I worked as a consultant at one of the US's largest banks several years ago. They replaced every desktop computer in the entire company(Thousands and Thousands) with new Compaqs for Y2K.
Everyone was asking about buying the old computers as many of them would have been pretty descent machines.
When mine was finally replaced I pressed the guy in charge about what was happening to all of them. He told me that for 'security reasons' they were going to destroy all of them.
I don't get all this frenzy about oil prices. In the grand scheme of things it's really not an issue for me.
I drive about 15000 miles a year. My truck gets 18mpg, that's 833 gallons/year. Price of oil has gone up.50 in past few months, that's an extra $416/year for my fuel costs. Does it suck? Yes. Does it really put a cramp in my lifestyle? Not One Bit.
Some people are going to have to drive further to work each day and people with SUV's and other gas guzzlers are going to have to pay much more, but they have the Choice to move closer or buy another more efficient vehicle.
Now industries like trucking and the airlines will have problems if it goes much higher, but overall I do not think it's such a bad thing that the price goes up as it may be a greater impetus to greater research in hybrids, ethanol etc.
I was in Vegas last summer and *maybe* stumbled across another 'feature' of slots that play on human behavior.
On our 3rd night after no luck in craps and roulette and getting wiped in Blackjack(usually do a bit better on it), I bought a $20 in quarters and started playing slots. Instead of finding a machine, sitting, getting comfortable and playing, I played each machine Once and moved to next open machine. Win or lose, I moved to next machine. I was moving so fast that I often went back 3 machines to collect coins.
I won $480 in 4 hours. The next day before we had to leave my friend and I tried it again. He won $80 and I won $50 in just over an hour.
We were thinking that the slots could try to hook you with early payoffs. It makes sense, but people have argued how the slot would know. Maybe they reset after some set idle time or something. It's just a theory, but try it out somke time as it was kinda fun.
'A thrilling lightsabre clash between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker while surfing on lava.'
Oh great, this will be ultra realistic. Lucas has just gotten way too happy with the CGI in the prequels. Give me the old minatures any day.
4-6 were cool because they were grounded in reality with some cool special effects. The prequels have lost all sense of reality. A few of the things that bug me:
A planet with a water core that you can travel through, I just don't think this was possible
Yoda needed cane to walk and then doing double back flip, mctwists while fighting.
Jedi's plummiting 100's of feet through the air and landing on flying cars.
My list goes on and on. Fighting on lava is another example.
(me)I'll have a small Pepperoni pizza
(them)Medium
(me)HUH?
(them)We don't have small, only medium and large
(me)How can you have a medium without a small, medium means your mid-size pizza
(them)HUH?
(me)Never mind, just give me the smallest pizza you have
(them)medium
(me)whatever
Someone here pointed this out to me a couple of weeks ago. I'm actually going to mail this to bandwidth challenged parents once a month.
A note about sending CD's in mail. I used to put them in a fancy CD mailer that cost a couple of bucks. Lately I just put them in a windowes tyvek sleeve and put a stamp and mailing label right on them. I've sent several dozen through the mail like this without a problem.
First thing I thought when I looked at it, is where are you going to carry it? That thing wouldn't fit in a pocket or bookbag or briefcase. The pictures don't quite jive with this comment from the Moma website:
Modular -- Screen unit detaches from the controller. Carry just the screen unit around for media on the go. Swap controllers for a customized gaming experience.
This and the fact that there's nothing on the screen lead me to believe this is a Very early prototype and I'm doubting it's going to make it out 1st Q 2005.
Here, let me release SP1.5 for XP. I'll pack up all the current hotfixes with an installer (pick one) and viola!
Please do this, seriously. I'm dying for just such a release. Not for my machine, but for my friends and family without Broadband.
It is nearly impossible to keep modern operating systems updated via modem and there is no simple way to to copy all of the patches etc to CD. You have to run them all individually. I need Windows Update on a CD.
While it is literally a Hot Spot, I would not call 8.2 visitors per day a Tourist Hot Spot. Your average Porta-Potty gets more visitors per day than that. Would you call a Porta-Potty a Hot Spot?
I've tried reading ebooks on a laptop and it's just plain uncomfortable for any long duration. I haven't been to cost justify one yet, but a tablet pc might be better. There is also the added distractions of checking email, IM'ing and *shhh* playing a quick game of sol.
While I don't think it is bad idea to supply all students with laptops, I think this is a perfect opportunity for a next generation ebook reader. I have an Ebookman that is ok for reading text, but doesn't handle PDF's or graphics, has a small screen and eats batteries when backlit.
There are several products from asia that are interesting, I just wish they would make it here sooner:
I'd really like to see how they were able to get such high reliability, and how they got to the "30 year" number. If it's true that's unprecedented reliability.
This product has been in development since 1974. They have just finished their reliability tests and are now bringing the product to market.
I've just closed up shop on a DVD Rental business a friend and I tried on the side the past year and a half. There are thousands of these machines in Europe and there are several companies that tried it here in the states. I don't think any of them are doing well.
The downside, like anything requiring some level of technical aptitude in the US, is that the machines are avoided by the masses of shoppers
He's right on here. Despite being more convienient to a college campus and half the price, people just didn't want to use a machine. There is a different mindset for poeple who know what they want and shop online, most people, however, seem to want to look and touch before they buy.
Slashdot Mirror
Everyone was asking about buying the old computers as many of them would have been pretty descent machines.
When mine was finally replaced I pressed the guy in charge about what was happening to all of them. He told me that for 'security reasons' they were going to destroy all of them.
However, even if you break it down to either individual items Or bandwidth SPAM wouldn't win.
Items: I get 40 spams a day, some probably get more, but I definately hit several hundred individual web pages per day
Bandwidth: Say those 40 spams are 10k each, that's 400k, easily surpassed by a Single Porn picture
Gathering Data. Now there's a nice euphemism for sucking down porn.
Adware to serve MS ads, double bad
I drive about 15000 miles a year. My truck gets 18mpg, that's 833 gallons/year. Price of oil has gone up .50 in past few months, that's an extra $416/year for my fuel costs. Does it suck? Yes. Does it really put a cramp in my lifestyle? Not One Bit.
Some people are going to have to drive further to work each day and people with SUV's and other gas guzzlers are going to have to pay much more, but they have the Choice to move closer or buy another more efficient vehicle.
Now industries like trucking and the airlines will have problems if it goes much higher, but overall I do not think it's such a bad thing that the price goes up as it may be a greater impetus to greater research in hybrids, ethanol etc.
On our 3rd night after no luck in craps and roulette and getting wiped in Blackjack(usually do a bit better on it), I bought a $20 in quarters and started playing slots. Instead of finding a machine, sitting, getting comfortable and playing, I played each machine Once and moved to next open machine. Win or lose, I moved to next machine. I was moving so fast that I often went back 3 machines to collect coins.
I won $480 in 4 hours. The next day before we had to leave my friend and I tried it again. He won $80 and I won $50 in just over an hour.
We were thinking that the slots could try to hook you with early payoffs. It makes sense, but people have argued how the slot would know. Maybe they reset after some set idle time or something. It's just a theory, but try it out somke time as it was kinda fun.
Oh great, this will be ultra realistic. Lucas has just gotten way too happy with the CGI in the prequels. Give me the old minatures any day.
4-6 were cool because they were grounded in reality with some cool special effects. The prequels have lost all sense of reality. A few of the things that bug me:
A planet with a water core that you can travel through, I just don't think this was possible
Yoda needed cane to walk and then doing double back flip, mctwists while fighting.
Jedi's plummiting 100's of feet through the air and landing on flying cars.
My list goes on and on. Fighting on lava is another example.
The toolbar is Windows only. This will probably be windows only also.
(me)I'll have a small Pepperoni pizza
(them)Medium
(me)HUH?
(them)We don't have small, only medium and large
(me)How can you have a medium without a small, medium means your mid-size pizza
(them)HUH?
(me)Never mind, just give me the smallest pizza you have
(them)medium
(me)whatever
Yes, the Quickpads look similar to Alphasmarts, but cheaper. Search for Quickpad on ebay and you can find new ones starting at $80 with $100 BuyItNow.
A note about sending CD's in mail. I used to put them in a fancy CD mailer that cost a couple of bucks. Lately I just put them in a windowes tyvek sleeve and put a stamp and mailing label right on them. I've sent several dozen through the mail like this without a problem.
Modular -- Screen unit detaches from the controller. Carry just the screen unit around for media on the go. Swap controllers for a customized gaming experience.
This and the fact that there's nothing on the screen lead me to believe this is a Very early prototype and I'm doubting it's going to make it out 1st Q 2005.
Please do this, seriously. I'm dying for just such a release. Not for my machine, but for my friends and family without Broadband.
It is nearly impossible to keep modern operating systems updated via modem and there is no simple way to to copy all of the patches etc to CD. You have to run them all individually. I need Windows Update on a CD.
That thing sure makes harley riders look like wussies.
While it is literally a Hot Spot, I would not call 8.2 visitors per day a Tourist Hot Spot. Your average Porta-Potty gets more visitors per day than that. Would you call a Porta-Potty a Hot Spot?
While I don't think it is bad idea to supply all students with laptops, I think this is a perfect opportunity for a next generation ebook reader. I have an Ebookman that is ok for reading text, but doesn't handle PDF's or graphics, has a small screen and eats batteries when backlit.
There are several products from asia that are interesting, I just wish they would make it here sooner:
EB660
Panasonic Sigmabook
Sony
This could be the type of application that would launch ebooks into the mainstream.
Gspot? Is that anywhere near the Gstring?
seeking audio "fingerprints" that could be compared with information in Audible Magic's database
I think they will get a database from the RIAA of copyrighted songs to compare against. I doubt garage bands will be in the database.
Now that I've quit all that stuff, they just don't excite me anymore :(
Seems like they would be very easy to damage.
This product has been in development since 1974. They have just finished their reliability tests and are now bringing the product to market.
I could buy 3 large external hard drives or more for the money. Any of the hard drives from Maxtor, WD etc. are less costly than the media alone.
The downside, like anything requiring some level of technical aptitude in the US, is that the machines are avoided by the masses of shoppers
He's right on here. Despite being more convienient to a college campus and half the price, people just didn't want to use a machine. There is a different mindset for poeple who know what they want and shop online, most people, however, seem to want to look and touch before they buy.
A swiss army knife and USB memory drive all in one. Very cool :)
Here are some other links.
Note that this was announced before 4/1.
I downloaded it and I'm playing it right now.
THAT'S the joke