Well, I know of another technology that went from "if you want to use it, you need to be able to service it and know how to work on it", to "let's leave it to the experts". That technology is called "computers".
I won't dare to say that in 1969, cars weren't mainstream, but each family had perhaps one and had to save quite a bit to get it. It wasn't just as "mainstream" as today.... For computers, it was exactly the same: in the 80ies, you'd better know how your computer worked, or you couldn't do much with it.
Would you buy it for $35000? That's the price of a regular roadster, but one that wouldn't match the performance of a Tesla ever.
The Tesla competes in the supercar sector... That's the whole problem. We'll just have to wait that the technology trickles down that us mere mortals can afford it too.
From the "green" point of view, you're correct. However, the first guy quoted says he does it for political reasons: no money going to oil producing countries that most certainly support terrorism.
Not that I buy his explanation;-) It's most likely a Republican that never would use the "Green" argument.;-)))
I don't have any either, but the true problem here is that overtime is *expected*. Not only that, but instead of employing someone more when the workload increases, they just dump it on the poor childless. (And those with children look bad... go figure)
Well, I'm in the EU too, so I'm not all that worried... However if the shit hits the fan (and I know they can find excuses, my dad underwent such an event when he was in his late forties... 20 years of faithful service. Yes, IT related job.), you're really in bad waters.
I'm extremely scared of that happening. That said, my wife earns quite a lot more than I do, so perhaps we'll just pop some kiddos in the world and I'll become a houseman;-)
Yes, you're right.... There are other industries that work this way too. I didn't want to imply that it's only IT.
I don't know how it's in advertising/marketing/market research, but we have the added disadvantage of beings seen as obsolete from about 35 on. So, you just start popping out kids, and you lose your job. Fun foresights.... I'm a bit over 30 now, and I have already told my wife that my salary won't be as good as now forever, and that I'm most likely to have to take non IT jobs later on in my life. I just hope it won't be burger flipping;-)
It's one of the sad facts that in IT, a family is seen as a liability. In other jobs, being married and having kids is seen as a good thing because it means you're more likely to stay longer in the company because you want stability.
I think if you get hurt as a dumpster diver, I don't think I'd have a legal leg to stand on to sue them. But then, I take personal responsibility of my actions. I know, unheard of these days...
Besides, if I bring in my own stuff, I could hurt myself on the premises with my own stuff... Can' sue them, then... I don't see much of a difference....
I'd go as far as filing a permission to dumpster dive, ensuring that they are not responsible for my actions.
I have to admit that, as a European, I didn't know that Goodwill was an association. I thought it was just a generic name for "charity organisation". Others have linked here to associations that will take computers. There aren't just any within 200km from where I live and I'm not going to waste expensive gas on 10€ worth of computer equipement.
Yes, I know.... It's been a very long time. I don't know why. It might have to do with my user name. (That said, my other user name doesn't get any modpoints either)
Oh, well... I'm not complaining.
I was also more hinting to the fact that you can't get modded past the 5 points for a post, but I should have formulated it differently.
I see.... Well, I copy/pasted the link from the English site without double-checking if they did something weird. I just checked their form on the main page: they use POST to submit the language, which makes it quiet hard to make direct links within their website. Quite weird to make a public interest website like this not directly linkable.
If that's true, then I don't know why my local recycling centre is so uppity about taking stuff out of their electronics bin. By now, if anyone does that you get banned from the premises. My dumpster diving activities have been halted for now. I was planning to write a lettre to them to ask for an explanation, but I never came around doing it.
I think that in most of the EU there is also a tax to offset the costs of the recycling. It's called "ecotrel", in my country but it seems it's a EU-wide directive, so I'm pretty sure most member states also implement something similar.
I mean it, simply bring it to a recycling centre. Older computer junk often has more gold content than newer stuff and they sell it off to companies that can extract it. The older the junk, the better.
As for goodwill, don't bother with anything below P-III class machines or higher. Even that's starting to be stuff they don't take anymore.
Sorry, I see how you meant it now... I somehow associated the former/latter with the fuel efficiency and not with the LHC vs fuel efficiency. Thanks for clearing it up.
You're not addressing the correct issue. I complain about being in a EU country and not being able to buy electronics at amazon.de. (amazon.lu simply redirects to... a selection page on amazon.co.uk) I am in the EU and a private customer. When buying a product in another EU country, I pay VAT in the UK and none in my country. There are no more customs within the EU anymore. I can order stuff in Belgium (for example Dell, or Apple) and it gets delivered without any troubles. Heck, I bought video games at gameplay.co.uk... no problem whatsoever. I just get to pay their VAT which is higher than in my country, but I don't care. Usually I can get products that are harder to get in my country (for example non-translated versions of games) or simply much cheaper, so the VAT increase matters little. I routinely buy computer stuff in Germany and Belgium but I cannot at amazon.de. Books yes, electronics: no. The question is here: Why not?
If I have a VAT number (and then, I'm obviously a business), then I do not pay any VAT in the source country, but have to declare it in my home country. As said, I'm not a business and if I didn't declare imports as a business, I'm going to have trouble very soon.
These things have been fixed for a long time on the European level.
Yes, extra-european imports... There is a difference, I have ordered Registred RAM in the US at a fraction of the price I'd pay here and had to pay about 33% import taxes. It still was worth it. For what I'd pay here for a 1Gig Registred RAM stick, I got three (after customs!). -- This was obviously some years ago.
Damn, dude, thanks for making me feel so old. My youngest daughter was two when the Game Gear came out
If it helps, I got my Game Gear when I was 16 or so.;-) I also owned an Atari Portfolio. No, and I didn't get them "just like" that like kids get Gameboys these days. (Are there even any kids left that don't have a Gameboy DS?!?)
But some of the things Microsoft is advertising for cars, like changing the radio station or choosing an MP3 by voice, would interest me
So the kids are annoyed in the back (yes, yes, I know yours are grown now) and find out that they can mess with the radio using the voice activation. Hours of fun! I'd rather have a radio with buttons and a standardized interface to connect MP3 players to auto radios.
It's going to be as big as tablet computing, I tell you!
As someone who drives a 8.5 year old car (and is still happy with it) without a board-computer like the ones Microsoft sells, I still don't see the need for one. I do have a "board-computer" but it only calculates l/100km, driven time, and stuff like that. I don't think it uses an operating system.
In-car entertainment is something I cannot comprehend. If you've got kids they most certainly have a Gameboy or something like that, or they can read a book. That's what I did when I was a kid doing long trips (Okay, it was a Game Gear, but that's not a big difference). On short trips enterainment systems shouldn't even be turned on.
The only value I could see is a GPS system, but that really doesn't have to be based on Windows. Even then, in the 14 years I drive, I have rarely felt the need for a GPS. The few times I was in a foreign city without a map (and if you got there, you make sure you actually have a map *grin*).
Anyway, I know this is just my opinion and my needs are surely not reflected in what "Joe Driver" needs. Now get off my lawn!
The silver lining is of course, that Amazon sells software as well...
But does it "export". An example not concerning software: I don't live in any of the "big" European countries and if I'd like to order a digital camera at amazon.co.uk, amazon.de or amazon.fr, I get "can't deliver there". Sucks, and I don't understand why. I'm willing to pay for extra shipping.
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Well, I know of another technology that went from "if you want to use it, you need to be able to service it and know how to work on it", to "let's leave it to the experts". That technology is called "computers".
I won't dare to say that in 1969, cars weren't mainstream, but each family had perhaps one and had to save quite a bit to get it. It wasn't just as "mainstream" as today.... For computers, it was exactly the same: in the 80ies, you'd better know how your computer worked, or you couldn't do much with it.
Would you buy it for $35000? That's the price of a regular roadster, but one that wouldn't match the performance of a Tesla ever.
The Tesla competes in the supercar sector... That's the whole problem. We'll just have to wait that the technology trickles down that us mere mortals can afford it too.
From the "green" point of view, you're correct. However, the first guy quoted says he does it for political reasons: no money going to oil producing countries that most certainly support terrorism.
Not that I buy his explanation ;-) It's most likely a Republican that never would use the "Green" argument. ;-)))
I don't have any either, but the true problem here is that overtime is *expected*. Not only that, but instead of employing someone more when the workload increases, they just dump it on the poor childless. (And those with children look bad... go figure)
Actually my dad worked for a bank (the event, I talked about).... Must have made some enemies higher up.... You're safe nowhere.
Well, I'm in the EU too, so I'm not all that worried... However if the shit hits the fan (and I know they can find excuses, my dad underwent such an event when he was in his late forties... 20 years of faithful service. Yes, IT related job.), you're really in bad waters.
I'm extremely scared of that happening. That said, my wife earns quite a lot more than I do, so perhaps we'll just pop some kiddos in the world and I'll become a houseman ;-)
Yes, you're right.... There are other industries that work this way too. I didn't want to imply that it's only IT.
I don't know how it's in advertising/marketing/market research, but we have the added disadvantage of beings seen as obsolete from about 35 on. So, you just start popping out kids, and you lose your job. Fun foresights.... I'm a bit over 30 now, and I have already told my wife that my salary won't be as good as now forever, and that I'm most likely to have to take non IT jobs later on in my life. I just hope it won't be burger flipping ;-)
It's one of the sad facts that in IT, a family is seen as a liability. In other jobs, being married and having kids is seen as a good thing because it means you're more likely to stay longer in the company because you want stability.
I think if you get hurt as a dumpster diver, I don't think I'd have a legal leg to stand on to sue them. But then, I take personal responsibility of my actions. I know, unheard of these days...
Besides, if I bring in my own stuff, I could hurt myself on the premises with my own stuff... Can' sue them, then... I don't see much of a difference....
I'd go as far as filing a permission to dumpster dive, ensuring that they are not responsible for my actions.
I have to admit that, as a European, I didn't know that Goodwill was an association. I thought it was just a generic name for "charity organisation". Others have linked here to associations that will take computers. There aren't just any within 200km from where I live and I'm not going to waste expensive gas on 10€ worth of computer equipement.
Yes, I know.... It's been a very long time. I don't know why. It might have to do with my user name. (That said, my other user name doesn't get any modpoints either)
Oh, well... I'm not complaining.
I was also more hinting to the fact that you can't get modded past the 5 points for a post, but I should have formulated it differently.
You get a maximum of 5 points here... modpoints that is ;-)
I see.... Well, I copy/pasted the link from the English site without double-checking if they did something weird. I just checked their form on the main page: they use POST to submit the language, which makes it quiet hard to make direct links within their website. Quite weird to make a public interest website like this not directly linkable.
Thanks for pointing out though...
If that's true, then I don't know why my local recycling centre is so uppity about taking stuff out of their electronics bin. By now, if anyone does that you get banned from the premises. My dumpster diving activities have been halted for now. I was planning to write a lettre to them to ask for an explanation, but I never came around doing it.
I think that in most of the EU there is also a tax to offset the costs of the recycling. It's called "ecotrel", in my country but it seems it's a EU-wide directive, so I'm pretty sure most member states also implement something similar.
I mean it, simply bring it to a recycling centre. Older computer junk often has more gold content than newer stuff and they sell it off to companies that can extract it. The older the junk, the better.
As for goodwill, don't bother with anything below P-III class machines or higher. Even that's starting to be stuff they don't take anymore.
It's okay, just vent. I'm an atheist myself, but I still tend to capitalize God. Probably out of habit.
[...]
Freud is old hat... Most of his theories have been disproven.
What I find funny here is that you capitalized Jobs, but not God. Interesting ;-)
Good question... Perhaps because it's a generic word? Compare to "Word". Technically, "Word" isn't called "Word" but "Microsoft Word".
So the of from Google is called "Google Checkout" and the one from Amazon is called "Amazon Checkout". Of course, I don't know for sure...
Sorry, I see how you meant it now... I somehow associated the former/latter with the fuel efficiency and not with the LHC vs fuel efficiency. Thanks for clearing it up.
You're not addressing the correct issue. I complain about being in a EU country and not being able to buy electronics at amazon.de. (amazon.lu simply redirects to... a selection page on amazon.co.uk) I am in the EU and a private customer. When buying a product in another EU country, I pay VAT in the UK and none in my country. There are no more customs within the EU anymore. I can order stuff in Belgium (for example Dell, or Apple) and it gets delivered without any troubles. Heck, I bought video games at gameplay.co.uk... no problem whatsoever. I just get to pay their VAT which is higher than in my country, but I don't care. Usually I can get products that are harder to get in my country (for example non-translated versions of games) or simply much cheaper, so the VAT increase matters little. I routinely buy computer stuff in Germany and Belgium but I cannot at amazon.de. Books yes, electronics: no. The question is here: Why not?
If I have a VAT number (and then, I'm obviously a business), then I do not pay any VAT in the source country, but have to declare it in my home country. As said, I'm not a business and if I didn't declare imports as a business, I'm going to have trouble very soon.
These things have been fixed for a long time on the European level.
Yes, extra-european imports... There is a difference, I have ordered Registred RAM in the US at a fraction of the price I'd pay here and had to pay about 33% import taxes. It still was worth it. For what I'd pay here for a 1Gig Registred RAM stick, I got three (after customs!). -- This was obviously some years ago.
If it helps, I got my Game Gear when I was 16 or so. ;-) I also owned an Atari Portfolio. No, and I didn't get them "just like" that like kids get Gameboys these days. (Are there even any kids left that don't have a Gameboy DS?!?)
So the kids are annoyed in the back (yes, yes, I know yours are grown now) and find out that they can mess with the radio using the voice activation. Hours of fun! I'd rather have a radio with buttons and a standardized interface to connect MP3 players to auto radios.
It's going to be as big as tablet computing, I tell you!
As someone who drives a 8.5 year old car (and is still happy with it) without a board-computer like the ones Microsoft sells, I still don't see the need for one. I do have a "board-computer" but it only calculates l/100km, driven time, and stuff like that. I don't think it uses an operating system.
In-car entertainment is something I cannot comprehend. If you've got kids they most certainly have a Gameboy or something like that, or they can read a book. That's what I did when I was a kid doing long trips (Okay, it was a Game Gear, but that's not a big difference). On short trips enterainment systems shouldn't even be turned on.
The only value I could see is a GPS system, but that really doesn't have to be based on Windows. Even then, in the 14 years I drive, I have rarely felt the need for a GPS. The few times I was in a foreign city without a map (and if you got there, you make sure you actually have a map *grin*).
Anyway, I know this is just my opinion and my needs are surely not reflected in what "Joe Driver" needs. Now get off my lawn!
But does it "export". An example not concerning software: I don't live in any of the "big" European countries and if I'd like to order a digital camera at amazon.co.uk, amazon.de or amazon.fr, I get "can't deliver there". Sucks, and I don't understand why. I'm willing to pay for extra shipping.