I have absolutely no issue, if it is local tax money. I just wish there were more local control over how taxes collected are spent.
Mostly what seems to happen is that tax money is collected from ever whoever has it (obviously) and spread around to wherever it will get the most votes (hint: a lot of voters pay no taxes, so they have no incentive for restraint in spending).
As far as moving to get better ISP service, I admit that was just rhetorical blather. The point is that life is a series of choices and trade-offs. One might well chose to live in the city to be closer to "stuff" and someone else might give up things like a decent ISP to live "in the country".
I guess it was just a general rant on how high taxes are, for those of us who pay them. (Current US gov't stats are that most taxpayers, um aren't. For example, see http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/pub/irs-soi/01in01ts.xl s)
I also said Unless, of course, the only tax payers involved are your local, fellow rural citizens... which, if true, I have no issue with. I just find that I am being asked to pay for more and more stuff, apparently just because I can.
I am seriously thinking of retiring early, and becoming a non-producer, because more and more, I am thinking, for every dollar I don't make, that is about $.56 in taxes I don't pay...
If you don't like the ISP choices, move elsewhere. If the rural lifestyle is more your style, why should the tax payers subsidize your lack of ISP choices.
Last time I looked, no ISPs where making extraordinary profits. At least any publicly traded ISPs that I can find.
Unless, of course, the only tax payers involved are your local, fellow rural citizens... but that is not likely now-a-days. Seems all money gets sucked into some central planning committee, before being re-distributed. At least that is how it is here in California.
I have 8 computers in my house at the moment - only 1 is a name-brand (Toshiba laptop). Five are are white-box (2 are OEM from a client - putting some Qt stuff on their Linux boxes). White-box is the way to go if you know what you are doing. You get what you want, and know what you have.
Anyhow, I suspect the "no support" clause in the original article is not the same as "no warranty" - I am guessing that if something actually broke under warranty they would still have to honor it. How can you argue that one OS or another burned up your power supply or made your 5$ Win-modem croak.
OT: In the 20+ years I have been running white-box computers, the only thing that EVER broke on me was a 30GB Maxtor HDD about 3 years ago, and even that was nice enough to let me get one more backup off it. (Not counting cheapo fans that get really noisy and give fair warning before they die.)
... I really wanted to "follow the money". I mean, why would you buy a jump and then fart around with games - I'd want to enjoy the ride.
So, from the article: "The stunt was coordinated by Los Angeles filmmaker John Hering, who was shooting material for his series of internet-only videos"
Ok, if you are into skydiving, AND, someone else (I assume) PAYS for it, the only catch is to do as directed (and, oh, yeah, you will be in a MOVIE! Yippie).
Anyhow, do you think the "models, locations, and products release" will include a kick-back from Nintendo?
As has been said before, nothing surprising that it worked. Sounds like a big ad to me. Check the sponsers of the film site when it is out...
Truth be known - I am now self-employed (again) and doing better than ever, financially.
So, now-a-days, there is no stress. Conflicting requirements (via-email or phone) are no longer an issue of "why didn't you do XYZ", but rather, just more billable hours..., umm, I mean, "Sure I can do that!".
Logical errors [in conflicting/changing requirements] don't phase most clients. I point out the conflict (in a nice way) and most just say, "oh, well, just do blah"... (selecting what most magicians would call a "forced" card...)
[/. user suddenly gets a phone call and loses interest in finishing this post]
First, I too am guilty of design-by-email, but I really try to avoid it. Countless hours are wasted looking back at a list of 23 emails, all with the SAME Subject: (Hint, they usually starts with Re: or FW:).
Multi-party emails often have differing threads going on, so you can't always delete older iterations of the reply emails.
Then, there are the lazy so-and-so's who just "Reply To All" on a totally different subject, probably because the last email happened to have all the right recipients.
When I reply to those, I always re-subject it, but let them know.
Say you are talking about compilers for a project and "Re: software tools" suddenly becomes "when will the project be done". Well, it is all the same project, but now the topic has changed. When I reply subject will re-Subject it to be something like; "Timelines [was Re: software tools]" So now it has a new, on-topic subject, but it also shows where it came from.
Of course if there is nothing relevant from the original thread, I'll just "reply" with a new subject, period.
Don't even get me started on folks who send emails with NO Subject...
I always try to start at least an informal design doc, where information can be captured. Periodically you can distribute this doc and get buy-ins, that is the CYA part.
The biggest issue is that many people just don't communicate clearly. Using email seems to be even worse, maybe because it is not a "formal" document. Oh well.
You know what - changing jobs every couple of years is a nice way to clear out mental, virtual, and sometime physical clutter that is no longer needed.
1) Just post the offending code in some god-forsaken non-patent protecting locale.
2) Put an empty spot in the approprate place(s), with #ifdefs - saying "whatever you do, don't goto www.godforsaken.code.xx and get steensgaard.c"... etc.
Of course resultant binaries might only be legal for personal use.
If one were to go thru the logistical trouble of setting up a "permanent" off-shore facility like this, why wouldn't you do something more profitable, like a casino, or brothel? Is the problem with that the cost of the ferry to get customers?
Might as well toss in a high-power pirate radio station while you are at it too, LA is a big market. How about a TV station too...
Seems to me there must be some reason this stuff hasn't been done before.
Remember, Mr. Dvorak makes his money as a columnist. I.e. cranking out a fixed number of words every month. Quantity, not quality. Even though he is amusing at times, I would never use his columns as investment advise, or even a path to wisdom unless you are willing to twist your mental ankle on the ruts in the road.
I could very well be one of those Firefox/WinXP statistics. That matches my "main" platform (I have 6 computers in eyesight, right now, and more in the house that I can't see.)
I program professionally, and so, I do what the paying customers want. Often that involves Windows. Don't worry, I am actively doing both x86 and ppc Linux stuff too.
I book revenues programming whatever "they" want, and you know what? All computers suck.
remember - the US is only a small percentage of the world. So no where close to universal mark-of-the-beast coverage, if you are only counting US citizens.
It cracks me up, everytime my fellow Americans ramble on about this mark of the beast stuff. Even if ALL Americans did X, there are still BILLIONS of others NOT doing X.
I used to get lots of SPAM, before my ISP offered releive. first I opted for the "mark it as SPAM but give it to me option" - which all got sorted into my spam folder...
Then, after a few months of nothing important making its way there... I selected the "delete it" option.
So, statistically, I may very well be getting more spam than ever, but since I don't see most of it, I am cool with what I get.
I prolly don't spend more than a few seconds deleting emails with obviously bogus subject and/or "To:" lines.
Oddly, the ones that are getting thru lately are heavily weighted towards the "phishing" variety, rather than the "straight spam" type. Mostly for Banks I don't have accounts at.
I live in a nice area. I get TONS of direct junk mail aimed at me. The average home price in my (California) zip code is embarassing. None of it makes it into the house, as the recycle bin is on the way from the mail box...
Heh. I laughed out loud when I read William Gibson's latest book - Pattern Recognition. The main character sanded the logo off of her watch (among other things). I have done the exact same thing, many times - "de badging" products. I have taken labels off of clothes (and won't buy them if the label is incorporated in such a way as to be non-removable).
Maybe it is because of those stupid "alligator" shirts that I never had as a teen - but now that I can afford "labels", I avoid them. Maybe it is the engineer in me - if it doesn't have a purpose, I "simplify" the product.
I know "the studies" show advertising works, but does it still? I didn't RTFA, appologies if that's what it said. I almost never (except by coincidence) purchase heavily advertised items.
Ads are almost always something I don't like (McDonalds, etc.)
Ads are for something I loath (random name-brand items that have nothing going for them other than, they are, well name-brand. E.g. clothing.)
In fact, I will actively avoid advertised brands in some cases, figuring they spend a lot on advertising. Example: When I purchased an "air bed" (a la, Select Comfort) I found a non-name brand at ½ the price. I am still happy with it 7 years later.
What do I buy? If it is small stuff, I get whatever Costco or Target sells, etc. If it is something where quality might actually matter, I carefully research it first.
I.e. I don't think I am ever "sold" anything - I "buy" what I need/want (and I know the difference).
$750K a month? I'd like to see the IRS records - or is part of the 9 years tax evasion too?
If he paid his taxes on $750K a month, he is doing more societal good than harm. I figure that'd be about 2.4M/year in federal taxes - more than 1000 average Joe's pay.
There are too many people on the freeway as it is now.
I can just see it - carpool lanes full of 200 year old driver's - heads barely poking up above the steering wheel of her 2124 Buicks, on the way to bingo parlours, with the numbers drawn announced by actual Dick Clark(tm) clones.
Slashdot Mirror
Sure, Hoverboards and light sabers are fun... until someone loses a limb!
Mostly what seems to happen is that tax money is collected from ever whoever has it (obviously) and spread around to wherever it will get the most votes (hint: a lot of voters pay no taxes, so they have no incentive for restraint in spending).
As far as moving to get better ISP service, I admit that was just rhetorical blather. The point is that life is a series of choices and trade-offs. One might well chose to live in the city to be closer to "stuff" and someone else might give up things like a decent ISP to live "in the country".
I guess it was just a general rant on how high taxes are, for those of us who pay them. (Current US gov't stats are that most taxpayers, um aren't. For example, see http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/pub/irs-soi/01in01ts.xl s)
Anyhow...
I am seriously thinking of retiring early, and becoming a non-producer, because more and more, I am thinking, for every dollar I don't make, that is about $.56 in taxes I don't pay...
Last time I looked, no ISPs where making extraordinary profits. At least any publicly traded ISPs that I can find.
Unless, of course, the only tax payers involved are your local, fellow rural citizens... but that is not likely now-a-days. Seems all money gets sucked into some central planning committee, before being re-distributed. At least that is how it is here in California.
I have 8 computers in my house at the moment - only 1 is a name-brand (Toshiba laptop). Five are are white-box (2 are OEM from a client - putting some Qt stuff on their Linux boxes). White-box is the way to go if you know what you are doing. You get what you want, and know what you have.
Anyhow, I suspect the "no support" clause in the original article is not the same as "no warranty" - I am guessing that if something actually broke under warranty they would still have to honor it. How can you argue that one OS or another burned up your power supply or made your 5$ Win-modem croak.
OT: In the 20+ years I have been running white-box computers, the only thing that EVER broke on me was a 30GB Maxtor HDD about 3 years ago, and even that was nice enough to let me get one more backup off it. (Not counting cheapo fans that get really noisy and give fair warning before they die.)
So, from the article: "The stunt was coordinated by Los Angeles filmmaker John Hering, who was shooting material for his series of internet-only videos"
Ok, if you are into skydiving, AND, someone else (I assume) PAYS for it, the only catch is to do as directed (and, oh, yeah, you will be in a MOVIE! Yippie).
Anyhow, do you think the "models, locations, and products release" will include a kick-back from Nintendo?
As has been said before, nothing surprising that it worked. Sounds like a big ad to me. Check the sponsers of the film site when it is out...
That doesn't seem unfair - after all it is not the OS the Hardware vendor sold you!
Are digital pictures admissible in legal proceedings? If so, why?
I assume you mean Canon Rebel XT - lots better than the plain "Rebel".
So, now-a-days, there is no stress. Conflicting requirements (via-email or phone) are no longer an issue of "why didn't you do XYZ", but rather, just more billable hours..., umm, I mean, "Sure I can do that!".
Logical errors [in conflicting/changing requirements] don't phase most clients. I point out the conflict (in a nice way) and most just say, "oh, well, just do blah"... (selecting what most magicians would call a "forced" card...)
[/. user suddenly gets a phone call and loses interest in finishing this post]
Multi-party emails often have differing threads going on, so you can't always delete older iterations of the reply emails.
Then, there are the lazy so-and-so's who just "Reply To All" on a totally different subject, probably because the last email happened to have all the right recipients. When I reply to those, I always re-subject it, but let them know.
Say you are talking about compilers for a project and "Re: software tools" suddenly becomes "when will the project be done". Well, it is all the same project, but now the topic has changed. When I reply subject will re-Subject it to be something like; "Timelines [was Re: software tools]" So now it has a new, on-topic subject, but it also shows where it came from.
Of course if there is nothing relevant from the original thread, I'll just "reply" with a new subject, period.
Don't even get me started on folks who send emails with NO Subject...
I always try to start at least an informal design doc, where information can be captured. Periodically you can distribute this doc and get buy-ins, that is the CYA part.
The biggest issue is that many people just don't communicate clearly. Using email seems to be even worse, maybe because it is not a "formal" document. Oh well.
You know what - changing jobs every couple of years is a nice way to clear out mental, virtual, and sometime physical clutter that is no longer needed.
2) Put an empty spot in the approprate place(s), with #ifdefs - saying "whatever you do, don't goto www.godforsaken.code.xx and get steensgaard.c"... etc.
Of course resultant binaries might only be legal for personal use.
IANAL, but I'd play one one TV, if you paid me!
If one were to go thru the logistical trouble of setting up a "permanent" off-shore facility like this, why wouldn't you do something more profitable, like a casino, or brothel? Is the problem with that the cost of the ferry to get customers?
Might as well toss in a high-power pirate radio station while you are at it too, LA is a big market. How about a TV station too...
Seems to me there must be some reason this stuff hasn't been done before.
huh?
Think about it - greath swaths of lifeless desolation! Huge ugly strip mines, like some sort of crater you'd see on the moon!
Oh... never mind.
I program professionally, and so, I do what the paying customers want. Often that involves Windows. Don't worry, I am actively doing both x86 and ppc Linux stuff too.
I book revenues programming whatever "they" want, and you know what? All computers suck.
It cracks me up, everytime my fellow Americans ramble on about this mark of the beast stuff. Even if ALL Americans did X, there are still BILLIONS of others NOT doing X.
Then, after a few months of nothing important making its way there... I selected the "delete it" option.
So, statistically, I may very well be getting more spam than ever, but since I don't see most of it, I am cool with what I get.
I prolly don't spend more than a few seconds deleting emails with obviously bogus subject and/or "To:" lines.
Oddly, the ones that are getting thru lately are heavily weighted towards the "phishing" variety, rather than the "straight spam" type. Mostly for Banks I don't have accounts at.
So, she tests a lot of kids for ADHD and High IQ.
If I toss a computer that might have old data on it, even if I "Just" reformat it, who is the HIPPA criminal?
The person (my Wife) who trashes the hardware, or the malcontent who goes thru to read some obscure file format, to determine some kid's IQ?
Heh. I laughed out loud when I read William Gibson's latest book - Pattern Recognition. The main character sanded the logo off of her watch (among other things). I have done the exact same thing, many times - "de badging" products. I have taken labels off of clothes (and won't buy them if the label is incorporated in such a way as to be non-removable).
Maybe it is because of those stupid "alligator" shirts that I never had as a teen - but now that I can afford "labels", I avoid them. Maybe it is the engineer in me - if it doesn't have a purpose, I "simplify" the product.
Ads are almost always something I don't like (McDonalds, etc.)
Ads are for something I loath (random name-brand items that have nothing going for them other than, they are, well name-brand. E.g. clothing.)
In fact, I will actively avoid advertised brands in some cases, figuring they spend a lot on advertising. Example: When I purchased an "air bed" (a la, Select Comfort) I found a non-name brand at ½ the price. I am still happy with it 7 years later.
What do I buy? If it is small stuff, I get whatever Costco or Target sells, etc. If it is something where quality might actually matter, I carefully research it first.
I.e. I don't think I am ever "sold" anything - I "buy" what I need/want (and I know the difference).
If he paid his taxes on $750K a month, he is doing more societal good than harm. I figure that'd be about 2.4M/year in federal taxes - more than 1000 average Joe's pay.
Or, ADHD
I have no intention of buying anything from iTunes (the website).
I can just see it - carpool lanes full of 200 year old driver's - heads barely poking up above the steering wheel of her 2124 Buicks, on the way to bingo parlours, with the numbers drawn announced by actual Dick Clark(tm) clones.