Shh, this isn't about the solution its about forcing more Apple shit into the market. So what if it isolates people from their families, at least the Appleites are getting some more fuel for their religion.
I have dealt with Apple crap through a number of MDMs including their own PoS offering and while they can work it takes a ton of effort to get around all the stupid nonsence. Kiosk mode Skype probably would work.
To the idiot who was complaining that the tv would have too many cables then recommended plugging in the ipad to a sound system and a TV perhaps an all in one device with all that would work better. I'm sure they have nurses too so either solution would probably work fine depending on them.
Oh please.
Two iPad 2's in the minimal-cost configuration (16GB WiFi). It's probably the same price or cheaper than any other stand-alone videoconferencing solution and dead simple to implement with no PC to maintain or complex wiring. Plus it's portable and considering the relative fragility of the devices if dropped, you can get cases for them that are ruggedized to withstand drops.
It's not about shilling more Apple products, it's about suggesting something that works for the given situation.
For distant relatives that were not tech savvy, I did this. Worked very well over the years with several times a week usage. The iPad 2 that was left there was loaded with iOS 5 and was not able to do the on-air updates Apple pushes out now.
It worked fine until I had a chance to visit at the end of last year where I updated it to iOS 7 and the latest everything. Still works.
This is about as bulletproof as you can get. Even the UI (once FaceTime is set up properly) is easy to manage. It chimes with the name of the caller, swipe and you are talking.
Added bonuses are: Lots of people already own Apple devices, so they have everything they need. You can use the lowest model offered by Apple (iPad 2, non-retina mini) to keep the costs down as much as possible. Devices can be locked down as much as desired Development costs are cheap, you can get a dev license for $99 and roll out your own app ad-hoc (but you will have to renew and redeploy once a year before the dev cert expires). Still, no app is really necessary.
They have them in Japan too. The love hotels, where couples go for a few hours of "together time". In the western-themed room, Tarzan-themed room, or the UFO-themed room.
Visiting a clerk is considered embarrassing for the couple, so the check in process is automated.- pick your theme off a display (lit themes are available) pay and go to the room.* They've been doing this for 20+ years now.
* Some ways to pay are truly automated, others are more old fashioned where the clerk is obscured. Anyhow, there is a person *somewhere* with the finger on the "not welcome here" button if they don't like who they see in the lobby on the CCTV.
That means little when looking at the state of more recent consoles like the Wii. The absolute crap shovelware released for that system is an embarrassment. Every console has stinker titles, but the Wii had a ton of them.
Yes. All passengers have to get their bags and go through immigration and customs at their first stop in the U.S. They then toss their bags on a conveyor belt and head to the nearest TSA line to be re screened for the connecting flight.
I've done ANA ( LAX-HND), United and Lufthansa (LAX-FRT, LAX-MUC) and never had an issue with the flight crew nor have I seen abusive behavior by them towards any passenger. And yes, I did say United. I have seen plenty of a-hole passengers though. I refuse to take the FRT-LAX run on Lufthansa now due to the codeshare they have with a SE asian airline that usually packs the plane. The behavior of a lot of the passengers on that flight is simply appalling.
In Japan I was expecting the trains would be horrible - in the tech-crazed society, everyone would have a phone...
Much to my surprise, the trains have posted notices that tell passengers to mute their phones and refrain from talking. If you are by the seats reserved for the elderly or disabled, you are required to turn your phone off. In the latter case I never saw anyone do that - but they did not take out their phone and play with them.
On the last trip, my wife got a call while on the train. She quietly told the other party that we had arrived in country and would be there soon and hung up. I was sitting next to her and could barely hear her speak. The other passengers in the car were staring daggers at her.
On the trains no one talks on the phone. Though everyone uses them for chat, games, reading, and the occasional creepshot.
Several airlines now have in-flight WiFi and while the bandwidth is crappy, you could use it for VOIP. The two airlines I have flown on that have this (Lufthansa and United) both expressly forbid the use of Skype and voice apps for the very reason you state - it annoys other passengers.
Here's what Lufthansa has to say about it:
The option of making mobile phone calls has been disabled in response to the wishes of a majority of our customers. In addition, customers are advised that Internet telephony (VOIP) is likewise not permitted.
And United:
It is against United policy to allow videoconferencing or voice communications in flight. Live video and Internet streaming services are not supported.
I have the same concerns you do, but this is one thing the airlines so far have gotten right.
Odd Sony is mentioned. We have a Vaio sub-notebook built in 1999 that still runs like a champ. The battery is shot and there's no replacements to be found, but it does the job as long as you are willing to put up with Windows 2000 (it shipped with Windows 98SE). We have two Sony alarm clocks going on 10 years that are still going strong.
My 1st gen PS3 dies every year like clockwork, with Sony happy to fix/replace it for a fee.
I made my comment "tongue in cheek", but I am getting to the age where 20-30 years out are starting to look more and more grim. the 23 year lifespan of these bulbs will put me into my 70's. So if one does burn out, I'll probably break a hip replacing it.
Hell, I was just old enough to watch the moon landings, Now I'm starting to believe I won't be around to see a manned Mars landing.
Over the 23-year lifespan (25,000 hours on, 3 hours per day) of an LED bulb, it will cost $39 in energy, compared to $48.75 for a CFL or $211.25 for an incandescent
I look at it in a different manner.
I switched over all the bulbs to LED knowing that with their 23 year lifespan when they start burning out I'll be either dead or too senile to care about them anymore. So as far as I'm concerned, I'm done changing bulbs for the rest of my life.
On both trips I've made to NC in the last year I've found the typical $15-$20 LED bulbs for $5 at Costco's. Bought $200 worth and made the switch.. I don't know a huge between the LEDs and incandescents. I just wonder if Costco is making a profit selling these for $5. Never seen them that cheap anywhere else.
Lots of local utilities are putting out rebates on these bulbs. These rebates are applied prior to purchase, so you will see differences in the shelf price depending on where the retailer is located (and who their local utility may be).
For instance: When the Philips 60W "bug light" LED bulbs came out in 2011, they were approx $40 or so each. Full price here in Los Angeles. Though if you skipped over the county border to So Cal Edison territory, the price dropped to $17. This is how I stocked up on the ones here.
We have been very happy with them, even though they are pretty ugly when off.
Horses take a long time to mature. These things take a week or two to assemble (assuming they go through QA procedures, environmental, shock & vibe, etc.) Horses can go for couple days or more on food. This thing only a couple of hours. Horses spook easily and less easily with training. These will never spook. Horses can follow simple commands. This can follow complex commands,
Both need fuel and water. Horses need lots of support by bringing their food/water to the battle field. But a lot of us are forgetting another project: EATR. With the addition of this tech and a gun, this new robot can run around, hunt, kill, and devour victims as a fuel source.
You don't need to be a business to get a business account. At least that's the way it works with Verizon. It's just another set of tiers in their service (more expensive ones). All I needed to do was just ask for it and briefly tell them why.
You are spot on about the benefits of a business account.
You forgot to add Thunderbolt Firewire 800 to that list.
What's also nice is these Apple adaptors are plentiful and readily available. I doubt it is the same for Samsung.
If I were to get off a plane in a strange city and found I forgot a cable for my rMBP, I can get one at a local Best Buy, Fry's or Apple Store. I cannot say the same for proprietary Samsung cables (well, maybe Fry's has some Samsung love and BB would be a long shot).
Not quite silence. I have the Bose (I know, I know) noise canceling headphones and they work great for their intended purpose - cutting out noise. They do not totally cut out voices though - but people in the next room, A/C noise, etc. should be silenced.
Do those rainfall, wind, cricket and water noise generators have headphone jacks? If they do, using one with these headphones should do the trick shutting out the noisy outside world.
From what I recall of ING (internet banking) - they have (or had) a pin-type number pad where you enter a PIN to access your account using mouse clicks. You don't type it in. This was to defeat key loggers.
You do not need to wait a couple of years. I purchased a Samsung TV (LN-750B model - although not for the smart TV functions) and they promised all sorts of applets for the TV. Netflix being one of them.
9 months later, a new model comes out and Samsung releases a firmware update for my model. What does it do? Locks the set to the last available firmware and makes it unmodifiable. Then they drop all support.
Netflix never appeared for it either. Better to have an expensive "dumb" TV and a cheap smart box to attach to it.
My experience with the app store has been totally different.
While I do embedded code for a living, I wanted to learn to write iOS apps. I am by no means a really good Obj-C programmer (but I am improving). My first hobby app suddenly looked like it might be marketable and I prepped it for app store submission.
When I got my one app rejection (on my first submission) I got an electronically generated letter that was sort of vague as to the reason. I responded to it, I got a response by a human in only an hour or two explaining in simpler terms what the issue was and what they expected. I resubmitted that afternoon and in a few days it was up and on sale. There have been no rejections over any of my subsequent updates.
I also had to push out an update about 4-5 days before the iOS 6 release due to a stupid coding error that iOS 6 would no longer let me get away with. It sat in the queue until iOS 6 was released then suddenly the app went from waiting, to in review to ready for sale in a few seconds. It came out when they did a dump of all the other iOS 6 apps. I suppose if an app has a certain number of sales and decent feedback they do not spend much time on it during reviews when crunch time is upon them. This has happened more than once - on the 5.0 update and the 4.0 update too.
Releasing at other times, I usually have 5-6 day waits. My last release (approved today) took a bit more than 8 days.
I have no complaints so far in my 2+ years on the app store.
One of those "first contact" novels, where "first contact" is by relativistic weapons slamming into Earth wiping out every living thing. All to the tune of Michael Jackson's "We are the World" warbling over every RF frequency.
The aliens then go on a hunt chasing down any last remaining vestige of human society, with possibly the last breeding air of humans captured and kept as zoo specimens.
And there's even more to the ending, and it's depressing too.
Slashdot Mirror
Shh, this isn't about the solution its about forcing more Apple shit into the market. So what if it isolates people from their families, at least the Appleites are getting some more fuel for their religion.
I have dealt with Apple crap through a number of MDMs including their own PoS offering and while they can work it takes a ton of effort to get around all the stupid nonsence. Kiosk mode Skype probably would work.
To the idiot who was complaining that the tv would have too many cables then recommended plugging in the ipad to a sound system and a TV perhaps an all in one device with all that would work better. I'm sure they have nurses too so either solution would probably work fine depending on them.
Oh please.
Two iPad 2's in the minimal-cost configuration (16GB WiFi). It's probably the same price or cheaper than any other stand-alone videoconferencing solution and dead simple to implement with no PC to maintain or complex wiring. Plus it's portable and considering the relative fragility of the devices if dropped, you can get cases for them that are ruggedized to withstand drops.
It's not about shilling more Apple products, it's about suggesting something that works for the given situation.
For distant relatives that were not tech savvy, I did this. Worked very well over the years with several times a week usage. The iPad 2 that was left there was loaded with iOS 5 and was not able to do the on-air updates Apple pushes out now.
It worked fine until I had a chance to visit at the end of last year where I updated it to iOS 7 and the latest everything. Still works.
This is about as bulletproof as you can get. Even the UI (once FaceTime is set up properly) is easy to manage. It chimes with the name of the caller, swipe and you are talking.
Added bonuses are:
Lots of people already own Apple devices, so they have everything they need.
You can use the lowest model offered by Apple (iPad 2, non-retina mini) to keep the costs down as much as possible.
Devices can be locked down as much as desired
Development costs are cheap, you can get a dev license for $99 and roll out your own app ad-hoc (but you will have to renew and redeploy once a year before the dev cert expires). Still, no app is really necessary.
They have them in Japan too. The love hotels, where couples go for a few hours of "together time". In the western-themed room, Tarzan-themed room, or the UFO-themed room.
Visiting a clerk is considered embarrassing for the couple, so the check in process is automated.- pick your theme off a display (lit themes are available) pay and go to the room.* They've been doing this for 20+ years now.
* Some ways to pay are truly automated, others are more old fashioned where the clerk is obscured. Anyhow, there is a person *somewhere* with the finger on the "not welcome here" button if they don't like who they see in the lobby on the CCTV.
That means little when looking at the state of more recent consoles like the Wii. The absolute crap shovelware released for that system is an embarrassment. Every console has stinker titles, but the Wii had a ton of them.
Funny as xkcd is, there is actually one on Piratebay's Physibles site. Just google: "physibles 3D dildo"
This country I'm visiting (or their ISP) is blocking the site or I'd post a link, but on second thought, maybe it's for the better good.
Yes. All passengers have to get their bags and go through immigration and customs at their first stop in the U.S. They then toss their bags on a conveyor belt and head to the nearest TSA line to be re screened for the connecting flight.
That hellhole airline do you fly?
I've done ANA ( LAX-HND), United and Lufthansa (LAX-FRT, LAX-MUC) and never had an issue with the flight crew nor have I seen abusive behavior by them towards any passenger. And yes, I did say United. I have seen plenty of a-hole passengers though. I refuse to take the FRT-LAX run on Lufthansa now due to the codeshare they have with a SE asian airline that usually packs the plane. The behavior of a lot of the passengers on that flight is simply appalling.
In Japan I was expecting the trains would be horrible - in the tech-crazed society, everyone would have a phone...
Much to my surprise, the trains have posted notices that tell passengers to mute their phones and refrain from talking. If you are by the seats reserved for the elderly or disabled, you are required to turn your phone off. In the latter case I never saw anyone do that - but they did not take out their phone and play with them.
On the last trip, my wife got a call while on the train. She quietly told the other party that we had arrived in country and would be there soon and hung up. I was sitting next to her and could barely hear her speak. The other passengers in the car were staring daggers at her.
On the trains no one talks on the phone. Though everyone uses them for chat, games, reading, and the occasional creepshot.
Several airlines now have in-flight WiFi and while the bandwidth is crappy, you could use it for VOIP. The two airlines I have flown on that have this (Lufthansa and United) both expressly forbid the use of Skype and voice apps for the very reason you state - it annoys other passengers.
Here's what Lufthansa has to say about it:
And United:
I have the same concerns you do, but this is one thing the airlines so far have gotten right.
Odd Sony is mentioned. We have a Vaio sub-notebook built in 1999 that still runs like a champ. The battery is shot and there's no replacements to be found, but it does the job as long as you are willing to put up with Windows 2000 (it shipped with Windows 98SE). We have two Sony alarm clocks going on 10 years that are still going strong.
My 1st gen PS3 dies every year like clockwork, with Sony happy to fix/replace it for a fee.
IBM Correcting Selectric. The Selectric was one of the mainstays of business typewriters with that wonderful dancing ball typing out the letters.
It also had a correction ribbon. This was available in 1973 and the Selectric II and finally the Selectric III in the mid 80's.
Awesome typewriters.
Why would it?
If it were a declared legal requirement, then Apple would have to license it under FRAND.
No one will be delayed.
I made my comment "tongue in cheek", but I am getting to the age where 20-30 years out are starting to look more and more grim. the 23 year lifespan of these bulbs will put me into my 70's. So if one does burn out, I'll probably break a hip replacing it.
Hell, I was just old enough to watch the moon landings, Now I'm starting to believe I won't be around to see a manned Mars landing.
Over the 23-year lifespan (25,000 hours on, 3 hours per day) of an LED bulb, it will cost $39 in energy, compared to $48.75 for a CFL or $211.25 for an incandescent
I look at it in a different manner.
I switched over all the bulbs to LED knowing that with their 23 year lifespan when they start burning out I'll be either dead or too senile to care about them anymore. So as far as I'm concerned, I'm done changing bulbs for the rest of my life.
On both trips I've made to NC in the last year I've found the typical $15-$20 LED bulbs for $5 at Costco's. Bought $200 worth and made the switch.. I don't know a huge between the LEDs and incandescents. I just wonder if Costco is making a profit selling these for $5. Never seen them that cheap anywhere else.
Lots of local utilities are putting out rebates on these bulbs. These rebates are applied prior to purchase, so you will see differences in the shelf price depending on where the retailer is located (and who their local utility may be).
For instance: When the Philips 60W "bug light" LED bulbs came out in 2011, they were approx $40 or so each. Full price here in Los Angeles. Though if you skipped over the county border to So Cal Edison territory, the price dropped to $17. This is how I stocked up on the ones here.
We have been very happy with them, even though they are pretty ugly when off.
Lets look at it this way:
Horses take a long time to mature. These things take a week or two to assemble (assuming they go through QA procedures, environmental, shock & vibe, etc.)
Horses can go for couple days or more on food. This thing only a couple of hours.
Horses spook easily and less easily with training. These will never spook.
Horses can follow simple commands. This can follow complex commands,
Both need fuel and water. Horses need lots of support by bringing their food/water to the battle field. But a lot of us are forgetting another project: EATR. With the addition of this tech and a gun, this new robot can run around, hunt, kill, and devour victims as a fuel source.
You don't need to be a business to get a business account. At least that's the way it works with Verizon. It's just another set of tiers in their service (more expensive ones). All I needed to do was just ask for it and briefly tell them why.
You are spot on about the benefits of a business account.
You forgot to add Thunderbolt Firewire 800 to that list.
What's also nice is these Apple adaptors are plentiful and readily available. I doubt it is the same for Samsung.
If I were to get off a plane in a strange city and found I forgot a cable for my rMBP, I can get one at a local Best Buy, Fry's or Apple Store. I cannot say the same for proprietary Samsung cables (well, maybe Fry's has some Samsung love and BB would be a long shot).
Simple:
Low Orbit Ion Cannon.
Not quite silence. I have the Bose (I know, I know) noise canceling headphones and they work great for their intended purpose - cutting out noise. They do not totally cut out voices though - but people in the next room, A/C noise, etc. should be silenced.
Do those rainfall, wind, cricket and water noise generators have headphone jacks? If they do, using one with these headphones should do the trick shutting out the noisy outside world.
From what I recall of ING (internet banking) - they have (or had) a pin-type number pad where you enter a PIN to access your account using mouse clicks. You don't type it in. This was to defeat key loggers.
You do not need to wait a couple of years. I purchased a Samsung TV (LN-750B model - although not for the smart TV functions) and they promised all sorts of applets for the TV. Netflix being one of them.
9 months later, a new model comes out and Samsung releases a firmware update for my model. What does it do? Locks the set to the last available firmware and makes it unmodifiable. Then they drop all support.
Netflix never appeared for it either. Better to have an expensive "dumb" TV and a cheap smart box to attach to it.
My experience with the app store has been totally different.
While I do embedded code for a living, I wanted to learn to write iOS apps. I am by no means a really good Obj-C programmer (but I am improving). My first hobby app suddenly looked like it might be marketable and I prepped it for app store submission.
When I got my one app rejection (on my first submission) I got an electronically generated letter that was sort of vague as to the reason. I responded to it, I got a response by a human in only an hour or two explaining in simpler terms what the issue was and what they expected. I resubmitted that afternoon and in a few days it was up and on sale. There have been no rejections over any of my subsequent updates.
I also had to push out an update about 4-5 days before the iOS 6 release due to a stupid coding error that iOS 6 would no longer let me get away with. It sat in the queue until iOS 6 was released then suddenly the app went from waiting, to in review to ready for sale in a few seconds. It came out when they did a dump of all the other iOS 6 apps. I suppose if an app has a certain number of sales and decent feedback they do not spend much time on it during reviews when crunch time is upon them. This has happened more than once - on the 5.0 update and the 4.0 update too.
Releasing at other times, I usually have 5-6 day waits. My last release (approved today) took a bit more than 8 days.
I have no complaints so far in my 2+ years on the app store.
The book "The Killing Star" by Charles R. Pellegrino and George Zebrowski.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killing_Star
One of those "first contact" novels, where "first contact" is by relativistic weapons slamming into Earth wiping out every living thing. All to the tune of Michael Jackson's "We are the World" warbling over every RF frequency.
The aliens then go on a hunt chasing down any last remaining vestige of human society, with possibly the last breeding air of humans captured and kept as zoo specimens.
And there's even more to the ending, and it's depressing too.
That is it, I drive by this every day going to and from work in Warner Center to the south.