mean to go all offensive.
In any case this was 5 years ago. There's a tower now but it near the highway out of view from the residential areas. We have pretty full coverage with the digital services from all major providers. And everything is fine.
My biggest problem with the whole thing is they tried sneaking it in. They kept very quiet about it, didn't announce it or anything. I think the only way our neighborhood found out about it is someone on our street happened to attend a town hall meeting and immediately spread the word.
Wow, what a jerk.
Seriously, Sprint was also on a tower nearby as well. It would get like 75% bars in most of the town (which for 5 years ago isn't that bad).
It wasn't going to be a "tree" cell tower, but a full blown tower (I think around 280' or 300') in an otherwise nice green suburban area. Again, just across the street from our house, a few feet away from our neighbor's fence.
Good cell coverage is already a decent selling point (what business person wants to live in an area without it). But as I said the coverage was already great at the time. They eventually built one but near the highway which was far away from the residential section.
If you're going to disagree, then fine. But being a dick helps nobody.
My family was in a situation with this a few years ago. When I was in college, the town wanted to sell a small plot of land directly behind my neighbors across the street to (I think) Sprint. They wanted to put up a HUGE cell tower to cover the town and the nearby highway. Of course the people for it were those out of sight from the monstrosity or those that would have benefitted financially. It was one of those things where they tried to be quiet about it, and I don't think they even announced that they were going to vote on it.
This thing woud have dwarfed everything around it, houses and the few very short trees. It was a full sized tower you'd see off the Parkway. It would have been right behind their fence and right across the street from our house. We put up flyars showing how tall it was compared to the nearby houses, and it was like 3x taller (perhaps more, I forget).
Such a thing is an eyesore, and I could deal with that. However, big eyesoard drop property values and we consider our house an asset. They plan on moving out in a few years when they retire and obviously don't want their property value plummetting when the have to sell. It's really their one big asset.
It was tough to dissuade the town, they were getting money and were explaining how much better our cell coverage would be. That was a laugh as the coverage in town was already damn good (full bars on Verizon and AT&T at the time). So big deal, the town gets another ~50k a year and our [b]already great[/b] cell coverage would have gotten an iota better.
I can't blame individuals for wanting to do it, especially if they need the money. But for our town to want to do it for what would have been (let's face it) a small amount for a well-off town was rediculous.
And if you started with Windows 2000 you'd be paying around as much (~500 USD) as OSX unless you're smart and get an OEM version or try upgrading. And with OSX you can install the OS on up to (I believe) 5 computers legally, unlike Windows XP which forces you to buy a new copy for each one.
Each release has more to it than one feature, it's just that in this case Spotlight and a few other small ones are just the big noticeable ones. Kind of like Windows XP's GUI and wireless support were the only "obvious" changes from 2000 (yet a lot of other stuff changed in the background).
But I think Apple said that after Tiger they're going to slow down a bit.
DDOm 3 is finally out. But I don't care, I don't use my Mac for gaming.
Definately see the series in some form or another before going to see the movie. The movie appears to deal with the whole back-story that was floating around since the first episode.
It's really a good series, but I know some that didn't like it. Personally I wasn't a big fan of it when it was first on TV, but I downloaded the first ep and got hooked. Bought the DVD boxed set the very next day.
The last 2 versions of JBuilder I ran were 9 and X, and yes they were slow. My friend says 2005 is a little quicker, but I find it hard to believe.
Eclipse, however, has never appeared slow to me. The SWT API makes it a lot faster than Swing and it doesn't look too shabby either.
Such devices won't immediately cause the plain to crash, but there are 2 things that could happen: slight static and all-out interference.
When taking off and landing, the last thing you want is static interfering with the radio signal or the ILS system. Slight interference during landing might make the pilot misjudge something. Do you really want to chance it?
Then there's the "oh sh!t" factor. Who knows how well the electronics in planes can handle radio noise. Sure, 99% of the time everything might be alright, but a cr@ppy system might go down leaving the pilots in a pickle.
I mean, imagine if 10 people started playing against each other with their PSP's in ad-hoc mode. All of the noise would kind of be bad.
The cell phone thing, well that's another story.
Some of the rumors say that they're 2 versions of XBox 2, one barebones and one with a hard drive (for convenient saves and what-not).
First of all, isn't doing so well right now. Sure they've just signed some deals with cable companies but they're whole commercial skipping thing is probably not going to be allowed.
Secondly, do you even have cable? Commercials flood that thing just about as much as broadbast. The worst is when you're watching a show and you hear some non-setting sounds followed by some icons appearing at the bottom of the screen. Sometimes they're just for other shows the channel has, but once or twice I've seen it for a product. I've missed plot-essential dialogue thanks to the morons that thought this was a good idea.
Do ads on TV still work? Probably not as much as they used to. But they're still all over the place and the only channels without them are PBS and premium channels (HBO, Showtime, etc).
It depends on how long he's been out of work. Take me for example, I still have a job as a contractor but I could see myself getting layed off soon with the others in my company. So I'd start looking for work ASAP.
At my job I work a lot over the weekends and during the evenings to get stuff done. I'm an idiot and do stuff "off the record" because I'd rather hit a deadline with a finished product than deal with the red tape of going over the number of hours I'm contracted for.
So, if I started looking for work tomorrow I'd have very little "past work" to show. I work 40 hours a week and an additional 10-15 most weeks; that doesn't leave much time for outside projects. Or should I say after weeks of programming 50 or 55 hours a week I really don't want to waste what little free time I have on an additional number of hours programming on my own.
But if I was looking for work already for a few months I might have something to show them as I'd start working on something I could market myself.
Not everyone has the free time to do outside work, and this is coming from someone that's single. I can't imagine many parents (man or woman) having that much time on free projects.
The point is now Apple has bypassed 2 major choke points with the mac: price and size. A lot of people have wanted to try out a Mac of their own, but they were either too expensive to bother or they didn't want the iMac with it's built-in monitor taking up even more room on their desk. Now with the Mini they can get a Mac for $500 USD (base configuration) and it's small enough to put anywhere on (or under) your desk.
Now, for the non-geeks: not everyone is tech savvy enough to know
a) about mini-itx or Via low-voltage CPUs
b) how to build a machine
c) install and use Linux
Mac's "just work." Someone with no PC experience can just plug the thing in and get it working. The same can't be said about Linux.
Now, as for buying a Mini just to turn it into a Linux box... that's another debate all together.
Well, currently only 1 Cylon is pregnant at the end of Season 1 and she's still on Caprica.
I have to wonder if Starbuck will bring her back to the Galactica. While many people on the tvtome forums think so, it's a bit out there. Starbuck's already learned from personal experience that Cylons are heller strong and the ship they're in is puny. The Cylon could easily overpower her if she wanted.
I hate BestBuy. They've screwed me on a couple of things, them saying 1 thing then insisting on another. I've walked out mid-purchase before because I've caught a stupid cashier lying to my face.
In any case, the poor bastard should get some money either from BestBuy or the county. I think too many people sue for stupid reasons in this country, but this is definately 1 case where it's warranted.
In any case, the kid should get fired. Yeh yeh you could say "well it was an honest mistake." Well, even honest mistakes should get you fired when you cause something as big as this.
I'm still kind of young (25), so it wasn't THAT long ago I was a cashier. I know how it is, and how annoying it can be to deal with stupid customers. But what he did was monumentally stupid.
The whole animal thing kinda bugged me until the 2nd season when their animal forms looked metallic.
The whole Ark thing was great though, looking around at all the old mechs rendered in CGI.
Mainframe definately knows their stuff. Their older show "Reboot" was more primitive looking but a darn good show.
Hardware benchmarks aren't what bother me, it's stability that matters to me.
The first PC I built from scratch was in college (my previous computers were either my parents or a small-shop one I bought). I hit the hardware sites and many claimed that a particular ASUS board was great and rock solid. I was naive and took the 3 or 4 sites word at it and bought it. I started having MAJOR problems and later found out it was the Via chipset on the board. Forums were FLOODED with the exact same complaints. I eventually had to replace the board.
Since then I don't buy hardware until I've searched forums for personal experiences with said product. I'll still look at some review sites but I now take what they say with a grain of salt.
I can't see this being decent unless all of the transformers are CGI'd in. Even then...
Personally I think a CGI version should be made. Beast Wars was well done and when they found "the Ark" with the transformers inside I actually felt a tear running down my cheek.
Unforuntately, the latest incarnations of Transformers (Armada, Energon, etc) have ruined it for me. First it became a Pokemon clone only with some big bots collecting small bots to help them fight (gotta catch'em all!). The animation was poor (person stood still in signle frame while energy bolts shot from his arms and shoulders).
I can't see them replicating the coolness of the old movie though. That was just great.
I'm sure it's true, but I can't help but think of an episode of the West Wing.
In 1 episode it's nearing ther President's re-election campaign. He's about to go see a famous and fancy musical based on the War of the Roses (not the movie, the event).
His opponent wants to meet with the President during intermission (kind of a public meeting) but the president declines. He doesn't like the guy and this is a nice occasion for him. So he declines.
The opponent then leaks to the press that the President invited him to sit with him during the musical and speak with him during intermission, and his "people" confirm the false rumor. Before the White House can reply the whole world is buying into the rumor. Calling him a liar isn't going to fly well because all of the reporters think it's true (heck, they "discovered" a rumor and got it confirmed: job accomplished).
If you're trying to get someone to do something, sometimes telling the world that they've promised to do it forces their hand. Because now the public expects it to happen.
And sometimes it pisses them off royally. But who cares if they hate you already?
In any case, I doubt MS would do this.
Wouldn't doubt it.
You can only improve on things so long before you need a complete redesign. Adding more to the mix is a great stopgap that extends the usefulness of technology.
At some point AMD and Intel are going to have to perform a MAJOR redesign (even bigger than the dual-core). Granted this might not be until we reach the 7GHz mark, but there is an invisible line somewhere.
There is one big downside for the consumer though: increased prices. Dual-Core CPU's will be more expensive than regular ones. SLI graphics will require buying 2 cards. RAID storage requires multiple hard drives.
Personally I think it would be cool if my next computer were dual-core with SLI video ports and a RAID setup. Whether or not I can afford it, that's another story.
With the obvious effects of distributed and grid computing Sony's supposed cell tech might actually prove to be interesting (though I'd prefer it on a more local scale).
I live in a small town in NJ, it's about a mile wide (at most) and at other points maybe 1/2 a mile wide.
The images aren't that old for us. An apartment complex that was finished maybe 2 years ago is up and it looks like it's finished in the image. Also a small street was put in with like 4 houses is there and I think that was done within the last 2-ish years. Beyond that I can't recall any other changes in landscape that could help me narrow it down. But it's not too old for me.
I remember looking at some satellite images of my down in 2000. The picture of my house had a large spruce tree that a storm uprooted around 1995.
I have coworkers that have to regularly make business trips. They're either taking a 4 hour Acela Express from NJ to MA or 7 hour flight from from NJ to Europe. Some of these people make 2 trips a month to one place or another.
If I had to travel as much as some of these people do I'd buy a handheld unit in a heartbeat. The company laptops are too slow for anything really and are locked pretty tight so that only some of us can install software as it is. So the only options are read a book (been doing that), listen to music, or watch a DVD.
Fortunately I only go on like 4 trips a year and they're usually just the train rides. But when these rare trips come up I'm always tempted to buy something (either Nintendo DS or now the PSP).
Back when I was in school, they'd give the kids a form each year. It was for the school directory (think little phonebook each family got each year).
You had to fill it out and there was a box saying you never serve alcohol in your house, drink in front of your children, or serve alchohol to children in your home. This was then denoted by an asterix next to your name in the student directory; the premise being that parents could help gauge whether to let "little Timmy" go to the Smith's house.
My parents always laughed at this. According to the description even drinking a glass of wine in front of the children during holidays was against the form let alone letting them taste a little red wine during their holiday feast. To put things in perspective, both my parents were born in Poland where a kid having a taste of wine for Chistmas dinner was common, let alone the whole drinking age thing. Neither has a drinking problem (just the occasional glass of wine on Sunday dinner). However they signed it in the end because they knew what the other family's reaction would be.
In any case I remember hearing my friends' parents complain that so-and-so didn't sign the form and it was outrageous that they let their kids drink or drink in front of them; going on and on and on about it and dragging other families into it. Meanwhile those same complaining parents actually drank beer in front of their kid's friends.
Friggin hypocrites.
Battery doesn't bother me that much and didn't back then. I used (and still use) rechargable AA batteries for all of my portable electronics that require batteries; even back in the old days of GameBoy (tm).
I always had a set ready and charged when I'd be done. My parents drilled it into me back then that it wasn't worth paying for batteries over and over for stuff like that when I could buy a set of rechargables that would last me a LONG time.
But most didn't have that option, so I guess that is one of the big issues. As for Kirby, was it even popular back then? I thought it wasn't until later that it started sellign well.
True. I laugh when I hear people freaking out: it's not like there's a clock counting down to April 1.
However, many companies do react in a similar way. I'm aware of some companies that have VB6 programs they've developed in-house that they're looking at re-writing specifically because of this. Their reasoning is if it's not supported then who knows how well it's going to run on Windows a couple of versions down the line. Also, if they run into some major problem they may be SOL.
Personally I'd put money on Java lasting a while. Between Sun and other vendors, even if Sun decides to drop support for Java there'll be enough support around to keep apps running for a while. It's too wide-spread to simply die all at once.