Flordia legislators pulled this scam years ago with the lottery. They sold it on the basis that the revenues collected would go to education. What they failed to mention was that they'd reduce other monies going to education. Net result, schools in Florida benefited not at all, while the Florida legislature got more dollars to piss away however they wished.
Yea, I recall that. I was in student government in college when the lottery was being debated. At first I supported it, until I read the whole thing and saw at the end that educational funding may not increase. I then opposed the amendment, and pointed out to a bunch of people what was wrong with it. Mind you I wasn't against the lottery, I think gambling should be legal, just that it was being billed as additional funding for education which it was not.
Lets switch to charging a yearly fee based on the weight of your vehicle then.
The problem with this is that it penalizes those who don't drive much. I have a car I drive less than 5000 miles a year, why should I pay the same amount as someone who has the same car model but drives 2, 3, or 4 tymes as much as I do?
What is to stop someone from making sets of fake plates with YOUR number on them and running through these toll roads or red lights?
already being done by kids here
That's a problem with operation not the tech. The article you link to even says that: "The private companies that mail out the tickets often do not bother to verify whether vehicle registration information for the accused vehicle matches the photographed vehicle."
They have been doing this in Toronto with 407ETR for a long long time. Wonder why it just started in US?
It's not just starting in the US. Part of San Diego's I 15 has been a toll road for more than 10 years and the toll is set in realtime. The more traffic the higher the toll.
Only some homeless. However some homeless know how useful a car is. I used to know some people who lived in their cars. And having the transportation can make it easier to find and get a job.
Lies, check out their bullshit ram prices on their site now, I dare you.
RAM is not Apple hardware, though I agree Apple sales RAM more expensively than you can get elsewhere. For the comparison I was talking about check this post comparing the price of a Mac Pro to a Dell Precision T7400.
Apple's hardware prices have been comparable to Windows PCs for years.
Mac Pro: comes standard with 2 x 1GB sticks of memory - 800MHz, DDR2, ECC. Let's try 2 extra 1GB sticks of memory. Apple price? $500. NewEgg price for 2 x 1GB sticks of Kingston 800MHz DDR ECC memory? $67.
I said Apple hardware prices, Apple buys RAM from others and doesn't make it. And yes, I admit Apple charges more for RAM than what Newegg and others pay for it. I even had someone in an Apple store tell me that if I wanted more ram than standard then I should buy it from someone else. When I said Apple's hardware prices are comparable that's what I meant, unfortunately you have to start with Apple hardware. Take the Mac Pro and get the price. Then configure a Dell, HP, and or IBM, er Levono, to get as close to the same specs and the Apple's price will be comparable.
All of the other examples you give are of hardware made by others not Apple. Now let's compare:
Mac Pro
Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
2GB (2x1GB)
320GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB
Total = $2,799.00
Dell Precision T7400
Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
2GB, DDR2 SDRAM FBD Memory
320GB SATA 3.0Gb/s,7200 RPM Hard Drive
256MB PCIe x16 nVidia NVS 290
Total price = $3,738
The only part I'm not sure is comparable is the video card though both cards chosen support 2 monitors. You can however install a different card in the Mac.
She did buy another version but was charged for the version she didn't want.
No she didn't. She paid a downgrade fee
In other words she paid for both Vista and XP when she only wanted XP.
I hope this lawsuit falls flat on its face.
I don't know the licensing agreement between Microsoft and Dell but on the face of it I think it's Dell that should be sued, if she tried to get a refund from Dell for the cost of Vista. If however MS requires Dell to sell Vista to get XP then yes MS is the one that should be sued.
I just bought a car and want a different engine in my car. Why should I have to pay for the two engines when I'm only going to use one?
You can sell the engine you don't want and someone can install and use it in another car. Try to install Dell's OEM version of Vista in another PC and there's a good chance it will not work.
I often hear people bitching about Microsoft's operating systems and the problems with doing business with Microsoft and its Partners. Why don't people just get a computer with a non-Microsoft operating system. Linux, Apple, Plan 9, BSD; there are plenty to choose from.
People buy MS Windows, preinstalled, because that's all they know. Because most PC have Windows preinstalled they don't realize they have other choices.
Actually i read TFA, and I just couldnt make sense of the benefits offered by the key value thing.
While I don't except RDBMS to ever disappear there are cases where key value data stores can be more efficient. One such is name, address. Look up a name to get the address associated with the name. When all you need is the name and address why use a database? Where this falls down is when you have more data such as orders the named entity placed and what was ordered.
Last I checked FDR was our only Unconstitutionally long office holder in the presidency....
No, FDR was constitutionally the president the whole tyme he was president. Amedment 22 limiting presidential terms to 2 wasn't ratified until 21 March 1947, after he died.
Would definately work better yeah, not sure about easier though. Unless as you say, you plan in advance and set up a common-grounds partition.
Well, you should plan in advance. As I said earlier I'm thinking about dualbooting my Mac with Leopard and Ubuntu. Not being proficient or that knowledgeable I've been doing research on how to set it up the way I want. I made a list of things I'd like, such as being able to access user files in both OSes and synchronizing browsers and email. Then as I'd like to be able to use one OS while I'm in another without rebooting I'm looking at using a virtual machine that can run one OS that's already installed in a second OS.
I'm putting all this together in a document I'll print out before I start the process, that way I'll have the info I need, including what to do if something goes wrong.
I don't know where in the world you get these ideas I want to force businesses to do what I want. Stop making things up..... that's what net neutrality does.
Perhaps you missed it but I did say that if ISPs what taxpayer money it's only proper for conditions, such as net neutrality, to be attached to that money. It's also right if there's a natural monopoly, such as with landlines and cable, to have conditions placed on it. If you don't want condition then allow anyone to use the right of way or easement these companies use. If I have the money I should be able to lay my own fiber and offer net access, phone service, and or TV.
Try that some tyme and see how far you get. Without that ability there is no free market.
Ok so you like pineapples and pineapples are only made by pineapple company in your area. You instead of not buying the pineapples because they charge to much or whatever reason, you try to get a federal law passed that mandates pineapples are set to your expectations. Swell. You want to force a company through the law to do what you want.
I don't know where in the world you get these ideas I want to force businesses to do what I want. Stop making things up.
People will boot to the 1st OS (as they don't want to select one and they will get annoyed if the 1st OS in the boot menu is not windows because they won't be able to leave the computer unattended to boot.
PCs can be left to bootup Linux, or another OS, so you're wrong about that. I have an old PC that dualboots Windows and Linux and it is setup up automatically boot Windows after 15 seconds, I think but don't recall how long, if an OS is not selected. I may setup my Mac to dualboot as well, and if I do I'll set it up to boot into Leopard if an OS is not selected after 30 seconds. I will be able to push the power button then walk away and let it bootup on it's own.
I do not need broadband at all. I like it, I use it, i enjoy it.
Ah but you said "And how about just letting the free market work it's magic." In a free market more people would have more choices for broadband. In a free market if I, or anyone else, could afford it we would be able to setup a broadband ISP but because of laws and natural monopolies granted to landline phone and cable companies it would be difficult to lay cables or fiber to offer broadband access.
I would think that people would be thinking, "why do I want to boot into Linux when I have windows right here?"
Because Linux will boot up faster. However you're right in that people would think why should they get one. In a good economy they may want to play with it, but we're in a bad economy now and many won't spend money on what they don't think they need.
Not necessarily, if you are using cross platform applications then you can just often copy accross the configs. It may take a little effort but still, saves doing the initial configuring more than once!
It can be easier than that, check my reply to GP's post on how to do it.
Slashdot Mirror
Flordia legislators pulled this scam years ago with the lottery. They sold it on the basis that the revenues collected would go to education. What they failed to mention was that they'd reduce other monies going to education. Net result, schools in Florida benefited not at all, while the Florida legislature got more dollars to piss away however they wished.
Yea, I recall that. I was in student government in college when the lottery was being debated. At first I supported it, until I read the whole thing and saw at the end that educational funding may not increase. I then opposed the amendment, and pointed out to a bunch of people what was wrong with it. Mind you I wasn't against the lottery, I think gambling should be legal, just that it was being billed as additional funding for education which it was not.
Falcon
Lets switch to charging a yearly fee based on the weight of your vehicle then.
The problem with this is that it penalizes those who don't drive much. I have a car I drive less than 5000 miles a year, why should I pay the same amount as someone who has the same car model but drives 2, 3, or 4 tymes as much as I do?
Falcon
What is to stop someone from making sets of fake plates with YOUR number on them and running through these toll roads or red lights?
already being done by kids here
That's a problem with operation not the tech. The article you link to even says that: "The private companies that mail out the tickets often do not bother to verify whether vehicle registration information for the accused vehicle matches the photographed vehicle."
Falcon
They have been doing this in Toronto with 407ETR for a long long time. Wonder why it just started in US?
It's not just starting in the US. Part of San Diego's I 15 has been a toll road for more than 10 years and the toll is set in realtime. The more traffic the higher the toll.
Falcon
hat is the first lesson the homeless learn.
Only some homeless. However some homeless know how useful a car is. I used to know some people who lived in their cars. And having the transportation can make it easier to find and get a job.
Falcon
The current issue of "Reason" magazine's cover story goes over this, toll roads and parking, among other approaches to traffic congestion.
Falcon
It's been a very long time since I've seen any Windows PC being advertised more than Apple's starting price.
Here's a comparison between a Mac Pro and a Dell Precision T7400.
Falcon
Lies, check out their bullshit ram prices on their site now, I dare you.
RAM is not Apple hardware, though I agree Apple sales RAM more expensively than you can get elsewhere. For the comparison I was talking about check this post comparing the price of a Mac Pro to a Dell Precision T7400.
Falcon
Apple's hardware prices have been comparable to Windows PCs for years.
Mac Pro: comes standard with 2 x 1GB sticks of memory - 800MHz, DDR2, ECC. Let's try 2 extra 1GB sticks of memory. Apple price? $500. NewEgg price for 2 x 1GB sticks of Kingston 800MHz DDR ECC memory? $67.
I said Apple hardware prices, Apple buys RAM from others and doesn't make it. And yes, I admit Apple charges more for RAM than what Newegg and others pay for it. I even had someone in an Apple store tell me that if I wanted more ram than standard then I should buy it from someone else. When I said Apple's hardware prices are comparable that's what I meant, unfortunately you have to start with Apple hardware. Take the Mac Pro and get the price. Then configure a Dell, HP, and or IBM, er Levono, to get as close to the same specs and the Apple's price will be comparable.
All of the other examples you give are of hardware made by others not Apple. Now let's compare:
Mac Pro
Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
2GB (2x1GB)
320GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT 256MB
Total = $2,799.00
Dell Precision T7400
Two 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
2GB, DDR2 SDRAM FBD Memory
320GB SATA 3.0Gb/s,7200 RPM Hard Drive
256MB PCIe x16 nVidia NVS 290
Total price = $3,738
The only part I'm not sure is comparable is the video card though both cards chosen support 2 monitors. You can however install a different card in the Mac.
Falcon
She did buy another version but was charged for the version she didn't want.
No she didn't. She paid a downgrade fee
In other words she paid for both Vista and XP when she only wanted XP.
I hope this lawsuit falls flat on its face.
I don't know the licensing agreement between Microsoft and Dell but on the face of it I think it's Dell that should be sued, if she tried to get a refund from Dell for the cost of Vista. If however MS requires Dell to sell Vista to get XP then yes MS is the one that should be sued.
Falcon
I just bought a car and want a different engine in my car. Why should I have to pay for the two engines when I'm only going to use one?
You can sell the engine you don't want and someone can install and use it in another car. Try to install Dell's OEM version of Vista in another PC and there's a good chance it will not work.
Falcon
Go find one for me. Of all the OSes you listed only Apple is easy to find, and that's on overpriced hardware.
Apple's hardware prices have been comparable to Windows PCs for years.
Falcon
I often hear people bitching about Microsoft's operating systems and the problems with doing business with Microsoft and its Partners. Why don't people just get a computer with a non-Microsoft operating system. Linux, Apple, Plan 9, BSD; there are plenty to choose from.
People buy MS Windows, preinstalled, because that's all they know. Because most PC have Windows preinstalled they don't realize they have other choices.
Falcon
You want another one of their products and it's somehow your RIGHT to have it for free ?
It came with a version of windows on it, if you don't like it, buy another version.
She did buy another version but was charged for the version she didn't want.
Falcon
Actually i read TFA, and I just couldnt make sense of the benefits offered by the key value thing.
While I don't except RDBMS to ever disappear there are cases where key value data stores can be more efficient. One such is name, address. Look up a name to get the address associated with the name. When all you need is the name and address why use a database? Where this falls down is when you have more data such as orders the named entity placed and what was ordered.
Falcon
Last I checked FDR was our only Unconstitutionally long office holder in the presidency....
No, FDR was constitutionally the president the whole tyme he was president. Amedment 22 limiting presidential terms to 2 wasn't ratified until 21 March 1947, after he died.
Falcon
Would definately work better yeah, not sure about easier though. Unless as you say, you plan in advance and set up a common-grounds partition.
Well, you should plan in advance. As I said earlier I'm thinking about dualbooting my Mac with Leopard and Ubuntu. Not being proficient or that knowledgeable I've been doing research on how to set it up the way I want. I made a list of things I'd like, such as being able to access user files in both OSes and synchronizing browsers and email. Then as I'd like to be able to use one OS while I'm in another without rebooting I'm looking at using a virtual machine that can run one OS that's already installed in a second OS.
I'm putting all this together in a document I'll print out before I start the process, that way I'll have the info I need, including what to do if something goes wrong.
Falcon
I don't know where in the world you get these ideas I want to force businesses to do what I want. Stop making things up. .... that's what net neutrality does.
Perhaps you missed it but I did say that if ISPs what taxpayer money it's only proper for conditions, such as net neutrality, to be attached to that money. It's also right if there's a natural monopoly, such as with landlines and cable, to have conditions placed on it. If you don't want condition then allow anyone to use the right of way or easement these companies use. If I have the money I should be able to lay my own fiber and offer net access, phone service, and or TV.
Try that some tyme and see how far you get. Without that ability there is no free market.
Falcon
Ok so you like pineapples and pineapples are only made by pineapple company in your area. You instead of not buying the pineapples because they charge to much or whatever reason, you try to get a federal law passed that mandates pineapples are set to your expectations. Swell. You want to force a company through the law to do what you want.
I don't know where in the world you get these ideas I want to force businesses to do what I want. Stop making things up.
Falcon
People will boot to the 1st OS (as they don't want to select one and they will get annoyed if the 1st OS in the boot menu is not windows because they won't be able to leave the computer unattended to boot.
PCs can be left to bootup Linux, or another OS, so you're wrong about that. I have an old PC that dualboots Windows and Linux and it is setup up automatically boot Windows after 15 seconds, I think but don't recall how long, if an OS is not selected. I may setup my Mac to dualboot as well, and if I do I'll set it up to boot into Leopard if an OS is not selected after 30 seconds. I will be able to push the power button then walk away and let it bootup on it's own.
Falcon
I do not need broadband at all. I like it, I use it, i enjoy it.
Ah but you said "And how about just letting the free market work it's magic." In a free market more people would have more choices for broadband. In a free market if I, or anyone else, could afford it we would be able to setup a broadband ISP but because of laws and natural monopolies granted to landline phone and cable companies it would be difficult to lay cables or fiber to offer broadband access.
Falcon
You keep saying this basically. And it's really not true. You always have the option of getting no internet.
Yes it is true, in a free market you could choice your provider and most people can not do that.
Falcon
I would think that people would be thinking, "why do I want to boot into Linux when I have windows right here?"
Because Linux will boot up faster. However you're right in that people would think why should they get one. In a good economy they may want to play with it, but we're in a bad economy now and many won't spend money on what they don't think they need.
Falcon
Yes comcast throttles bittorrent... as someone who uses comcast and bittorrent, i don't care. If i cared i'd go somewhere else.
If you have the choice to go to another broadband access provider you're one of the lucky few that has a choice.
First off, there is, you don't need the internet so you have atleast one other option. For most people there's more than that though.
You don't actually need a bathroom either, but as I bet you feel you need one others feel they need broadband.
Falcon
Not necessarily, if you are using cross platform applications then you can just often copy accross the configs. It may take a little effort but still, saves doing the initial configuring more than once!
It can be easier than that, check my reply to GP's post on how to do it.
Falcon