When you say "Dumbing Down" do you mean making it usable? Are you the same guy that uses vi because it does the same thing as notepad? Usability creates acceptance. There is no reason to make things complicated if they don't have to be. As a fairly literate computer user, I still want simple things to be simple to do.
The ISS serves no purpose other than international good-will. It is scientifically irrelevant, ridiculously expensive, and not safe for the inhabitants if we can't rely on the space shuttle to get up there. Fuel it up, pull the people and keep it in orbit as long as possible or until we need it for something.
There really isn't anything amazing in the Wii relative to a $300 Xbox 360, so what if they bring it out at $150? How about $100? I would almost guess that I could get my parents to get one at that price.
The key to writing cogently is brevity. If you force yourself to reduce the length of your writing, you also force yourself to order and discuss the content clearly. Assign them a 2 page paper on a complex topic. Then make them rewrite it as a paragraph, retaining all the relevant content from the two page paper. Exercises like this are how professional writers get better.
"We'll buy 100x as much innovation as google" Does anybody else cringe when they hear intangibles commodotized like this? You can innovate for free. (and some people are) Or you can do like google and poach the VCs.
No actually your arguement is self defeating. Cable companies are selling internet. Internet is internet, regardless of whom you get it through. So millions of channels over the internet = millions of channels over cable.
With IPTV, you can have an absolutely unlimited variety of channels, and it wouldn't be centrally controlled like cable/satellihistorychannel.com for $1/mo if you like, or not if you're not interested.
Cable and satellite networks are an infrastructure capable of giving you as many channels as you want through iptv. You can easily run ipHDTV with less than 10mbps (I can get a 15 mbps cable connection for $60/mo now in VA) My arguement is about a lack of need for extreme bandwidth, not how best to run it. Fiber seems like a bit of overkill, but I am all for competetion, so best of luck to them.
Lets pretend that you have virtually unlimited bandwidth to your house. What are you (as a consumer) going to do with it? Forget businesses and industrial use, what would a consumer do with it? Video is a good option for IPTV, but that's a hard financial sell against a deployed coaxial cable network. (not impossible, but hard) What else? Play quake with no lag? Seriously, there is a point of diminishing returns until the software has a valid reason to use that much bandwidth.
Movie theater chains have rested on their laurels for far too long. It is time for them to start offering services that add value to a movie experience. How about a full service high-class restaurant for real dinner theater? How about selling beer? How about pre and post-show entertainment. (Live music, comedy, performance art, etc) How about using their imaginations to offer a premium experience that people don't mind paying for?
How about somebody tell me how I can use my apostrophe without it opening the search bar in firefox?
Perhaps those are bad analogies. We can shield against, Light, Sound, and heat. If this proves to be an effective Gravity shield, then the effect is essentially "antigravity"
They were typing so fast trying to transcribe everything. As a side note, I never even realized how many words I used that had the letters W,A,S,D in them.
The Y2K bug got MANY companies to realize the incredibly steep price of relying on obsolete software. After Y2K, successful companies realized the value of keeping their systems modernized to alleviate security issues, assure availability of hardware upgrades/replacements/service, and allow interoperability with newer software and web services. I don't know about all businesses, but mine can't get by with just office and a web browser.
"W3Schools is a website for people with an interest for web technologies. These people are more interested in using alternative browsers than the average user. The average user tends to use Internet Explorer, since it comes preinstalled with Windows. Most do not seek out other browsers."
Thecounter.com has far larger sample sizes than that one website, about a quarter of a billion *USERS* every month for the hundreds of thousands of websites that use it's services.
There is a reason why some sites show Firefox usage as high as 30%
Yep, it's called wishful thinking, or more accurately, Lies.
All he knows is that with Firefox, he doesn't get POPUPS, it lets him modify it to what he wants it to look and act like and it's simple easy and fun to use.
You're right, Joe average doesn't care, but IE has a popup blocker, and lets him modify just as easily as firefox. (drag and drop) It's no simpler or easier to use, and the supposed security advantage over IE looks like more hype than reality.
The most interesting part though is when you call it "fun." How is it "fun?" Why should a browser be "fun." A browser is about accessing content, not entertaining me.
ok, 2 million Xbox live subscribers
probably 2 million PS2 online players. (FF11/SOCOM/etc)
50 million (?) Xbox sold.
75 million (?) ps2 sold.
25 million (?) GC sold.
So using these estimates, only 2.6% of gamers have made console online play a priority. Yes there are a lot of online pc gamers, but he was referencing consoles with the statement. Personally I think there is a huge untapped market for offline multiplayer gamers. There are VERY few sold, and those are 90% sports/racing/fighting.
While my parents aren't in their prime music buying years, (60+) they are the least common denominator. They listen to and purchase music, but it certainly isn't on iTunes. I would suggest that the VAST majority of music buyers still dont (nor will they soon) have iPods. (or similar devices) By the same token, most of the heaviest buyers probably do. CDs still outsell digital files, and are thus still very relevant.
CDs have many advantages over digital files. They are portable, compatible, and reliable. The #1 place that americans listen to music is in their cars, and most cars don't have mp3 player capabilities but they can play CDs.
I think that the lack of useful applications of the internet is finally overtaking the novelty factor. While not a luddite, (mostly) I don't even bother with email anymore, and only use the web to read news, get driving directions and order pizza. Where at one point $50/mo seemed reasonable for high speed, I now balk at spending $15/mo for DSL.
You know, the slashdot uproar when industries fail to standardize is matched only by the uproar when they do standardize. Why did they only approve one? The stakeholders (manufacturers, stations, govenment) got together and made a decision to go with an established technology. The last thing we needed was a radio format war.
Windows isn't your problem. Having crappy systems is.
Why are these systems exposed to viruses or worms or whatever? Why are they networked at all? If you need remote monitoring, you can get a one-way connection that will completely isolate your system.
Third. This can be a REALLY bad idea. It changes the paradigm of least assumed resources. Before, you could assume that each student has access to paper, pencils, and properly administered lab computers for needed assignments. Now you are assuming that each student has "a laptop" with certain resources. However, unless you are willing to license a baseline of software for each student, you can no longer be sure that the software needed is installed, or that the computer works properly.
What about those that need desktops? Are you going to force them to have laptops as well? What about those that just don't like computers?
I would imagine that I could run a server off of Win Vista Starter just fine. Perhaps not the MS brand server, but I bet that apache would work just fine. Don't mistake "lacking features" for being "crippled."
It never ceases to amaze me how slashdotters can't see pas their own noses on things like DRM. There are people with legitimate security needs that don't give a rat's ass about your pirated copy of Brittany Spears. Keeping corporate proprietary info secure is a MUCH bigger deal than preventing you from watching pirated movies.
Slashdot Mirror
When you say "Dumbing Down" do you mean making it usable? Are you the same guy that uses vi because it does the same thing as notepad? Usability creates acceptance. There is no reason to make things complicated if they don't have to be. As a fairly literate computer user, I still want simple things to be simple to do.
The ISS serves no purpose other than international good-will. It is scientifically irrelevant, ridiculously expensive, and not safe for the inhabitants if we can't rely on the space shuttle to get up there. Fuel it up, pull the people and keep it in orbit as long as possible or until we need it for something.
There really isn't anything amazing in the Wii relative to a $300 Xbox 360, so what if they bring it out at $150? How about $100? I would almost guess that I could get my parents to get one at that price.
The key to writing cogently is brevity. If you force yourself to reduce the length of your writing, you also force yourself to order and discuss the content clearly. Assign them a 2 page paper on a complex topic. Then make them rewrite it as a paragraph, retaining all the relevant content from the two page paper. Exercises like this are how professional writers get better.
"We'll buy 100x as much innovation as google"
Does anybody else cringe when they hear intangibles commodotized like this? You can innovate for free. (and some people are) Or you can do like google and poach the VCs.
No actually your arguement is self defeating. Cable companies are selling internet. Internet is internet, regardless of whom you get it through. So millions of channels over the internet = millions of channels over cable.
Al Q'aida is not the threat. Sophisticated, well funded high-tech governments could be. (i.e. China)
With IPTV, you can have an absolutely unlimited variety of channels, and it wouldn't be centrally controlled like cable/satellihistorychannel.com for $1/mo if you like, or not if you're not interested.
Cable and satellite networks are an infrastructure capable of giving you as many channels as you want through iptv. You can easily run ipHDTV with less than 10mbps (I can get a 15 mbps cable connection for $60/mo now in VA) My arguement is about a lack of need for extreme bandwidth, not how best to run it. Fiber seems like a bit of overkill, but I am all for competetion, so best of luck to them.
And what among these suggestions can you NOT do now with digital cable and a 5mbps connection?
Lets pretend that you have virtually unlimited bandwidth to your house. What are you (as a consumer) going to do with it? Forget businesses and industrial use, what would a consumer do with it? Video is a good option for IPTV, but that's a hard financial sell against a deployed coaxial cable network. (not impossible, but hard) What else? Play quake with no lag? Seriously, there is a point of diminishing returns until the software has a valid reason to use that much bandwidth.
How about somebody tell me how I can use my apostrophe without it opening the search bar in firefox?
Perhaps those are bad analogies. We can shield against, Light, Sound, and heat. If this proves to be an effective Gravity shield, then the effect is essentially "antigravity"
They were typing so fast trying to transcribe everything. As a side note, I never even realized how many words I used that had the letters W,A,S,D in them.
The Y2K bug got MANY companies to realize the incredibly steep price of relying on obsolete software. After Y2K, successful companies realized the value of keeping their systems modernized to alleviate security issues, assure availability of hardware upgrades/replacements/service, and allow interoperability with newer software and web services. I don't know about all businesses, but mine can't get by with just office and a web browser.
"W3Schools is a website for people with an interest for web technologies. These people are more interested in using alternative browsers than the average user. The average user tends to use Internet Explorer, since it comes preinstalled with Windows. Most do not seek out other browsers."
Thecounter.com has far larger sample sizes than that one website, about a quarter of a billion *USERS* every month for the hundreds of thousands of websites that use it's services.
ok, here's the first one I found http://www.thecounter.com/stats/2006/March/browser .php
Yep, it's called wishful thinking, or more accurately, Lies.
All he knows is that with Firefox, he doesn't get POPUPS, it lets him modify it to what he wants it to look and act like and it's simple easy and fun to use.
You're right, Joe average doesn't care, but IE has a popup blocker, and lets him modify just as easily as firefox. (drag and drop) It's no simpler or easier to use, and the supposed security advantage over IE looks like more hype than reality.
The most interesting part though is when you call it "fun." How is it "fun?" Why should a browser be "fun." A browser is about accessing content, not entertaining me.
probably 2 million PS2 online players. (FF11/SOCOM/etc)
50 million (?) Xbox sold.
75 million (?) ps2 sold.
25 million (?) GC sold.
So using these estimates, only 2.6% of gamers have made console online play a priority. Yes there are a lot of online pc gamers, but he was referencing consoles with the statement. Personally I think there is a huge untapped market for offline multiplayer gamers. There are VERY few sold, and those are 90% sports/racing/fighting.
CDs have many advantages over digital files. They are portable, compatible, and reliable. The #1 place that americans listen to music is in their cars, and most cars don't have mp3 player capabilities but they can play CDs.
I think that the lack of useful applications of the internet is finally overtaking the novelty factor. While not a luddite, (mostly) I don't even bother with email anymore, and only use the web to read news, get driving directions and order pizza. Where at one point $50/mo seemed reasonable for high speed, I now balk at spending $15/mo for DSL.
You know, the slashdot uproar when industries fail to standardize is matched only by the uproar when they do standardize. Why did they only approve one? The stakeholders (manufacturers, stations, govenment) got together and made a decision to go with an established technology. The last thing we needed was a radio format war.
Why are these systems exposed to viruses or worms or whatever? Why are they networked at all? If you need remote monitoring, you can get a one-way connection that will completely isolate your system.
What about those that need desktops? Are you going to force them to have laptops as well? What about those that just don't like computers?
It's a really bad idea.
I would imagine that I could run a server off of Win Vista Starter just fine. Perhaps not the MS brand server, but I bet that apache would work just fine. Don't mistake "lacking features" for being "crippled."
It never ceases to amaze me how slashdotters can't see pas their own noses on things like DRM. There are people with legitimate security needs that don't give a rat's ass about your pirated copy of Brittany Spears. Keeping corporate proprietary info secure is a MUCH bigger deal than preventing you from watching pirated movies.