They argue that many water shortages could simply be solved by better conservation of existing supplies.
...Showing their real aim is not conserving resources, but controling people.
I would like to know how this is modded insightful. Nowhere in that sentence is any mention of controlling people. It seems like common sense to me. The fact is, people waste water. Not out of malice, but as a result of ignorance. Watering your lawn in the middle of a summer day does little for the grass; it mostly evaporates. There are many other cases of misuse of our most precious (and unfortuanately, neglected) resource.
From the article: "The seawater will add about $50 to $75 to residents' annual water bills."
If you ask me, adding $50 to an annual water bill is more controling than promoting conservation. For $40 million, the city could probably afford to outfit every citizen with a cistern of some sort to use for watering lawns and cars. Hell, depending on how many people live there, it might even be cost-effective to just buy the whole town efficient washing machines (the sideways kind.)
Once we are used to having it on demand, it's kinda hard to think about conserving.
There is a two-pronged approach to dealing situation.
1. Raise water rates drastically over a certain basic usage level. (In effect, taxing excessive lawn watering, car washing , etc.)
2. Heavily promote conservation techniques such as rainwater harvesting and low-water washers. Offer tax credits, free workshops, whatever.
I think you'd find that conservation would get a bit more attention then.
The thing is, iPhoto is part of the operating system. I know that it's actually seperate, but the fact remains that an OS X system works extremely well without any additional work. Drag a photo from iPhoto on to the Photshop icon in the dock--boom--you're editing with power. iMovie syncs beautifully with iTunes, iPhoto and iDVD. I'll admit that the finder pisses me off sometimes but Pathfinder is an excellent substitute.
The thing is, you don't really have to hunt down programs that will enhance your user experience with the mac. Options are out there if you want, but what comes in the box works remarkably well. And, as other posters have mentioned, help and man are available if you want them.
They may have such a package but it's not advertised on their website. I can pick up most channels with an antenna just fine (even MTV2!) I'm leaning towards DirecTV. They have a Tivo box for $99 and their monthly service is $43. Then again, I may just forgo subscription television and continue to rent movies from Netflix and my local independent video store. Most of TV is crap and I have a ton of Simpsons tapes and Family Guy DVDs. Tivo would be cool though; I'm sure that I could find a few hours of good programing a week on the 100+ channels that are offered.
Sorry to reply to my own post, but I wanted to clarify that the starter package is for TV service. Cable internet would be an additional 42.99 + fees and tax. I would gladly pay $50 for a 35mbps connection. Then, if I wanted, I could subscribe to individual "channels." There would be plenty of free stuff, but some niche channels would command a premium. Imagine IMDB connected with links to pay and watch movies. Damn!
Of course, this could also pave the way for independent producers to make a living, or at least cover costs for their works. We have already seen an explosion of DIY porn sites. With Final Cut Pro and relatively cheap DV cameras, the market could explode into other realms -documentaries, music videos-you name it.
And of course, we may see a rise in video blogging. Current blogs serve as filters and moderators of comment. Future blogs could help viewers sort though the myriad of news and entertainment choices. This does not bode well for corporate, authoritarian control so expect a fight. But, eventually, I think that the independent spirits of the human race will prevail.
I was talking to my friends about proposed a la carte packages after visiting comcast's web page and realizing that their starter package is 52.99. That does not include sales taxes and the inevitable fees. In that discussion, I mentioned I just want a fast data connection.
Ultimately, everyone will be better served by competition in this market. The main reason I wanted comcast was to receive the local cable access channel. Small producers like myself are budding every day. With fast data pipes, channels could proliferate. Companies like Atom Films, Project Greenlight and the like could offer premium subscription services.
In case the benefits of this aren't immediately obvious, let me add one feature the/. crowd can surely appreiciate -- cable porn. (yeah, yeah I know there's Spice and the like but this way, there could be an Indie Nudes or Suicide Girls Channel)
Ultimately, producers of content could market directly to consumers. Aggregators (like current channels) could make the process easier. Expect an explosion of creativity . . .
Why waste time working on weapons. Use your skills for good. Something like software to route food in underdeveloped nations. If this is an April's Fools post, it is quite uninspired.
$699 is alot to spend for it, but in 6 monthAnd that is exactly why I will continue to hold off on buying a PDA for another year or so. I've thought about getting a sub $100 zire for basic PDA functionality right now, but if I wait a little bit, the offerings will be truly amazing. Sure, it's like this with all electronics but the PDA market has yet to offer one product that would suit all of my needs. If only Apple came out with a revised Newton.
I sat down with garageband and created something cool within 10 minutes. The posts complaining about the lack of documentation are ill-informed. I think the Mac philosophy is very drag-and drop, click on this. While there may have been features that I didn't uncover, it seems GB's interface can be discovered quite quickly by clicking on the few buttons that exist and just playing with it. I don't remember if there was a PDF or not. That should be simple enough. Who cares about a book?
What I would really like to see is for the cable cos to just offer me the bandwidth that their equipment can provide (~30mbps?). Then, I can choose what I want to watch. Channels could market directly to consumers. Discovery Channel? That'll be $3.50 a month. ESPN? Well, that's a little pricier--$6 a month. Or, you can buy the ESPN bundle for $10.
This could promote true competition. If I found ESPN was too expensive, I could shop around for another sports feed. Even better, I may be able to watch individual shows. Often times the History Channel shows a lot of crap. I'd love to be able to watch the documentary I want--not commercials disguised as information.
The technological hurdles to such a future are rapidly being cleared. Video codecs are improving. Electronics prices continue to fall. Until we can support the producers of content directly, rather than blindly subscribing to channels who may or may not program what the individual wants, we're no better off.
Oh, and forget CSPAN. ALL open government proceedings should be taped and/or streamed for ALL citizens to view. Taxes should pay for it too. All we need to do is buy ONE less bomber this year . . .
I mostly mean stuff for kids. You know disney crap, educational games, kid's dictionaries. Stuff you would find in the juvenile section of a library.
Perhaps the movie rating annalogy wasn't apt. I simply mean a zone of content that parents of kids younger than 12 can let them freely click around without worrying about stumbling upon porn.
I much prefer another poster's suggestion (on a different story) of creating a.kids domain that is limited to pg-13 content. The internet is for adults or mature kids. If you want to censor, do it the other way around.
Why would no bother using linux for media? It's a perfectly viable option, if some of the big names made ports. At this point, I don't even want to touch commercial software, so perhaps I'm exempt from this to begin with, but to completely disqualify linux from being a viable media option on no basis is a bit harsh.
You clearly don't use your computer for serious media work. While I agree that, in theory, there's nothing stopping Linux from being viable, the reality is there is so much you cannot do. I use Final Cut Pro, After Effects and Pro Tools/Logic. Nothing on Linux compares. Eventually, I'm sure Linux will catch up with Open Source solutions AS THEY ARE TODAY. But even iMovie trumps any Linux video editor I've encountered. Audacity is fine for basic mixes but offers no where near the amount of prescision and ease of use that commercial software provides. Fine for basic demos and turning records to MP3s but not good enough for consistent, heavy production. I understand your concerns and can truly say, yes, Apple's offerings are superior to their Windows or Linux equivalents. Try it out!
You may want to seriously consider alternatives like magnatune.com and epitonic.com. There is a great deal of quality, free music. In my opinion, anything with DRM is not worth owning anyway. Seriously.
I have a hunch that like it or not, the a la carte programming is the way of the future. I can't tell you how many times I've told my friends I would pay 2-5$ a month for MTV2, Cartoon Network and Independent Film Channel. Eventually, the cable cos will be compelled by market forces to offer a 35mbps pipe to homes and networks will be plentiful. Imagine an Atom Films Network. Or a "Stupid Funny Videos" network. Soon enough (3-5 years) WE will be the content providers. All Simpsons & Family Guy network? With the right licensing, it's done. SciFi Network too limiting? Try Twilight Zonez (?) Future producers may be able to take their shows direct to public. Weird, second-run movies can be run pay per view. Give me the fat bandwidth and it's a done deal. The economics may be hazy now but the future will work it out . . .
Slashdot Mirror
If google prints money maybe I can be a googillianaire.
I would like to know how this is modded insightful. Nowhere in that sentence is any mention of controlling people. It seems like common sense to me. The fact is, people waste water. Not out of malice, but as a result of ignorance. Watering your lawn in the middle of a summer day does little for the grass; it mostly evaporates. There are many other cases of misuse of our most precious (and unfortuanately, neglected) resource.
From the article: "The seawater will add about $50 to $75 to residents' annual water bills."
If you ask me, adding $50 to an annual water bill is more controling than promoting conservation. For $40 million, the city could probably afford to outfit every citizen with a cistern of some sort to use for watering lawns and cars. Hell, depending on how many people live there, it might even be cost-effective to just buy the whole town efficient washing machines (the sideways kind.)
There is a two-pronged approach to dealing situation.
1. Raise water rates drastically over a certain basic usage level. (In effect, taxing excessive lawn watering, car washing , etc.)
2. Heavily promote conservation techniques such as rainwater harvesting and low-water washers. Offer tax credits, free workshops, whatever.
I think you'd find that conservation would get a bit more attention then.
Come on Slashdot, let's mod these bitches!!
http://opengov.media.mit.edu/ it's a a small start but, hey . . .
Were you planing to go blind?
its the inability of some people to understand how computers work
then they are not OS X gurus.
The thing is, you don't really have to hunt down programs that will enhance your user experience with the mac. Options are out there if you want, but what comes in the box works remarkably well. And, as other posters have mentioned, help and man are available if you want them.
werd
Are you being sarcastic or merely trolling? Either way you're a tool.
They may have such a package but it's not advertised on their website. I can pick up most channels with an antenna just fine (even MTV2!) I'm leaning towards DirecTV. They have a Tivo box for $99 and their monthly service is $43. Then again, I may just forgo subscription television and continue to rent movies from Netflix and my local independent video store. Most of TV is crap and I have a ton of Simpsons tapes and Family Guy DVDs. Tivo would be cool though; I'm sure that I could find a few hours of good programing a week on the 100+ channels that are offered.
Of course, this could also pave the way for independent producers to make a living, or at least cover costs for their works. We have already seen an explosion of DIY porn sites. With Final Cut Pro and relatively cheap DV cameras, the market could explode into other realms -documentaries, music videos-you name it.
And of course, we may see a rise in video blogging. Current blogs serve as filters and moderators of comment. Future blogs could help viewers sort though the myriad of news and entertainment choices. This does not bode well for corporate, authoritarian control so expect a fight. But, eventually, I think that the independent spirits of the human race will prevail.
Ultimately, everyone will be better served by competition in this market. The main reason I wanted comcast was to receive the local cable access channel. Small producers like myself are budding every day. With fast data pipes, channels could proliferate. Companies like Atom Films, Project Greenlight and the like could offer premium subscription services.
In case the benefits of this aren't immediately obvious, let me add one feature the /. crowd can surely appreiciate -- cable porn. (yeah, yeah I know there's Spice and the like but this way, there could be an Indie Nudes or Suicide Girls Channel)
Ultimately, producers of content could market directly to consumers. Aggregators (like current channels) could make the process easier. Expect an explosion of creativity . . .
Are you saying she's imaginary? ; )
Why waste time working on weapons. Use your skills for good. Something like software to route food in underdeveloped nations. If this is an April's Fools post, it is quite uninspired.
$699 is alot to spend for it, but in 6 monthAnd that is exactly why I will continue to hold off on buying a PDA for another year or so. I've thought about getting a sub $100 zire for basic PDA functionality right now, but if I wait a little bit, the offerings will be truly amazing. Sure, it's like this with all electronics but the PDA market has yet to offer one product that would suit all of my needs. If only Apple came out with a revised Newton.
I sat down with garageband and created something cool within 10 minutes. The posts complaining about the lack of documentation are ill-informed. I think the Mac philosophy is very drag-and drop, click on this. While there may have been features that I didn't uncover, it seems GB's interface can be discovered quite quickly by clicking on the few buttons that exist and just playing with it. I don't remember if there was a PDF or not. That should be simple enough. Who cares about a book?
This could promote true competition. If I found ESPN was too expensive, I could shop around for another sports feed. Even better, I may be able to watch individual shows. Often times the History Channel shows a lot of crap. I'd love to be able to watch the documentary I want--not commercials disguised as information.
The technological hurdles to such a future are rapidly being cleared. Video codecs are improving. Electronics prices continue to fall. Until we can support the producers of content directly, rather than blindly subscribing to channels who may or may not program what the individual wants, we're no better off.
Oh, and forget CSPAN. ALL open government proceedings should be taped and/or streamed for ALL citizens to view. Taxes should pay for it too. All we need to do is buy ONE less bomber this year . . .
Perhaps the movie rating annalogy wasn't apt. I simply mean a zone of content that parents of kids younger than 12 can let them freely click around without worrying about stumbling upon porn.
I much prefer another poster's suggestion (on a different story) of creating a .kids domain that is limited to pg-13 content. The internet is for adults or mature kids. If you want to censor, do it the other way around.
I deleted some extraneous Keystation drivers in MIDI Setup Utility and all is well . . .
I just updated and now Reason won't recognize my M-Audio usb keyboard (Core MIDI error). Aaaarrrgggh!! Beware . . .
You clearly don't use your computer for serious media work. While I agree that, in theory, there's nothing stopping Linux from being viable, the reality is there is so much you cannot do. I use Final Cut Pro, After Effects and Pro Tools/Logic. Nothing on Linux compares. Eventually, I'm sure Linux will catch up with Open Source solutions AS THEY ARE TODAY. But even iMovie trumps any Linux video editor I've encountered. Audacity is fine for basic mixes but offers no where near the amount of prescision and ease of use that commercial software provides. Fine for basic demos and turning records to MP3s but not good enough for consistent, heavy production. I understand your concerns and can truly say, yes, Apple's offerings are superior to their Windows or Linux equivalents. Try it out!
You may want to seriously consider alternatives like magnatune.com and epitonic.com. There is a great deal of quality, free music. In my opinion, anything with DRM is not worth owning anyway. Seriously.
I have a hunch that like it or not, the a la carte programming is the way of the future. I can't tell you how many times I've told my friends I would pay 2-5$ a month for MTV2, Cartoon Network and Independent Film Channel. Eventually, the cable cos will be compelled by market forces to offer a 35mbps pipe to homes and networks will be plentiful. Imagine an Atom Films Network. Or a "Stupid Funny Videos" network. Soon enough (3-5 years) WE will be the content providers. All Simpsons & Family Guy network? With the right licensing, it's done. SciFi Network too limiting? Try Twilight Zonez (?) Future producers may be able to take their shows direct to public. Weird, second-run movies can be run pay per view. Give me the fat bandwidth and it's a done deal. The economics may be hazy now but the future will work it out . . .