I don't think it would really matter if Microsoft spent $300M on a name change, since they annually donate ~$250M (granted, mostly software, but still) and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donates ~$1.3B to non-profits and charitables.
Corporations don't deal in dollars; they deal in millions and billions. I'm currently consulting for one of the major credit card companies, and it boggles my mind how wasteful and inefficient they are about everything, from too much paper-shuffling to how they're handling their current million-dollar systems refresh.
If some executive thinks it's a good idea to dump $$$ into an arbitrary name change, it will happen.
I don't want... a phone thats battery is dead because I listened to some music.
This appears to be a common gripe amongst people against mp3-capable cellular phones. But I can't imagine this being a major problem: just have the phone disable mp3-playback when the battery is expended beyond a certain point...
Every time a new product is released, people complain how impractical it is because it doesn't suit their needs. And every time there is someone who points out how arrogant/shortsighted this is, seemingly to no avail. People tend to state their opinions as matters-of-fact ("this is the most pointless thing ever to exist. ever." SHOULD read "I can't see where the market for this is").
Anyway, I think this is a great step to take, as it's exactly what I've been waiting for. I've been putting off buying a HD-based MP3 player, because it seems like too much money just to play music. Alternatively, I've been putting off buying a laptop, because I think it's too much money for something I won't use as often as I think I would. I figured a robust PDA with a hard drive would be my best bet. So I have been waiting for these to start popping up. Granted, I think this particular model is too expensive and has too little storage *for my particular needs*, but I'm sure within a few generations I'll find what I'm looking for.
One thing not mentioned is censorship, and how scared networks are of the FCC.
Actually, in your particular example, it has nothing to do with the FCC. The FCC only regulates local (over-the-air) broadcasts, not cable/satellite or subscription services (That's why all the CBS affiliate stations got fined for the Nipple Incident, not CBS).
Some(most) cable channels do apply their own censorship simply to appease their demographics and to not alienate sponsors, but there is no governing body prohibiting them from broadcasting whatever they want.
As a side note, I find it hard to believe Adult Swim would censor anything shown on network television, or really anything at all.... i [heart] adult swim.
Well, I'm inclined to agree with the OP, though I think he may have phrased it unclearly. My interpretation of what he said is:
(virtually) every single business on earth exists to generate money as their primary goal.
Of course, all the reasons you state are integral factors in the continued existence of any company, but even the mom-and-pop stores (as cited in child posts) intend to make at least enough money to continue operating. So while not every business is interested in maximizing revenue, they certainly do not want to operate at a loss, no matter how altruistic their other motivations.
I respect the english language. I respect the phenomenal linguistic capabilities bestowed upon us by evolution/god/whatever. But this is a casual discussion forum, not a college term paper.
I agree that it's sad that people don't possess a basic understanding of grammar and spelling (and common sense, and rational thought, and...). However, if you are able to discern the ideas conveyed in someone's post accurately enough to point out their grammatical errors, I suggest letting it go. There's an overwhelmingly large amount of stupidity out there; I recommend picking worthwhile battles.
Get a fucking life, man. Do you behave this condescendingly in all aspects of your life? Do you interrupt people to correct their enunciation? Does it somehow fulfill your sense of self-worth?
This goes out to all the pedants out there: grow the fuck up. My personal apologies that we don't all speak the Queen's english, and that obviously makes it too difficult for you to apply your deductive reasoning skills to understand the idea we were trying to convey.And there's a good chance I've swallowed the proverbial hook, line, and sinker on a troll, but it really gets old.
for the life of me i have no idea what intel wants to do with it
They're going to collect all copies in existence and burn them, so that when Moore's Law is proved wrong, they'll claim it was just a stupid rumor, like Bill's "640K" quote.
Well, the whole premise behind the Avalon framework is that it makes content production so easy, anyone can do it. Instead of using "cryptic" syntax and nomenclature, Avalon is supposed to put evertyhing into layman's terms (video on MS's blog talking about Avalon; near the middle they start describing the coding process).
And to the other poster above who said the OS's GUI won't be versatile enough to support web content: Microsoft's strategy in developing Avalon was to take over the Flash market (at least that's what "analysts" and "insiders" claim), with hopes that web-content developers would switch over to a Windows-only platform.
yeah... and now there's a new club here in Miami that's called Sofa King. The radio ads are so terribly obnoxious and juvenile, yet they claim to be the first R-rated nightclub in Miami.
Oh, come on. The spambot machines aren't the cause of spam, they are just a distribution tool. This is analogous to saying bittorrent causes piracy.
And anyway, Microsoft has done plenty to secure their OS. Decent firewall by default, Automatic Updates by default, spyware/malware-removal-tool downloads automatically. Granted, their platform still has insecurities and exploits, but they are improving all the time (this is more a follow-up post to the OP).
I know I'm a bit late for a response, but I figured I'd post it anyway.
I have been stopped and interrogated MANY times; the only reason I wasn't cuffed was because I was cooperative and polite. Almost everytime I've gotten pulled over for speeding, nothing else, the cop wants to search my car. Just a few weeks ago, my friend and I got pulled over for making a legal U-turn late at night("suspicious activity").I've gone for walks in my own neighorhood in shorts and sandals and have been stopped and interrogated ("lots of break-ins in the area"-- shorts and sandals!.)
So the truth is that because I'm young, I DO get treated like a criminal by the cops. But then, I live in the US, which is quickly becoming a police state.
I wanted to mod you up, but I decided instead to applaud you directly.
After seeing the parent post, I kept scrolling down in hopes of finding someone making your argument. Unfortunately, everyone decided to point out the "gender imbalance" issue (which would ultimately be a problem).
There is a HUGE difference between performing your duties as a parent and playing God to appease yourself. To me it sounds so selfish when people talk about why they want kids; no one seems to consider that they are creating LIFE. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for making that point, and giving me the slightest semblance of hope for humanity.
I'm not sure I agree with this. To me, that's seems analogous with saying, "there are cops on the streets, and they're making sure I don't do anything illegal. If they're going to treat me like a criminal, I'm going to act like one."
The simple fact is that music piracy (no semantics arguments, please) has been rampant in the last few years because of how easy it's become. So while YOU personally may not be a criminal, there are plenty who are, and since there's no way to distinguish between the two until the crime has been committed, the measures put in place will affect both of you.
Please note: this is not an endorsement for DRM. I dislike the idea of anyone trying to manage my rights, digital or otherwise. However I also dislike the idea of piracy. I do, however, enjoy living in my own idealistic world...
This is off-topic, but I wanted other's opinions on this.
It seems like lately there's been a good amount of subversive advertising. I'm not talking about the corporate-endorsed non-conformity bullshit, but advertisements that promote a product, but also imply the horrors of modern society.
The first one that comes to mind is for DirecTV. This guy goes through his whole life, noir-esque, watching TV. All the major milestones in his life are spent with a television nearby. And at the end, he's an old man and walks into a room where his grandson is sitting, zombified by the warm glow of entertainment. The voiceover's all about how TV's evolved and whatnot, but the commercial clearly shows that people are addicted to television.
There are other examples of this that I just can't think of right now. Is there some vengeful marketing firm trying desperately to point out how empty our lives are, or am I just reading too much into it?
I've heard this, too. Although you could argue that "SEE ID" is your signature, and sign your reciepts the same way, too. A signature is just an identifying (usually individual) mark; nothing says it must be your full name.
That way, most places will ask to see your ID, and the rest will have to settle for the other explanation.
Just an idea, although I have the back of my card signed, and I just make quick doodles on my reciepts.
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I don't think it would really matter if Microsoft spent $300M on a name change, since they annually donate ~$250M (granted, mostly software, but still) and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donates ~$1.3B to non-profits and charitables.
Corporations don't deal in dollars; they deal in millions and billions. I'm currently consulting for one of the major credit card companies, and it boggles my mind how wasteful and inefficient they are about everything, from too much paper-shuffling to how they're handling their current million-dollar systems refresh.
If some executive thinks it's a good idea to dump $$$ into an arbitrary name change, it will happen.
I don't want ... a phone thats battery is dead because I listened to some music.
This appears to be a common gripe amongst people against mp3-capable cellular phones. But I can't imagine this being a major problem: just have the phone disable mp3-playback when the battery is expended beyond a certain point...
Thank you.
Every time a new product is released, people complain how impractical it is because it doesn't suit their needs. And every time there is someone who points out how arrogant/shortsighted this is, seemingly to no avail. People tend to state their opinions as matters-of-fact ("this is the most pointless thing ever to exist. ever." SHOULD read "I can't see where the market for this is").
Anyway, I think this is a great step to take, as it's exactly what I've been waiting for. I've been putting off buying a HD-based MP3 player, because it seems like too much money just to play music. Alternatively, I've been putting off buying a laptop, because I think it's too much money for something I won't use as often as I think I would. I figured a robust PDA with a hard drive would be my best bet. So I have been waiting for these to start popping up. Granted, I think this particular model is too expensive and has too little storage *for my particular needs*, but I'm sure within a few generations I'll find what I'm looking for.
Mod parent up insightful.
The last time I tried to buy a copy of Windows XP it was $1000.
One thing not mentioned is censorship, and how scared networks are of the FCC.
Actually, in your particular example, it has nothing to do with the FCC. The FCC only regulates local (over-the-air) broadcasts, not cable/satellite or subscription services (That's why all the CBS affiliate stations got fined for the Nipple Incident, not CBS).
Some(most) cable channels do apply their own censorship simply to appease their demographics and to not alienate sponsors, but there is no governing body prohibiting them from broadcasting whatever they want.
As a side note, I find it hard to believe Adult Swim would censor anything shown on network television, or really anything at all.... i [heart] adult swim.
Well, I'm inclined to agree with the OP, though I think he may have phrased it unclearly. My interpretation of what he said is:
(virtually) every single business on earth exists to generate money as their primary goal.
Of course, all the reasons you state are integral factors in the continued existence of any company, but even the mom-and-pop stores (as cited in child posts) intend to make at least enough money to continue operating. So while not every business is interested in maximizing revenue, they certainly do not want to operate at a loss, no matter how altruistic their other motivations.
Oh, how I loathe you... ;-)
I respect the english language. I respect the phenomenal linguistic capabilities bestowed upon us by evolution/god/whatever. But this is a casual discussion forum, not a college term paper.
I agree that it's sad that people don't possess a basic understanding of grammar and spelling (and common sense, and rational thought, and...). However, if you are able to discern the ideas conveyed in someone's post accurately enough to point out their grammatical errors, I suggest letting it go. There's an overwhelmingly large amount of stupidity out there; I recommend picking worthwhile battles.
Get a fucking life, man. Do you behave this condescendingly in all aspects of your life? Do you interrupt people to correct their enunciation? Does it somehow fulfill your sense of self-worth?
This goes out to all the pedants out there: grow the fuck up. My personal apologies that we don't all speak the Queen's english, and that obviously makes it too difficult for you to apply your deductive reasoning skills to understand the idea we were trying to convey.And there's a good chance I've swallowed the proverbial hook, line, and sinker on a troll, but it really gets old.
I don't think he's new; I've seen him posting on here for quite some time.
And apparently he created his account before UIDs were implemented, so...
It's amazing that this giant of an airplane is actually bigger than the legendary Spruce Goose.
Mayhaps it is... but can it best the Spruce Moose ?
for the life of me i have no idea what intel wants to do with it
They're going to collect all copies in existence and burn them, so that when Moore's Law is proved wrong, they'll claim it was just a stupid rumor, like Bill's "640K" quote.
Well, the whole premise behind the Avalon framework is that it makes content production so easy, anyone can do it. Instead of using "cryptic" syntax and nomenclature, Avalon is supposed to put evertyhing into layman's terms (video on MS's blog talking about Avalon; near the middle they start describing the coding process).
And to the other poster above who said the OS's GUI won't be versatile enough to support web content: Microsoft's strategy in developing Avalon was to take over the Flash market (at least that's what "analysts" and "insiders" claim), with hopes that web-content developers would switch over to a Windows-only platform.
God, I love that company.
I'd mod you up, but I'm afraid that might be ironic...
yeah... and now there's a new club here in Miami that's called Sofa King. The radio ads are so terribly obnoxious and juvenile, yet they claim to be the first R-rated nightclub in Miami.
Aren't all nightclubs "R-rated", so to speak?
...because the 1990s called, and they wanted their phrase back.
:)
Uh, sorry, dude. The 1980's called, and they want their phrase back...
Oh, come on. The spambot machines aren't the cause of spam, they are just a distribution tool. This is analogous to saying bittorrent causes piracy.
And anyway, Microsoft has done plenty to secure their OS. Decent firewall by default, Automatic Updates by default, spyware/malware-removal-tool downloads automatically. Granted, their platform still has insecurities and exploits, but they are improving all the time (this is more a follow-up post to the OP).
What? How is this insightful?
/.ers are so biased against Microsoft as to blame everything on them.
Windows security has nothing to do with spam. That's just stupid.
I much rather hope I've fallen for a troll than to believe
I know I'm a bit late for a response, but I figured I'd post it anyway.
I have been stopped and interrogated MANY times; the only reason I wasn't cuffed was because I was cooperative and polite. Almost everytime I've gotten pulled over for speeding, nothing else, the cop wants to search my car. Just a few weeks ago, my friend and I got pulled over for making a legal U-turn late at night("suspicious activity").I've gone for walks in my own neighorhood in shorts and sandals and have been stopped and interrogated ("lots of break-ins in the area"-- shorts and sandals!.)
So the truth is that because I'm young, I DO get treated like a criminal by the cops. But then, I live in the US, which is quickly becoming a police state.
I wanted to mod you up, but I decided instead to applaud you directly.
After seeing the parent post, I kept scrolling down in hopes of finding someone making your argument. Unfortunately, everyone decided to point out the "gender imbalance" issue (which would ultimately be a problem).
There is a HUGE difference between performing your duties as a parent and playing God to appease yourself. To me it sounds so selfish when people talk about why they want kids; no one seems to consider that they are creating LIFE. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for making that point, and giving me the slightest semblance of hope for humanity.
I'm not sure I agree with this. To me, that's seems analogous with saying, "there are cops on the streets, and they're making sure I don't do anything illegal. If they're going to treat me like a criminal, I'm going to act like one."
The simple fact is that music piracy (no semantics arguments, please) has been rampant in the last few years because of how easy it's become. So while YOU personally may not be a criminal, there are plenty who are, and since there's no way to distinguish between the two until the crime has been committed, the measures put in place will affect both of you.
Please note: this is not an endorsement for DRM. I dislike the idea of anyone trying to manage my rights, digital or otherwise. However I also dislike the idea of piracy. I do, however, enjoy living in my own idealistic world...
This is off-topic, but I wanted other's opinions on this.
It seems like lately there's been a good amount of subversive advertising. I'm not talking about the corporate-endorsed non-conformity bullshit, but advertisements that promote a product, but also imply the horrors of modern society.
The first one that comes to mind is for DirecTV. This guy goes through his whole life, noir-esque, watching TV. All the major milestones in his life are spent with a television nearby. And at the end, he's an old man and walks into a room where his grandson is sitting, zombified by the warm glow of entertainment. The voiceover's all about how TV's evolved and whatnot, but the commercial clearly shows that people are addicted to television.
There are other examples of this that I just can't think of right now. Is there some vengeful marketing firm trying desperately to point out how empty our lives are, or am I just reading too much into it?
Wow, that made like zero sense to me. This anecdote needs elaboration.
I've heard this, too. Although you could argue that "SEE ID" is your signature, and sign your reciepts the same way, too. A signature is just an identifying (usually individual) mark; nothing says it must be your full name.
That way, most places will ask to see your ID, and the rest will have to settle for the other explanation.
Just an idea, although I have the back of my card signed, and I just make quick doodles on my reciepts.
If there is a God, He has a really weird sense of humor
Sure he does: just look at the platypus.
/thanks, Kevin