Funny, I just finished The Wisdom of Crowds, a book I picked up on a whim at Costco (not Amazon, but linking is easier).
Summary - pretty much; A bunch of people looking out for their own interests, makes the world a better place.
How this applies to creating a picture on a computer screen, I dunno... what's in it for me?
Of course, that wise philosopher George Carlin said "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!" So, I don't know where that leaves us...
I assume it takes one horse power, for one horse to walk across a football field.
Oddly, that same one horse power can be used to drag some considerable weight across the field, but certainly not an entire library of congress' worth.
So, the logical conclusion is that free-range horses are not very efficient. They could probably move with only something like one dog powers worth of power.
On the other hand, my car gets 30 miles per gallon, but it sounds so much better when I say it gets 30 furlongs to the pint. Which somehow reminds me of horses again.
I don't watch/read/listen to any of the named "news" sources. I kind of listen to my local new-radio station (or push the button to indy radio) and glance at the local newspaper, but don't really give a shit about any of political stuff.
I was just curious what kind of response I would get. heh. [BTW - "flamebait" was the correct response]
I was modded +5 insightful for a bit, but am dropping fast. That was kind of fun, I might do it more often, if I don't have something more productive to do.
Maybe part of it (at least for me) is that IT folks would rather put an extra few $k year into thier investment funds?
I look for clothes that don't have logos on them. Sometimes they are hard to find.
Even Costco sells "Polo" (which I'll never buy that wash-once-shink-infinite crap again).
Funny thing about clothes... the no-name stuff almost always lasts longer and is easier to care for than "name" clothes. Laundry = put it in the washer, put it in the dryer, if it doesn't survive you got ripped off. Don't give my any of that "delicate cycle", "tumble dry-low", or god forbid "dry clean only"!
There are certainly situations where you have to "play the game" and "dress right", but then you are edging close to "marketing" and "sales". You don't want to spend eternatity in damnnation just to look nice now, do you?
It would never occur to me to notice the difference between a $200 suit and a $1600 suit, and it is kind of scary to think there are people out there who do notice that rather than the "task at hand". Oh well, the world is full of all types of folks. [Ed. Note: why didn't he just say good-for-nothing assholes here?] I am not one of those. Sure, I will never make "rock star" money, but I do make a really good living programing. I own a house, I put my kids in private school, and am still on track for a decent retirement. But it most certainly is not because of how I dress. I earn my living because I deliver what I say I will, when I say I will it will be done (even if it means staying up late and NOT reading slashdot for days on end;-)
"To the man who only has a hammer in the toolkit, every problem looks like a nail." - A. Maslow
However, Maslow had it wrong - he should have said; "To the man who only has a screwdriver in the toolkit, every problem looks screwed."
Actually, you can hammer with a wrench, and you can certainly screw things up with a hammer. You can easily kill someone with any of those tools. I personally prefer an ice-pick for certain tasks, which you can make from a screwdriver by rubbing it obsessivley on concrete cell floors. The work goes faster if you mutter under your breath.
Let me appologize in advance for the off-topic post. May the next 11 months pass as quickly as the last.
CBS - left
Fox - right
CNN - left
ABC -left
NBC -left
NY Times - left
Washington Post - right
EIB - right, but never claims to be "press", usually comments on "press". Certainly not a "primary source"... I'll give it 1/2 right.
So, from this sample we have 2:1 left bias in the media.
Is the ruling pro-right, pro-left, or just correct?
Cheap computers are nice and all, and please don't flame me, I really want to know (without having RTFA, of course) what will be ON these computers?
Local language text books? Generic history? Farming references? As usual, the hardware will be easy - what will the software be.
How about an online connection? It seems like all the cool kids are online, now, right? Isn't that the point of these things? Getting modern?
My cynical side thinks that this might be a nice gesture, but not much more than that, if having a cheap computer is not relevant in the lives of the recipients.
Does software rental always imply a per month subscription?
If there is a per-use option, maybe it will be a viable option for some. Especially if you can select old versions.
Do you really want to keep one copy of every application you have ever used, just so that you can be sure of getting at old content? I see a per-use market here.
How much would you pay, to open ONE 12-year-old "orphaned" document (really old vesions - not just Word, think PageMaker, FrameMaker, etc)?
Will the on-line application provider guarantee that you will ALWAYS be able to "go back" and open "obsolete" docs? Are they going to update your entire library each time they upgrade?
Anyhow, the parent post is still correct. There are LOTS of people, with whom you are safe to ask "Is it plugged in?" as your first "tech support" question, and neither one you you will be embarrased, especially after you have to explain what you mean by "plugged in".
Of course, the study was funded by the Pillow Industry.
I, for one, welcome our toxic pillow overlords!
Actually, I do sleep on the same pillow I have had for about 30 years - it is urethane foam, I think. I never got rid of it because it is just right - not too soft, not too hard. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
If you get one of the ones that is "mis-marked", just rumple all the packaging, then return it to the retailer in a big-ole grocery sack. Tell them that the specs of the machine don't match what you bought and you want to return it.
Tell them, that you could keep the machine, for $20 for your trouble, and that it will save them the hassle of returning it!
People do the oddest things. Lots of people are really unpredictable.
Without defending any particular company, in general, if "Bob from company X said Blah"... how long do you think it should take company X to confirm or deny it?
a) if company X has 10 employees?
b) if company X has 100 employees?
c) if company X has 1000 employees?
d) if company MSFT has 61000 employees?
If it takes this much effort for one of the largest companies to come up with an answer to a seemingly simple question...
Of course it takes effort to come up with an answer... more so for a big company. Unless you just want a knee-jerk denial.
Slashdot Mirror
Funny, I just finished The Wisdom of Crowds, a book I picked up on a whim at Costco (not Amazon, but linking is easier). Summary - pretty much; A bunch of people looking out for their own interests, makes the world a better place.
How this applies to creating a picture on a computer screen, I dunno... what's in it for me?
Of course, that wise philosopher George Carlin said "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!" So, I don't know where that leaves us...
I didn't try very hard and was turned off by all the registration screens.
Any rise in temperature must be part of the Grand Design.
Don't sweat it! (e.g. shit happens.)
He told me that yesterday. We both had a good laugh, and He even snorted milkshake out of his left nostril (we were having bacon cheeseburgers).
Anyhow, you can't prove that's not the way it IS.
Addendum: Now it is on the Internet. It must be true.
You can have my red stapler, when you pry it from my soft, geeky fingers.
Oddly, that same one horse power can be used to drag some considerable weight across the field, but certainly not an entire library of congress' worth.
So, the logical conclusion is that free-range horses are not very efficient. They could probably move with only something like one dog powers worth of power.
On the other hand, my car gets 30 miles per gallon, but it sounds so much better when I say it gets 30 furlongs to the pint. Which somehow reminds me of horses again.
I think I'll call my bookie.
I don't watch/read/listen to any of the named "news" sources. I kind of listen to my local new-radio station (or push the button to indy radio) and glance at the local newspaper, but don't really give a shit about any of political stuff.
I was just curious what kind of response I would get. heh. [BTW - "flamebait" was the correct response]
I was modded +5 insightful for a bit, but am dropping fast. That was kind of fun, I might do it more often, if I don't have something more productive to do.
Is that so wrong?
I look for clothes that don't have logos on them. Sometimes they are hard to find. Even Costco sells "Polo" (which I'll never buy that wash-once-shink-infinite crap again). Funny thing about clothes... the no-name stuff almost always lasts longer and is easier to care for than "name" clothes. Laundry = put it in the washer, put it in the dryer, if it doesn't survive you got ripped off. Don't give my any of that "delicate cycle", "tumble dry-low", or god forbid "dry clean only"!
There are certainly situations where you have to "play the game" and "dress right", but then you are edging close to "marketing" and "sales". You don't want to spend eternatity in damnnation just to look nice now, do you?
It would never occur to me to notice the difference between a $200 suit and a $1600 suit, and it is kind of scary to think there are people out there who do notice that rather than the "task at hand". Oh well, the world is full of all types of folks. [Ed. Note: why didn't he just say good-for-nothing assholes here?] I am not one of those. Sure, I will never make "rock star" money, but I do make a really good living programing. I own a house, I put my kids in private school, and am still on track for a decent retirement. But it most certainly is not because of how I dress. I earn my living because I deliver what I say I will, when I say I will it will be done (even if it means staying up late and NOT reading slashdot for days on end ;-)
However, Maslow had it wrong - he should have said; "To the man who only has a screwdriver in the toolkit, every problem looks screwed."
Actually, you can hammer with a wrench, and you can certainly screw things up with a hammer. You can easily kill someone with any of those tools. I personally prefer an ice-pick for certain tasks, which you can make from a screwdriver by rubbing it obsessivley on concrete cell floors. The work goes faster if you mutter under your breath.
Let me appologize in advance for the off-topic post. May the next 11 months pass as quickly as the last.
CBS - left
Fox - right
CNN - left
ABC -left
NBC -left
NY Times - left
Washington Post - right
EIB - right, but never claims to be "press", usually comments on "press". Certainly not a "primary source"... I'll give it 1/2 right.
So, from this sample we have 2:1 left bias in the media.
Is the ruling pro-right, pro-left, or just correct?
Local language text books? Generic history? Farming references? As usual, the hardware will be easy - what will the software be.
How about an online connection? It seems like all the cool kids are online, now, right? Isn't that the point of these things? Getting modern?
My cynical side thinks that this might be a nice gesture, but not much more than that, if having a cheap computer is not relevant in the lives of the recipients.
If there is a per-use option, maybe it will be a viable option for some. Especially if you can select old versions.
Do you really want to keep one copy of every application you have ever used, just so that you can be sure of getting at old content? I see a per-use market here. How much would you pay, to open ONE 12-year-old "orphaned" document (really old vesions - not just Word, think PageMaker, FrameMaker, etc)?
Will the on-line application provider guarantee that you will ALWAYS be able to "go back" and open "obsolete" docs? Are they going to update your entire library each time they upgrade?
This is not a moral judgement anymore... on a technical basis, do they have something I want? yes.
BTW, I reboot my Windows boxes every month or so, whether they need it or not. Just Because.
The Wisdom of Crowds Not a bad read, but I am only half way thru...
Anyhow, the parent post is still correct. There are LOTS of people, with whom you are safe to ask "Is it plugged in?" as your first "tech support" question, and neither one you you will be embarrased, especially after you have to explain what you mean by "plugged in".
Why don't you suggest we submit punched card batch job requests for bank transactions?
Sheesh.
[ ] Winter in Norway
[X] Winter in San Diego
I, for one, welcome our toxic pillow overlords!
Actually, I do sleep on the same pillow I have had for about 30 years - it is urethane foam, I think. I never got rid of it because it is just right - not too soft, not too hard. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Tell them, that you could keep the machine, for $20 for your trouble, and that it will save them the hassle of returning it!
Win Win!
Without defending any particular company, in general, if "Bob from company X said Blah"... how long do you think it should take company X to confirm or deny it?
a) if company X has 10 employees?
b) if company X has 100 employees?
c) if company X has 1000 employees?
d) if company MSFT has 61000 employees?
If it takes this much effort for one of the largest companies to come up with an answer to a seemingly simple question...
Of course it takes effort to come up with an answer... more so for a big company. Unless you just want a knee-jerk denial.
However, due to bad karma, you will suffer at least a few more incarnations as a Windows(tm) user.
I may be mixing up my religions here, but hey, when you make stuff up, how can it be wrong?
Being able to set things on fire is kind of handy too.
This: shot-up "no shooting" sign
Maybe we need a constitutional amendment to allow only "draft picks" to appear on ballots?
Groucho Marx said: "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member"
Maybe we'd be better off if we said "I don't want to vote for anyone who wants to run".
Then, they are to be ignited, en mass, along with any surviving pets, in a collosal bonfire in an environmentally sensitive area.
Everyone knows that everything important is always written in stone.