Actually, it looks fine with the stock linux drivers; as a relative noob I haven't had the desire (read: boredom) required to launch into compiling ATI's drivers into the kernal...
The Nanode might be a tempting DVR (analog and S-video out), but it'll be slower, in both video (Via onboard, w/shared ram vs ATI mobility) and processor (C3 at what, 1GHz still? Maybe a shade more now... vs. 1.25G4, and the G4 will outpace a same-clocked Pentium). It plays second fiddle, even if we heard about it first.
Agreed. I bought my 800MHz G4 iBook about a year ago (right before the model was dropped and 1GHz became the bottom *cry*) and its snappy as anything. It was fine when i bought it, but I cashed in some 'rewards points' on my credit card and had a 512MB stick installed at CompUSA for a net cost of about $15. Now it blazes; Tony Hawk is smooth and if I drop the settings in UT2K4, it's playable at a a decent framerate (cannot say the same for 256 MB ram...). The fan almost never comes on. I still get hours of battery life, and it'll go days if you just wake it up a couple times a day for email etc.
I have it sitting next to a nearly brand new AMD64 3000+ with 1GB RAM, SATA HD, ATI 9800 (the good one, Pro?), and Win-64/Debian. I am typing this message on the iBook, if that tells you anything.
I agree 100% that the Mac Mini is a decent deal, and that the same computer cannot be had in PC land for the same price. If you wanted a Wintel Mini, you'd better have a lot of time and experience as a machinest, because you're not gonna find a good case with a form factor like that.
But when a (knowledgable and motivated) person is looking for Wintel boxes, they will DEFINITELY save $$ by building it themselves. The parts quality will be higher, the cost will be lower. People who buy from Dell etc. are not only getting inferior parts, but they are paying a hefty convinience tax for having it built and UPS'ed. Blah blah, we are all aware of the sob story about how narrow their margins are--but the margins are there and Michael Dell & co are chuckling all the way to the bank. You can absolutely, and without a doubt, build a better Wintel gaming box or Linux box yourself dollar for dollar than purchasing through a big corp.
Create a presentation with the Powerpoint clone (can't remember the name).
Try to go full-screen.
If your idea of 'full-screen' includes a bar across the top, then you'll be fine. However, this little annoyance makes it infuriating for me to use OO.o for presentations.
And by the way, the Mac user community is well-known for happily purchasing shareware--who says they wouldn't buy a boxed opensource product? If I saw a boxed, Cocoa-ed version of OO.o for a reasonable price, I'd snap it up. OO.o for windows is a pleasure to use. Remember we aren't all surfing/. and sourceforge for all of our application needs; put it in a box, slap a $30 pricetag on it, and stick it in the campus bookstores next to that $200 (academic price!) copy of Office, and with a little word-of-mouth it'll fly off the shelves. If it's impossible to sell boxed open-source software, Redhat and Suse must be run by friggin' idiots.
Yes, those are great selling points for 90% of the population.
The same 90% that never opens the hood of their car, even to change a battery (which costs 2-3x as much if done by a service station).
User servicability is overrated from Apples' perspective. Make it a mysterious black box (or white box in this case) that just f'n works most of the time, and provide a service center for the odd chance that it doesn't. The idea of having to do "firmware updates" (as opposed to iPod's automagical updates) or tinker inside is a negative to your average, mildly computer-phobic person.
That's like saying everybody should build their own PC, because they'll get a better price and if something breaks, they should just fix it themselves. I don't think that's how Dell got to be the juggernaut that they are.
Wrong. Your iPod will play any DRM-free MP3s that you have, from any source. It will also play DRM-free tracks that you rip from your cds into iTunes (or whatever client). It will ALSO play iTunes storebought DRM'ed AAC's. You are paying the media levy tax under the assumption that you're going to go rip a bunch of your buddy's cds and dump them onto your iPod.
"...I can't give a damn about those propriatery sharing systems..."
Then you are ranting about something you have no understanding of, from a user perspective. iTunes' sharing is one of its mightiest selling points, and almost everybody that I know who uses iTunes (and we're talking people who have PCs but no iPod!!) use it a) because it just works (very well) and b) for the sharing. In fact, let me back up: I don't know anybody that has an iPod, but I know a dozen people using iTunes. And these are not slashbots or apple fanboys, in fact, most of them aren't powerusers at all. The way iTunes is set up, you DON'T HAVE TO BE a power user to find or use the power tools--they are just right there, present and working.
An entire generation of college students is turning on the computer in their dorm and finding TERABYTES of music immediately available. A couple hundred iTunes clients sharing over the LAN is a beautiful thing.
And then there's the way I use it; it is an automagical way to keep all my old mp3's and freshly ripped cds on one computer, and play them on any other in my house. All my music is on my laptop, because I don't ever do wacky things with it that could force me to do a wipe and restore. My desktop on the other hand is a toy, and I break it from time to time--but it has the good speakers. So I dl iTunes, start it, and play my music. Sure there are other ways I could do this--shared folders, blah blah blah, but this is idiot proof. And idiots make up a significant portion of the shopping public, so they really really dig this shit.
When people see the sharing tools etc, they get more curious about 'how else' they could use it--which is why Apple makes the Airport Express. "You mean I can play the stuff on my computer on any other computer? what about my stereo? Hmmmmm...."
I have built an Epia machine. The Mac Mini is a better deal.
-> It comes with a real video card unit with real video memory, and a processor that smokes (yes smokes) the C3. This isn't the shared memory video stuff Via has. Via is of course fine for a low-power email/web/DVD computer, but shows its lack of guts when you try to do ANY kind of lifting... like flash games...
-> Price a case that doesn't look like dogshit, which I found that most of the 3rd party ones do. Via's cases are nice, but they cost more than $100. So between the Epia and the Case I'm already close to $300. Don't forget 256MB of memory (at least!) for $30-$50 depending on the deal you get. Now toss in a 40 gig HD and a DVD/CD-RW and you're looking at around (or more) than $400. *Now* throw in a copy of Windows XP (OEM) and you're pushing past $500. Want Office? Drop another couple bills. And forget about iLife; I challenge you to show me equivalently functional windows software for $80. So, now you've got a slower machine that costs more and has less software. Whoopeeee.....
I hadn't thought of it until somebody started talking about stacking up Mini's into a cluster, but that's precisely what IBM is talking about doing (albeit a different processor, and with correct interconnects etc)... thoughts?
Sure it does, it has three Audio in ports and they're daisy chain-able... 2 USB2, 1 Firewire. You can go to Fry's and get an audio block for $35 and up.
Does the shuttle come with a standard laptop security slot, so that it can be locked down? Mini does, and since most of that kind of crime is crimes of convinience.... there goes that arguement:D
That's a hefty assumption... after all, my iBook can see three routers in my house, six in my buddy's house, and we have decent sized houses with big lots--I'd be surprised if I DIDN'T see more than ten in a large apt. complex! You don't need 3rd party software to Wardrive your desk:P
No, I think that what they're saying is that instead of spending 'untold millions' developing the HL2 engine, Valve (perhaps in association with their competitors) should have spent 'untold thousands' kickstarting, shepherding, and cheerleading an open source engine project. A few engineers to do some of the heavy lifting (it being their job and only commitment) and to act as managers, farming out grunt-work to the excited masses. A few low-end marketing grunts to astroturf... erm, I mean "market" for them and build mindshare and other 'buzz' for the new engine (and by extension, the new games).
Then they could spend 'untold millions' developing great games ON TOP of the engine. On miles of original art, grammy-winnnig scores, and original new stories. It seems as if once you've got a solid, continuously improving engine (with major releases every 18mos or so), you could devote more resources to producing more art (games) which would lead to more revenue streams than you would get with the current system (one blockbuster released every couple years). Once the engine is a commodity, the competition would be over the artistic aspects of the game, and we might see some more innovation in storytelling. When you have more resources to invest in the story/art aspect of the game, you can take more chances on new stories than companies seem willing to do these days--perhaps with a commodity game engine, we'd see fewer sequals of sequals of games from 1994, and more original games that make a mark as "innovative."
The "open-sourcing" suggestion isn't a one-off suggestion about specific games, its a critique about industry and process, and suggests an entirely different approach, not a simple solution like "this game should be open sourced!"
Hilariously enough (at least to me), the GRE Test-Prep software is broken.
Actually, I've noticed that every once in a while, I'll get an error when trying to run older software that says something to the effect of "The executable is correct, but not for this machine type." Or something like that. Is this the 16-bit compatability issue raising its head?
I can, because that's a misread of the 1st Amendment. The 1st Amendment states: "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press..." This protects you from being thrown in jail for speaking out against authority. This protects journalists and publications that are anti-government from being shut down, as happens in many countries. It keeps Congress from criminalizing dissent
What it does not do is protect people who libel, perjure, break contracts, or publish confidential information which damages the authors' business just to sell a paper. If the 1st Amendment was as general in protecting "right to blab" as you believe it is, we wouldn't need have specific "whistleblower" laws to safeguard the rights of people who expose secret CRIMINAL behavior from retribution; these fall outside of the realm of the 1st Amendment. Under the 1st Amendment alone, your boss who steals and cheats on taxes can fire you for exposing them!
If somebody leaked the last 10 Chapters of the new Harry Potter book (or the source code to Longhorn) to Think Secret, do you honestly think they could cower behind "Freedom of the Press" after printing it?
Your righteous indignation is misplaced. If somebody broke a Microsoft NDA and revealed new product secrets we'd all read it and giggle, of course, but few if any of us would bat an eye while the source gets forcibly outed (by MS Lawyers XP) and promptly beaten with the legal stick.
The fact is, many of us have worked jobs where we've signed NDA's or been responsible for trade secrets or confidential information. The same rules apply to everybody. All of these "teh mac-zealots are just defending Apple right or wrong!!" arguements are tiresome. They are nothing more than a straw-man attack on the Apple fanboys/girls who, while obnoxious in their own right, haven't actually done anything wrong this time.
Which begs the question... was grandparent talking about "truck stops" (massive, gaudy gas stations that sell crappy souveniers and fast food) or "rest stops," which are usually built and maintained by the state far from civilization where no McDonalds treads, and may or may not include running water and/or dangerous criminals hiding in them.
But they do have those sweet vending machines where you can get coffee, tea, cocoa, or chicken soup--ALL FROM THE SAME SPIGOT!!!
Re:Seriously... Why would you use this?
on
GIMP 2.2 Released
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
"...so many people here on slashdot have paid $650..."
You aren't new here, so how could you say this with a straight face? Didn't you notice that two articles ago,/. reported on two major BitTorrent sites going down? I think regardless of how many slashbots "like" PS, only a few of them actually "paid" for it. I think we all know a guy who'll run us off a copy if we really needed it... (which I don't, so I use the GIMP).
I had the same experience: Safari 1.2.4, OSX 10.3.6:
*With pop-ups blocked, no vulnerability--and yes, I did try refreshing the Secunia page. Then I tried every combination of refreshing Secuia, Citibank, the pop-up, etc, I could think of; I even tried other things like using the java 'close' button on the Citi popup (which somebody else suggested might cause it to automagically work), and never got anything.
*With pop-ups on, it worked on the first try.
You must be kidding--or unconscionably cheap. I used to work as an overnight courier for a small fly-by-night outfit that was arguably the bottom of the barrel, and we considered Airborne Express to be even shoddier than ourselves; they were without a doubt the least competant delivery company I've ever had the displeasure of doing business with... and that goes for personally, too. I am going to be generous here and say that they have 'only' f'd up HALF of all the shipments I've ever had with them, as opposed to FedEx or UPS which are (in general) idiot-proof.
One time I saw an Airborne truck with three flat tires... and no spare. I let him use my phone.
Another time Airborne failed on two occasions to find an address that they'd delivered to before (way out in the country, down ONE highway; it wasn't like some suburb-planned-community-maze, which I always got lost in as a driver). So I elected to pick up the package (a computer; stupid cheapskate f'n Dell contracts with Airborne) at Airborne's warehouse. They offered no help getting it out of the office or loading into my truck, even though I was doing them a favor. It was raining, so I asked for some large shipping bags to cover the computer boxes for the 2 hour ride home (which I knew they had, since I'd used AIRBORNE bags at my old job). They said they didn't know what I was talking about. I insisted, saying I'd contracted for their fool asses before. They gave me some bags. Throughout the whole thing, they were surly and rediculous, even though I was the one carrying THEIR boxes around in the rain and delivering them to an address that THEY were paid to find--a couple of points which, I might add, I had the self-control to keep from screaming at them; it was perhaps my finest moment of self control, and I regret it immensely.
They use the styrofoam to fan-dry the residual mop water, which, in the US, is allowed to evaporate. That means they don't have to leave the little warning signs out about 'slippery conditions.' If anything, this would be more sanitary, since you're not leaving moisture on the ground to breed mold and stuff.
Consider this interpretation of your data: Bush lost the popular vote. Lost. And the people living here, under this administration, are too stupid, lazy, ill-informed, or plain apathetic to demand and receive ANY kind of election reform for FOUR YEARS. And no, shiney new Diebold Steal-A-Vote(TM)'s don't count--a pretty 'Garfield ' bandaid can't cure gangrene. The bags are so firmly tied around their heads that they don't know who they're voting for, on either side, and they barely understand that they didn't get a choice in the matter in the first place. It was always, and will always, be a battle of the "least evil" candidate, until we change our electoral system.
Do not try to justify the bad choices of the American electorate as being somehow related to 'relevant experiences,' they aren't--these these are the same people who forgot Florida by February of 2001. Don't give us credit that we don't deserve.
His point was that Walkman->iPod was a paradigm shift (Walkmans, Diskmans etc are now irrelevant).
A new, keewler iPod clone is not going to kill the iPod; the only thing that can do that is another paradigm shift. Like implantable brain chips or something.
Slashdot Mirror
That goes without saying :D
Actually, it looks fine with the stock linux drivers; as a relative noob I haven't had the desire (read: boredom) required to launch into compiling ATI's drivers into the kernal...
The Nanode might be a tempting DVR (analog and S-video out), but it'll be slower, in both video (Via onboard, w/shared ram vs ATI mobility) and processor (C3 at what, 1GHz still? Maybe a shade more now... vs. 1.25G4, and the G4 will outpace a same-clocked Pentium). It plays second fiddle, even if we heard about it first.
Agreed. I bought my 800MHz G4 iBook about a year ago (right before the model was dropped and 1GHz became the bottom *cry*) and its snappy as anything. It was fine when i bought it, but I cashed in some 'rewards points' on my credit card and had a 512MB stick installed at CompUSA for a net cost of about $15. Now it blazes; Tony Hawk is smooth and if I drop the settings in UT2K4, it's playable at a a decent framerate (cannot say the same for 256 MB ram...). The fan almost never comes on. I still get hours of battery life, and it'll go days if you just wake it up a couple times a day for email etc.
I have it sitting next to a nearly brand new AMD64 3000+ with 1GB RAM, SATA HD, ATI 9800 (the good one, Pro?), and Win-64/Debian. I am typing this message on the iBook, if that tells you anything.
I don't agree for a second.
I agree 100% that the Mac Mini is a decent deal, and that the same computer cannot be had in PC land for the same price. If you wanted a Wintel Mini, you'd better have a lot of time and experience as a machinest, because you're not gonna find a good case with a form factor like that.
But when a (knowledgable and motivated) person is looking for Wintel boxes, they will DEFINITELY save $$ by building it themselves. The parts quality will be higher, the cost will be lower. People who buy from Dell etc. are not only getting inferior parts, but they are paying a hefty convinience tax for having it built and UPS'ed. Blah blah, we are all aware of the sob story about how narrow their margins are--but the margins are there and Michael Dell & co are chuckling all the way to the bank. You can absolutely, and without a doubt, build a better Wintel gaming box or Linux box yourself dollar for dollar than purchasing through a big corp.
Open OO.o for Macintosh (X11).
/. and sourceforge for all of our application needs; put it in a box, slap a $30 pricetag on it, and stick it in the campus bookstores next to that $200 (academic price!) copy of Office, and with a little word-of-mouth it'll fly off the shelves. If it's impossible to sell boxed open-source software, Redhat and Suse must be run by friggin' idiots.
Create a presentation with the Powerpoint clone (can't remember the name).
Try to go full-screen.
If your idea of 'full-screen' includes a bar across the top, then you'll be fine. However, this little annoyance makes it infuriating for me to use OO.o for presentations.
And by the way, the Mac user community is well-known for happily purchasing shareware--who says they wouldn't buy a boxed opensource product? If I saw a boxed, Cocoa-ed version of OO.o for a reasonable price, I'd snap it up. OO.o for windows is a pleasure to use. Remember we aren't all surfing
Yes, those are great selling points for 90% of the population.
The same 90% that never opens the hood of their car, even to change a battery (which costs 2-3x as much if done by a service station).
User servicability is overrated from Apples' perspective. Make it a mysterious black box (or white box in this case) that just f'n works most of the time, and provide a service center for the odd chance that it doesn't. The idea of having to do "firmware updates" (as opposed to iPod's automagical updates) or tinker inside is a negative to your average, mildly computer-phobic person.
That's like saying everybody should build their own PC, because they'll get a better price and if something breaks, they should just fix it themselves. I don't think that's how Dell got to be the juggernaut that they are.
Wrong. Your iPod will play any DRM-free MP3s that you have, from any source. It will also play DRM-free tracks that you rip from your cds into iTunes (or whatever client). It will ALSO play iTunes storebought DRM'ed AAC's. You are paying the media levy tax under the assumption that you're going to go rip a bunch of your buddy's cds and dump them onto your iPod.
"...I can't give a damn about those propriatery sharing systems..."
Then you are ranting about something you have no understanding of, from a user perspective. iTunes' sharing is one of its mightiest selling points, and almost everybody that I know who uses iTunes (and we're talking people who have PCs but no iPod!!) use it a) because it just works (very well) and b) for the sharing. In fact, let me back up: I don't know anybody that has an iPod, but I know a dozen people using iTunes. And these are not slashbots or apple fanboys, in fact, most of them aren't powerusers at all. The way iTunes is set up, you DON'T HAVE TO BE a power user to find or use the power tools--they are just right there, present and working.
An entire generation of college students is turning on the computer in their dorm and finding TERABYTES of music immediately available. A couple hundred iTunes clients sharing over the LAN is a beautiful thing.
And then there's the way I use it; it is an automagical way to keep all my old mp3's and freshly ripped cds on one computer, and play them on any other in my house. All my music is on my laptop, because I don't ever do wacky things with it that could force me to do a wipe and restore. My desktop on the other hand is a toy, and I break it from time to time--but it has the good speakers. So I dl iTunes, start it, and play my music. Sure there are other ways I could do this--shared folders, blah blah blah, but this is idiot proof. And idiots make up a significant portion of the shopping public, so they really really dig this shit.
When people see the sharing tools etc, they get more curious about 'how else' they could use it--which is why Apple makes the Airport Express. "You mean I can play the stuff on my computer on any other computer? what about my stereo? Hmmmmm...."
I have built an Epia machine. The Mac Mini is a better deal.
-> It comes with a real video card unit with real video memory, and a processor that smokes (yes smokes) the C3. This isn't the shared memory video stuff Via has. Via is of course fine for a low-power email/web/DVD computer, but shows its lack of guts when you try to do ANY kind of lifting... like flash games...
-> Price a case that doesn't look like dogshit, which I found that most of the 3rd party ones do. Via's cases are nice, but they cost more than $100. So between the Epia and the Case I'm already close to $300. Don't forget 256MB of memory (at least!) for $30-$50 depending on the deal you get. Now toss in a 40 gig HD and a DVD/CD-RW and you're looking at around (or more) than $400. *Now* throw in a copy of Windows XP (OEM) and you're pushing past $500. Want Office? Drop another couple bills. And forget about iLife; I challenge you to show me equivalently functional windows software for $80. So, now you've got a slower machine that costs more and has less software. Whoopeeee.....
I hadn't thought of it until somebody started talking about stacking up Mini's into a cluster, but that's precisely what IBM is talking about doing (albeit a different processor, and with correct interconnects etc)... thoughts?
Sure it does, it has three Audio in ports and they're daisy chain-able... 2 USB2, 1 Firewire. You can go to Fry's and get an audio block for $35 and up.
Does the shuttle come with a standard laptop security slot, so that it can be locked down? Mini does, and since most of that kind of crime is crimes of convinience.... there goes that arguement :D
That's a hefty assumption... after all, my iBook can see three routers in my house, six in my buddy's house, and we have decent sized houses with big lots--I'd be surprised if I DIDN'T see more than ten in a large apt. complex! You don't need 3rd party software to Wardrive your desk :P
No, I think that what they're saying is that instead of spending 'untold millions' developing the HL2 engine, Valve (perhaps in association with their competitors) should have spent 'untold thousands' kickstarting, shepherding, and cheerleading an open source engine project. A few engineers to do some of the heavy lifting (it being their job and only commitment) and to act as managers, farming out grunt-work to the excited masses. A few low-end marketing grunts to astroturf... erm, I mean "market" for them and build mindshare and other 'buzz' for the new engine (and by extension, the new games).
Then they could spend 'untold millions' developing great games ON TOP of the engine. On miles of original art, grammy-winnnig scores, and original new stories. It seems as if once you've got a solid, continuously improving engine (with major releases every 18mos or so), you could devote more resources to producing more art (games) which would lead to more revenue streams than you would get with the current system (one blockbuster released every couple years). Once the engine is a commodity, the competition would be over the artistic aspects of the game, and we might see some more innovation in storytelling. When you have more resources to invest in the story/art aspect of the game, you can take more chances on new stories than companies seem willing to do these days--perhaps with a commodity game engine, we'd see fewer sequals of sequals of games from 1994, and more original games that make a mark as "innovative."
The "open-sourcing" suggestion isn't a one-off suggestion about specific games, its a critique about industry and process, and suggests an entirely different approach, not a simple solution like "this game should be open sourced!"
Hilariously enough (at least to me), the GRE Test-Prep software is broken. Actually, I've noticed that every once in a while, I'll get an error when trying to run older software that says something to the effect of "The executable is correct, but not for this machine type." Or something like that. Is this the 16-bit compatability issue raising its head?
I can, because that's a misread of the 1st Amendment. The 1st Amendment states: "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press..." This protects you from being thrown in jail for speaking out against authority. This protects journalists and publications that are anti-government from being shut down, as happens in many countries. It keeps Congress from criminalizing dissent
What it does not do is protect people who libel, perjure, break contracts, or publish confidential information which damages the authors' business just to sell a paper. If the 1st Amendment was as general in protecting "right to blab" as you believe it is, we wouldn't need have specific "whistleblower" laws to safeguard the rights of people who expose secret CRIMINAL behavior from retribution; these fall outside of the realm of the 1st Amendment. Under the 1st Amendment alone, your boss who steals and cheats on taxes can fire you for exposing them!
If somebody leaked the last 10 Chapters of the new Harry Potter book (or the source code to Longhorn) to Think Secret, do you honestly think they could cower behind "Freedom of the Press" after printing it?
What!! My free beta copy of WinXP-64 isn't supported either! What a rip off.
Your righteous indignation is misplaced. If somebody broke a Microsoft NDA and revealed new product secrets we'd all read it and giggle, of course, but few if any of us would bat an eye while the source gets forcibly outed (by MS Lawyers XP) and promptly beaten with the legal stick.
The fact is, many of us have worked jobs where we've signed NDA's or been responsible for trade secrets or confidential information. The same rules apply to everybody. All of these "teh mac-zealots are just defending Apple right or wrong!!" arguements are tiresome. They are nothing more than a straw-man attack on the Apple fanboys/girls who, while obnoxious in their own right, haven't actually done anything wrong this time.
Which begs the question... was grandparent talking about "truck stops" (massive, gaudy gas stations that sell crappy souveniers and fast food) or "rest stops," which are usually built and maintained by the state far from civilization where no McDonalds treads, and may or may not include running water and/or dangerous criminals hiding in them.
But they do have those sweet vending machines where you can get coffee, tea, cocoa, or chicken soup--ALL FROM THE SAME SPIGOT!!!
"...so many people here on slashdot have paid $650..."
/. reported on two major BitTorrent sites going down? I think regardless of how many slashbots "like" PS, only a few of them actually "paid" for it. I think we all know a guy who'll run us off a copy if we really needed it... (which I don't, so I use the GIMP).
You aren't new here, so how could you say this with a straight face? Didn't you notice that two articles ago,
I had the same experience: Safari 1.2.4, OSX 10.3.6:
*With pop-ups blocked, no vulnerability--and yes, I did try refreshing the Secunia page. Then I tried every combination of refreshing Secuia, Citibank, the pop-up, etc, I could think of; I even tried other things like using the java 'close' button on the Citi popup (which somebody else suggested might cause it to automagically work), and never got anything.
*With pop-ups on, it worked on the first try.
You must be kidding--or unconscionably cheap. I used to work as an overnight courier for a small fly-by-night outfit that was arguably the bottom of the barrel, and we considered Airborne Express to be even shoddier than ourselves; they were without a doubt the least competant delivery company I've ever had the displeasure of doing business with... and that goes for personally, too. I am going to be generous here and say that they have 'only' f'd up HALF of all the shipments I've ever had with them, as opposed to FedEx or UPS which are (in general) idiot-proof.
One time I saw an Airborne truck with three flat tires... and no spare. I let him use my phone.
Another time Airborne failed on two occasions to find an address that they'd delivered to before (way out in the country, down ONE highway; it wasn't like some suburb-planned-community-maze, which I always got lost in as a driver). So I elected to pick up the package (a computer; stupid cheapskate f'n Dell contracts with Airborne) at Airborne's warehouse. They offered no help getting it out of the office or loading into my truck, even though I was doing them a favor. It was raining, so I asked for some large shipping bags to cover the computer boxes for the 2 hour ride home (which I knew they had, since I'd used AIRBORNE bags at my old job). They said they didn't know what I was talking about. I insisted, saying I'd contracted for their fool asses before. They gave me some bags. Throughout the whole thing, they were surly and rediculous, even though I was the one carrying THEIR boxes around in the rain and delivering them to an address that THEY were paid to find--a couple of points which, I might add, I had the self-control to keep from screaming at them; it was perhaps my finest moment of self control, and I regret it immensely.
Oh I could go on and on with airborne stories ^_^
They use the styrofoam to fan-dry the residual mop water, which, in the US, is allowed to evaporate. That means they don't have to leave the little warning signs out about 'slippery conditions.' If anything, this would be more sanitary, since you're not leaving moisture on the ground to breed mold and stuff.
Consider this interpretation of your data: Bush lost the popular vote. Lost. And the people living here, under this administration, are too stupid, lazy, ill-informed, or plain apathetic to demand and receive ANY kind of election reform for FOUR YEARS. And no, shiney new Diebold Steal-A-Vote(TM)'s don't count--a pretty 'Garfield ' bandaid can't cure gangrene. The bags are so firmly tied around their heads that they don't know who they're voting for, on either side, and they barely understand that they didn't get a choice in the matter in the first place. It was always, and will always, be a battle of the "least evil" candidate, until we change our electoral system.
Do not try to justify the bad choices of the American electorate as being somehow related to 'relevant experiences,' they aren't--these these are the same people who forgot Florida by February of 2001. Don't give us credit that we don't deserve.
THAT, my friends, is called reaping what we sow.
His point was that Walkman->iPod was a paradigm shift (Walkmans, Diskmans etc are now irrelevant). A new, keewler iPod clone is not going to kill the iPod; the only thing that can do that is another paradigm shift. Like implantable brain chips or something.