If the problem is that the system won't power on, then remove the hard drive.
That's all well and good if you have a Thinkpad (such as my x60, which requires removing one screw), but what if you have an iBook (such as my old 12" G4, which requires removing 41 screws of various types including Torx, prying apart the fragile plastic case, and takes 17 steps to describe)? Geek Squad itself isn't technically capable enough to accomplish that (and especially not the dumbasses at the in-store service desk), let alone a random end-user. So what do you suggest then (and "don't buy a Mac" is not a valid answer, because a reasonable, normal person would already have it before encountering the problem)?
Yeah, and that "stringing her along" bit is really where the difference is: if she'd known from the beginning that the repair was going to take a long time (or, as in this case, that the laptop would be gone completely), she could have acquired a new laptop to get her work done. But if they were constantly telling her "oh, you'll get your computer back soon," then she'd think it wasn't worth buying (or even leasing) a new computer for just a few days of use. Then she suddenly realizes it's been three months and she hasn't gotten any work done because the whole time she was expecting her laptop to be ready Real Soon Now.
What are you, an idiot? Not only are you losing because the onus is on you, not me, to provide a coherent argument first, you can't even think up original rhetoric and instead try to copy me! Pathetic.
Someone else has already posted about the difficult of actually doing anything with this labour-intensive method of growing stuff.
Oh, great. "Somebody, somewhere, refuted your argument, but I'm not going to tell you who or where because I'm too cowardly to give you a chance to respond to it." Thanks a bunch!
If the vegetarian lobby can come up with a good way for me to grow crops on a rocky 1-in-7 hillside covered in thin squelchy peat, then great, I'll try it.
Now, I'm not a member of the "vegetarian lobby," and I don't have any problem whatsoever with you herding meat animals on your hill. But don't be stupid, please.
It'll be -10 degrees and high winds (it would be -11 except for the global warming)
Global warming doesn't mean all temperatures rise uniformly. What it means is that there's more extremes and volatility. In other words, instead of being slightly colder without global warming in your example, it might have been warmer and without the high winds!
You are artificially impoverishing yourself for no reason. How does it make sense to deprive yourself so you can die with a tiny bit of extra money in the bank or oil in the ground? Will you go to environmental heaven if you sacrifice enough?
Well, if you want to be a selfish asshole about it... but some of the rest of us care about not screwing over our children!
Okay, so the problem is basically "the big bad evil monopoly"?
Yes, with particular emphasis on the fact that the monopoly is government-supported through right-of-way and (historically, at least) subsidies.
I'm looking at their pricing page right now and I just can't bring myself to call $38.99 "bad".
It's not the price, per se, that I'm upset about. It's the fact that they were mandated to provide naked DSL and have effectively weaseled out of it. And the reason they were able to do that is because they have a monopoly, with enough power that not even the government can keep them under control. But that's not the only aspect of it that I'm upset about. In fact, things like warrantless wiretaps are what I'm more upset about,just like how I'm more upset about Comcast's RST forging than I am about the lag spikes and bad service.
I don't see any reason why you can't sign up for 6Mbit DSL without bothering with any regular phone line.
Hah! Well, here's the reason: they're a fucking monopoly, so they give you the "choice" of phone service + DSL for $X per month, or naked DSL only for $X per month -- the prices are equally bad whether you choose to get phone service or not!
Update: I just called Earthlink, and they do not offer any broadband services -- not even DSL. All they have is bullshit satellite crap, which doesn't even count as broadband.
FIOS is a God-damned lie! It doesn't exist, at least not here, and I see no indication that it ever will exist. So all you jerks pushing FIOS are wasting your breath.
I live in the third largest city in the South -- Atlanta -- and I have no option to get FIOS. And that's within the city limits, not even in a suburb! So tell you what: STFU about FIOS, because as far as I'm concerned it's total vaporware.
Hi, So I wonder, if they start throttling file sharing, will it improve the experience (reduce network latency) on sensitive apps like gaming and VoIP?
All I know is that I'm a Comcast subscriber, and I can't play any games because I get huge lag spikes (and/or dropped packets) every few minutes, depending on the time of day. Specifically, it'll be consistently fine (e.g. 50 ms or so) and then drop every packet it sends in a several-second-long interval.
Now, I don't think this has anything to do with the RST packets. However, it's really pissing me off because I've had two techs out so far (plus one who failed to show up) and it's not fixed yet, so I'm going to use it as fuel for the "let's bitch about Comcast" fire anyway.
Slashdot Mirror
That's all well and good if you have a Thinkpad (such as my x60, which requires removing one screw), but what if you have an iBook (such as my old 12" G4, which requires removing 41 screws of various types including Torx, prying apart the fragile plastic case, and takes 17 steps to describe)? Geek Squad itself isn't technically capable enough to accomplish that (and especially not the dumbasses at the in-store service desk), let alone a random end-user. So what do you suggest then (and "don't buy a Mac" is not a valid answer, because a reasonable, normal person would already have it before encountering the problem)?
Like Slashdot!
Yeah, and that "stringing her along" bit is really where the difference is: if she'd known from the beginning that the repair was going to take a long time (or, as in this case, that the laptop would be gone completely), she could have acquired a new laptop to get her work done. But if they were constantly telling her "oh, you'll get your computer back soon," then she'd think it wasn't worth buying (or even leasing) a new computer for just a few days of use. Then she suddenly realizes it's been three months and she hasn't gotten any work done because the whole time she was expecting her laptop to be ready Real Soon Now.
What are you, an idiot? Not only are you losing because the onus is on you, not me, to provide a coherent argument first, you can't even think up original rhetoric and instead try to copy me! Pathetic.
Too late. I challenged you first.
If it's not absurd, you don't need "ardor and faith" to believe it!
Oh, great. "Somebody, somewhere, refuted your argument, but I'm not going to tell you who or where because I'm too cowardly to give you a chance to respond to it." Thanks a bunch!
[citation needed]
That's not a fix. That's a workaround, and a shitty one at that! The real fix is to destroy the TSA, and get our civil liberties back!
None, if the lawnmower and chemical processes were run on biofuel too!
It's called a terrace.
Now, I'm not a member of the "vegetarian lobby," and I don't have any problem whatsoever with you herding meat animals on your hill. But don't be stupid, please.
Global warming doesn't mean all temperatures rise uniformly. What it means is that there's more extremes and volatility. In other words, instead of being slightly colder without global warming in your example, it might have been warmer and without the high winds!
Well, if you want to be a selfish asshole about it... but some of the rest of us care about not screwing over our children!
Yes, with particular emphasis on the fact that the monopoly is government-supported through right-of-way and (historically, at least) subsidies.
It's not the price, per se, that I'm upset about. It's the fact that they were mandated to provide naked DSL and have effectively weaseled out of it. And the reason they were able to do that is because they have a monopoly, with enough power that not even the government can keep them under control. But that's not the only aspect of it that I'm upset about. In fact, things like warrantless wiretaps are what I'm more upset about,just like how I'm more upset about Comcast's RST forging than I am about the lag spikes and bad service.
The bottom line is, it's an issue of principle.
Indeed, I'm using a desktop with a wired Ethernet connection. Thanks anyway, though.
When I say "not available," I mean that they do not serve my address.
Hah! Well, here's the reason: they're a fucking monopoly, so they give you the "choice" of phone service + DSL for $X per month, or naked DSL only for $X per month -- the prices are equally bad whether you choose to get phone service or not!
Update: I just called Earthlink, and they do not offer any broadband services -- not even DSL. All they have is bullshit satellite crap, which doesn't even count as broadband.
Speakeasy is not available here. Believe me, I checked. Try again!
And if FIOS isn't available, and you don't have a landline? What then?
Name one. No, seriously. Name a broadband ISP in Atlanta that doesn't screw with their customers' connections. I dare you!
FIOS is a God-damned lie! It doesn't exist, at least not here, and I see no indication that it ever will exist. So all you jerks pushing FIOS are wasting your breath.
Because my choices are apparently AT&T DSL, Earthlink DSL, or dial-up. And I don't even have a landline!
So, you're volunteering to put up the startup money? Thanks!
I live in the third largest city in the South -- Atlanta -- and I have no option to get FIOS. And that's within the city limits, not even in a suburb! So tell you what: STFU about FIOS, because as far as I'm concerned it's total vaporware.
All I know is that I'm a Comcast subscriber, and I can't play any games because I get huge lag spikes (and/or dropped packets) every few minutes, depending on the time of day. Specifically, it'll be consistently fine (e.g. 50 ms or so) and then drop every packet it sends in a several-second-long interval.
Now, I don't think this has anything to do with the RST packets. However, it's really pissing me off because I've had two techs out so far (plus one who failed to show up) and it's not fixed yet, so I'm going to use it as fuel for the "let's bitch about Comcast" fire anyway.
But you can buy X60-series (if you want to pay the price); they went back to 2.5".