"You're serious? No dipstick? I'm surrounded by freaking idiots. Forget what I said about idiot lights. Good God Almighty."
Why isn't there a idiot light for oil level? If the dipstick and show empty/full, can't a idiot light come on showing low oil levels? Pulling on a dipstick in 2009 is stupid. Does anyone check oil levels when they're getting gas? I've never seen anyone pop the hood and check the oil level. New cars even have idiot lights for low tire pressure, so where's the low oil light already?
"Holy crap as you all serious? you are dismissing it because it isn't on its own tracks? You are all stupid."
Sorry but you have to have a track to be a model train: "Model railroading (US) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale, or ratio." So no track = no model train.... sry HTML link isn't working, just see the wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport
This is kinda like your friend telling you he bought a new convertible and you run out to see it and he hands you a matchbox car. Sure, technically it's a "new convertible", but it's a serious misrepresentation.
"I'm starting to think that the whole SSD market is a prime example of the modern corporate development mentality of pawning off beta testing to the general public. "
and how much energy goes into tossing the "old" stuff into the trash and creating all new?
If he was building his first server and trying to make it as efficient as possible I'd be all for it, but tossing what works to buy all new just to save a few watts is a waste. Besides a 100w server is already pretty efficient given our current technology, only way he would beat that is going with a laptop which typically draw 15 to 45 watts.
Even if going to a new system would save $70 a year, how much would a new system cost? $300? So it would take 4 yrs just to pay off. My advice? Go with a old p3 laptop with external USB drives or forget the whole thing because it's not really that cost effective.
And when he says "TV shows", he means all TV shows, not just the current crap you're offering, or the 3 episodes of family guy or simpsons. I wanna see all 18 seasons of Simpsons available.
Also, why are they charging again? Don't they run commercials?
"Think of it this way. I car dealer gets me inside a car, to give it a try in the parking lot just to get a feel for it (try it before you buy it). But I take off with it. Weeks later you come back with the money saying "if you thought I was stealing it, that's bullshit. I had to take it then because I really needed it (wanted it). It just took a while to get the money."
There is nothing intrinsic about these two analogies that makes them logically different if we are to follow the line of argument you are presenting here."
Think of this way. My walls of my new place are bare and I need some art. So I go to the local museum with my bajilion-pixel camera, snap some photos, and print them "poster printing" (one photo spanning several pages) and put them on my wall. I now have great works of art at home. Years later I hear the originals are being auctioned and I buy them thinking "I had to take them then because I really needed (wanted) some art for my walls, it just took awhile to get the money".
There is nothing intrinsic about these two analogies that makes them logically different if we are to follow the line of argument you are presenting here, except now we're comparing digital copy with digital copy. And don't say "Yeah but, you took a photo and printed it, that's not the same as pirating". Oh really? Am I not enjoying these paintings on my walls? How exactly is it different? Sure I can't sell my printouts but most pirates don't pirate to make $$$, they do it so they can enjoy and use something without paying for it. Am I not doing that with these paintings?
"When you have an infinite supply of games at no cost you have no reason to give any game that doesn't instantly grab you more than 5 minutes play. "
Very true. This fact has actually lead me away from pirating.
Way back in the day, the Dreamcast had no disc checking so anyone with a CD burner could be a pirate, but having nearly every dreamcast game caused the games to have no value and I had little interest in playing a game for more than a few minutes. Playstation 2 was a little harder, I started with a swap disc and eventually went to a hard drive method, but ended up spending more $$$ on circumventing the protection than I paid for the PS2, and again I became bored with the games much quicker than I would have had I actually purchased them. Not only that, but I wasted many hours finding, downloading, burning or transferring games to the systems, far more time then I actually spent playing, and figured I would have actually saved money renting games and buying the ones I really wanted from ebay.
The only modern gaming system that has it right is the iPod Touch. Thousands of free game demos and when you're ready to buy most games are a dollar or two. Despite owning a Wii and PS3 I spend far more time and $$$ on the iPod Touch. I haven't even bothered seeking out a method of pirating on the Touch because the games are so cheap and instantly accessible without driving anywhere.
There are a few things I'd like to see them develop. I do wish the App Store allowed videos of the apps so I could see them in action before downloading. I also wish there was a online rental method for console games. PS3 is great about downloading demos but demos never do the game justice, usually being custom created just as a demo and only including the best parts of the full game. Along with the free demo I'd love a $7 option to play the full game for 5 days just like blockbuster offers. I'm really not sure why this doesn't exist, after all that business model has worked wonderful for pay per view and Netflix.
"The "try before you buy" excuse that people give as a reason to pirate (very popular here at Slashdot) has always been a steaming pile of bullshit"
Maybe people didn't think the game was worth the $$$ after trying it? $4 for a game on App Store is pretty high for a independent developer, that's up there with EA Games pricing.
I think joysticks are the wrong way to go. Give me a PS2 controller and I'm good, but make sure it's wired because I'd hate to accidentally bring it inside and grab the wrong controller and wreck my car.
"it was pretty much certain this new game would get some form of DRM."
Doesn't matter, people will find a way around it, but I'm glad they're offering a way to pay for it because I, like many others, found other means of obtaining the game. Many times I've downloaded something and though "hey, this is pretty nice, but not worth the $$$$ they're charging but I wish I could give them something to show my appreciation." So I just donated, not $20 but not $2 either, can't believe most people think they only got $2 worth of enjoyment out of it.
I think all companies should do this with all forms of media like movies, tv shows, music, and software. Just a "hey if you like our software please leave a tip" kind of thing. Even if you think your DRM is fool-proof and no one could possibly ever steal it.... put the donation up anyway, and allow them to fill out a survey because that provides valuable feedback.
"And no, I didn't want a bailout for GM or the banks either."
yeah i'm still wondering where "The government has bailed out homeowners" came from. They did? I own a home, where's my check? I didn't get a dime. HELLO GOV'T? Recent college graduate Steven Lee says you guys owe me a check!!! GOV'T are you listening?
"Yes, because clearly paying taxes isn't a return on the government's investment."
you pay taxes whether you went to college or not, although I do like your idea, get a college loan and you don't have to pay taxes! Ya! All the well-educated rich people don't pay taxes, keep screwing the poor idiots!
"I think the loans are one thing but tuition rates are a larger issue. "
tuition prices are so high because kids keep getting approved for loans. I imagine schools might someday see the same thing the housing market has recently if the prices keep going up faster than inflation. Can't sustain that forever.
"the Supreme Court has ruled that the right to Free Speech is not absolute, but the prosecution of a girl for calling another girl names over a dispute over a boy? A matter for parents and possibly high school guidance counselors, or on the rare outside case for a psychiatrist, but not for the courts."
RTFA: "Details of the incident weren't made available, but police say the harassment went on for a few months and involved a dispute over a boy."
"Toyota's marketing campaign was in POOR taste, although one wonders why she never reported it to the police.
I think giving her 10 million seems high"
ya think? Also strange that this happened Spring 2008, and now a lawsuit is being filed.
"Duick claims she was ridiculed by those she contacted about the fictitious man from England after they found out it was a prank, but to her it was no laughing matter."
I'm thinking those neighbors, friends and family are going to be ridiculing you a bit more when they find out you decided to sue for 10 million dollars. I can imagine a few Dr Evil 10 million dollar comments.
"Her attorney, Nick Tepper, said the Matrix campaign was similar to "Punk'd" a former MTV show"
And just like the Punk'd show no one should be sued. If she was scared she should have called the police.
Myself and several family members have received death threats through Myspace by a local adult male, an acquaintance of an acquaintance. When police were contacted they said "Sorry, can't do anything, the threats are online". Nothing happened. Never though to sue for 10 million dollars, but judging from the guy's myspace he didn't even have enough $ to pay the legal fees so it'd be a waste.
"Wifi direct will be great for printers and the like...."
....and cameras and camcorders: imagine a endless storage 1080i HDTV camcorder. That dinky 60gb built-in hard drive full after 6 hrs? No problem: with Wi-Fi Direct just fire up your laptop and stream the video straight to your multi-terabyte hard drive for hundreds of hours of full HD video bliss. Done taking photos of little timmy's b-day? Photos transferred straight to your PC already without a special expensive SD card like eye-fi. You can even select which photos to print out on your camera and have them printed without even touching your PC.
"What excites me about this is something I've thought about for a while and mentioned once or twice here -- peer to peer telephony. If it got big enough we could put the cell companies out of business."
do you even know what you're talking about? After the "iPhone only cell phone with wifi" comment I'm starting to wonder if you didn't just buy your low 5-digit slashdot account.
You might be able to call someone in the other room with peer to peer, but exactly how would this work across the country when you can't even drive cross country and maintain a simple wi-fi connection when 802.11a/b has been out for 10 years now and 802.11g for 6?. But sure, if this got big enough in 20+ years and everyone was dumb enough to let anyone access their phone (you don't secure your wifi router, right?) maybe then the cell companies would be out of business and we can ice skate in hell.
Just about every smartphone that exists offers a version with built-in wifi, but the fact that a/. reader thought the iPhone is the only cell phone with wifi just means Apple Marketing is doing a helluva good job.
"If you don't has a trust fund, but have connections, it's pretty much the same thing nowadays." **
**citation needed
How is that even close to the same thing? Knowing someone vs having a million dollar trust fund aren't even on the same level. Since they're the same, I'm guessing if given the option of million dollar trust fund vs knowing (NAME ANYONE YOU LIKE) you'd have no problem turning down the fund? I'm thinking once you have the million dollars you are the connection that people want to know. "My buddy has a million dollar trust fund" is better than "My buddy knows _________"
"He might not have had the money in a trust fund but there's someone who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth if ever I saw one."
Sure, but I'm sure you know someone with parents that have money yet they're still nothing.
Besides the point was there was no trust fund. Having rich parents vs having a million dollar trust fund are very different things. Parents $$$ != Your $$$
"Maybe you're the one who should research Bill Gates. He may have spent a lot of time on Microsoft, but he was rich before he started--he had a million dollar a year trust fund when he went to Harvard. He was born into money."***
***citation required
bill gates bio: "According to the 1992 biography Hard Drive, Maxwell set up a million-dollar trust fund for Gates the year he was born. Gates commented on this claim in a 1994 interview with Playboy:
PLAYBOY: Did you have a million-dollar trust fund while you were at Harvard?
GATES: Not true. . . . . My parents are very successful, and I went to the nicest private school in the Seattle area. I was lucky. But I never had any trust funds of any kind, though my dad did pay my tuition at Harvard, which was quite expensive."
there you have it from the horses mouth: no trust fund.
Slashdot Mirror
"You're serious? No dipstick? I'm surrounded by freaking idiots. Forget what I said about idiot lights. Good God Almighty."
Why isn't there a idiot light for oil level? If the dipstick and show empty/full, can't a idiot light come on showing low oil levels? Pulling on a dipstick in 2009 is stupid. Does anyone check oil levels when they're getting gas? I've never seen anyone pop the hood and check the oil level. New cars even have idiot lights for low tire pressure, so where's the low oil light already?
"Holy crap as you all serious? you are dismissing it because it isn't on its own tracks? You are all stupid."
Sorry but you have to have a track to be a model train: "Model railroading (US) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale, or ratio." So no track = no model train.... sry HTML link isn't working, just see the wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport
This is kinda like your friend telling you he bought a new convertible and you run out to see it and he hands you a matchbox car. Sure, technically it's a "new convertible", but it's a serious misrepresentation.
"I'm starting to think that the whole SSD market is a prime example of the modern corporate development mentality of pawning off beta testing to the general public. "
Whatever, i've never had a pro
What's with the modeling/glamour shots photo of the professor on the article?
and how much energy goes into tossing the "old" stuff into the trash and creating all new?
If he was building his first server and trying to make it as efficient as possible I'd be all for it, but tossing what works to buy all new just to save a few watts is a waste. Besides a 100w server is already pretty efficient given our current technology, only way he would beat that is going with a laptop which typically draw 15 to 45 watts.
Even if going to a new system would save $70 a year, how much would a new system cost? $300? So it would take 4 yrs just to pay off. My advice? Go with a old p3 laptop with external USB drives or forget the whole thing because it's not really that cost effective.
"to be able to download(1) TV shows"
And when he says "TV shows", he means all TV shows, not just the current crap you're offering, or the 3 episodes of family guy or simpsons. I wanna see all 18 seasons of Simpsons available.
Also, why are they charging again? Don't they run commercials?
"Think of it this way. I car dealer gets me inside a car, to give it a try in the parking lot just to get a feel for it (try it before you buy it). But I take off with it. Weeks later you come back with the money saying "if you thought I was stealing it, that's bullshit. I had to take it then because I really needed it (wanted it). It just took a while to get the money." There is nothing intrinsic about these two analogies that makes them logically different if we are to follow the line of argument you are presenting here."
Think of this way. My walls of my new place are bare and I need some art. So I go to the local museum with my bajilion-pixel camera, snap some photos, and print them "poster printing" (one photo spanning several pages) and put them on my wall. I now have great works of art at home. Years later I hear the originals are being auctioned and I buy them thinking "I had to take them then because I really needed (wanted) some art for my walls, it just took awhile to get the money".
There is nothing intrinsic about these two analogies that makes them logically different if we are to follow the line of argument you are presenting here, except now we're comparing digital copy with digital copy. And don't say "Yeah but, you took a photo and printed it, that's not the same as pirating". Oh really? Am I not enjoying these paintings on my walls? How exactly is it different? Sure I can't sell my printouts but most pirates don't pirate to make $$$, they do it so they can enjoy and use something without paying for it. Am I not doing that with these paintings?
"When you have an infinite supply of games at no cost you have no reason to give any game that doesn't instantly grab you more than 5 minutes play. "
Very true. This fact has actually lead me away from pirating.
Way back in the day, the Dreamcast had no disc checking so anyone with a CD burner could be a pirate, but having nearly every dreamcast game caused the games to have no value and I had little interest in playing a game for more than a few minutes. Playstation 2 was a little harder, I started with a swap disc and eventually went to a hard drive method, but ended up spending more $$$ on circumventing the protection than I paid for the PS2, and again I became bored with the games much quicker than I would have had I actually purchased them. Not only that, but I wasted many hours finding, downloading, burning or transferring games to the systems, far more time then I actually spent playing, and figured I would have actually saved money renting games and buying the ones I really wanted from ebay.
The only modern gaming system that has it right is the iPod Touch. Thousands of free game demos and when you're ready to buy most games are a dollar or two. Despite owning a Wii and PS3 I spend far more time and $$$ on the iPod Touch. I haven't even bothered seeking out a method of pirating on the Touch because the games are so cheap and instantly accessible without driving anywhere.
There are a few things I'd like to see them develop. I do wish the App Store allowed videos of the apps so I could see them in action before downloading. I also wish there was a online rental method for console games. PS3 is great about downloading demos but demos never do the game justice, usually being custom created just as a demo and only including the best parts of the full game. Along with the free demo I'd love a $7 option to play the full game for 5 days just like blockbuster offers. I'm really not sure why this doesn't exist, after all that business model has worked wonderful for pay per view and Netflix.
"The "try before you buy" excuse that people give as a reason to pirate (very popular here at Slashdot) has always been a steaming pile of bullshit"
Maybe people didn't think the game was worth the $$$ after trying it? $4 for a game on App Store is pretty high for a independent developer, that's up there with EA Games pricing.
"Are we talking in units of man hands or lady hands?"
her fingernails, so roughly 1/4" x 36".
Benz tried joystick cars almost 15 yrs ago at a car show, here's the pics
I think joysticks are the wrong way to go. Give me a PS2 controller and I'm good, but make sure it's wired because I'd hate to accidentally bring it inside and grab the wrong controller and wreck my car.
"it was pretty much certain this new game would get some form of DRM."
Doesn't matter, people will find a way around it, but I'm glad they're offering a way to pay for it because I, like many others, found other means of obtaining the game. Many times I've downloaded something and though "hey, this is pretty nice, but not worth the $$$$ they're charging but I wish I could give them something to show my appreciation." So I just donated, not $20 but not $2 either, can't believe most people think they only got $2 worth of enjoyment out of it.
I think all companies should do this with all forms of media like movies, tv shows, music, and software. Just a "hey if you like our software please leave a tip" kind of thing. Even if you think your DRM is fool-proof and no one could possibly ever steal it.... put the donation up anyway, and allow them to fill out a survey because that provides valuable feedback.
"And no, I didn't want a bailout for GM or the banks either."
yeah i'm still wondering where "The government has bailed out homeowners" came from. They did? I own a home, where's my check? I didn't get a dime. HELLO GOV'T? Recent college graduate Steven Lee says you guys owe me a check!!! GOV'T are you listening?
"Yes, because clearly paying taxes isn't a return on the government's investment."
you pay taxes whether you went to college or not, although I do like your idea, get a college loan and you don't have to pay taxes! Ya! All the well-educated rich people don't pay taxes, keep screwing the poor idiots!
"I think the loans are one thing but tuition rates are a larger issue. "
tuition prices are so high because kids keep getting approved for loans. I imagine schools might someday see the same thing the housing market has recently if the prices keep going up faster than inflation. Can't sustain that forever.
"the Supreme Court has ruled that the right to Free Speech is not absolute, but the prosecution of a girl for calling another girl names over a dispute over a boy? A matter for parents and possibly high school guidance counselors, or on the rare outside case for a psychiatrist, but not for the courts."
RTFA: "Details of the incident weren't made available, but police say the harassment went on for a few months and involved a dispute over a boy."
This is a bit more than just a girl posting OMG UZ STOLEZ MY BF U IZ BIATCH!!!! Also at 16 years old she's hardly a "girl", as I'm sure you heard about the 15 yr old who lit a teen on fire over $40 and laugh about it or the four teens who beat a 16 yr old bystander and honor roll student to death and recorded it on a cellphone.
I'm glad police are taking this seriously and doing something about it, teens should not be burned alive or beaten to death.
"Toyota's marketing campaign was in POOR taste, although one wonders why she never reported it to the police. I think giving her 10 million seems high"
ya think? Also strange that this happened Spring 2008, and now a lawsuit is being filed.
"Duick claims she was ridiculed by those she contacted about the fictitious man from England after they found out it was a prank, but to her it was no laughing matter."
I'm thinking those neighbors, friends and family are going to be ridiculing you a bit more when they find out you decided to sue for 10 million dollars. I can imagine a few Dr Evil 10 million dollar comments.
"Her attorney, Nick Tepper, said the Matrix campaign was similar to "Punk'd" a former MTV show"
And just like the Punk'd show no one should be sued. If she was scared she should have called the police.
Myself and several family members have received death threats through Myspace by a local adult male, an acquaintance of an acquaintance. When police were contacted they said "Sorry, can't do anything, the threats are online". Nothing happened. Never though to sue for 10 million dollars, but judging from the guy's myspace he didn't even have enough $ to pay the legal fees so it'd be a waste.
"Wifi direct will be great for printers and the like...."
....and cameras and camcorders: imagine a endless storage 1080i HDTV camcorder. That dinky 60gb built-in hard drive full after 6 hrs? No problem: with Wi-Fi Direct just fire up your laptop and stream the video straight to your multi-terabyte hard drive for hundreds of hours of full HD video bliss. Done taking photos of little timmy's b-day? Photos transferred straight to your PC already without a special expensive SD card like eye-fi. You can even select which photos to print out on your camera and have them printed without even touching your PC.
wonder why they don't make mini 802.11n dongles then? Oh wait, they do.
"What excites me about this is something I've thought about for a while and mentioned once or twice here -- peer to peer telephony. If it got big enough we could put the cell companies out of business."
do you even know what you're talking about? After the "iPhone only cell phone with wifi" comment I'm starting to wonder if you didn't just buy your low 5-digit slashdot account.
You might be able to call someone in the other room with peer to peer, but exactly how would this work across the country when you can't even drive cross country and maintain a simple wi-fi connection when 802.11a/b has been out for 10 years now and 802.11g for 6?. But sure, if this got big enough in 20+ years and everyone was dumb enough to let anyone access their phone (you don't secure your wifi router, right?) maybe then the cell companies would be out of business and we can ice skate in hell.
"Just about all cell phones have bluetooth, but I have yet to see one besides the iPhone with wifi."
/. reader thought the iPhone is the only cell phone with wifi just means Apple Marketing is doing a helluva good job.
are
you
kidding?
Just about every smartphone that exists offers a version with built-in wifi, but the fact that a
"If you don't has a trust fund, but have connections, it's pretty much the same thing nowadays." **
**citation needed
How is that even close to the same thing? Knowing someone vs having a million dollar trust fund aren't even on the same level. Since they're the same, I'm guessing if given the option of million dollar trust fund vs knowing (NAME ANYONE YOU LIKE) you'd have no problem turning down the fund? I'm thinking once you have the million dollars you are the connection that people want to know. "My buddy has a million dollar trust fund" is better than "My buddy knows _________"
"He might not have had the money in a trust fund but there's someone who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth if ever I saw one."
Sure, but I'm sure you know someone with parents that have money yet they're still nothing.
Besides the point was there was no trust fund. Having rich parents vs having a million dollar trust fund are very different things. Parents $$$ != Your $$$
"Maybe you're the one who should research Bill Gates. He may have spent a lot of time on Microsoft, but he was rich before he started--he had a million dollar a year trust fund when he went to Harvard. He was born into money."***
***citation required
bill gates bio:
"According to the 1992 biography Hard Drive, Maxwell set up a million-dollar trust fund for Gates the year he was born. Gates commented on this claim in a 1994 interview with Playboy:
PLAYBOY: Did you have a million-dollar trust fund while you were at Harvard?
GATES: Not true. . . . . My parents are very successful, and I went to the nicest private school in the Seattle area. I was lucky. But I never had any trust funds of any kind, though my dad did pay my tuition at Harvard, which was quite expensive."
there you have it from the horses mouth: no trust fund.