I am reminded of when Coke tried to penetrate the Indian market with their sugar water. They hired a high power American ad agency, who made these commercials about the 'heart of India', with misty images of the Taj Mahal and such. It flopped.
Then, Coke hired an Indian ad agency. These guys made commercials with sexy women and fast cars, and Coke sold like hotcakes.
The moral of the story: creative work is more likely to be relevant in the culture it was created in.
On a more serious note (the site is down), do you install from a mini-DVD, or from a memory card? Does it involve starting and stopping a certain game like the Xbox?
Seconded!! This is a very bad idea for a startup. I have chased a few VERY MINOR defense contracts (less than $1000), and there is ALOT of competition.
All the major jobs that go out to bid were written by a big consultant shop, who will get preferential treatment by the purchaser. Often, the purchaser just has to get 3 bids before allocating more than X amount of money. The bidding process is often just a formality, and they will largely ignore competing bids as being "out of spec", even if your bid is a better overall solution to a problem.
Plus, you have to register with Dun and Bradstreet, and jump through many hoops to even be eligible to bid.
Repeat: a total waste of time and money for the average company!
This is pretty cool, but the picture that shows up on the display has to be generated from some data source or CPU-carrying device. If you plug in your rollable display to a laptop/PDA, it isn't nearly as cool.
Alternatively, the screen could just store one image permanently. In which case it would be just expensive, unreliable paper.
That being said, I am all for the technology. When they can make a transparent sticker that can be turned on as a TV/monitor, I would buy one. Forget flatscreen, your TV would just be a sheet of glass on a stand. That would be cool.
Issue enormous stock options to company insiders, and do "stock repurchases", regardless of share price, using company funds. This results in no net dilution of the shares' value - it is essentially using the investors' money to make a profit, which the execs are paying to themselves.
According to the Microsoft 2003 annual report, the total cost of revenue has fluctuated between 13 and 18 percent the last few years. This reflects the relative poor performance of such units as MSN and Xbox, as well as higher margins from such products as Windows and Office. The exact quote, since we are being pedantic today:
Cost of revenue includes manufacturing and distribution costs for products and programs sold, operation costs related to product support service centers and product distribution centers, costs incurred to support and maintain Internet-based products and services, and costs associated with the delivery of consulting services. Cost of revenue as a percent of revenue was 13.7% in 2001, 18.3% in 2002, and 17.7% in 2003. For fiscal 2003, cost of revenue was $5.69 billion compared to $5.19 billion in fiscal 2002. The primary driver of the decrease as a percentage of revenue in fiscal 2003 was a 0.2 percentage point decrease from Home and Entertainment products due to lower volumes and improved margins of Xbox video game consoles and a 0.4 percentage point decrease from MSN product and service costs in fiscal 2003 compared to fiscal 2002.
Cost of revenue in fiscal 2002 was $5.19 billion compared to $3.46 billion in fiscal 2001. The increase as a percentage of revenue in fiscal 2002 was due to an increase of 5.3 percentage points from Home and Entertainment primarily due to costs related to Xbox, partially offset by a 0.7 percentage point decrease due to a higher mix of revenue from licensing business. In fiscal 2001, cost of revenue was $3.46 billion, an increase of $453 million compared to fiscal 2000. The higher sales associated with MSN Subscription and MSN Network services resulting in increased support and service costs drove 0.4 of the 0.6 percentage point increase in total costs as a percentage of revenue.
Those high end pads are only a couple hundred bucks - much cheaper than home fitness equipment. If you think this is fun, and have the discipline, go for it.
I prefer to spend $30/month on a gym membership. You get numerous cardio machines, free weights, weight lifting machines, and often aerobics/yoga/kickboxing thrown into the mix.
Ultimately, it's about having discipline and consistency. No matter how much money you spend or don't spend.
To quote Arnold: I've never paid for a push-up or a sit-up in my life.
Does it only detect features on American currency? I would much prefer to bootleg money from a country that wouldn't hunt me down with a "Secret Service", if I were a criminal.
I am guessing the reason you are addicted is simply good storytelling.
The word mythology, somewhat generically used, refers to transcendent human experiences that everyone can relate to. Such cliche stories as "All men want to be strong heroes", "women want to be rescued by handsome guy", "overcoming all odds".
Good game designers simply include as many of these experiences as possible, within the constraints of a challenge/reward system. Thus, you have an environment where you are capable of self-actualizing. Maslow's heirarchy of needs is a pyramid, where all your basic needs (food, air, sleep, safety, etc) must be fulfilled, before you can focus on your emotional and higher needs. Since you sit an play games all day, your financial needs, food, etc. are all being met. The only remaining motivator for you is to develop your highest level of emotions, need for personal interaction, and being rewarded for your actions/ideas.
Game therapy is easy. Find situations in real life that reward you in a way *similar* to the game. If you like teaming up with people and going to kill some stuff in the game, then join a softball team in real life. If you like developing your character, then start going to the gym and eating healthy. If you like finding rare items, then redesign your house and save up money for new furniture and electronics.
Everything that you like about gaming is an echo of something in real life - you just have to hunt for it a little bit.
Slashdot Mirror
You can get basic cable, cable internet (2x speed of DSL), and the unlimited Vonage plan for the same amount.
Although, I guess the real issue is if Vonage works as advertised.
I am reminded of when Coke tried to penetrate the Indian market with their sugar water. They hired a high power American ad agency, who made these commercials about the 'heart of India', with misty images of the Taj Mahal and such. It flopped.
Then, Coke hired an Indian ad agency. These guys made commercials with sexy women and fast cars, and Coke sold like hotcakes.
The moral of the story: creative work is more likely to be relevant in the culture it was created in.
Bidets? How old school is that? A real technophile uses the three seashells!
....when you telnet from a GameCube!
On a more serious note (the site is down), do you install from a mini-DVD, or from a memory card? Does it involve starting and stopping a certain game like the Xbox?
My genetically modified flower tells me that this Slashdot article is going to be a landmine!
(hides under cubicle)
Seconded!! This is a very bad idea for a startup. I have chased a few VERY MINOR defense contracts (less than $1000), and there is ALOT of competition.
All the major jobs that go out to bid were written by a big consultant shop, who will get preferential treatment by the purchaser. Often, the purchaser just has to get 3 bids before allocating more than X amount of money. The bidding process is often just a formality, and they will largely ignore competing bids as being "out of spec", even if your bid is a better overall solution to a problem.
Plus, you have to register with Dun and Bradstreet, and jump through many hoops to even be eligible to bid.
Repeat: a total waste of time and money for the average company!
This is pretty cool, but the picture that shows up on the display has to be generated from some data source or CPU-carrying device. If you plug in your rollable display to a laptop/PDA, it isn't nearly as cool.
Alternatively, the screen could just store one image permanently. In which case it would be just expensive, unreliable paper.
That being said, I am all for the technology. When they can make a transparent sticker that can be turned on as a TV/monitor, I would buy one. Forget flatscreen, your TV would just be a sheet of glass on a stand. That would be cool.
get one of those camera hoods from around the turn of the century...
from article:
They look like Nerds, but somehow lack the fear, the self-consciousness, and the "loser" qualities so often attributed to their kind.
I'm not sure if that's a compliment, or not!
To support their candidates, you just buy their respective movies (porn or otherwise).
Stomata are the little holes in leaves that allow for gas exchange.
If you look at a flower's morphology, you will notice little sticks with pollen balls on the end. The little balls that hold the pollen are stigmata.
A dividend is different from a stock split.
So they can do it like Dell:
Issue enormous stock options to company insiders, and do "stock repurchases", regardless of share price, using company funds. This results in no net dilution of the shares' value - it is essentially using the investors' money to make a profit, which the execs are paying to themselves.
See this for more details.
According to the Microsoft 2003 annual report, the total cost of revenue has fluctuated between 13 and 18 percent the last few years. This reflects the relative poor performance of such units as MSN and Xbox, as well as higher margins from such products as Windows and Office. The exact quote, since we are being pedantic today:
Cost of revenue includes manufacturing and distribution costs for products and programs sold, operation costs related to product support service centers and product distribution centers, costs incurred to support and maintain Internet-based products and services, and costs associated with the delivery of consulting services. Cost of revenue as a percent of revenue was 13.7% in 2001, 18.3% in 2002, and 17.7% in 2003. For fiscal 2003, cost of revenue was $5.69 billion compared to $5.19 billion in fiscal 2002. The primary driver of the decrease as a percentage of revenue in fiscal 2003 was a 0.2 percentage point decrease from Home and Entertainment products due to lower volumes and improved margins of Xbox video game consoles and a 0.4 percentage point decrease from MSN product and service costs in fiscal 2003 compared to fiscal 2002.
Cost of revenue in fiscal 2002 was $5.19 billion compared to $3.46 billion in fiscal 2001. The increase as a percentage of revenue in fiscal 2002 was due to an increase of 5.3 percentage points from Home and Entertainment primarily due to costs related to Xbox, partially offset by a 0.7 percentage point decrease due to a higher mix of revenue from licensing business. In fiscal 2001, cost of revenue was $3.46 billion, an increase of $453 million compared to fiscal 2000. The higher sales associated with MSN Subscription and MSN Network services resulting in increased support and service costs drove 0.4 of the 0.6 percentage point increase in total costs as a percentage of revenue.
One million might reflect the cost of the media (CD's, paper, and ink), but it doesn't represent the wholesale cost.
Microsoft's profit margin for Windows is around 90%, if I remember correctly.
That was cool
huh huh when we killed that frog
huh huh it won't croak again.
--Butthead's Hiku for class
Huh huh, huh huh huh huh huh mmm
uh huh huh huh huh huh
huh huh huh
--Beavis' Hiku for class
Those high end pads are only a couple hundred bucks - much cheaper than home fitness equipment. If you think this is fun, and have the discipline, go for it.
I prefer to spend $30/month on a gym membership. You get numerous cardio machines, free weights, weight lifting machines, and often aerobics/yoga/kickboxing thrown into the mix.
Ultimately, it's about having discipline and consistency. No matter how much money you spend or don't spend.
To quote Arnold:
I've never paid for a push-up or a sit-up in my life.
Can anyone find the security hole?
i teh s3n4t0r
Ah. So you've seen the Bush plan for the feudal future of America.
Actually, the Bush plan is to allow illegal immigrants to do this...
All you need is Eddie Murphy playing some miscellaneous beast in order to make a good cartoon.
from article:
LaCie Bigger Disk allows users to store nearly two years of continuous music and up to one month of non-stop MPEG-2 video
I can't wait to see the COPS episode where guys in RIAA jackets chase down some thug carrying one of these HD's.
Does it only detect features on American currency? I would much prefer to bootleg money from a country that wouldn't hunt me down with a "Secret Service", if I were a criminal.
a giant head of lettuce than a rotting-flesh-flower.
I am guessing the reason you are addicted is simply good storytelling.
The word mythology, somewhat generically used, refers to transcendent human experiences that everyone can relate to. Such cliche stories as "All men want to be strong heroes", "women want to be rescued by handsome guy", "overcoming all odds".
Good game designers simply include as many of these experiences as possible, within the constraints of a challenge/reward system. Thus, you have an environment where you are capable of self-actualizing. Maslow's heirarchy of needs is a pyramid, where all your basic needs (food, air, sleep, safety, etc) must be fulfilled, before you can focus on your emotional and higher needs. Since you sit an play games all day, your financial needs, food, etc. are all being met. The only remaining motivator for you is to develop your highest level of emotions, need for personal interaction, and being rewarded for your actions/ideas.
Game therapy is easy. Find situations in real life that reward you in a way *similar* to the game. If you like teaming up with people and going to kill some stuff in the game, then join a softball team in real life. If you like developing your character, then start going to the gym and eating healthy. If you like finding rare items, then redesign your house and save up money for new furniture and electronics.
Everything that you like about gaming is an echo of something in real life - you just have to hunt for it a little bit.