> Few PC users are upgrading to Windows 8 with its unwanted Touch UI, sales of the Surface tablet are disappointing, and few are buying Windows Phones.
Enh.... not sure if I believe all that. As much as I'd like to see Microsoft become a much smaller company, I observe that Windows 8 hasn't been out long enough to tell yet what the penetration will be, same for Surface, and Windows Phone... well, he might have a point there. But I'm not sure I buy the "steep decline". I strongly suspect that Microsoft's decline, if it comes to that, will be slow and noisy. And hopefully somewhere along the line the board finally ejects Ballmer and gives Microsoft a chance in hell of producing products that people might want to buy.
Don't read too much into that. Asimov had a reputation as a Dirty Old Man. I've been able to get through a couple episodes of Three's Company, but only with the sound off, and probably for much the same reasons Asimov enjoyed it. (Incidentally, the British series "Man about the house" of which Three's Company is a direct copy, including incongruities like a British pub in Santa Monica, was much better. Just sayin'.)
About once a month a Comcast rep (or contractor, it's hard to tell) with a clipboard used to ring our doorbell and try to get us to switch to Comcast. My wife and/or I always politely declined, at which point the rep would get agitated and state loudly that our internet supplier (Frontier, who took over FIOS from Verizon) "is getting out of the cable business" and we're going to have NOTHING, NO CABLE unless we sign up with Comcast. The last time it was my turn at the door, not wanting to explain to him that the only time I watch TV is during emergency broadcasts, I let him go on for awhile and then pointed up at my roof. "See that? It's an antenna. Remember those?" From FIOS we get ethernet and phone, and that's it. There truly is life without cable, even though the cable reps want to convince you that cable is necessary for life.
But I digress. The last time they sent a rep over, he screamed at my wife after she repeatedly turned down "a great offer" to "get out from under Frontier" who's "about to screw us" or something along those lines. I reported him to the local office, and contacted a local radio personality who had been doing commercials for Comcast (got a polite personal letter back saying he would look into it) and two things happened: (1) I never heard from Comcast again, and (2) the aforementioned radio personality no longer does commercials for them. (Which may have been a coincidence.)
I was a charter subscriber to AT&T cable modem, later sold to Comcast, and discovered early on that Comcast had the worst customer service ever. And apparently still does.
Yes, exactly. Where would Kubrick have been without Ligeti?:-) (Or Disney without Prokofiev and Stravinsky.)
The point I'm sidling up to is that although TFM may have identified some of the reasons why some people find dissonant music unpleasant, it doesn't explain at all why so many of us seek it out.
I personally know people, some family members, who are just wiling away the hours until death claims them. They sit passively in front of the TV, eating and drinking artificial flavors that trick their bodies into thinking they are nutrients as the pretty lights hold their attention. They begrudge the time it takes to remain sanitary, let alone actually engage with other family members.
Have you ever tried to hold a conversation with someone who's been on a multi-day TV bender? First, it's really hard to get and hold their attention. Second, it's hard to get them to engage their forebrains and demonstrate cognition. Oh, after a short time they'll snap out of it, but what about the next generation? And the one after that? I wonder if we really are doomed.
I have to agree. If anything, we'll split into two groups, those who while away their lives watching reality TV, and the rest of us, grimly fighting to keep science alive and hold our infrastructure together. Hopefully we won't grow long white hair and glowing eyes.
Slashdot Mirror
> Few PC users are upgrading to Windows 8 with its unwanted Touch UI, sales of the Surface tablet are disappointing, and few are buying Windows Phones.
Enh.... not sure if I believe all that. As much as I'd like to see Microsoft become a much smaller company, I observe that Windows 8 hasn't been out long enough to tell yet what the penetration will be, same for Surface, and Windows Phone... well, he might have a point there. But I'm not sure I buy the "steep decline". I strongly suspect that Microsoft's decline, if it comes to that, will be slow and noisy. And hopefully somewhere along the line the board finally ejects Ballmer and gives Microsoft a chance in hell of producing products that people might want to buy.
Don't read too much into that. Asimov had a reputation as a Dirty Old Man. I've been able to get through a couple episodes of Three's Company, but only with the sound off, and probably for much the same reasons Asimov enjoyed it. (Incidentally, the British series "Man about the house" of which Three's Company is a direct copy, including incongruities like a British pub in Santa Monica, was much better. Just sayin'.)
Ok, so it'll be "The Ewok Adventure" with mature jokes. My point is, it will almost certainly not be "The Empire Strikes Back".
About once a month a Comcast rep (or contractor, it's hard to tell) with a clipboard used to ring our doorbell and try to get us to switch to Comcast. My wife and/or I always politely declined, at which point the rep would get agitated and state loudly that our internet supplier (Frontier, who took over FIOS from Verizon) "is getting out of the cable business" and we're going to have NOTHING, NO CABLE unless we sign up with Comcast. The last time it was my turn at the door, not wanting to explain to him that the only time I watch TV is during emergency broadcasts, I let him go on for awhile and then pointed up at my roof. "See that? It's an antenna. Remember those?" From FIOS we get ethernet and phone, and that's it. There truly is life without cable, even though the cable reps want to convince you that cable is necessary for life.
But I digress. The last time they sent a rep over, he screamed at my wife after she repeatedly turned down "a great offer" to "get out from under Frontier" who's "about to screw us" or something along those lines. I reported him to the local office, and contacted a local radio personality who had been doing commercials for Comcast (got a polite personal letter back saying he would look into it) and two things happened: (1) I never heard from Comcast again, and (2) the aforementioned radio personality no longer does commercials for them. (Which may have been a coincidence.)
I was a charter subscriber to AT&T cable modem, later sold to Comcast, and discovered early on that Comcast had the worst customer service ever. And apparently still does.
I'm trademarking "Game".
Nod. So you're saying, you're in the transition stage.
Speaking of Schoenberg, try Blood Sweat and Tears' cover to the Stones "Sympathy for the Devil". It's not exactly 12 tone, but pretty close for jazz.
Yes, exactly. Where would Kubrick have been without Ligeti? :-) (Or Disney without Prokofiev and Stravinsky.)
The point I'm sidling up to is that although TFM may have identified some of the reasons why some people find dissonant music unpleasant, it doesn't explain at all why so many of us seek it out.
release patches that upgrades Oracle 9 to 11.
What if you *like* Schoenberg?
Shrug. Recent polls have shown that a startling number of Democrats can't name the three branches of government. And all this proves what?
Starting?
Nod. Xbox, right?
The day you make a TV show that's more interesting than f*cking, the TV group is doomed. Full immersion, 3d feely-vision could fit the bill.
That's brilliant. I never thought of that. So, one would presume that in a given civilization, the TV group would naturally die out.
That makes me feel better.
Tell you what, let's check back in a couple years and see if you still believe that.
Civilization rises to the point where television is invented. Then it collapses.
I personally know people, some family members, who are just wiling away the hours until death claims them. They sit passively in front of the TV, eating and drinking artificial flavors that trick their bodies into thinking they are nutrients as the pretty lights hold their attention. They begrudge the time it takes to remain sanitary, let alone actually engage with other family members.
Have you ever tried to hold a conversation with someone who's been on a multi-day TV bender? First, it's really hard to get and hold their attention. Second, it's hard to get them to engage their forebrains and demonstrate cognition. Oh, after a short time they'll snap out of it, but what about the next generation? And the one after that? I wonder if we really are doomed.
I have to agree. If anything, we'll split into two groups, those who while away their lives watching reality TV, and the rest of us, grimly fighting to keep science alive and hold our infrastructure together. Hopefully we won't grow long white hair and glowing eyes.
Two words.
John
Carter
We're doomed.
Ok, that was four words.
That explains the Kardashians.
I was wondering about that.
That's it, I'm skipping dinner tonight.
I get the feeling you've never been to Tokyo.
I have, but it's been over 20 years.
> I agree that we should definitely not get too excited, despite the welcome departure of Lucas.
I have to admit, that is an important part.