I think we may have bingo here. What Windows can do already is good enough for 95% of the users, and those that cannot use it for their purposes use something else.
I am continually astounded that CAD software and it's own issues are not heavily bitched-about here as you pay for it also with your taxes. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.
I would think that daytime TV ads are not all that economically "lowcast" as might be expected. All women bleed (to coin a phrase), shave (in some western societies) and most of them hope to have babies someday. So ads directed towards them is not really targetted towards a specific type of woman.
Maybe you underestimate the imprinting that is possible with women that have or want babies. I'd guess that this phenomenon is more powerful than guys wanting to get laid.
With a push of a single button, I could automagically reinstall Windows on 100 machines simultaneously, have it automatically start different automated tests on each machine, upload the results to a central server, and have those results parsed for any problem that came up in the tests.
How does that help me design a bridge, car or even more diverse engineering problem? You push a button, and, whammo! everything's done?
Nah. More likely it's the professional "Barney Marketing People" raising a media kerfuffle desperately trying to generate some publicity. Kids' stuff doesn't last as long these days so they have to squeeze every last bit out of a concept.
My son loved that purple thing when he was two, three, *maybe* four, but now "Barney" is seen by pre-teens as a euphemism for juvenile interests and this sort of notion filters down to the younger kids via memes.
In my day, kids' heroes didn't have huge marketing campaigns attached to them, so they tended to last longer because the hype didn't exist. Uphill both ways, snow, etc.
[Cue the cries of "misogynist GI Joe!" and "self-image-warping Barbie!".]
Yeah, but the semi-computer-literate just love this stuff (i.e., the people whose jobs involve computers but little actual thinking - it's new and kewl to them). AutoCAD sometimes does this with new releases; I'm no CAD genius but I know enough to mostly use keyboard commands and modify the pgp file to suit myself so I don't have to bother wandering through the latest "enhanced design interface".
There must be huge profit margins for personal care products (especially female-related; shampoo, skin goo and creams, body washes, etc.) given the amount of TV advertising for them.
Seriously, since I heard about Google's infinite retention policy, I'm even afraid of using google search anymore.
What percentage of your searches do you consider to be "risky"?
If you think that everything you do/say is being observed and remembered, you may be right. But that's not something to be overly worried about, as the human condition has provided this for centuries (family, friends, nosy neighbours).
Seriously, there is a reason databases have transactions, and that formal documents have revisions and change histories. It's hard to see how a word processor document could reliably be fully edited by two parties at the same time, unless they really were editing guaranteed unique areas of the document
If you have a good team that can work simultaneously on a project (and are motivated and interested) this can be very productive and efficient. I suspect that this how Google's people function.
Most people's fears come from the business world constantly (and consistently) putting profits ahead of public health
Just a question: do you have any examples of "the business world" not doing evil (besides Google, that is)? I'm pretty sure that there are more "good" business people than there are bad ones, we just hear about the bad ones much more often. On the other hand, exposure to spam does tend to jade the average person.
I know what you mean, and I was being facetious. But at least the cost of LCD and DLP sets are dropping quickly now. When my 19" Mitsubishi monitors (I do CAD work) died (strangely within 3 months of each other) there was nowhere else to go but LCD. So now I have LCD monitors that have failing pixels.
. That dot to the left is what my current monitor shows in places. Never had that problem with CRTs.
The tastes of most teenagers is fickle, as most listen to whatever's "cool" at the moment (and of course, "cool" is defined by influential peers). Not to turn this into an uphill, both way-type statement, but does anyone actually think that any of the current pop/rap music will be appreciated 20 years from now?
Yup, I'm an old fart, and my generation's music is better than yours. By the way, get off my lawn, you nogoodnik scallywags!
I don't really understand the faster is better argument. If Slashdot loads in 0.5 seconds (plus lag time for tacoda.net and other 3rd party ad companies) that's good enough for me.
Is everyone else downloading 1GB files that they need Right Now Dammit?
Slashdot Mirror
I think we may have bingo here. What Windows can do already is good enough for 95% of the users, and those that cannot use it for their purposes use something else.
I am continually astounded that CAD software and it's own issues are not heavily bitched-about here as you pay for it also with your taxes. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.
In the real world, money has a lot of benefits.
Perhaps the point is that the obsessive pursuit of it generally leads to more wanting for too many people.
"Type A" people have a choice, but then again, as addicts, maybe not. There is always the need to stay ahead lest someone else get in front of you.
The "Sleep Hygienests" are correct. Without poper pracice it is quite impossble to drnk a beer while horizonal. But usully geting enogh in is suficien
Now I'm confused. What is step 2?
I would think that daytime TV ads are not all that economically "lowcast" as might be expected. All women bleed (to coin a phrase), shave (in some western societies) and most of them hope to have babies someday. So ads directed towards them is not really targetted towards a specific type of woman.
Maybe you underestimate the imprinting that is possible with women that have or want babies. I'd guess that this phenomenon is more powerful than guys wanting to get laid.
Commercial boobs in space, you know you're wondering, admit it.
But what exactly are they inventing with that R&D money? New GUIs and MP3 players? Oooh, yeah, important stuff indeed.
I can't stand people who call having a big R&D budget wasteful.
Just how much further can a software progam go? Does it crash less often or present cooler graphics? Is this worth paying for?
With a push of a single button, I could automagically reinstall Windows on 100 machines simultaneously, have it automatically start different automated tests on each machine, upload the results to a central server, and have those results parsed for any problem that came up in the tests.
How does that help me design a bridge, car or even more diverse engineering problem? You push a button, and, whammo! everything's done?
Barney Must Die! (an appropriate death).
Nah. More likely it's the professional "Barney Marketing People" raising a media kerfuffle desperately trying to generate some publicity. Kids' stuff doesn't last as long these days so they have to squeeze every last bit out of a concept.
My son loved that purple thing when he was two, three, *maybe* four, but now "Barney" is seen by pre-teens as a euphemism for juvenile interests and this sort of notion filters down to the younger kids via memes.
In my day, kids' heroes didn't have huge marketing campaigns attached to them, so they tended to last longer because the hype didn't exist. Uphill both ways, snow, etc.
[Cue the cries of "misogynist GI Joe!" and "self-image-warping Barbie!".]
Yeah, but the semi-computer-literate just love this stuff (i.e., the people whose jobs involve computers but little actual thinking - it's new and kewl to them). AutoCAD sometimes does this with new releases; I'm no CAD genius but I know enough to mostly use keyboard commands and modify the pgp file to suit myself so I don't have to bother wandering through the latest "enhanced design interface".
No. The proper thing to do is to write a book about the experience and then get on Oprah.
"It's true that the game known as "football" in most of the world (not just the UK) is known as "soccer" in the US, but we didn't just pull the word out of the air so that we could call our quasi-gladiatorial extravaganzas "football." In fact, you Brits actually invented the word. "Soccer," when it first appeared in the 1890s, was spelled "socca," which was short for "association" or "association football," meaning football played according to the rules laid down by the British Football Association. It was also called "socker" until the current form "soccer" appeared around 1895."
I agree with 'b-ball' being stupid but it's rarely heard anymore.
'Footie" sounds like a game that teenage sweethearts play under the table when they think nobody's watching, not a pro sport.
I have yet to hear baseball or basketball referred to as 'basey' or 'baskey'. Your single example is not a good one.
There must be huge profit margins for personal care products (especially female-related; shampoo, skin goo and creams, body washes, etc.) given the amount of TV advertising for them.
...down the pub for a footy match now and then
What is this apparent British predilection with cutesy-sounding words?
For the consumer market, probably Plasma is dead. LCD TVs are coming down a lot in price and DLP is getting better with the viewing angle issue.
Seriously, since I heard about Google's infinite retention policy, I'm even afraid of using google search anymore.
What percentage of your searches do you consider to be "risky"?
If you think that everything you do/say is being observed and remembered, you may be right. But that's not something to be overly worried about, as the human condition has provided this for centuries (family, friends, nosy neighbours).
Seriously, there is a reason databases have transactions, and that formal documents have revisions and change histories. It's hard to see how a word processor document could reliably be fully edited by two parties at the same time, unless they really were editing guaranteed unique areas of the document
If you have a good team that can work simultaneously on a project (and are motivated and interested) this can be very productive and efficient. I suspect that this how Google's people function.
Most people's fears come from the business world constantly (and consistently) putting profits ahead of public health
Just a question: do you have any examples of "the business world" not doing evil (besides Google, that is)? I'm pretty sure that there are more "good" business people than there are bad ones, we just hear about the bad ones much more often. On the other hand, exposure to spam does tend to jade the average person.
Somewhat off-topic, but what's the big deal with widescreen LCD these days? Are you actually getting more screen area than a 4:3 display?
It'd also be nice if manufacturers would be more upfront about the fact that SLI doesn't work with a dual monitor setup.
I know what you mean, and I was being facetious. But at least the cost of LCD and DLP sets are dropping quickly now. When my 19" Mitsubishi monitors (I do CAD work) died (strangely within 3 months of each other) there was nowhere else to go but LCD. So now I have LCD monitors that have failing pixels.
. That dot to the left is what my current monitor shows in places. Never had that problem with CRTs.
The tastes of most teenagers is fickle, as most listen to whatever's "cool" at the moment (and of course, "cool" is defined by influential peers). Not to turn this into an uphill, both way-type statement, but does anyone actually think that any of the current pop/rap music will be appreciated 20 years from now?
Yup, I'm an old fart, and my generation's music is better than yours. By the way, get off my lawn, you nogoodnik scallywags!
I don't really understand the faster is better argument. If Slashdot loads in 0.5 seconds (plus lag time for tacoda.net and other 3rd party ad companies) that's good enough for me.
Is everyone else downloading 1GB files that they need Right Now Dammit?
Somebody is getting seventy five cents on the dollar (after bandwidth charges) "extra" money.
But those extra 75 cents go towards employing people and keeping an industry going, which is good for the economy, right?