Speaking from personal experience, options are great when the stock market is on a tear and an insult when the markets are going down. For the past four years, I'd take salary and a steady pay check over options any day. And the sickening thing is that although options are touted as a way to give everyone at a company a share in the company, it's by no means an equal share. The disgusting disparities in pay are echoed even more ridiculously in terms of options.
Annoying coworkers list: Nosy people. The ones who notice every new outfit, ask without fail every day what you did the night before, who you're having lunch with, etc. These are the same people that ask you how much your raise was and you have to act like an ass when you don't want to tell them... Know it alls who DON'T know it all. The ones who are afraid of looking like they don't know what they're talking about, when they think they do. That's scary. Sometimes this behavior is pathological. The easiest way to weed these people out is make something up (like the name of a movie) and ask if they've seen it. If they nod and say yes, there's your wanna be know it all. Of course, using this tactic might get you labelled an asshole so beware. The gossip. I hate gossips who critisize other coworkers and try to get you to play along. The loaded question, "So, what do YOU think about so and so?" and they stare at you as if you should immediately divulge all the dirt. These people usually end up being marginalized as if they're talking bad about others, one can only imagine what they're saying about YOU. The whiner. Nothing bugs me more than a coworker that can't get their job done because something's wrong, and that something is never them. The light's too bright, the light's too dim, and it all comes back to the job being a crappy place to work and the management sucks. It's a job, not a health spa!
When I have a problem I go to the company's website first, then do a google search. Most times the problem has shown up on some user forum (Macfixit comes to mind) and someone else has a solution. I don't bother with tech support. I have nothing but time wasting experiences from them. Usually their answers revolve around "turn the product off for ten seconds, then turn it back on again" bullshit. If a product is so far gone it's not working and it's out of warrant, I buy a replacement rathern than deal with incompetent tech support... and the replacement comes from a different company. Just like everything else in life, companies don't stand behind their products when they go bad. They're handing more and more of the "service" to the consumer themselves.
I meant follow the model in the sense of, have a hardware reader with content managed through computer "library" program, with emphasis on the ease of use and getting content easily to and from the device. And, have the "library" program link up to the online store where you can buy additional eBooks with one click.
You are right, the DRM in iTunes is there, but as we can see through success of the iPod, if the ease of use, hardware, and price points for content are all in the right place, people are willing to put up with some pesky DRM.
All eBook models so far have failed on either of these three points. Crappy ease of use (putting the library software on the device itself), crappy hardware (too hard to read screen, too heavy), or price point (largely, too expensive).
I think the drive would be needed... especially when you get into books with images. I would also want the device to read PDF... which can get rather large. Storage space is cheap enough these days that more is always better.
eBooks can work, and will work as soon as someone gets all the pieces in place. The obvious model would be to follow Apple's iTunes / iPod. Make a hardware reader that has a great screen, light, and relatively inexpensive, and is a joy to use. Have it read as many formats as possible: HTML, RTF, Word Docs, don't dick around with DRM and proprietary formats. Have it read saved web pages. Have an internal hard drive. Next, have software on the computer that acts as a library much like iTunes. Make it easy to share and even read on your computer if need be, via a web browser.
Get all this crap in place and you will make a mint. Sell the books for 99 cents even. Heck I bet Apple is already working on this (They do audio books).
Someone should make a digital watch where the face is a little color LCD... that displays the face of an analog watch. Make it have several different variations that change with a press of a button.
The thing that is stupid about companies trying to save money on health care costs by outsourcing, is that by doing that, it actually drives health care costs UP for the employees who are still on it. I've always read that a big reason for our double digit health care increases is because there are so many uninsured people out there. All these uninsured people end up waiting til the last minute to get help, and then when they do, it's invariably an expensive emergency. So, when American companies lay off mass numbers of people, or cut people's benefits to let them fend for themselves, it's a short term fix and I would imagine screws the pooch in terms of affordable health care for all.
Well, I'm not that impressed.
on
The Star Wars Car
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
Maybe I'm just jaded, but I thought he was actually changing the paneling of the car. It's basically the same car body with a bunch of star wars esque stuff stuck on it. Plus, the side panels are still white. I can't think of any star wars ship that was white with a dar red hood, can you? I think he could (and should) go a lot further with this and actually create new panels for the car at an autobody shop. Because, if I saw this thing drive by, I certainly wouldn't think "Star Wars" I'd just think "strange."
If the game is good enough I'll go out and buy it, and even pay for a subscription fee to access the server or whatever. But don't think for a second I'd pony up dough monthly if the game sucks. Make sure it's worth the money. And if companies are all going to move towards charging more, don't think the customer is automatically going to pay more. I'll be even more price-aware and even more picky as to whether or not the game is worth the cost. In my opinion, out of all the games released this year, I could count the number of games I'd buy / subscribe to on one hand.
At 249 I can't afford the iPod Mini, also because now iLife is not free and costs $50 bucks, which I have to have because it's more useful. So, forget the iPod, I would have bought one had it been 150 or maybe even 199 but sorry, it's too expensive!
After skimming all the Mac Rumour sites, here's some possibilities:
iPod junior comes out with this micro drive but USB instead of Firewire. Or, iPod junior debuts with upgradeable flash storage. They give you a piddly amount to start, and keep it under 100 bucks that way.
My money is on an iPod jr using the microdrive, USB, and priced at 149.
Seems to me it would make sense to return to the moon and establish a base there. Practice mining for materials, building a liveable environment, grow food. Basically set up a biosphere type environment on the moon, then worry about Mars. Next, I would imagine launching a mission to mars could be in some cases easier from the moon. Less gravity, tested equipment, people used to the idea of living off earth. And to echo another poster, why not send robots for a couple of missions well in advance to set up stuff, start mining, building shelters so when the people get there they don't have to cart a ton of stuff with them.
You just know in a few months, some corporation is going to announce RFID tags for their employees. Heck, some companies already monitor email, webuse, they have cameras all over, they check when you come in if you have a door ID card. So they'll stick RFID tags in your badge and tell you to wear it at all times. And since people are so afraid of getting laid off, now's a perfect time to impliment such orwellian schemes.
some ideas that would make the data a bit safer... store the important data online, and whatever device you use can access that data when needed. Or, some kind of really cheap / portable data storage, that fits on a key chain or on a card in your wallet... the usb flash ram sticks being sold are getting ultra portable. I already carry one of 'em around with an address book, resume, vital files in case my house burns down and I have nothing else with me. Lastly, as for bluetooth solutions, iSync for Macs is supposed to help keep phones, pdas, ipods, and computers all in sync with data.
I'm getting pretty sick of having so many electronic gadgets to tote around. Laptops are getting lighter and smaller, and combined with wireless they pretty much take up 90% of computing tasks and aren't that big of a deal to carry with you. Now imagine if you're already carrying a laptop and also feel like carrying a cellphone, pda, mp3 player and a digital camera etc. That is a pain. Making the cellphone and pda into one unit is a huge help. If they could cram the mp3 and camera that'd help too. Or... is there any way to add cellphone functionality to a lap top?
The actual files you download after purchase are better quality than the previews. Second, if you want the cd quality, go buy the cd. the iTunes music store is for people who want to get songs for cheaper on the computer and don't care that much about quality... obviously, since they are listening to mp3s. Me, I personally will sacrifice quality to get an album for 10 bucks.
A while back Steve Jobs said he and Apple were going to innovate during this tech downturn and when the economy recovered they'd be well positioned. It looks like they're doing it... G5, iPods, iTunes Music Store on Windows, Panther...
When is Longhorn supposed to be out? 2006? At the rate Apple is coming up with this stuff, by that time we'll have a wearable iBook with a holographic display, plus an iPod with GPS, WiFi and takes digital photos...
Tivo is definitely kick ass, and the way I love to view tv... just the shows i want. one of the most cool things about it is seeing movies / shows starring certain actors. but there is still one weakness which i hope the cable companies will address... you are still limited by shows that are actually airing today. I'd love it if the entertainment companies would open up their "back catalogs" and allow us to view any tv show / movie made at any time whenever we want it. THAT would be sheer tivo nirvana... I wonder if it will ever happen.
this posturing (pulling some low tech trick and crying "you are against innovation" when the ruse is discovered) is the kind of business crap that gives technology a bad name. This is the sort of stuff at the level of pop up windows and spy ware on your PC. This is the sort of stuff that some Joe Average AOL user in middle america runs across and when you explain it to them, they go "Huh?" and get more scared of using the computer or the web. This is the sort of shit that is KILLING the user base and hence STIFLING adoption of technology.
So we've got the average joe recording albums in his bedroom. There is a trend towards amateurism in every field, enabled by the web and technology. Fan Films in the world of video, blogs in the world of literature, heck in the world of acting we got these reality tv shows. Soon there will be no need for professionals in the arts; we'll just find our entertainment in the flood of mediocre material and hope some of the cream rises to the top. And the best part: a lot of it will be cheap / free. Just the right kind of entertainment where nobody can get a decent job anymore since all the well-paying ones are moving to india...
And I must say I could see it work quite well as a musical. Especially that foppish Prince Hubert guy, what a riot. I'd like to see his role expanded into several numbers.
I think if voice over IP were offered in the states like say, over AOL, hopefully with video too, (like Apple's iSight) it could be a killer app that would spurn those without broadband to sign up.
Nothing like envy: say cousin Janet is showing off live video of her baby over this iSight and you cant participate.
Slashdot Mirror
Speaking from personal experience, options are great when the stock market is on a tear and an insult when the markets are going down. For the past four years, I'd take salary and a steady pay check over options any day. And the sickening thing is that although options are touted as a way to give everyone at a company a share in the company, it's by no means an equal share. The disgusting disparities in pay are echoed even more ridiculously in terms of options.
Annoying coworkers list:
Nosy people. The ones who notice every new outfit, ask without fail every day what you did the night before, who you're having lunch with, etc. These are the same people that ask you how much your raise was and you have to act like an ass when you don't want to tell them...
Know it alls who DON'T know it all. The ones who are afraid of looking like they don't know what they're talking about, when they think they do. That's scary. Sometimes this behavior is pathological. The easiest way to weed these people out is make something up (like the name of a movie) and ask if they've seen it. If they nod and say yes, there's your wanna be know it all. Of course, using this tactic might get you labelled an asshole so beware.
The gossip. I hate gossips who critisize other coworkers and try to get you to play along. The loaded question, "So, what do YOU think about so and so?" and they stare at you as if you should immediately divulge all the dirt. These people usually end up being marginalized as if they're talking bad about others, one can only imagine what they're saying about YOU.
The whiner. Nothing bugs me more than a coworker that can't get their job done because something's wrong, and that something is never them. The light's too bright, the light's too dim, and it all comes back to the job being a crappy place to work and the management sucks. It's a job, not a health spa!
When I have a problem I go to the company's website first, then do a google search. Most times the problem has shown up on some user forum (Macfixit comes to mind) and someone else has a solution. I don't bother with tech support. I have nothing but time wasting experiences from them. Usually their answers revolve around "turn the product off for ten seconds, then turn it back on again" bullshit. If a product is so far gone it's not working and it's out of warrant, I buy a replacement rathern than deal with incompetent tech support ... and the replacement comes from a different company. Just like everything else in life, companies don't stand behind their products when they go bad. They're handing more and more of the "service" to the consumer themselves.
I meant follow the model in the sense of, have a hardware reader with content managed through computer "library" program, with emphasis on the ease of use and getting content easily to and from the device. And, have the "library" program link up to the online store where you can buy additional eBooks with one click. You are right, the DRM in iTunes is there, but as we can see through success of the iPod, if the ease of use, hardware, and price points for content are all in the right place, people are willing to put up with some pesky DRM. All eBook models so far have failed on either of these three points. Crappy ease of use (putting the library software on the device itself), crappy hardware (too hard to read screen, too heavy), or price point (largely, too expensive).
I think the drive would be needed ... especially when you get into books with images. I would also want the device to read PDF ... which can get rather large. Storage space is cheap enough these days that more is always better.
eBooks can work, and will work as soon as someone gets all the pieces in place. The obvious model would be to follow Apple's iTunes / iPod. Make a hardware reader that has a great screen, light, and relatively inexpensive, and is a joy to use. Have it read as many formats as possible: HTML, RTF, Word Docs, don't dick around with DRM and proprietary formats. Have it read saved web pages. Have an internal hard drive. Next, have software on the computer that acts as a library much like iTunes. Make it easy to share and even read on your computer if need be, via a web browser.
Get all this crap in place and you will make a mint. Sell the books for 99 cents even. Heck I bet Apple is already working on this (They do audio books).
Someone should make a digital watch where the face is a little color LCD ... that displays the face of an analog watch. Make it have several different variations that change with a press of a button.
I feel more guilty using Windows.
The thing that is stupid about companies trying to save money on health care costs by outsourcing, is that by doing that, it actually drives health care costs UP for the employees who are still on it. I've always read that a big reason for our double digit health care increases is because there are so many uninsured people out there. All these uninsured people end up waiting til the last minute to get help, and then when they do, it's invariably an expensive emergency. So, when American companies lay off mass numbers of people, or cut people's benefits to let them fend for themselves, it's a short term fix and I would imagine screws the pooch in terms of affordable health care for all.
Maybe I'm just jaded, but I thought he was actually changing the paneling of the car. It's basically the same car body with a bunch of star wars esque stuff stuck on it. Plus, the side panels are still white. I can't think of any star wars ship that was white with a dar red hood, can you? I think he could (and should) go a lot further with this and actually create new panels for the car at an autobody shop. Because, if I saw this thing drive by, I certainly wouldn't think "Star Wars" I'd just think "strange."
If the game is good enough I'll go out and buy it, and even pay for a subscription fee to access the server or whatever. But don't think for a second I'd pony up dough monthly if the game sucks. Make sure it's worth the money. And if companies are all going to move towards charging more, don't think the customer is automatically going to pay more. I'll be even more price-aware and even more picky as to whether or not the game is worth the cost. In my opinion, out of all the games released this year, I could count the number of games I'd buy / subscribe to on one hand.
Updates to iPhoto used to be free. No more free updates, from the looks of it.
At 249 I can't afford the iPod Mini, also because now iLife is not free and costs $50 bucks, which I have to have because it's more useful. So, forget the iPod, I would have bought one had it been 150 or maybe even 199 but sorry, it's too expensive!
After skimming all the Mac Rumour sites, here's some possibilities: iPod junior comes out with this micro drive but USB instead of Firewire. Or, iPod junior debuts with upgradeable flash storage. They give you a piddly amount to start, and keep it under 100 bucks that way. My money is on an iPod jr using the microdrive, USB, and priced at 149.
Seems to me it would make sense to return to the moon and establish a base there. Practice mining for materials, building a liveable environment, grow food. Basically set up a biosphere type environment on the moon, then worry about Mars. Next, I would imagine launching a mission to mars could be in some cases easier from the moon. Less gravity, tested equipment, people used to the idea of living off earth. And to echo another poster, why not send robots for a couple of missions well in advance to set up stuff, start mining, building shelters so when the people get there they don't have to cart a ton of stuff with them.
You just know in a few months, some corporation is going to announce RFID tags for their employees. Heck, some companies already monitor email, webuse, they have cameras all over, they check when you come in if you have a door ID card. So they'll stick RFID tags in your badge and tell you to wear it at all times. And since people are so afraid of getting laid off, now's a perfect time to impliment such orwellian schemes.
some ideas that would make the data a bit safer ... store the important data online, and whatever device you use can access that data when needed. Or, some kind of really cheap / portable data storage, that fits on a key chain or on a card in your wallet ... the usb flash ram sticks being sold are getting ultra portable. I already carry one of 'em around with an address book, resume, vital files in case my house burns down and I have nothing else with me. Lastly, as for bluetooth solutions, iSync for Macs is supposed to help keep phones, pdas, ipods, and computers all in sync with data.
I'm getting pretty sick of having so many electronic gadgets to tote around. Laptops are getting lighter and smaller, and combined with wireless they pretty much take up 90% of computing tasks and aren't that big of a deal to carry with you. Now imagine if you're already carrying a laptop and also feel like carrying a cellphone, pda, mp3 player and a digital camera etc. That is a pain. Making the cellphone and pda into one unit is a huge help. If they could cram the mp3 and camera that'd help too. Or ... is there any way to add cellphone functionality to a lap top?
The actual files you download after purchase are better quality than the previews. Second, if you want the cd quality, go buy the cd. the iTunes music store is for people who want to get songs for cheaper on the computer and don't care that much about quality ... obviously, since they are listening to mp3s. Me, I personally will sacrifice quality to get an album for 10 bucks.
A while back Steve Jobs said he and Apple were going to innovate during this tech downturn and when the economy recovered they'd be well positioned. It looks like they're doing it ... G5, iPods, iTunes Music Store on Windows, Panther ...
When is Longhorn supposed to be out? 2006? At the rate Apple is coming up with this stuff, by that time we'll have a wearable iBook with a holographic display, plus an iPod with GPS, WiFi and takes digital photos ...
Tivo is definitely kick ass, and the way I love to view tv ... just the shows i want. one of the most cool things about it is seeing movies / shows starring certain actors. but there is still one weakness which i hope the cable companies will address ... you are still limited by shows that are actually airing today. I'd love it if the entertainment companies would open up their "back catalogs" and allow us to view any tv show / movie made at any time whenever we want it. THAT would be sheer tivo nirvana ... I wonder if it will ever happen.
this posturing (pulling some low tech trick and crying "you are against innovation" when the ruse is discovered) is the kind of business crap that gives technology a bad name. This is the sort of stuff at the level of pop up windows and spy ware on your PC. This is the sort of stuff that some Joe Average AOL user in middle america runs across and when you explain it to them, they go "Huh?" and get more scared of using the computer or the web. This is the sort of shit that is KILLING the user base and hence STIFLING adoption of technology.
So we've got the average joe recording albums in his bedroom. There is a trend towards amateurism in every field, enabled by the web and technology. Fan Films in the world of video, blogs in the world of literature, heck in the world of acting we got these reality tv shows. Soon there will be no need for professionals in the arts; we'll just find our entertainment in the flood of mediocre material and hope some of the cream rises to the top. And the best part: a lot of it will be cheap / free. Just the right kind of entertainment where nobody can get a decent job anymore since all the well-paying ones are moving to india ...
And I must say I could see it work quite well as a musical. Especially that foppish Prince Hubert guy, what a riot. I'd like to see his role expanded into several numbers.
I think if voice over IP were offered in the states like say, over AOL, hopefully with video too, (like Apple's iSight) it could be a killer app that would spurn those without broadband to sign up.
Nothing like envy: say cousin Janet is showing off live video of her baby over this iSight and you cant participate.