The success of the ATM inspired similar innovations (some more frustrating than others) in a number of nonfinancial industries as well. Full-service gas stations have all but given way to credit card-primed gas pumps. Delta Air Lines has 846 do-it-yourself check-in terminals in 83 U.S. cities. Kroger has self-check-out lanes in more than 1,400 supermarkets. And you can find similar aisles in 850 Home Depot stores.
Pay-at-the-pump stations are so convenient I will not use a traditional pay-inside gas pump unless absolutely necessary, even if it means going a bit out of my way. The self-service check-in option at the airport is a $DEITYsend, too: not checking any bags? Why muck around behind people who have never before seen the inside of an airport? Identify yourself to the kiosk with a credit card or frequent flyer card, get the boarding pass and go.
I find the self-serve lanes at store rather less useful, but am amazed at how quickly the ATM model has become both widespread and nearly indispensable.
At the time the patent was filed the idea probably was not as obvious as it seems to be now. In 1990 connectivity (and the resulting security issues) were present on a much smaller scale than they are today. (Note that I did not say the issues did not exist.)
Yes, this sentiment is expressed in every/. thread about mobile phones, but that doesn't make it any less relevant.
What features do I want? I want a reliable phone - with a proper antenna - that can hold a signal even on the fringes of a service area.
Anecdote: I carry an ancient Samsung SCH-3500 and a slightly more modern Samsung A460. I visit some people that live on the edge of the [current] SprintPCS service area or otherwise find myself in a weak signal area. With one phone in each hand, I observe the signal strength indicators: the SCH-3500 will typically have 3 bars while the A460 will have 0 or 1. That's the best test I can personally do; YMMV, of course, but I think that it is somewhat indicative of older vs newer in the Samsung line.
Bottom line to vendors: make the new phones work better. All of the nifty neato features (that depend on network access) are useless if the phone will not hold a signal.
PS Yes, the phones are smaller than they once were. Yes, this affects antenna length and consequently affects antenna efficacy for a given frequency range. That is nice, but again a phone does little good if it won't hold a signal.
Or get rid of the circa 1997 layout.
I mean, tables? C'mon!
If the tables work - and continue to be rendered correctly in multiple versions of non-broken browsers - what exactly is the problem? The/. site seems to be quite reliable and quick to load; what functional issue would be resolved by moving away from tables? (Your opinion of tables is not considered a functional issue.)
Change for the sake of change isn't always helpful.
Airlines, some facing lawsuits, have been caught up in the controversy because they provided passenger information for use in testing the screening system.
Has no one there heard of 'dummy data'? Live data - particularly sensitive data - is a no-no in the testing environment. In many cases this is simply because the developers have absolutely no need-to-know; in other instances it is possible for live data to escape the test environment via generated reports, bug reports (e.g. SSNs ending in 4 cause $PROBLEM), etc.
And you really think you can compare the uptime of an X86/Linux box to that of a VAX?
You had a handful of PCs stay up for two years. That's not bad, but one cannot simply extrapolate uptime - it just doesn't work that way. That's like saying "I lived to be 60 - I'm sure I'll live to 180 if I'm careful".
Besides, in general the effective lifespan of a PC isn't much more than five years. Your PCs are in the second half of their useful life; I'm sure the VAX is too, but its lifespan appears to be about 10X that of the PC.
Not flaming, btw - I think PCs are useful for a number of tasks; however, long life and long uptime are not part of the PC genome. Sorry.
Yup. When I can get 10 or 15 2in x 3in sized doo-hickey that can store 80+ gigs at under $20-$30 per doo-hickey, I may change.
you cannot get those features in the Doo-Hickey(tm) line of products. You will need to upgrade to the Widget(tm) line or - in the enterprise arena - to the Super-Widget(tm) family.
We look forward to assisting you with all your thingamabob needs.
Sincerely,
Bob Gadget, Marketing Weenie
Amalgamated Whatzit-Whozit-Howzit Industries
They also operate a car wash and figured they could use surplus office space at that location to open a Linux store.
Live wash: $5
Full wash: $6
Professional Wash: $7
Pro. Wash + Source: $8
Buy a Pro+Source on Tuesdays and get a free wax or a 32MB USB pen drive!
OSS vs free-as-in-beer
on
Linux in Iraq
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
From the article:
Both of them are firm believers in open source software. Unlike expensive proprietary software, open-source software can be freely distributed and modified, as long as the modifications are shared with other users.
This happens quite often is these discussions: people like the reporter confuse/conflate (the ideals of OSS) and (getting something for free). I believe the Iraqi gentlemen - even though they are coders - are looking at the free-as-in-beer aspect as the primary benefit. This is not a Bad Thing(tm) - it's a heck of an advantage - but it is not the same as supplying the Iraqi people with OSS so they can make and distribute changes.
Also from the article:
"This enables the country to build its own infrastructure based on open source, on open ideas," Ashraf Hasson.
No, it lets the country build its infrastructure for a heck of a lot less money than it would cost to do so using commercial products. What is wrong with saying "I like to use Linux [or whatever] because it costs me very little money"?
For the record, one of the reasons I like to use Linux because it costs me very little money. (I buy commercial distros about half the time so I'm not a total leech...)
The email services could afford to do this because storage is already very inexpensive. I don't believe increased demand by a few webmail providers would be enough to influence the actions of the manufacturers (unless one donates a slew of drives so it can say 'FooWebMail runs on Hinky Hard Drives!').
So you've been to school for a year or two and you know you've seen it all?
Seriously, 2600 has been around much longer than you have, and you don't seem to have much of a clue about it. "Quest for knowledge?" "Questioning things that aren't fair?" Okay, Sparky - run along to your meeting. Your mother will pick you up at the mall at 8:30.
Near-ubiquitous connectivity allows people to get bits from point A to point B very quickly. In the 80s connectivity meant acoustic coupler and there weren't nearly as many places to connect... to.
Storage is insanely cheap these days: prices of under $1/MB would have provoked scoffing and/or laughter to someone using an original IBM PC or XT [when these machines were new].
There is more stuff in electronic format to move around with the increased connectivity and more room to store is once it gets where it's going.
I'm sure some greybeard will correct me if I'm wrong, but in the 80s era you mentioned computers were not the essential-for-everyone tool they are today.
The dinosaurs wouldn't have to be functional, they would just have to decay properly, so all of the early versions could be put to good use even if the cloning part went slightly askew*. Yay - genetic experimentation without all of the nasty public relations fallout!
* Unless they're tasty - this is prime cookout season, you know.
but not connected to its device, the circuit is not complete and thus the PS is not drawing any power. (IANAEE but think I'm on reasonably solid ground here.)
Heh - 'ground'. I kill me.
When the PS and device are connected and plugged in, I think the efficiency depends on the quality and design of the PS. I've noticed the inexpensive 'universal' models seem to get warm, but the one for my Sony Clie does not. Better design (re: heat transfer)? Better quality? I'm guessing a little from column A and a little from column B.
PS Yes, I'm using PS and charger interchangebly to some extent, but that's the context in which I normally see these 'wallwarts'.
You are a hardware vendor. Would you rather sell a) 10,000 units that are broadly compatible but offer [arbitrary number] 80% performance or b) 3,000 narrowly-focused units that offer 100% performance at a slight price premium?
I believe the revenue generated by selling 10,000 units would outweigh that of the 3,000 higher-priced units, even if the technology in a) is inferior.
I'm not saying this is the best/worst/right/wrong way of looking at the situation; I'm saying this is probably the compromise the vendor has to make when offering such items.
I normally don't respond to ACs, but this one is just incorrect.
Yes, RAID {1|5|10} are generally used for their redundancy purposes, but RAID 0 is used because it offers improved I/O performance. It is certainly not used for redundancy because - guess what - it doesn't offer any on its own*. Go read this before you provide more misinformation.
* it can be used in combination with other levels - e.g. RAID 0+1 - to provide performance and redundancy.
denumerable
adj.
Capable of being put into one-to-one correspondence with the positive integers; countable.
[From denumerate, to count, from Late Latin dnumerre, dnumert-, alteration of Latin dnumerre : d-, dis-, dis- + numerre, to number; see numerate.]
In keeping with the higher math theme, the definition of 'indenumerable' is left as an exercise for the reader.:-)
The sad thing is it didn't occur to me that there might be another way to write it. I mean, uhhh, I figured Milhouse would be at least as math-oriented as Chaitin for them to hang out together, and he would definitely use the parens. Or something. D'oh.
PS I just hope he wouldn't say "I got you open paren Omega plus one close paren!" It is quintessential geek but detracts from the rhythm a bit.:-)
Slashdot Mirror
From the article:
The success of the ATM inspired similar innovations (some more frustrating than others) in a number of nonfinancial industries as well. Full-service gas stations have all but given way to credit card-primed gas pumps. Delta Air Lines has 846 do-it-yourself check-in terminals in 83 U.S. cities. Kroger has self-check-out lanes in more than 1,400 supermarkets. And you can find similar aisles in 850 Home Depot stores.
Pay-at-the-pump stations are so convenient I will not use a traditional pay-inside gas pump unless absolutely necessary, even if it means going a bit out of my way. The self-service check-in option at the airport is a $DEITYsend, too: not checking any bags? Why muck around behind people who have never before seen the inside of an airport? Identify yourself to the kiosk with a credit card or frequent flyer card, get the boarding pass and go.
I find the self-serve lanes at store rather less useful, but am amazed at how quickly the ATM model has become both widespread and nearly indispensable.
(Obviousity?)
At the time the patent was filed the idea probably was not as obvious as it seems to be now. In 1990 connectivity (and the resulting security issues) were present on a much smaller scale than they are today. (Note that I did not say the issues did not exist.)
It's got a lot of other writings by Simon Travaglia as well.
Clicky-clicky.
had dealt with this phantom menace instead of the other one.
Yes, this sentiment is expressed in every
What features do I want? I want a reliable phone - with a proper antenna - that can hold a signal even on the fringes of a service area.
Anecdote: I carry an ancient Samsung SCH-3500 and a slightly more modern Samsung A460. I visit some people that live on the edge of the [current] SprintPCS service area or otherwise find myself in a weak signal area. With one phone in each hand, I observe the signal strength indicators: the SCH-3500 will typically have 3 bars while the A460 will have 0 or 1. That's the best test I can personally do; YMMV, of course, but I think that it is somewhat indicative of older vs newer in the Samsung line.
Bottom line to vendors: make the new phones work better. All of the nifty neato features (that depend on network access) are useless if the phone will not hold a signal.
PS Yes, the phones are smaller than they once were. Yes, this affects antenna length and consequently affects antenna efficacy for a given frequency range. That is nice, but again a phone does little good if it won't hold a signal.
I propose a new word: heresay. It would be a portmanteau of 'heresy' and 'hearsay'.
'Heresay' would be the practice of spreading false claims and attacking the local religious establishment based on secondhand information.
Or get rid of the circa 1997 layout. I mean, tables? C'mon!
If the tables work - and continue to be rendered correctly in multiple versions of non-broken browsers - what exactly is the problem? The
Change for the sake of change isn't always helpful.
From the article:
Airlines, some facing lawsuits, have been caught up in the controversy because they provided passenger information for use in testing the screening system.
Has no one there heard of 'dummy data'? Live data - particularly sensitive data - is a no-no in the testing environment. In many cases this is simply because the developers have absolutely no need-to-know; in other instances it is possible for live data to escape the test environment via generated reports, bug reports (e.g. SSNs ending in 4 cause $PROBLEM), etc.
And you really think you can compare the uptime of an X86/Linux box to that of a VAX?
You had a handful of PCs stay up for two years. That's not bad, but one cannot simply extrapolate uptime - it just doesn't work that way. That's like saying "I lived to be 60 - I'm sure I'll live to 180 if I'm careful".
Besides, in general the effective lifespan of a PC isn't much more than five years. Your PCs are in the second half of their useful life; I'm sure the VAX is too, but its lifespan appears to be about 10X that of the PC.
Not flaming, btw - I think PCs are useful for a number of tasks; however, long life and long uptime are not part of the PC genome. Sorry.
Yup. When I can get 10 or 15 2in x 3in sized doo-hickey that can store 80+ gigs at under $20-$30 per doo-hickey, I may change.
you cannot get those features in the Doo-Hickey(tm) line of products. You will need to upgrade to the Widget(tm) line or - in the enterprise arena - to the Super-Widget(tm) family.
We look forward to assisting you with all your thingamabob needs.
Sincerely,
Bob Gadget, Marketing Weenie
Amalgamated Whatzit-Whozit-Howzit Industries
the monitor won't leak oil everywhere and wake up all the neighbors with its loud exhaust?
No, he said discrete, which means you hide all your secrets separately.
Either that or he meant you hide them in something that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike concrete.
From the summary:
They also operate a car wash and figured they could use surplus office space at that location to open a Linux store.
Live wash: $5
Full wash: $6
Professional Wash: $7
Pro. Wash + Source: $8
Buy a Pro+Source on Tuesdays and get a free wax or a 32MB USB pen drive!
From the article:
Both of them are firm believers in open source software. Unlike expensive proprietary software, open-source software can be freely distributed and modified, as long as the modifications are shared with other users.
This happens quite often is these discussions: people like the reporter confuse/conflate (the ideals of OSS) and (getting something for free). I believe the Iraqi gentlemen - even though they are coders - are looking at the free-as-in-beer aspect as the primary benefit. This is not a Bad Thing(tm) - it's a heck of an advantage - but it is not the same as supplying the Iraqi people with OSS so they can make and distribute changes.
Also from the article:
"This enables the country to build its own infrastructure based on open source, on open ideas," Ashraf Hasson.
No, it lets the country build its infrastructure for a heck of a lot less money than it would cost to do so using commercial products. What is wrong with saying "I like to use Linux [or whatever] because it costs me very little money"?
For the record, one of the reasons I like to use Linux because it costs me very little money. (I buy commercial distros about half the time so I'm not a total leech...)
The email services could afford to do this because storage is already very inexpensive. I don't believe increased demand by a few webmail providers would be enough to influence the actions of the manufacturers (unless one donates a slew of drives so it can say 'FooWebMail runs on Hinky Hard Drives!').
So you've been to school for a year or two and you know you've seen it all?
Seriously, 2600 has been around much longer than you have, and you don't seem to have much of a clue about it. "Quest for knowledge?" "Questioning things that aren't fair?" Okay, Sparky - run along to your meeting. Your mother will pick you up at the mall at 8:30.
Near-ubiquitous connectivity allows people to get bits from point A to point B very quickly. In the 80s connectivity meant acoustic coupler and there weren't nearly as many places to connect... to.
Storage is insanely cheap these days: prices of under $1/MB would have provoked scoffing and/or laughter to someone using an original IBM PC or XT [when these machines were new].
There is more stuff in electronic format to move around with the increased connectivity and more room to store is once it gets where it's going.
I'm sure some greybeard will correct me if I'm wrong, but in the 80s era you mentioned computers were not the essential-for-everyone tool they are today.
making out that Linux isn't free
This is one of the few ways that Linux will ever be associated with "making out"...
The dinosaurs wouldn't have to be functional, they would just have to decay properly, so all of the early versions could be put to good use even if the cloning part went slightly askew*. Yay - genetic experimentation without all of the nasty public relations fallout!
* Unless they're tasty - this is prime cookout season, you know.
but not connected to its device, the circuit is not complete and thus the PS is not drawing any power. (IANAEE but think I'm on reasonably solid ground here.)
Heh - 'ground'. I kill me.
When the PS and device are connected and plugged in, I think the efficiency depends on the quality and design of the PS. I've noticed the inexpensive 'universal' models seem to get warm, but the one for my Sony Clie does not. Better design (re: heat transfer)? Better quality? I'm guessing a little from column A and a little from column B.
PS Yes, I'm using PS and charger interchangebly to some extent, but that's the context in which I normally see these 'wallwarts'.
You are a hardware vendor. Would you rather sell a) 10,000 units that are broadly compatible but offer [arbitrary number] 80% performance or b) 3,000 narrowly-focused units that offer 100% performance at a slight price premium?
I believe the revenue generated by selling 10,000 units would outweigh that of the 3,000 higher-priced units, even if the technology in a) is inferior.
I'm not saying this is the best/worst/right/wrong way of looking at the situation; I'm saying this is probably the compromise the vendor has to make when offering such items.
I normally don't respond to ACs, but this one is just incorrect.
Yes, RAID {1|5|10} are generally used for their redundancy purposes, but RAID 0 is used because it offers improved I/O performance. It is certainly not used for redundancy because - guess what - it doesn't offer any on its own*. Go read this before you provide more misinformation.
* it can be used in combination with other levels - e.g. RAID 0+1 - to provide performance and redundancy.
reveals the following:
denumerable
adj.
Capable of being put into one-to-one correspondence with the positive integers; countable.
[From denumerate, to count, from Late Latin dnumerre, dnumert-, alteration of Latin dnumerre : d-, dis-, dis- + numerre, to number; see numerate.]
In keeping with the higher math theme, the definition of 'indenumerable' is left as an exercise for the reader.
Thanks!
The sad thing is it didn't occur to me that there might be another way to write it. I mean, uhhh, I figured Milhouse would be at least as math-oriented as Chaitin for them to hang out together, and he would definitely use the parens. Or something. D'oh.
PS I just hope he wouldn't say "I got you open paren Omega plus one close paren!" It is quintessential geek but detracts from the rhythm a bit.
[Scene: two children on a playground playing cops+robbers]
Chaitin: I got you!
Milhouse: I got you twice!
Chaitin: I got you [thinks very very fast] Omega!
Milhouse: I got you (Omega + 1)!
Chaitin: AAAARGH!!!
Fin