Because credit card companies are pretty much the biggest racket on earth.
As a merchant, you are responsible for all fraudulent charges. I ran a small/medium eCommerce business for 6 years, and luckily only had a couple chargebacks but the way it works is this:
Customer calls credit card company and says "I didn't charge this". Credit card company sends notice to merchant asking for signature, AVS information, etc. If you can't prove that indeed, that customer did make that purchase, the credit card company takes the money back from you. Oh, and you don't get back your transaction fees or percentage paid on the transaction either. The CC company is pretty much out nothing. If they're one of the ones that charges the cardholder $50... they just made $50 + the original transaction fees.
If you look at the actual marketplace, this should come as no surprise. Carriers are basically giving away android phones. My boss just picked up a Samsung Vibrant for $30. Sure it'll never get a OS upgrade and it's got all kinda of crap installed on it from his carrier... but it was $30.
I've run into these things over and over on electronics, automobiles, etc, etc for the last 20 years.
It doesn't keep anyone who really wants to open the thing from opening it. You can buy whatever bit or screwdriver you need. It DOES keep the stupid people out (and kids) which is what they want. In theory it can reduce their support costs compared to having joe 6-pack (The target audience for this device) decide he wants to open the thing to fix it or "just to look at what's inside".
Ignoring the obvious fact that you're trying to show how awesome you are for not watching all those non-indie films directed by Michael Bay, you know what? Every once in a while a Michael Bay movie is JUST what the doctor ordered. It's big, loud, over the top and the man certainly knows some folks who can make things explode.
Watching indie films doesn't make you better or smarter than other people. From my observations, people who talk about how they only watch indie films are FAR more annoying than the people who only watch Michael Bay movies. The latter generally aren't claiming to be sophisticated due to what they watch on their TV.
No, it's not the "cable TV killer" because in most cases, that's who is providing the broadband pipe. And when it's not... it's the phone company, which may also be selling you "cable" (See: Verizon FIOS) and/or "on-demand" content.
This is why Comcast wants to double-dip and change you AND Netflix for your internet connection. Without government regulation it will never be cheaper to stream the same content available from the last-mile provider; the last-mile provider will prevent that from occurring.
I don't want to watch old movies or flops all the time.
Their streaming selection is ok for TV shows, but for movies it's fairly poor. This is no doubt directly due to the MPAA restricting what they can stream.
You're using one of the most technologically advanced portable devices available on the planet... and mailing paper checks to the phone company to pay for it.
Think about it... you're talking about a person who has been brainwashed to be offended by::gasp:: nakedness! Hell, they'd be offended if there was a Sears catalog on the mission without the underware section removed.
However, because I fly a lot on United and its code share partners, I get a lot of perks. Specifically, I know that if my schedule changes and I need to fly standby, I will be able to get on ahead of pretty much anybody else. Ditto for if my flight is cancelled and I need to be rebooked. It's also worth the extra money to me (especially since I'm not usually the one paying it) to know in advance I won't get a middle seat, will get to board first and not have them run out of overhead luggage space, occasionally get upgraded to first class, and so forth.
Just as an FYI, I'm a business frequent flier with SouthWest, and get all of that with the exception of the first class bit (their 737s don't have first class). Once you hit their "A-List" status they make it so you always get priority and don't even have to worry about when you check in (You're guaranteed A1 - A15 for your boarding pass, though technically if they had more than 15 "A-List" people I suppose that could slip - have never seen it happen) . At some airports they even have an express line at security so you don't have to wait.
You also rack up free flights - free round trip voucher every 16 flights, regardless of distance flown.
Even if it did shut off, the 20w oil you're running wouldn't go anywhere in a few seconds. 0w20 is 0w cold, 20w hot.
What I meant by "zero weight oil" would be 0w-0, which you're never going to see inside a motor - it would run down to the sump like water:)
Modern oils and engine manufacture really are amazing, which was my point to the original poster. Engines often outlive the vehicle these days as long as you change the oil every once in a while.
Really? It doesn't take 0w-30? There's a difference;)
I should have been more specific and said 0w-0, but your comment actually furthers my point.
0W-30 oil is 0w cold, 30w hot. When you shut off the engine for 30 seconds the oil is actually thicker than when it is cold, thus preventing it from running back to the sump in an instant.
Um, unless you're running zero weight oil in your car (you're not)... it doesn't run like water back to the sump in 60 seconds.
Your "known fact" is sort of correct when a car has been parked for some time (say, overnight) and you're cold starting it. But even that's a bit of a stretch these days with modern synthetic oils. Tear a motor down even after it's been sitting for weeks and you'll still find oil clinging to the bearing surfaces and pistons/cylinders.
And you can occasionally have a good individual experience with Comcast as well. Take for example my current Comcast connection (Denver, CO suburbs). It works. Exceptionally well; I actually get 15Mbit service and I'm only paying for what is advertised as 6Mbit (I suspect this is due to an inept service rep when I purchased service and my account is provisioned incorrectly, but we'll ignore that for the moment). I don't have packet loss, and in 4 years I can only remember one outage.
That fact doesn't outweigh the fact that overall, they suck. Prior to moving to CO 4 years ago I lived in the mid-atlantic (VA/DC/MD/DE) and had comcast in different locations over the years. It was horrible - packet loss, outages, slow speeds, etc. Every time, without exception. But I was never close enough to a CO to get DSL from Verizon except maybe one time at 768Kbps (and Verizon prior to FIOS was never interested in installing RT's in neighborhoods to extend their service area).
The point I was trying to make is that the phone companies are much like Comcast in that they operate as a local monopoly and arguably are ever only slightly better in regard to customer service. You won't ever find them at the top of the list. You're basically presented with a choice between the lesser of two evils, and 'lesser' in this case is often ambiguous.
Most monopolies don't. Even in areas where they have to compete against DSL, there's only a small segment of the population that can purchase service that rivals theirs in terms of advertised speed / service. And even then... who are they competing against? Well... the phone company, which has a stellar reputation when it comes to customer service...
Not to mention that it's amazingly coincidental that the internet goes away days before the first elections in 20 years.
No election observers, no foreign journalists, no connection with internet. All signs point to the junta cutting off its people from the rest of the world.
We rented a Mazda2 diesel in 2005 when visiting the UK. Drove it for a week and got 50mpg (average for the week) on diesel with the tiptronic transmission.
Toyota is a publicly held company. The only way to (legally) distribute "profits" outside the company is through dividends. There are plenty of US shareholders.
Aside from that, does the nationality of the executives who get millions in pay and bonuses really matter? "Trickle down economics" is bullshit, and you nor anyone you know will ever see a dime of it regardless of whether it ends up in the US or Japan.
The only way your argument makes any sense is if you want to talk about jobs created/bolstered by the deal that aren't in the US , of which their are few since Toyota figured out about 20 years ago it was cheaper to build cars here than shipping them over on a boat. Possibly some R&D and marketing, though they may do that here as well (I'd have to google it... ).
To be fair, the F1 coverage isn't terrible with the exception of the 4 races that are shown on Fox with no pre-race. And the formula 1 debrief show is well done.
MotoGP/SBK is another story - no practice, no qualifying, no post-race, and they don't even broadcast SBK in HD. On top of that the commentary is just poor, with the announcers having little knowledge of the sport (often struggling to wven pronounce the rider's names never mind knowing anything about their racing history). The eurosport coverage is leaps and bounds beyond this, and includes all the thing listed above that speed can't be bothered to show.
Slashdot Mirror
Which doesn't require access to the internet. We have this thing called a VPN that pretty much solves that problem.
Ignoring that, you can just only allow access to the remote systems that are required for that data.
I'm constantly amazed that anyone allows any critical systems access to the internet.
Not so much.
iPhone 3Gs = $49 ... but that's a constant)
monthly cost = $65 (plus taxes and fees, of course
If you skip pizza delivery once a month you'll cover the difference in the plan cost.
Because credit card companies are pretty much the biggest racket on earth.
As a merchant, you are responsible for all fraudulent charges. I ran a small/medium eCommerce business for 6 years, and luckily only had a couple chargebacks but the way it works is this:
Customer calls credit card company and says "I didn't charge this". Credit card company sends notice to merchant asking for signature, AVS information, etc. If you can't prove that indeed, that customer did make that purchase, the credit card company takes the money back from you. Oh, and you don't get back your transaction fees or percentage paid on the transaction either. The CC company is pretty much out nothing. If they're one of the ones that charges the cardholder $50 ... they just made $50 + the original transaction fees.
If you look at the actual marketplace, this should come as no surprise. Carriers are basically giving away android phones. My boss just picked up a Samsung Vibrant for $30. Sure it'll never get a OS upgrade and it's got all kinda of crap installed on it from his carrier ... but it was $30.
Screws like this have been around for at least 50 years, and you'll most definitely find them in your car somewhere.
Examples:
http://www.brycefastener.com/myth.htm
I've run into these things over and over on electronics, automobiles, etc, etc for the last 20 years.
It doesn't keep anyone who really wants to open the thing from opening it. You can buy whatever bit or screwdriver you need. It DOES keep the stupid people out (and kids) which is what they want. In theory it can reduce their support costs compared to having joe 6-pack (The target audience for this device) decide he wants to open the thing to fix it or "just to look at what's inside".
This is pretty much what you expect with QWest.
In fact ... they must have gotten the good installer given the plastic bag.
Ignoring the obvious fact that you're trying to show how awesome you are for not watching all those non-indie films directed by Michael Bay, you know what? Every once in a while a Michael Bay movie is JUST what the doctor ordered. It's big, loud, over the top and the man certainly knows some folks who can make things explode.
Watching indie films doesn't make you better or smarter than other people. From my observations, people who talk about how they only watch indie films are FAR more annoying than the people who only watch Michael Bay movies. The latter generally aren't claiming to be sophisticated due to what they watch on their TV.
No, it's not the "cable TV killer" because in most cases, that's who is providing the broadband pipe. And when it's not ... it's the phone company, which may also be selling you "cable" (See: Verizon FIOS) and/or "on-demand" content.
This is why Comcast wants to double-dip and change you AND Netflix for your internet connection. Without government regulation it will never be cheaper to stream the same content available from the last-mile provider; the last-mile provider will prevent that from occurring.
I don't want to watch old movies or flops all the time.
Their streaming selection is ok for TV shows, but for movies it's fairly poor. This is no doubt directly due to the MPAA restricting what they can stream.
In a related story, Trend Micro also noted that Windows has been far more secure than Linux for years due to it being closed source ...
You're using one of the most technologically advanced portable devices available on the planet ... and mailing paper checks to the phone company to pay for it.
That's awesome.
Think about it ... you're talking about a person who has been brainwashed to be offended by ::gasp:: nakedness! Hell, they'd be offended if there was a Sears catalog on the mission without the underware section removed.
You expect them to know what "hardcore porn" is?.
It's a map. You're looking at it. You're talking to someone. *You're* giving directions to them, using your voice. On a phone.
Presumably because they don't have a smartphone, otherwise you'd just email them the address and tell them to punch it into their map app.
Syslog => remote machine.
Done.
However, because I fly a lot on United and its code share partners, I get a lot of perks. Specifically, I know that if my schedule changes and I need to fly standby, I will be able to get on ahead of pretty much anybody else. Ditto for if my flight is cancelled and I need to be rebooked. It's also worth the extra money to me (especially since I'm not usually the one paying it) to know in advance I won't get a middle seat, will get to board first and not have them run out of overhead luggage space, occasionally get upgraded to first class, and so forth.
Just as an FYI, I'm a business frequent flier with SouthWest, and get all of that with the exception of the first class bit (their 737s don't have first class). Once you hit their "A-List" status they make it so you always get priority and don't even have to worry about when you check in (You're guaranteed A1 - A15 for your boarding pass, though technically if they had more than 15 "A-List" people I suppose that could slip - have never seen it happen) . At some airports they even have an express line at security so you don't have to wait.
You also rack up free flights - free round trip voucher every 16 flights, regardless of distance flown.
Even if it did shut off, the 20w oil you're running wouldn't go anywhere in a few seconds. 0w20 is 0w cold, 20w hot.
What I meant by "zero weight oil" would be 0w-0, which you're never going to see inside a motor - it would run down to the sump like water :)
Modern oils and engine manufacture really are amazing, which was my point to the original poster. Engines often outlive the vehicle these days as long as you change the oil every once in a while.
Really? It doesn't take 0w-30? There's a difference ;)
I should have been more specific and said 0w-0, but your comment actually furthers my point.
0W-30 oil is 0w cold, 30w hot. When you shut off the engine for 30 seconds the oil is actually thicker than when it is cold, thus preventing it from running back to the sump in an instant.
Um, unless you're running zero weight oil in your car (you're not) ... it doesn't run like water back to the sump in 60 seconds.
Your "known fact" is sort of correct when a car has been parked for some time (say, overnight) and you're cold starting it. But even that's a bit of a stretch these days with modern synthetic oils. Tear a motor down even after it's been sitting for weeks and you'll still find oil clinging to the bearing surfaces and pistons/cylinders.
And you can occasionally have a good individual experience with Comcast as well. Take for example my current Comcast connection (Denver, CO suburbs). It works. Exceptionally well; I actually get 15Mbit service and I'm only paying for what is advertised as 6Mbit (I suspect this is due to an inept service rep when I purchased service and my account is provisioned incorrectly, but we'll ignore that for the moment). I don't have packet loss, and in 4 years I can only remember one outage.
That fact doesn't outweigh the fact that overall, they suck. Prior to moving to CO 4 years ago I lived in the mid-atlantic (VA/DC/MD/DE) and had comcast in different locations over the years. It was horrible - packet loss, outages, slow speeds, etc. Every time, without exception. But I was never close enough to a CO to get DSL from Verizon except maybe one time at 768Kbps (and Verizon prior to FIOS was never interested in installing RT's in neighborhoods to extend their service area).
The point I was trying to make is that the phone companies are much like Comcast in that they operate as a local monopoly and arguably are ever only slightly better in regard to customer service. You won't ever find them at the top of the list. You're basically presented with a choice between the lesser of two evils, and 'lesser' in this case is often ambiguous.
Arguably, no, they don't care.
Most monopolies don't. Even in areas where they have to compete against DSL, there's only a small segment of the population that can purchase service that rivals theirs in terms of advertised speed / service. And even then ... who are they competing against? Well ... the phone company, which has a stellar reputation when it comes to customer service ...
Not to mention that it's amazingly coincidental that the internet goes away days before the first elections in 20 years.
No election observers, no foreign journalists, no connection with internet. All signs point to the junta cutting off its people from the rest of the world.
We rented a Mazda2 diesel in 2005 when visiting the UK. Drove it for a week and got 50mpg (average for the week) on diesel with the tiptronic transmission.
Toyota is a publicly held company. The only way to (legally) distribute "profits" outside the company is through dividends. There are plenty of US shareholders.
Aside from that, does the nationality of the executives who get millions in pay and bonuses really matter? "Trickle down economics" is bullshit, and you nor anyone you know will ever see a dime of it regardless of whether it ends up in the US or Japan.
The only way your argument makes any sense is if you want to talk about jobs created/bolstered by the deal that aren't in the US , of which their are few since Toyota figured out about 20 years ago it was cheaper to build cars here than shipping them over on a boat. Possibly some R&D and marketing, though they may do that here as well (I'd have to google it ... ).
YMMV ...
I see it every time I go through Kansas City (MCI) and Denver which is twice a month right now.
To be fair, the F1 coverage isn't terrible with the exception of the 4 races that are shown on Fox with no pre-race. And the formula 1 debrief show is well done.
MotoGP/SBK is another story - no practice, no qualifying, no post-race, and they don't even broadcast SBK in HD. On top of that the commentary is just poor, with the announcers having little knowledge of the sport (often struggling to wven pronounce the rider's names never mind knowing anything about their racing history). The eurosport coverage is leaps and bounds beyond this, and includes all the thing listed above that speed can't be bothered to show.