There are both positives and negatives to doing away with cash, but I think the latter outweighs the former and will cause more problems than it solves. I like to think of it this way: Imagine all the negative and stupid sh*t that happens with PayPal and then imagine that PayPal is the ONLY choice you have.:| F*ck that.
Some potential Positive Aspects:
1) Illegal immigration takes a big hit as a bank account ( and all the identification paperwork that goes with it ) is now mandatory. 2) Bribes / off the books payments are now much more difficult if an electronic paper trail is always established. 3) No such thing as tax avoidance if everything spent / earned is audited and / or deducted down to the penny on the fly. 4) No more fighting with the soda machine that absolutely REFUSES to take your damn dollar bill. lol
Negatives:
5) #1 will cause an increase of Identity Theft 6) Banks can freeze your accounts at will for any reason leaving you unable to do anything ( even eat ) until resolved. ( Needs to be regulated ) 7) Credit Cards / Debit Cards are still too easy to compromise. Will get much worse if all transactions go electronic. ( #8 becomes a HUGE problem ) 8) Power or Network outages wreak havoc on systems that rely on it. 9) Transaction fees will simply be pushed onto consumers because you know they're not going to eat those costs. ( Needs to be regulated ) 10) Surveillance State wet dream to be able to track ( and either authorize / deny ) ALL purchases made. 11) Banks are free to charge whatever they want for monthly account fees. A problem if a Bank Account becomes mandatory. ( Needs to be regulated ) 12) Alternative options ( Bitcoin, $FutureCoin, etc ) will spring up everywhere as folks try to avoid Big Brothers bullsh*t
#6 would probably require you keep funds in multiple accounts spread across multiple banks ( or even countries ) if you don't want to run into issues.
Really the only folks who come out on top are the Businesses, Transaction Brokers ( Visa, Master Card, etc. ) and maybe Banks. Other than convenience, I don't really see any positives for the consumer at all. Convenience at the expense of privacy isn't a very good trade off in my opinion. I really don't want to live in a world where I basically have to ask permission from the Bank / Government to spend the money I make on goods or items they deem " acceptable ". Especially since the definition of " acceptable " will change over time depending on the Banks morals and / or which team ( Red or Blue ) is in power at the time.
You're really in for a world of pain if the bank you do business with decides your profession or purchased merchandise is something they don't agree with. ( Gun Dealers, Porn Industry, take your pick )
Based on all the above, I would have to say going cashless is a terrible idea until a whole lot more thought, protections and regulation are put into play.
The folks who are calculating their âoe losses âoe due to piracy are the very same people who claim, through magic math, that $movie ( which made a Billion in sales worldwide ) wasnâ(TM)t profitable.
All so they donâ(TM)t have to pay those very same people theyâ(TM)re claiming to be protecting from the evil pirates:|
For those, like myself, who are heavily invested in current Nikon Glass and DSLR bodies, the new mirrorless flavors beg a few questions:
1) Will an adapter be available for F mount glass, how much will it cost, does it introduce any restrictions ( work with teleconverters ? ) and will it impact IQ ? 2) Balance may be an issue when connecting a much lighter body on big glass ( super tele ) that effectively used the body as a counterweight. 3) What does the battery life look like on the mirrorless ? How much are the batteries ? Is it on par with current DSLR battery capacity ? 4) Ergonomics of the new body will be a big factor. 5) FPS, buffer capacity, sensor resolution, dynamic range, file size, type of storage medium, number of storage medium slots ( 1 or 2 ) are all factors.
Overall, I'll wait for the hype to die down and see what the field tests show.
Even if they released the tech tomorrow, it will be a decade before it's affordable enough for normal folks to even consider it. It's also a very disruptive tech for established business models, so expect it to be hampered every step of the way by folks who have lots of money and influence.
Companies like to make ludicrous claims such as these all the time. Hell, my own company made claims of how amazing we are going to be by 2020 until ( as we are only 1.5 years out ) they have started to realize that reality has different plans. Grandiose transformations typically require grandiose amounts of money to do it with. ( Which they're not willing to spend )
Guessing that ' amazing ' part may materialize by 2030 or maybe 2040. . . . . lol
Maybe
Moral of the story: I'll believe it when I see it.
Networks available to the consumer aren't quite where they need to be in terms of speed, availability and reliability ( heavy emphasis on the latter ) to think streaming any game beyond a simple mobile style ( read that small size ) app is even an option.
Net neutrality just got torpedoed. Guess who is going to have to pay the big bucks to ensure those game streams don't get put into the low priority que ? Some places have zero broadband options at all. Going to just tell those folks too fucking bad ? Data caps are going to be an issue for many. I have a mediocre connection ( 90/6 ) that works most of the time, but not all of the time. Packet loss is a frustrating occurrence when it's upstream somewhere. Noting the previous, my only other option is Verizon DSL and that is absolutely not happening. ( You think Xfinity is bad . . . hahahaha ) Ever play a game where the next area / stage has to load first ? Imagine waiting for it to come via network download.:|
I will pass on every aspect of this lol
I prefer a system I can play offline if necessary when Xfinity decides to go all stupid on me.
Confounded or not, it's poor practice to release a product without sufficient testing to ensure it's going to perform as expected.
I'm not just picking on Apple either. It seems in a rush to get the product out the door, many companies do a half-assed job at testing their products because the current attitude is " We'll just issue a fix later and blame the junior programmer ". This is especially evident in any game / software that's released today.
It is for this reason I typically wait at least six months before buying whatever new " thing " it is I'm buying to ensure the unpaid beta testers have done their job and identified all the bugs that were still present on release.
Other companies already have these "Virtual Agents", it's the dreaded Call Tree you have to navigate before you are able to talk to a live person. Assuming you can get through the tree without throwing your phone at the nearest hard surface or jumping in front of a bus to end your misery.
It: Before we get started, can you tell me what your call is about ? Me: Agent It: Okay, I can help you with that, let me get a bit more information first. . . . . Me: -facepalm-
Even more amusing is when you're talking to the damn bot and they include the sounds of typing in the background after you answer a question to give the impression you're actually talking to someone.
EVEN MORE AMUSING is after you finally get to a live person, it's in an overseas call center where the accent is so thick you can't understand them. The answers they give are simply scripted flow charts and you're in no better position after the call concludes than you were before it started.
Them: Okay, have you tried rebooting your router ? Or unplugging / replugging your cable ? Me: -gunshot to head-
As a final jab, they then send you a survey request over and over again until you go insane or write an email rule which auto-deletes the damn thing. ( Because no one reads the surveys and, if they do, no one acts upon them )
Power users utilize all sorts of applications that are extremely CPU / GPU intensive that aren't necessarily games. The list of applications that I use daily where horsepower is vastly preferable over slim & sexy:
Adobe Photoshop Adobe Premiere Pro Adobe After Effects Adobe Lightroom Blender Capture One Pro Rhino Zbrush Keyshot
I'm typically using a desktop to run the aforementioned applications when I'm at home. When on the road, however, I carry a beefy laptop that is neither thin nor light. It weighs in at nearly thirteen pounds and has dimensions of 17"w x 12.7"d x 2"h. Most current configurations of the laptop fits an Intel i9-8950HK, 32GB Ram and an Nvidia 1080 GPU.
Not light, not thin, not even quiet. Definitely not cheap. ( as a bonus, if you wish it to, it will run the hell out of just about any game you throw at it )
But horsepower it has, which is what I want, so I'm willing to sacrifice light and thin to get it.
Any Official caught using said systems to circumvent the rules ( by accident or intentionally ) are to be removed from office immediately. None of this " I didn't know " bullshit.
They are to be stripped of any retirement or pension benefits they have accrued, any assets they own in any form are to be confiscated and they are to be blacklisted from holding any office. In addition, no book deals, no " speaking fees ", no movie deals, nothing about their period where they held an elected position can be utilized to make money. ( All of this bullshit is merely bribery delayed to avoid suspicion while in office anyway )
Offer a high dollar reward for information / evidence of an Official engaging in such activities and done. They'll be afraid to talk to anyone out of fear of being turned in for said reward.
In other words, make the punishment severe enough and they will shy away from such conduct all on their own.
If this seems unfair, these folks are in heightened positions of power. As such, they SHOULD be held to a higher standard than the common citizen. As such, the price for abusing that power should also come with heavier penalties.
The bank or Government can freeze your accounts on a whim if they donâ(TM)t agree with what youâ(TM)re doing. Thus, they can control or influence what you do since you wonâ(TM)t have the option to use cash.
Porn industry and Gun Dealers whoâ(TM)s accounts were closed for no reason other than the industry they represented come to mind for this.
Going full digital will basically add a hidden tax to every purchase. A processing fee or something similar.
Think of major CC vendors transaction fees.
Full digital is also a surveillance States wet dream as every purchase can be tracked, flagged and / or categorized.
Finally, the proliferation of malware and assorted nasty stuff designed to steal digital credentials for purposes of fraud is a real turn off for going cashless.
Fix all the aforementioned problems and weâ(TM)ll talk about it. Until then I will use cash when I wish because I can.
The.0001% of elite runners where footwear technology might be a variable in their performance don't typically buy their own shoes. They are gifted to them or are required to wear them as part of their endorsement deal with Nike. ( Or Reebok, or $Shoe_Brand )
The other part of that endorsement deal is them getting in front of a camera and convincing YOU that buying this shoe will make you into the most awesome athlete the world has ever seen.
" In related news, if the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries were regulated, we wouldn't need insurance because the aforementioned industries wouldn't be allowed to charge anything they wanted simply because they can "
As an example:
A recent MRI ( of which I spent exactly ten minutes in the machine ) cost me $800 USD. EIGHT HUNDRED FUCKING DOLLARS for ten God Damn minutes.
This kind of shit is why the whole system needs to be regulated.
The insurance companies will simply get sued for discrimination*. They can claim that sick / unhealthy people cost more to insure, but that's the point of insurance. You rake in a huge pool of cash from both the healthy and unhealthy to cover the costs. In related news, if the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries were regulated, we wouldn't need insurance because the aforementioned industries wouldn't be allowed to charge anything they wanted simply because they can. Get that under control and healthcare for everyone might even be doable.
*Especially when they start charging elderly folks or folks with inherited / genetic diseases more for the same coverage.
It's cheaper to fly to another country and pay cash for a procedure than it is to get it done here in the US.
Once advertisements in magazines exceeded the number of articles or information I wanted to read, I ceased all of my subscriptions. ( years ago mind you )
I've actually blocked entire TV networks ( I'm looking at you FX ) because of their advertising methods. Early in the show, the ratio of show to commercials favors the show. However, the longer the show runs, the less you get to see in one segment before the next set of commercials ( which, maddeningly, are the same GD commercials over and Over and OVER again ) breaks in. By the end of the show, you're lucky to get 5-7 minutes of show without a commercial break.
Fuck that. Program it out.
You're right though. We're seeing the same shit happen with the net and excessive advertising will be its demise.
Same. The Reader View trick seems to work against many of them though.
View a page, adblocker notice pops up being annoying as shit. Reload page, press F9 ( Firefox ) and the page is loaded into Reader View. Content becomes readable, no ads. No blocking notice. YMMV, doesn't work on all sites.
Those that it doesn't work on, I simply skip.
Those sites that are known for blocking I skip completely by default.
John, the kind of control you're attempting simply is it's not possible. If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, it expands to new territories and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously, but, uh well, there it is. - Dr. Ian Malcolm
Slashdot Mirror
Not to mention your typical Mega-ISP has an army of lawyers standing by to deal with anyone who dares say anything negative about their Company. :|
There are both positives and negatives to doing away with cash, but I think the latter outweighs the former and will cause more problems than it solves. :|
I like to think of it this way: Imagine all the negative and stupid sh*t that happens with PayPal and then imagine that PayPal is the ONLY choice you have.
F*ck that.
Some potential Positive Aspects:
1) Illegal immigration takes a big hit as a bank account ( and all the identification paperwork that goes with it ) is now mandatory.
2) Bribes / off the books payments are now much more difficult if an electronic paper trail is always established.
3) No such thing as tax avoidance if everything spent / earned is audited and / or deducted down to the penny on the fly.
4) No more fighting with the soda machine that absolutely REFUSES to take your damn dollar bill. lol
Negatives:
5) #1 will cause an increase of Identity Theft
6) Banks can freeze your accounts at will for any reason leaving you unable to do anything ( even eat ) until resolved. ( Needs to be regulated )
7) Credit Cards / Debit Cards are still too easy to compromise. Will get much worse if all transactions go electronic. ( #8 becomes a HUGE problem )
8) Power or Network outages wreak havoc on systems that rely on it.
9) Transaction fees will simply be pushed onto consumers because you know they're not going to eat those costs. ( Needs to be regulated )
10) Surveillance State wet dream to be able to track ( and either authorize / deny ) ALL purchases made.
11) Banks are free to charge whatever they want for monthly account fees. A problem if a Bank Account becomes mandatory. ( Needs to be regulated )
12) Alternative options ( Bitcoin, $FutureCoin, etc ) will spring up everywhere as folks try to avoid Big Brothers bullsh*t
#6 would probably require you keep funds in multiple accounts spread across multiple banks ( or even countries ) if you don't want to run into issues.
Really the only folks who come out on top are the Businesses, Transaction Brokers ( Visa, Master Card, etc. ) and maybe Banks. Other than convenience, I don't really see any positives for the consumer at all. Convenience at the expense of privacy isn't a very good trade off in my opinion. I really don't want to live in a world where I basically have to ask permission from the Bank / Government to spend the money I make on goods or items they deem " acceptable ". Especially since the definition of " acceptable " will change over time depending on the Banks morals and / or which team ( Red or Blue ) is in power at the time.
You're really in for a world of pain if the bank you do business with decides your profession or purchased merchandise is something they don't agree with. ( Gun Dealers, Porn Industry, take your pick )
Based on all the above, I would have to say going cashless is a terrible idea until a whole lot more thought, protections and regulation are put into play.
Twitter had an exaggerated user base which inflated stock because more users = great company.
Twitter wipes out a significant amount of fake accounts and the stock plummets.
( Company not quite as amazing as they pretended it was )
Pretty sure that's how this is supposed to work ?
Is there a Security Standard of any kind for IOT devices or is it just a free for all we'll implement whatever we want sort of thing ?
If there isn't, something along the lines of Underwriters Laboratories, designed for IOT / Consumer networked devices would be an outstanding idea.
The folks who are calculating their âoe losses âoe due to piracy are the very same people who claim, through magic math, that $movie ( which made a Billion in sales worldwide ) wasnâ(TM)t profitable.
All so they donâ(TM)t have to pay those very same people theyâ(TM)re claiming to be protecting from the evil pirates :|
If they did, whom would the MPAA / RIAA sue ?
Litigation is a spectacular money maker. Not one they plan on abandoning anytime soon.
Even if they have to seed the torrents themselves.
For those, like myself, who are heavily invested in current Nikon Glass and DSLR bodies, the new mirrorless flavors beg a few questions:
1) Will an adapter be available for F mount glass, how much will it cost, does it introduce any restrictions ( work with teleconverters ? ) and will it impact IQ ?
2) Balance may be an issue when connecting a much lighter body on big glass ( super tele ) that effectively used the body as a counterweight.
3) What does the battery life look like on the mirrorless ? How much are the batteries ? Is it on par with current DSLR battery capacity ?
4) Ergonomics of the new body will be a big factor.
5) FPS, buffer capacity, sensor resolution, dynamic range, file size, type of storage medium, number of storage medium slots ( 1 or 2 ) are all factors.
Overall, I'll wait for the hype to die down and see what the field tests show.
Even if they released the tech tomorrow, it will be a decade before it's affordable enough for normal folks to even consider it. It's also a very disruptive
tech for established business models, so expect it to be hampered every step of the way by folks who have lots of money and influence.
Companies like to make ludicrous claims such as these all the time. Hell, my own company made claims of how amazing we are going to be by 2020
until ( as we are only 1.5 years out ) they have started to realize that reality has different plans. Grandiose transformations typically require grandiose
amounts of money to do it with. ( Which they're not willing to spend )
Guessing that ' amazing ' part may materialize by 2030 or maybe 2040. . . . . lol
Maybe
Moral of the story: I'll believe it when I see it.
but hell no.
Networks available to the consumer aren't quite where they need to be in terms of speed, availability and reliability ( heavy emphasis on the latter )
to think streaming any game beyond a simple mobile style ( read that small size ) app is even an option.
Net neutrality just got torpedoed. Guess who is going to have to pay the big bucks to ensure those game streams don't get put into the low priority que ? :|
Some places have zero broadband options at all. Going to just tell those folks too fucking bad ?
Data caps are going to be an issue for many.
I have a mediocre connection ( 90/6 ) that works most of the time, but not all of the time. Packet loss is a frustrating occurrence when it's upstream somewhere.
Noting the previous, my only other option is Verizon DSL and that is absolutely not happening. ( You think Xfinity is bad . . . hahahaha )
Ever play a game where the next area / stage has to load first ? Imagine waiting for it to come via network download.
I will pass on every aspect of this lol
I prefer a system I can play offline if necessary when Xfinity decides to go all stupid on me.
Confounded or not, it's poor practice to release a product without sufficient testing to ensure it's going to perform as expected.
I'm not just picking on Apple either. It seems in a rush to get the product out the door, many companies do a half-assed job at testing their products because the current attitude is " We'll just issue a fix later and blame the junior programmer ". This is especially evident in any game / software that's released today.
It is for this reason I typically wait at least six months before buying whatever new " thing " it is I'm buying to ensure the unpaid beta testers have done their job and identified all the bugs that were still present on release.
Other companies already have these "Virtual Agents", it's the dreaded Call Tree you have to navigate before you are able to talk to a live person. Assuming you can get through the tree without throwing your phone at the nearest hard surface or jumping in front of a bus to end your misery.
It: Before we get started, can you tell me what your call is about ?
Me: Agent
It: Okay, I can help you with that, let me get a bit more information first. . . . .
Me: -facepalm-
Even more amusing is when you're talking to the damn bot and they include the sounds of typing in the background after you answer a question to give the impression you're actually talking to someone.
EVEN MORE AMUSING is after you finally get to a live person, it's in an overseas call center where the accent is so thick you can't understand them. The answers they give are simply scripted flow charts and you're in no better position after the call concludes than you were before it started.
Them: Okay, have you tried rebooting your router ? Or unplugging / replugging your cable ?
Me: -gunshot to head-
As a final jab, they then send you a survey request over and over again until you go insane or write an email rule which auto-deletes the damn thing.
( Because no one reads the surveys and, if they do, no one acts upon them )
It's amazing how remorseful companies are when they get caught doing something silly :|
Here's a thought:
Fix it before you release it to the public and you won't have to apologize and tarnish your reputation.
Power users utilize all sorts of applications that are extremely CPU / GPU intensive that aren't necessarily games.
The list of applications that I use daily where horsepower is vastly preferable over slim & sexy:
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Lightroom
Blender
Capture One Pro
Rhino
Zbrush
Keyshot
I'm typically using a desktop to run the aforementioned applications when I'm at home. When on the road, however, I carry a beefy laptop that is neither thin nor light. It weighs in at nearly thirteen pounds and has dimensions of 17"w x 12.7"d x 2"h. Most current configurations of the laptop fits an Intel i9-8950HK, 32GB Ram and an Nvidia 1080 GPU.
Not light, not thin, not even quiet. Definitely not cheap.
( as a bonus, if you wish it to, it will run the hell out of just about any game you throw at it )
But horsepower it has, which is what I want, so I'm willing to sacrifice light and thin to get it.
Any Official caught using said systems to circumvent the rules ( by accident or intentionally ) are to be removed
from office immediately. None of this " I didn't know " bullshit.
They are to be stripped of any retirement or pension benefits they have accrued, any assets they own in any form
are to be confiscated and they are to be blacklisted from holding any office. In addition, no book deals, no " speaking
fees ", no movie deals, nothing about their period where they held an elected position can be utilized to make money.
( All of this bullshit is merely bribery delayed to avoid suspicion while in office anyway )
Offer a high dollar reward for information / evidence of an Official engaging in such activities and done.
They'll be afraid to talk to anyone out of fear of being turned in for said reward.
In other words, make the punishment severe enough and they will shy away from such conduct all on their own.
If this seems unfair, these folks are in heightened positions of power. As such, they SHOULD be held to a higher standard
than the common citizen. As such, the price for abusing that power should also come with heavier penalties.
The bank or Government can freeze your accounts on a whim if they donâ(TM)t agree with what youâ(TM)re doing. Thus, they can control or influence what you do since you wonâ(TM)t have the option to use cash.
Porn industry and Gun Dealers whoâ(TM)s accounts were closed for no reason other than the industry they represented come to mind for this.
Going full digital will basically add a hidden tax to every purchase. A processing fee or something similar.
Think of major CC vendors transaction fees.
Full digital is also a surveillance States wet dream as every purchase can be tracked, flagged and / or categorized.
Finally, the proliferation of malware and assorted nasty stuff designed to steal digital credentials for purposes of fraud is a real turn off for going cashless.
Fix all the aforementioned problems and weâ(TM)ll talk about it. Until then I will use cash when I wish because I can.
The .0001% of elite runners where footwear technology might be a variable in their performance don't typically buy their own shoes.
They are gifted to them or are required to wear them as part of their endorsement deal with Nike. ( Or Reebok, or $Shoe_Brand )
The other part of that endorsement deal is them getting in front of a camera and convincing YOU that buying this shoe will make you
into the most awesome athlete the world has ever seen.
Just look what it did for them ! :|
Or, if the majority of comments are not to the FCC's liking, are we just going to claim they were hacked again ?
Quit pretending you give two shits about what the people think because your pretending to do so is insulting.
This is a great example of why you don't buy the brand new shiny object the day it's released.
( Applies to all things electronic, games, etc. )
Be patient and let the unpaid beta-testers find all the problems with it first.
Will save you a lot of headache.
" In related news, if the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries were regulated, we wouldn't need insurance because the aforementioned industries wouldn't be allowed to charge anything they wanted simply because they can "
As an example:
A recent MRI ( of which I spent exactly ten minutes in the machine ) cost me $800 USD. EIGHT HUNDRED FUCKING DOLLARS for ten God Damn minutes.
This kind of shit is why the whole system needs to be regulated.
They're working hard on autonomous cars, you can bet that autonomous aircraft can't / won't be too far behind.
Early on, they'll still require human pilots on hand for safety but, over time, my guess is they simply won't be needed.
and, unless the Military paid for it, that cost is quite expensive.
You want to see ludicrous ? Go price what it will cost to be a commercial helicopter pilot.
The insurance companies will simply get sued for discrimination*. They can claim that sick / unhealthy people cost more to insure, but that's the point of insurance. You rake in a huge pool of cash from both the healthy and unhealthy to cover the costs. In related news, if the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries were regulated, we wouldn't need insurance because the aforementioned industries wouldn't be allowed to charge anything they wanted simply because they can. Get that under control and healthcare for everyone might even be doable.
*Especially when they start charging elderly folks or folks with inherited / genetic diseases more for the same coverage.
It's cheaper to fly to another country and pay cash for a procedure than it is to get it done here in the US.
No lie there.
Once advertisements in magazines exceeded the number of articles or information I wanted to read, I ceased all of my subscriptions. ( years ago mind you )
I've actually blocked entire TV networks ( I'm looking at you FX ) because of their advertising methods. Early in the show, the ratio of show to commercials favors the show. However, the longer the show runs, the less you get to see in one segment before the next set of commercials ( which, maddeningly, are the same GD commercials over and Over and OVER again ) breaks in. By the end of the show, you're lucky to get 5-7 minutes of show without a commercial break.
Fuck that. Program it out.
You're right though. We're seeing the same shit happen with the net and excessive advertising will be its demise.
Same. The Reader View trick seems to work against many of them though.
View a page, adblocker notice pops up being annoying as shit. Reload page, press F9 ( Firefox ) and the page is loaded into Reader View.
Content becomes readable, no ads. No blocking notice. YMMV, doesn't work on all sites.
Those that it doesn't work on, I simply skip.
Those sites that are known for blocking I skip completely by default.
John, the kind of control you're attempting simply is it's not possible. If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, it expands to new territories and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously, but, uh well, there it is. - Dr. Ian Malcolm