Mainstream publishers are the 'real' bosses.
Assuming the point of Humble-bundles is to raise money for charity - then I'd assume they'd be gunning to get GTA-V and CoDx in bundles ooooh months before the publisher release. That's what would get them the most money.
In reality, I think the HBs are like Steam Sales - a chance to mop up the huge number of people who're aware your game was great, but never quite got around to buying it - but they get the benefit of a the charity-aura, and you feel a bit better about picking it up. The whole DRM & Indie component is entirely irrelevant to most purchasers. If anything getting SR3 into this bundle will get the attention of those who previously were completely unaware of Indie Games.
Well not exactly with what you've said, but in how it impacts me.
Firstly - I've never had a problem with Steam. I buy games, it appears in my library and it's always loaded if I'm online, or not. I pay and it works. Not only works, but gives me greater convenience than a CD or a bunch of floppies - I get a definite advantage and I've yet to see a downside.
Doesn't make me a DRM fan though - I've had major issues with Origin (oooh a $5 voucher as compensation I can use to buy another game that won't f'in run etc).
I think the original posters selection of Steam and Spotify are valid - yes I know I'm risking being locked out if they screw up, but they haven't and I've got some massive benefits non-DRM platforms are unable to offer.
More to the point, I've stopped pirating certain items. Music (Spotify), Books (Kindle) & Games (Steam) - I can hand-on-heart state I've paid for every single one in the last 5 or so years. Films & TV... erm I'll plead the 5th on that.
It's not a money issue (although I'm sure that depends on personal circumstances), it's an objection to having arbitrary hurdles chucked between me and the media I want. I'm reasonably sure that I'm not alone in this stance. *Most* people don't have an issue with DRM per se. *Most* People actually wish to pay a fair price for the media they consume. If a service offers them the opportunity to do this, then they will - and they'll consume more.
but surely no more a 'publicity grab' than all the indie-game devs trying to make their mark?
*somebody* in THQ has pitched this on the basis they'll get a return on their property of "whatever people think it's worth", and I assume some drone piped up to say that "potentially we'll get nothing back" - just seems pathetic that some posters are gloating on the fact "They gave nothing to the dev"
They made the game, they deserve something.
I'm just completely bemused by the seeming response.
THQ did a good thing. Somebody within the company went to bat for this, made it happen, and people respond like this?
FFS.
to shorten their length to what's needed. There's been a few mentions of velcro ties, but just coil it up in the middle, then wrap around the coil (think bow tie) and then just pull the loose end through the end loop... erm not explaining that well, but nothing required but the cable.
Undoubtedly people'll whine I'm destroying my cables - but, well frankly I'll just buy a replacement if one ever goes. OK, maybe just for USB stuff..not ethernet etc.
3G speeds out of my 3G phone.
HSPDA+ 'should' be capable of providing me with WAY more bandwidth than I could possibly need from my phone (42MB/ps?).
I know this is a theoretical speed, but at least in the UK there is a order of magnitude difference between what you actually get using this tech, based on your operator. I.e. the majority of telcos could up their average speed, but for cost reasons choose not to (or more fairly, wouldn't expect the investment to pay off due to the complete lack of interest from the majority of their customers).
I completely fail to see why LTE will be any different for the consumer - the case for the telco is fantastic, as it removes the need to keep on increasing their pt2pt backhaul, but consumers paying extra for 'LTE' now... eejits. If you want speed switch to a decent 3G telco. If you want to save money, just wait a bit and select the telco that's small/flexible enough to bite the bullet and ask/pay for you to switch.
then you really have to come up with something special on the hardware front.
I'm no fan of Apple, but thank god they forced every other manufacturer to start putting Hi-res screens in their devices.
I think this Nokia phone serves two purposes as well - firstly it's the 'physical home of WM8', secondly it creates a benchmark that other phones are judged against.
Good example of what happens if you don't do this is Android. I've had a variety of decent phones and love it to bits, then was a bit confused when people complained, then picked up a cheap no-name tablet and knew exactly what they meant. It was VILE.
My guess as to the purpose of the Nexus 7 is to provide a benchmark - If you as a no-name Chinese manufacturer can't make either something significantly cheaper, or significantly better, your product will die in the water. Therefore crappy Android systems should now be leaving us.
Likewise with this Nokia WM8 phone - It doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to be the only phone - however every WM8 phone that is released will be compared to this.
Microsoft went open (Shh, let me make my point), Apple went walled-garden, app-stores and didn't take kindly to the replacement of their apps, hardware components etc with others - basically decided they knew best and this would ultimately benefit their users.
So, two different approaches to the market - and Apple have come romping home the winner.
MS switches to the Apple approach - but I'm just not quite sure it's going to work. IF I personally wanted this experience, I'd be typing this on an Ipad already. If MS think they can out-apple, apple - then good luck to them, but I just don't see it happening (whilst I can see myself getting quite pissed off and giving Linux another punt).
so here I go with my thoughts.
I'd like to switch to Linux - not for any great philosophical/political reason, just I'd quite like to learn about it - and that would require installing and using it.
I'd installed Live discs, and dual-booted over the years, but never really made any progress after the first couple of days of working out how to do something and then giving up in frustration (MythTV, you're to blame for my last aborted attempt).
For me gaming is definitely one thing I want to do, and I know I'll have major issues with in Linux - but that's not the main reason. Well it's part of the main reason, which I will badly sum up as "There's nothing I need from Linux I can't do in Windows - and whilst there's plenty of tasks I'm sure I can get Linux to do, knowing I'll never get something I want working just makes it all feel a bit pointless"
Still not to say I'm giving up, just saying that my Windows install on my main desktop isn't going anywhere for quite some time. Current plan is to replace my aged ReadyNAS with a proper home server - and for that, Linux looks perfect.
although it's about as useful as the Android version..
Alienware is still there, but only as it occasionally manages to beat me typing in the password (I gave up even trying to wave myself at the camera solely)
Android is pretty much as useful. "OOh new feature" *few attempts* - and back to pattern unlock.
and they didn't shift nearly as many as they expected, once most people had worked out that they could buy the same actual Apple functionality in a more 'normal' box for a fraction of the amount.
Oh, and then the cubes all started cracking as form had over-ridden function and every engineer who said it was a stupid idea was proven right.
Conversely though (and I'm not an Apple customer a few ipods aside), it did looked awesome, got placed in art/design museums AND as I look back over the thousands of computer designs that have come and gone, I remember this one and still think it looks stunning and am glad it existed.
I've no idea what the lesson to be learnt here is, see also Delorean.
Bought a keyboard from a bargain bin, then realized one of the lifters was missing on the back. Mailed Logitech to see if they sold replacements - Sorry, but we've put a whole new keyboard in the post to you gratis.
Bought a Logitech Harmony, couldn't get a thingie to work (software issue on my PC) - Indian call centre guy (I only mention this as my heart had initially crashed when I heard the accent) was fantastic, talked me through installing and using alternate client, stayed on phone until I'd confirmed it was all working - and then called me back the next day just to check everything was OK before he closed the case.
Remote finally died, as things do - No repair service we're afraid, but here's a 50% voucher off any Harmony you might wish to replace it with.
Logitech are one of the very few companies that I will definitely pay extra for. I feel emotionally attached and if I hear they've had a bad quarter, I feel bad - I'm rooting for the guy that's swimming against the tide in the general race to the bottom.
I think my missus gets 3.5x my salary as a lump sum.
Makes me wonder when I see she has "innocently" abandoned a pair of her shoes at the top of the stairs..
both Barnes and Noble and Amazon were shifting those tablets, pretty much exclusively to get you to buy stuff from them. I'm not even too sure they were even that important - given an ipad and no legacy tie-in, I'd use kindle over apple's in-house offering.
My take on the Nexus 7 was a little bit different - this was prove that Android tablets didn't have to be crap or expensive. In our swoop they've pretty much decimated the market for so-so 3rd party manufacturers - any new tablet has either got to be significantly cheaper or better to even bother trying to enter the market place.
was about to say the same.
Worked in a Swedish office, where they were taking their employee ergonomics very seriously. Desks had motors in them to raise and lower the work surface, plus there were a pool of excellent 'things to sit on' - basic idea was that you could very easily switch from sitting, to sitting on a swiss-ball that was the right size for you, to working standing up.
I fortunately seem to have been rather blessed in never having so much as a twinge from a desk-job, but actually found it quite useful for other stuff - if you're trying to show somebody something at your desk, having it at a standing height just feels far better (i.e. not one person seated, and the rest looming over trying to peer at the screen, type on their own laptops they've balanced etc.
most of those technologies are old/established and a great deal of money is being made selling those to the mass-market - and I'm quite willing to admit whilst as a "dink-y" 35-year old male I'm important to, but not the sole focus of the vendors. My ilk will not decide the market success of particular 'products'.
Damned if I'm not going to fight the imputation that I'm not responsible for the success of the underlying 'tech' though.
GPS - I was wearing the Casio GPS watch, I was dangling a GPS MMC out of my PocketPC (plus external magnetic aerial) when the luddites thought mobiles had to have buttons. Now I'm quite prepared to admit there was a lot of swearing, wasted money and bluntly it wasn't due to necessity but rather it clearly being the cool-as-fuck-future - and that's ignoring the pile of dead-end tech that was accumulated in parallel - but I really resent this slur.
I'll restrain myself from listing everything else - but there is absolutely no piece of 'tech' that hasn't been launched on the sci-fi-tinged dreams of a 20-something-year old male with slightly too much disposable income.
I perhaps do consider in these later years, that it wasn't 'me' but the age/ideal - I still steadfastly hold to the opinion that twitter is pointless - despite the bleatings of the youth below me and the easily-lead marketing execs above.
Good things RIM have:
Communication apps - BBM, email blah blah - people who have to get things done, like these (a lot).
Keyboards - If I need to type many emails, and as much as I like swype, I want a physical keyboard.
Company access - They were the mobile corporate tool, and as much as we hear about how android and iOS are making inroads into the enterprise market, these companies all still support BB and would (mainly) buy from them again. Actually I'd go further - the drive for the switch came from users asking if there was a BB alternative (not that IT suddenly wished to support a dozen platforms)
The problem RIM has is that their current complete solution is somewhat lacklustre compared to that of their competition. They also need to accept that people have already gone out and bought an android or iOS smartphone - and they will compare that device they already have to what RIM are offering. I do not know of anybody who has a corporate blackberry as their sole phone. I do not know of anybody, given the choice of a single device as a freebie from their IT overlords, who would take a BB over an iPhone or an android device. Sure the BB might be better for those work tasks - but being given an iphone at your employers expense feels like a lovely perk - e.g. "free iphone 4GS" is something you might attract applicants with, "free BB" just sounds like they're intending you to be online 24/7.
RIM need to open up to iOS and Android. They need a completely isolated and secure stack from dedicated VPN to pretty access clients that can be installed on anything. I'd happily let my employer install that little work sandbox on my own phone - this app is work, the rest of the phone is still mine (my current employers suggested Android client is rocking The next thing they need to do is produce a phone I'd actually want to own. Now I fully accept that they don't have the ability to produce a phone to compete with Apple or say Samsung - but there's a screaming shortage of "decent android phones with physical keyboards". I'd take a compromise on the screen (a minor one) and I'm of the opinion that the average CPU/GPU out there is 'good enough'.
I'm convinced somebody in RIM has pitched all of the above and it's been knocked back due to divisions full of VPs trying to guard their atrophying turf.
So
RIM need to fire a shit-load of people, not to save money, but to allow the company to achieve focus.
RIM need to stop pretending we all want their hardware - they'd have better luck selling a service, where they'd rule the market by default.
RIM need to produce a "BB experience" piece of hardware - on either Android or WM with a nice keyboard that will allow their devotees to carry on pecking away with their thumbs (and play Angry Birds).
Actually WM isn't a bad idea - MS pretty much bought up Nokia for the lovely hardware (I was very nearly seduced by that piece of polycarbonate loveliness and that silly-res camera is coming soon). Now just need to come up with a convincing reason to make us all switch...and exchange hard-wired into my hand would be a definite plus.
I'm a gun-hating-euro-commie-pinko... Well that's not entirely true, whenever I've had the chance I've picked up a firearm and instantly regressed to a childlike state of glee and can feel the omnipotent power emanating from my hands. One day I'll maybe wrap up all these thoughts into a proper philosophical stance, but until then, I'll leave the contradictions swirling.
I can see the point of the 2nd amendment and agree with it in a similar way. I reserve the right to disagree with my government and it would be nice if I could overthrow them by force, should the urge take me. I'm not quite sure how this would work in practice though. Do we all have to agree to overthrow at the same time? If somebody else jumps the gun, am I expected to defend my government? Doesn't really seem very well thought out.
If I embrace the principle for a few moments, I find myself asking why there are any limits. If I'm lucky, I'll get an assault rifle. Having seen the US military playing with other armies owning just assault rifles, I can't help but think those waving their rifles about have a somewhat inflated sense of their own abilities. Now clearly we can't all have our own air-forces and nuclear devices (not for ethical reasons, merely as they're expensive to own and maintenance would probably cut into my free time). How about everybody just carrying a vial of anthrax in their pocket? Cheap, handy, lasts forever - and nobody is going to mess with you. I'm guessing following the spirit, this is an excellent idea.
Also ponder why the US doesn't arm the countries they liberate. Sure they get *cough* democracy, but that's just the start. I feel to truly embrace the sentiment and experience true liberty, every Afghan should be given a lovely new AK. Not only does this help spread the American ideal, but should they feel that they're being oppressed by their *cough-cough* government, they've been empowered to overthrow it. Denying them arms and the freedom they provide, is clearly oppression (and actively removing them.. would you stand for that?).
Does the NRA have a stance on spreading 2nd amendment rights as far as the power of the US allows?
I know why I originally switched from FF/IE (work) - Chrome was noticeably faster. Not in some "I've checked the benchmarks" kind of way, in the "I've installed it and this is clearly faster and more pleasurable to use."
After the initial speed thing, it was the UI that's kept me. Dragging tabs to windows, pinning tabs, scrolling tabs, bookmark sync, add-on/app sync, background update etc etc. Also simply installing Chrome on a new machine, simply giving it my google login and the Chrome that appears on the new desktop immediately resembling the version on my home machine.
Reading through the above, it's probably the background update that was the killer bit. I genuinely have no idea what version of Chrome I'm currently running. I installed it years ago and it's just been there ever since. My entirely subjective opinion is that the features and improvements silently appear before I ever even realized I need them - so I remain 'happy' and 'content' (and would have to see some utterly novel, ground-breaking feature advertised on another browser to even bother to download it)
By auto-update I don't mean like thunderbird or itunes, where an attempt to launch it suddenly triggers update popups, delays and release notes. I mean I don't even know it's happened. If this approach could just be extended to OS, drivers as well as apps, I'd be happy as Larry.
Acres of empty boxes on display with all the stock stashed in couple of drawers at the back. Actually that's my only disagreement with you, I don't think they did anything efficiently.
Last time I went in, was to have a look at a Vita. I knew it was cheaper online, but hadn't (and still haven't) actually got my hands on one to play with it. I'd assumed due to the window sized poster, there'd be a demo pod inside, bundle deals etc. When I went in... well there was a big poster listing the not-very-good-deals, but no Vita to prod. Eventually I spotted a guy just standing holding one, I patiently 'hovered' as he chatted to the sales-guy who he seemed to know. Once he'd had his fun, Vita gets handed back to the sales-guy, who just walks off and stashes the Vita back in the storeroom leaving me standing alone on the shop floor.
If they'd wanted to survive they should have just tried something other than just not-beating the supermarkets on the price of new games, or not-beating ebay/amazon for choice/price of used games. Maybe look to see how physical book stores are hanging in there - maybe not a cafe, but some reason to wander in - maybe just a couple of arcade cabinets like the old indies used to have. Maybe let staff post their recommendations for 'classic, but overlooked' games. Ensure if somebody is holding a game box, somebody appears next to you asking if they could boot it up for you? None of this would have cost anything and to see them not even try as they crashed into administration... Oh they deserve it.
Maybe this is all for the best. Once we've removed Game and the high street is no longer saturated with mediocrity, smaller chains and indies may return and offer something better.
The ability - which generally just takes a PC, a book and some time.
The desire. You've got to want to build something. You then get to add stuff to it. You then realize you don't know how to add something (this is where you go to the index of the book you abandoned days before, realize it's not in there, rush online, find the solution, realize you've done something else in a stupid way, decide you might want to fix that etc etc). Basically the hump is getting hello world up on the screen and then creating the very first bit of your 'thing'
I don't even think it has to be programming per se. Quite fun playing with APIs on sites that you're familiar with, with something friendly like PHP.
I wanted to look up the prices of my old DVDs I wanted to sell. Pain in the arse on Amazon... oh, hold on they have an API.
Oh, then how about using a CSV to load and dump results to?
Shit, I seem to be getting results back from the wrong bits of amazon, lets add some array sorting.
Would be nice to store lookups I've made - MySQL
Oooh, how about other sites... they don't have an API *googles*... "Oooh Curl" etc.
Basically, if you're interested in something and have time, it will all follow. You can later learn how to do it properly later, but it tends to flow. Nobody wants to sit down and read a chapter on exception handling - but once your program is mysteriously failing, you suddenly find you've become quite fascinated with the intricacies of exceptions. You'll just bolt them on until the problem is fixed, but on your next project you'll have that pain in your mind from the start, and may find yourself now dutifully adding them.
I'm meandering all over the place here now - I think you just need to ask your nephew what he wants to build, make sure it's realistic (or choose a functional subsection to start with). Also nice if it's something that could go online, be run on a smartphone or similar - once you've built this thing, you want to show it off.
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Mainstream publishers are the 'real' bosses.
Assuming the point of Humble-bundles is to raise money for charity - then I'd assume they'd be gunning to get GTA-V and CoDx in bundles ooooh months before the publisher release. That's what would get them the most money.
In reality, I think the HBs are like Steam Sales - a chance to mop up the huge number of people who're aware your game was great, but never quite got around to buying it - but they get the benefit of a the charity-aura, and you feel a bit better about picking it up. The whole DRM & Indie component is entirely irrelevant to most purchasers. If anything getting SR3 into this bundle will get the attention of those who previously were completely unaware of Indie Games.
Well not exactly with what you've said, but in how it impacts me.
Firstly - I've never had a problem with Steam. I buy games, it appears in my library and it's always loaded if I'm online, or not. I pay and it works. Not only works, but gives me greater convenience than a CD or a bunch of floppies - I get a definite advantage and I've yet to see a downside.
Doesn't make me a DRM fan though - I've had major issues with Origin (oooh a $5 voucher as compensation I can use to buy another game that won't f'in run etc).
I think the original posters selection of Steam and Spotify are valid - yes I know I'm risking being locked out if they screw up, but they haven't and I've got some massive benefits non-DRM platforms are unable to offer.
More to the point, I've stopped pirating certain items. Music (Spotify), Books (Kindle) & Games (Steam) - I can hand-on-heart state I've paid for every single one in the last 5 or so years. Films & TV... erm I'll plead the 5th on that.
It's not a money issue (although I'm sure that depends on personal circumstances), it's an objection to having arbitrary hurdles chucked between me and the media I want. I'm reasonably sure that I'm not alone in this stance. *Most* people don't have an issue with DRM per se. *Most* People actually wish to pay a fair price for the media they consume. If a service offers them the opportunity to do this, then they will - and they'll consume more.
I *actively like Steam* This offer did nothing to dent that either. I paypal up, I get a code I copy&paste into Steam and OOOh there are the games.
but surely no more a 'publicity grab' than all the indie-game devs trying to make their mark?
*somebody* in THQ has pitched this on the basis they'll get a return on their property of "whatever people think it's worth", and I assume some drone piped up to say that "potentially we'll get nothing back" - just seems pathetic that some posters are gloating on the fact "They gave nothing to the dev" They made the game, they deserve something.
I'm just completely bemused by the seeming response.
THQ did a good thing. Somebody within the company went to bat for this, made it happen, and people respond like this?
FFS.
to shorten their length to what's needed. There's been a few mentions of velcro ties, but just coil it up in the middle, then wrap around the coil (think bow tie) and then just pull the loose end through the end loop... erm not explaining that well, but nothing required but the cable.
Undoubtedly people'll whine I'm destroying my cables - but, well frankly I'll just buy a replacement if one ever goes. OK, maybe just for USB stuff..not ethernet etc.
3G speeds out of my 3G phone.
HSPDA+ 'should' be capable of providing me with WAY more bandwidth than I could possibly need from my phone (42MB/ps?).
I know this is a theoretical speed, but at least in the UK there is a order of magnitude difference between what you actually get using this tech, based on your operator. I.e. the majority of telcos could up their average speed, but for cost reasons choose not to (or more fairly, wouldn't expect the investment to pay off due to the complete lack of interest from the majority of their customers).
I completely fail to see why LTE will be any different for the consumer - the case for the telco is fantastic, as it removes the need to keep on increasing their pt2pt backhaul, but consumers paying extra for 'LTE' now... eejits. If you want speed switch to a decent 3G telco. If you want to save money, just wait a bit and select the telco that's small/flexible enough to bite the bullet and ask/pay for you to switch.
then you really have to come up with something special on the hardware front.
I'm no fan of Apple, but thank god they forced every other manufacturer to start putting Hi-res screens in their devices.
I think this Nokia phone serves two purposes as well - firstly it's the 'physical home of WM8', secondly it creates a benchmark that other phones are judged against.
Good example of what happens if you don't do this is Android. I've had a variety of decent phones and love it to bits, then was a bit confused when people complained, then picked up a cheap no-name tablet and knew exactly what they meant. It was VILE.
My guess as to the purpose of the Nexus 7 is to provide a benchmark - If you as a no-name Chinese manufacturer can't make either something significantly cheaper, or significantly better, your product will die in the water. Therefore crappy Android systems should now be leaving us.
Likewise with this Nokia WM8 phone - It doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to be the only phone - however every WM8 phone that is released will be compared to this.
Microsoft went open (Shh, let me make my point), Apple went walled-garden, app-stores and didn't take kindly to the replacement of their apps, hardware components etc with others - basically decided they knew best and this would ultimately benefit their users.
So, two different approaches to the market - and Apple have come romping home the winner.
MS switches to the Apple approach - but I'm just not quite sure it's going to work. IF I personally wanted this experience, I'd be typing this on an Ipad already. If MS think they can out-apple, apple - then good luck to them, but I just don't see it happening (whilst I can see myself getting quite pissed off and giving Linux another punt).
so here I go with my thoughts.
I'd like to switch to Linux - not for any great philosophical/political reason, just I'd quite like to learn about it - and that would require installing and using it.
I'd installed Live discs, and dual-booted over the years, but never really made any progress after the first couple of days of working out how to do something and then giving up in frustration (MythTV, you're to blame for my last aborted attempt).
For me gaming is definitely one thing I want to do, and I know I'll have major issues with in Linux - but that's not the main reason. Well it's part of the main reason, which I will badly sum up as "There's nothing I need from Linux I can't do in Windows - and whilst there's plenty of tasks I'm sure I can get Linux to do, knowing I'll never get something I want working just makes it all feel a bit pointless"
Still not to say I'm giving up, just saying that my Windows install on my main desktop isn't going anywhere for quite some time. Current plan is to replace my aged ReadyNAS with a proper home server - and for that, Linux looks perfect.
although it's about as useful as the Android version..
Alienware is still there, but only as it occasionally manages to beat me typing in the password (I gave up even trying to wave myself at the camera solely)
Android is pretty much as useful. "OOh new feature" *few attempts* - and back to pattern unlock.
and they didn't shift nearly as many as they expected, once most people had worked out that they could buy the same actual Apple functionality in a more 'normal' box for a fraction of the amount.
Oh, and then the cubes all started cracking as form had over-ridden function and every engineer who said it was a stupid idea was proven right.
Conversely though (and I'm not an Apple customer a few ipods aside), it did looked awesome, got placed in art/design museums AND as I look back over the thousands of computer designs that have come and gone, I remember this one and still think it looks stunning and am glad it existed.
I've no idea what the lesson to be learnt here is, see also Delorean.
Bought a keyboard from a bargain bin, then realized one of the lifters was missing on the back. Mailed Logitech to see if they sold replacements - Sorry, but we've put a whole new keyboard in the post to you gratis.
Bought a Logitech Harmony, couldn't get a thingie to work (software issue on my PC) - Indian call centre guy (I only mention this as my heart had initially crashed when I heard the accent) was fantastic, talked me through installing and using alternate client, stayed on phone until I'd confirmed it was all working - and then called me back the next day just to check everything was OK before he closed the case.
Remote finally died, as things do - No repair service we're afraid, but here's a 50% voucher off any Harmony you might wish to replace it with.
Logitech are one of the very few companies that I will definitely pay extra for. I feel emotionally attached and if I hear they've had a bad quarter, I feel bad - I'm rooting for the guy that's swimming against the tide in the general race to the bottom.
I think my missus gets 3.5x my salary as a lump sum.
Makes me wonder when I see she has "innocently" abandoned a pair of her shoes at the top of the stairs..
both Barnes and Noble and Amazon were shifting those tablets, pretty much exclusively to get you to buy stuff from them. I'm not even too sure they were even that important - given an ipad and no legacy tie-in, I'd use kindle over apple's in-house offering.
My take on the Nexus 7 was a little bit different - this was prove that Android tablets didn't have to be crap or expensive. In our swoop they've pretty much decimated the market for so-so 3rd party manufacturers - any new tablet has either got to be significantly cheaper or better to even bother trying to enter the market place.
was about to say the same.
Worked in a Swedish office, where they were taking their employee ergonomics very seriously. Desks had motors in them to raise and lower the work surface, plus there were a pool of excellent 'things to sit on' - basic idea was that you could very easily switch from sitting, to sitting on a swiss-ball that was the right size for you, to working standing up.
I fortunately seem to have been rather blessed in never having so much as a twinge from a desk-job, but actually found it quite useful for other stuff - if you're trying to show somebody something at your desk, having it at a standing height just feels far better (i.e. not one person seated, and the rest looming over trying to peer at the screen, type on their own laptops they've balanced etc.
but I always read the "cooler" as positively dripping in sarcasm.
most of those technologies are old/established and a great deal of money is being made selling those to the mass-market - and I'm quite willing to admit whilst as a "dink-y" 35-year old male I'm important to, but not the sole focus of the vendors. My ilk will not decide the market success of particular 'products'.
Damned if I'm not going to fight the imputation that I'm not responsible for the success of the underlying 'tech' though.
GPS - I was wearing the Casio GPS watch, I was dangling a GPS MMC out of my PocketPC (plus external magnetic aerial) when the luddites thought mobiles had to have buttons. Now I'm quite prepared to admit there was a lot of swearing, wasted money and bluntly it wasn't due to necessity but rather it clearly being the cool-as-fuck-future - and that's ignoring the pile of dead-end tech that was accumulated in parallel - but I really resent this slur.
I'll restrain myself from listing everything else - but there is absolutely no piece of 'tech' that hasn't been launched on the sci-fi-tinged dreams of a 20-something-year old male with slightly too much disposable income.
I perhaps do consider in these later years, that it wasn't 'me' but the age/ideal - I still steadfastly hold to the opinion that twitter is pointless - despite the bleatings of the youth below me and the easily-lead marketing execs above.
Good things RIM have:
Communication apps - BBM, email blah blah - people who have to get things done, like these (a lot).
Keyboards - If I need to type many emails, and as much as I like swype, I want a physical keyboard.
Company access - They were the mobile corporate tool, and as much as we hear about how android and iOS are making inroads into the enterprise market, these companies all still support BB and would (mainly) buy from them again. Actually I'd go further - the drive for the switch came from users asking if there was a BB alternative (not that IT suddenly wished to support a dozen platforms)
The problem RIM has is that their current complete solution is somewhat lacklustre compared to that of their competition. They also need to accept that people have already gone out and bought an android or iOS smartphone - and they will compare that device they already have to what RIM are offering. I do not know of anybody who has a corporate blackberry as their sole phone. I do not know of anybody, given the choice of a single device as a freebie from their IT overlords, who would take a BB over an iPhone or an android device. Sure the BB might be better for those work tasks - but being given an iphone at your employers expense feels like a lovely perk - e.g. "free iphone 4GS" is something you might attract applicants with, "free BB" just sounds like they're intending you to be online 24/7.
RIM need to open up to iOS and Android. They need a completely isolated and secure stack from dedicated VPN to pretty access clients that can be installed on anything. I'd happily let my employer install that little work sandbox on my own phone - this app is work, the rest of the phone is still mine (my current employers suggested Android client is rocking The next thing they need to do is produce a phone I'd actually want to own. Now I fully accept that they don't have the ability to produce a phone to compete with Apple or say Samsung - but there's a screaming shortage of "decent android phones with physical keyboards". I'd take a compromise on the screen (a minor one) and I'm of the opinion that the average CPU/GPU out there is 'good enough'.
I'm convinced somebody in RIM has pitched all of the above and it's been knocked back due to divisions full of VPs trying to guard their atrophying turf.
So
RIM need to fire a shit-load of people, not to save money, but to allow the company to achieve focus.
RIM need to stop pretending we all want their hardware - they'd have better luck selling a service, where they'd rule the market by default.
RIM need to produce a "BB experience" piece of hardware - on either Android or WM with a nice keyboard that will allow their devotees to carry on pecking away with their thumbs (and play Angry Birds).
Actually WM isn't a bad idea - MS pretty much bought up Nokia for the lovely hardware (I was very nearly seduced by that piece of polycarbonate loveliness and that silly-res camera is coming soon). Now just need to come up with a convincing reason to make us all switch...and exchange hard-wired into my hand would be a definite plus.
I'm a gun-hating-euro-commie-pinko... Well that's not entirely true, whenever I've had the chance I've picked up a firearm and instantly regressed to a childlike state of glee and can feel the omnipotent power emanating from my hands. One day I'll maybe wrap up all these thoughts into a proper philosophical stance, but until then, I'll leave the contradictions swirling.
I can see the point of the 2nd amendment and agree with it in a similar way. I reserve the right to disagree with my government and it would be nice if I could overthrow them by force, should the urge take me. I'm not quite sure how this would work in practice though. Do we all have to agree to overthrow at the same time? If somebody else jumps the gun, am I expected to defend my government? Doesn't really seem very well thought out.
If I embrace the principle for a few moments, I find myself asking why there are any limits. If I'm lucky, I'll get an assault rifle. Having seen the US military playing with other armies owning just assault rifles, I can't help but think those waving their rifles about have a somewhat inflated sense of their own abilities. Now clearly we can't all have our own air-forces and nuclear devices (not for ethical reasons, merely as they're expensive to own and maintenance would probably cut into my free time). How about everybody just carrying a vial of anthrax in their pocket? Cheap, handy, lasts forever - and nobody is going to mess with you. I'm guessing following the spirit, this is an excellent idea.
Also ponder why the US doesn't arm the countries they liberate. Sure they get *cough* democracy, but that's just the start. I feel to truly embrace the sentiment and experience true liberty, every Afghan should be given a lovely new AK. Not only does this help spread the American ideal, but should they feel that they're being oppressed by their *cough-cough* government, they've been empowered to overthrow it. Denying them arms and the freedom they provide, is clearly oppression (and actively removing them.. would you stand for that?).
Does the NRA have a stance on spreading 2nd amendment rights as far as the power of the US allows?
like a child - who's the responsible adult in charge?
I know why I originally switched from FF/IE (work) - Chrome was noticeably faster. Not in some "I've checked the benchmarks" kind of way, in the "I've installed it and this is clearly faster and more pleasurable to use."
After the initial speed thing, it was the UI that's kept me. Dragging tabs to windows, pinning tabs, scrolling tabs, bookmark sync, add-on/app sync, background update etc etc. Also simply installing Chrome on a new machine, simply giving it my google login and the Chrome that appears on the new desktop immediately resembling the version on my home machine.
Reading through the above, it's probably the background update that was the killer bit. I genuinely have no idea what version of Chrome I'm currently running. I installed it years ago and it's just been there ever since. My entirely subjective opinion is that the features and improvements silently appear before I ever even realized I need them - so I remain 'happy' and 'content' (and would have to see some utterly novel, ground-breaking feature advertised on another browser to even bother to download it)
By auto-update I don't mean like thunderbird or itunes, where an attempt to launch it suddenly triggers update popups, delays and release notes. I mean I don't even know it's happened. If this approach could just be extended to OS, drivers as well as apps, I'd be happy as Larry.
Acres of empty boxes on display with all the stock stashed in couple of drawers at the back. Actually that's my only disagreement with you, I don't think they did anything efficiently.
Last time I went in, was to have a look at a Vita. I knew it was cheaper online, but hadn't (and still haven't) actually got my hands on one to play with it. I'd assumed due to the window sized poster, there'd be a demo pod inside, bundle deals etc. When I went in... well there was a big poster listing the not-very-good-deals, but no Vita to prod. Eventually I spotted a guy just standing holding one, I patiently 'hovered' as he chatted to the sales-guy who he seemed to know. Once he'd had his fun, Vita gets handed back to the sales-guy, who just walks off and stashes the Vita back in the storeroom leaving me standing alone on the shop floor.
If they'd wanted to survive they should have just tried something other than just not-beating the supermarkets on the price of new games, or not-beating ebay/amazon for choice/price of used games. Maybe look to see how physical book stores are hanging in there - maybe not a cafe, but some reason to wander in - maybe just a couple of arcade cabinets like the old indies used to have. Maybe let staff post their recommendations for 'classic, but overlooked' games. Ensure if somebody is holding a game box, somebody appears next to you asking if they could boot it up for you? None of this would have cost anything and to see them not even try as they crashed into administration... Oh they deserve it.
Maybe this is all for the best. Once we've removed Game and the high street is no longer saturated with mediocrity, smaller chains and indies may return and offer something better.
Or am I missing something here?
Not as if he's going to ruin a cinematic legacy.
The ability - which generally just takes a PC, a book and some time.
The desire. You've got to want to build something. You then get to add stuff to it. You then realize you don't know how to add something (this is where you go to the index of the book you abandoned days before, realize it's not in there, rush online, find the solution, realize you've done something else in a stupid way, decide you might want to fix that etc etc). Basically the hump is getting hello world up on the screen and then creating the very first bit of your 'thing'
I don't even think it has to be programming per se. Quite fun playing with APIs on sites that you're familiar with, with something friendly like PHP.
I wanted to look up the prices of my old DVDs I wanted to sell. Pain in the arse on Amazon... oh, hold on they have an API.
Oh, then how about using a CSV to load and dump results to?
Shit, I seem to be getting results back from the wrong bits of amazon, lets add some array sorting.
Would be nice to store lookups I've made - MySQL
Oooh, how about other sites... they don't have an API *googles*... "Oooh Curl" etc.
Basically, if you're interested in something and have time, it will all follow. You can later learn how to do it properly later, but it tends to flow. Nobody wants to sit down and read a chapter on exception handling - but once your program is mysteriously failing, you suddenly find you've become quite fascinated with the intricacies of exceptions. You'll just bolt them on until the problem is fixed, but on your next project you'll have that pain in your mind from the start, and may find yourself now dutifully adding them.
I'm meandering all over the place here now - I think you just need to ask your nephew what he wants to build, make sure it's realistic (or choose a functional subsection to start with). Also nice if it's something that could go online, be run on a smartphone or similar - once you've built this thing, you want to show it off.