"I'd like a 5th provision to the agreement. The data will not be linked to my identity. I don't mind providing anonymous stats but I want at least a little privacy."
No offense, but you're trying to have your cake and eat it to. The assumption is...you are selling them this information and saying "yes, these are MY habits" and would be compensated for the loss of privacy.
What you're suggesting would never be feasible because it simply isn't worth it to a company to pay you for anonymous information.
Re:Frequent Shopping Card @ Grocery Store
on
Myware and Spyware
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· Score: 1
Even better...800-588-2300 EMPIRE!!!! (Sorry, Chicago only joke)
What's the point? The point is that while there might be repurcussions inside the game just as there are in real life...you can still do whatever you want and not have your real life be affected by it. Thus giving you release from the desire to do those things in real life.
I really wish they would have released this sooner. It would have been a great advertising piece. I mean...people will spend probably a good hour messing around with this...and then not be able to use it....unless they purchase the game! I'm sure that would have led to many more customers for them.
"The scary thing is that the student had just graduated that past spring with a degree in finance.
I don't see what that is scary that they asked you this. If they are in finance...they most likely have to calculate a LOT of percentages, and were probably just inquiring for a way to simplify their task.
You sound like Serenity never had MAJOR success in the box office. I'm absolutely shocked that networks aren't fighting each other to pick up the series since it is obviously a money maker and will be doubly so now (especially series DVDs). I'd love to see some figures if anybody has them on sales numbers on the series DVDs before and after Serenity came out.
Well, given that Slashdot was purchased and is owned by another company, I'd say it has long since graduated from being just a couple of guys blog. Remember, there are shareholders to please now...
"The question you ask is, why should we care? Whats the big deal anyways?"
Well...aside from the excellent reasons you mentioned in your post...Slashdot subscribers have one DAMN GOOD reason for caring and making a big deal about it. They pay for it. If there is something wrong with the site, rather than blowing it off as you just did Taco, you should respect the fact that you have an obligation to your paying customers (of which I am not I admit) to make corrections and improve the quality of the site. Not to mention the fact that if people started seeing these sorts of improvements, they may be more enticed to fork up the money for a subscription. I can't even count how many people have pointed to spelling/grammar and dupes as the sole reason they haven't subscribed.
I just wanted to comment on your post since I have direct experience with negotiating such deals as I am in advertising.
While what you said points out the hilarity of the situation, I'd also like to note that it REALLY depends on the companies/media/product involved and who has more leverage.
For example, if Coke really wanted to be in a certain scene of a movie, they might play for product placement. However if a low budget movie wanted to use Coke prominently in their movie, they very well might have to pay licensing fees since Coke would get a better ROI by having them pay directly as opposed to any benefits they might get from the product placement.
It is a really tricky negotiation game, but I hope that explains a bit why it is so complex.
No kidding. Chicago has definitely taken a New York twist with what people go through to "keep up with the Joneses".
Of course, neither you nor I are in a place to make an accurate statement about that because honestly, how are we to know how much they make? Not to mention that they may have other sources of income (geeks are more likely to invest their money than non-geeks).
While I got the tone of your post, I'd like to point out that there is a distinction with the current trend of geekiness from before.
Before, in the tech boom, people thought it was cool to be a geek because if you were good with computers, you must make a lot of money, and people don't want to work, so they want to be married to someone who makes a lot.
Nowadays people are actually interested in what we geeks are as opposed to just our earning potential (however misinformed they may be about that).
Honestly I could care less about the cheerleaders. What I'm happiest about with this "geek revolution" is that suddenly...a lot of the things that used to be mocked and uncool are cool. What this does is cause a lot more um...to put it bluntly...HOT girls to hang out with geeky guys because they now share similar interests. I'm talking about things like anime...video games...MMORPGs, etc.
And yes, I realize there are many people who are attracted to these things because they're suddenly "cool", but many stayed away from them in the past because of the stigma that was attached to them. That stigma is fast disappearing.
So while we don't get to feel all special because we're into the things that are now mainstream, I for one welcome it. I'm excited that I get to enjoy my hobbies with a wider range of people now and not be looked at funny when I mention them.
I think what you are discussing is valid, however I disagree with your implementation. While there are certainly some compromises that need to be made to get the MMO and FPS crowds to merge...I think what sets most FPS apart is the twitch skill required. While it is certainly interesting to combine the strategic elements of MMO games with the twitch of FPS, the reason skilled players like FPS is because even if they have a knife and the other guy has the uber weapon of killing, all it takes is one good knife hit to the head and they're down. Sure, a higher level person might have access to more things than me, but I don't want to be unable to kill him just because he has an ungodly number of hitpoints.
In terms of worldspace, i totally agree. And what i'd like to see (but would never happen in my lifetime) is a massive world with dynamically deformable terrain. When the game goes live, everything is pristine. And you can travel between cities and such. But over time as war progresses and people try to control different cities and territories, the war takes its toll on the landscape and cityscape. Buildings would remain with whatever damage someone did to them. Merchants might be driven out. And they could be rebuilt as well.
The other thing i'd REALLy like to see is for someone to have a game with a much larger flight ceiling. How cool would it be to be fighting in a space battle, and then take your boarding party in a shuttle craft directly down to the planet with no load times. Or can you say orbital bombardment from a capital ship in real time as the battle is being waged? And not just the simulated airstrike in BF2...I'm talking real players in gunner seats on ships shooting the main guns down to the planet surface.
Interesting point. Allow me to expand upon my original post...
Popups, banner ads, and all the annoying flash crap out there are visual. Thus, they are considered part of a website's aesthetic. I would pose that if you were to compare the "shadiness" factor of websites with and without all those ads (some of shady content themselves), I am confident you would find a correlation between the amount and quality of the ads on the site. Thus the aesthetics of the website do have some bearing on the quality of content, at least in a majority of instances.
My other point is that you seem to forget that humans make snap judgements about the whole of something based on aesthetics alone in other realms as well. Take attraction for example. Yes, a large part of being attracted to someone can be their personality (ie. quality of the content) but you don't see that initially when you first meet them. You see what they look like. But this is not as good an example as my previous one since you are quite correct that looks can be deceiving, especially in the matter of sexual attraction.
I don't buy it. Yes, it takes a while for new concepts to pop up, but I'd hardly say the genre is at a standstill. BF2 didn't appear overnight.
People are making good strides with fantasy FPS, and couple that with things like the vastly improved PVP in WoW and peoples obsession with that...I think we're just on the verge of seeing a good MMOFPS that will be what Planetside SHOULD HAVE been.
Well, let me be the first to say "Duh, of course we do."
Having all this information at our fingertips is awe-inspiring, yet completely useless if we can't sort through it properly. That's why companies like Google and datamining companies make so much money.
As society and people evolve to adapt to the new technology, we build our "defenses" against bad information. We have so much to go through that unless we are able to filter out bad information that quickly, we'll never get anywhere. Not to mention the fact that in this day and age of spyware/adware, plagiarism, virii and big brother everybody needs to learn what information to avoid.
Getting started with RFID
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RFID Cookware
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· Score: 1
Ok, so I really wanted to create an RFID product, since it seems like such a useful thing, but I have no idea where to get started with manufacturers or suppliers. Can anybody recommend some resources? What I've basically planned to do (and will use this post as prior art if necessary) is create a home tracking system for things in your house that you can sync up to a cellphone or a computer and basically locate things instantaneously.
Can anybody offer suggestions?
Re:Good for Gourmet Cooks
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RFID Cookware
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· Score: 1
That was exactly what I was thinking. For those not aware...certain foods, particularly french ones, tend to require exact timing and temperatures so as not to ruin it. Pretty much all egg recipes could benefit from this, as could crepes, sauces, and anything else that requires such accuracy.
Of course...the chefs serious enough to care about those things, such as myself, are typically at a culinary skill level where they do just fine without expensive gadgets. Although the industrial kitchens of restaurants are always looking for a way to prevent ingredient loss and improve efficiency.
"Which would you rather have? An iPod, or a phone with an iPod built in?"
The reason it is necessary to integrate is because people are getting sick of lugging around all their gadgets, yet at the same time are living in a society where they want to have instant access to them at all times.
People want instantaneous communication with their friends/family. So they need a phone. People want instantaneous access to their entire music library. So they need an iPod. People want to take pictures and video whenever they find an opportune moment. So they need a camera and video recorder. People want instantaneous access to information. So they need the internet.
Now, think about those things I listed, and imagine how much crap you'd have to carry in terms of gadgets in order to do each of those tasks. THAT is why people want convergence for the most part.
Now, I'm not saying I'd rather have convergence at the expense...but there's also a big part of me that just wants access to everything in the palm of my hand.
I've never been great at math and haven't taken it since high school (thank you art college!)...but I've wanted to give it another shot, having never taken calculus. I was wondering if anybody could recommend some books on algebra and calculus for adults. Preferably a visual guide since just reading about numbers does not work for me. I need visual representations.
"I don't understand why they would have to pay royalties if they're mixing from mp3s when they had to pay for it. "
The same reason radio broadcasters have to pay fees for playing a song on the air. When they purchase the music, they purchase it for themselves. Apparently the industry thinks (and have twisted the laws in support) that if you play the music for someone else, you need to pay them for that too. No free rides!
Unfortunately...I really think they chose the wrong group of people to go after. I see DJs as the "librarians" of music. They will fight for free use of the music like you wouldn't believe, since a large portion of their profession relies on it. Not to mention the fact that this will just encourage more underground parties where DJs won't give a rats ass about paying any sort of fee for this.
Interesting point...however Google's interface design does not really compare to their new products glut. It is a given that as the company evolves, they will find out more ways to utilize their service. The key is to make all of those interoperate with basically the same clean and uncluttered interface that made them what they are.
In fact, the only way for them to stay competitive is to be able to do increasingly complex things with their technology. The reason Google is on top is because not only are they able to do these increasingly complex things, but they have thus far been able to do it with an interface that is so simple it blows everything out of the water.
Slashdot Mirror
No offense, but you're trying to have your cake and eat it to. The assumption is...you are selling them this information and saying "yes, these are MY habits" and would be compensated for the loss of privacy.
What you're suggesting would never be feasible because it simply isn't worth it to a company to pay you for anonymous information.
I don't see what that is scary that they asked you this. If they are in finance...they most likely have to calculate a LOT of percentages, and were probably just inquiring for a way to simplify their task.
Um...don't use the service and purchase a regular ticket? Just a guess.....
Well...aside from the excellent reasons you mentioned in your post...Slashdot subscribers have one DAMN GOOD reason for caring and making a big deal about it. They pay for it. If there is something wrong with the site, rather than blowing it off as you just did Taco, you should respect the fact that you have an obligation to your paying customers (of which I am not I admit) to make corrections and improve the quality of the site. Not to mention the fact that if people started seeing these sorts of improvements, they may be more enticed to fork up the money for a subscription. I can't even count how many people have pointed to spelling/grammar and dupes as the sole reason they haven't subscribed.
While what you said points out the hilarity of the situation, I'd also like to note that it REALLY depends on the companies/media/product involved and who has more leverage.
For example, if Coke really wanted to be in a certain scene of a movie, they might play for product placement. However if a low budget movie wanted to use Coke prominently in their movie, they very well might have to pay licensing fees since Coke would get a better ROI by having them pay directly as opposed to any benefits they might get from the product placement.
It is a really tricky negotiation game, but I hope that explains a bit why it is so complex.
Of course, neither you nor I are in a place to make an accurate statement about that because honestly, how are we to know how much they make? Not to mention that they may have other sources of income (geeks are more likely to invest their money than non-geeks).
Before, in the tech boom, people thought it was cool to be a geek because if you were good with computers, you must make a lot of money, and people don't want to work, so they want to be married to someone who makes a lot.
Nowadays people are actually interested in what we geeks are as opposed to just our earning potential (however misinformed they may be about that).
And yes, I realize there are many people who are attracted to these things because they're suddenly "cool", but many stayed away from them in the past because of the stigma that was attached to them. That stigma is fast disappearing.
So while we don't get to feel all special because we're into the things that are now mainstream, I for one welcome it. I'm excited that I get to enjoy my hobbies with a wider range of people now and not be looked at funny when I mention them.
In terms of worldspace, i totally agree. And what i'd like to see (but would never happen in my lifetime) is a massive world with dynamically deformable terrain. When the game goes live, everything is pristine. And you can travel between cities and such. But over time as war progresses and people try to control different cities and territories, the war takes its toll on the landscape and cityscape. Buildings would remain with whatever damage someone did to them. Merchants might be driven out. And they could be rebuilt as well.
The other thing i'd REALLy like to see is for someone to have a game with a much larger flight ceiling. How cool would it be to be fighting in a space battle, and then take your boarding party in a shuttle craft directly down to the planet with no load times. Or can you say orbital bombardment from a capital ship in real time as the battle is being waged? And not just the simulated airstrike in BF2...I'm talking real players in gunner seats on ships shooting the main guns down to the planet surface.
Popups, banner ads, and all the annoying flash crap out there are visual. Thus, they are considered part of a website's aesthetic. I would pose that if you were to compare the "shadiness" factor of websites with and without all those ads (some of shady content themselves), I am confident you would find a correlation between the amount and quality of the ads on the site. Thus the aesthetics of the website do have some bearing on the quality of content, at least in a majority of instances.
My other point is that you seem to forget that humans make snap judgements about the whole of something based on aesthetics alone in other realms as well. Take attraction for example. Yes, a large part of being attracted to someone can be their personality (ie. quality of the content) but you don't see that initially when you first meet them. You see what they look like. But this is not as good an example as my previous one since you are quite correct that looks can be deceiving, especially in the matter of sexual attraction.
People are making good strides with fantasy FPS, and couple that with things like the vastly improved PVP in WoW and peoples obsession with that...I think we're just on the verge of seeing a good MMOFPS that will be what Planetside SHOULD HAVE been.
Having all this information at our fingertips is awe-inspiring, yet completely useless if we can't sort through it properly. That's why companies like Google and datamining companies make so much money.
As society and people evolve to adapt to the new technology, we build our "defenses" against bad information. We have so much to go through that unless we are able to filter out bad information that quickly, we'll never get anywhere. Not to mention the fact that in this day and age of spyware/adware, plagiarism, virii and big brother everybody needs to learn what information to avoid.
Can anybody offer suggestions?
Of course...the chefs serious enough to care about those things, such as myself, are typically at a culinary skill level where they do just fine without expensive gadgets. Although the industrial kitchens of restaurants are always looking for a way to prevent ingredient loss and improve efficiency.
The reason it is necessary to integrate is because people are getting sick of lugging around all their gadgets, yet at the same time are living in a society where they want to have instant access to them at all times.
People want instantaneous communication with their friends/family. So they need a phone.
People want instantaneous access to their entire music library. So they need an iPod.
People want to take pictures and video whenever they find an opportune moment. So they need a camera and video recorder.
People want instantaneous access to information. So they need the internet.
Now, think about those things I listed, and imagine how much crap you'd have to carry in terms of gadgets in order to do each of those tasks. THAT is why people want convergence for the most part.
Now, I'm not saying I'd rather have convergence at the expense...but there's also a big part of me that just wants access to everything in the palm of my hand.
The same reason radio broadcasters have to pay fees for playing a song on the air. When they purchase the music, they purchase it for themselves. Apparently the industry thinks (and have twisted the laws in support) that if you play the music for someone else, you need to pay them for that too. No free rides!
Unfortunately...I really think they chose the wrong group of people to go after. I see DJs as the "librarians" of music. They will fight for free use of the music like you wouldn't believe, since a large portion of their profession relies on it. Not to mention the fact that this will just encourage more underground parties where DJs won't give a rats ass about paying any sort of fee for this.
In fact, the only way for them to stay competitive is to be able to do increasingly complex things with their technology. The reason Google is on top is because not only are they able to do these increasingly complex things, but they have thus far been able to do it with an interface that is so simple it blows everything out of the water.