Yeah, that little green USPS form is so complicated... Description, Value, tick Merchandise, sign your name. 10 seconds.
The other problem mentioned by others, delays in Customs, I've found almost always the reason is that the seller screwed up. They'll tick gift instead of merchandise, trying to save the customer some money. They'll undervalue the item, or leave it off entirely.
Stuff like this seems to route the package into the "cavity search" group. They'll spend weeks investigating realistic prices, origins etc, to make sure everything is on the up and up.
Fill in the forms accurately and honestly, and things zip through Canada Customs.
I've tried some of the free VOD's here, and they were terrible. Blocky, pixellated, numerous breakups in the video. And that was during a four minute music video. I'd have been choked if I'd paid money and it did that constantly during a two hour movie. I will never order a VOD, because the quality is so lousy. And that's only on a 32" tv, this ain't no home theatre.
Maybe some folks would rather have "instant shit" compared to waiting for quality. Not me.
I don't use them either, but is this really a problem for folks? I mean, click the [-] and they shrink up to a visually unobtrusive single screen line. And it's not like they're taking up space, they're at the bottom of the pane.
As for having to explain it, I say "This is a place you can make folders that apply to all your email accounts, if you have more than one. Most folks don't use it."
Takes a couple of seconds, and I've never had anyone not get it. Parents, friends, kids, they all got it right away.
Yes, I already tried that, not being stupid. It doesn't do what I want though. I already told you how I set up my toolbars in IE. Try to duplicate that in Firefox 0.8. Oops, you can't.
You originally said: "Above [the google toolbar] I have a small toolbar containing Back/Forward/Stop/Refresh/Home/History. Right of that is the menu File/Edit/View/Favourites/Tools/Help. Then I have space for a huge URL bar."
Navigation buttons, then menu bar, then URL bar on one line. I'm looking at it right this second. In Firefox 0.8.
Sorry dude, you're just plain wrong on this one. You can drag any Firefox UI element anywhere you want it.
No. No, it doesn't. The Google bar does much more than just a search box.
Well, I was talking about ditching the built in Google bar, not the proprietary third party version you seem to like. Google says it does this:
Search the web (check)
Eliminate pop-up ads (check, built in to Firefox)
Fill in forms (check, built in to Firefox)
Highlight search terms on a page (FastFind takes you right there by typing, but yes, you can't see them all highlighted at once)
But, if it's absolutely vital you have the full thing, then download the Googlebar extension
Of course you can. Right click the toolbar, pick customise, and put whatever you want wherever you want.
I personally put the address bar on the same line as the menubar, works perfectly there, and kill the Google bar because the address bar duplicates its function.
Display properties has Classic mode, Cleartype options, for example. Folder options has thumbnail caching, searching for network folders, file size info in tooltips, etc.
I never said it was time consuming or difficult to make these changes. Just pointed out that if you're tweaking for optimum performance on a slower machine, you'll need to do more than just visit System Properties.
I've had problems in the past with this, the company was gone, and the patches didn't seem to exist at these archives. It took me forever to find the patch for Jagged Alliance 1 a few years ago. Oh, there were tons of links to them, but everything came up 404.
The problem is the whole damn internet is so transitory. You bookmark a page for reference, come back in a year, and it's gone. Who's to say how long these patch sites will be up? It's gotten so bad, that I now keep a local archive of everything, software patches, drivers for all my old hardware, interesting web pages...
Is it just me, or is Interplay already gone? I haven't been able to connect to their page since this story first was posted.
Right-click My Computer->Properties->Advanced->Settings button.
Choose either "Best Performance" or "Best Appearance." Or check each option individually. What a non-issue.
Of course, that's only a subset of all the settings you need to change. There's still the Display properties, the Start menu properties, the Folder properties etc, that all still need tweaking.
Not immersive? I suggest you try different games then.
I find it's quite the opposite. Almost everything modern I try is fun for a few minutes, but then you realise it's pretty much the same as every other recent release, all flash and no substance.
I don't see how the U fits. If the word was "you," that'd be lame but acceptable. I don't think U can be used for "your" though.
Mystery solved, it must have been carved by Prince.
That's why I said had/has. They were one of the reasons I switched to Mozilla a couple years ago as well. So I don't know if they're still doing it or not.
The problem with sniping occurs when the "sniper" is sniping without intent to purchase. The sniper may be part of a group bid rigging involved in price fixing, which is a form of conspiracy in restraint of trade.
Only problem is, *none* of those things have anything to do with sniping. Ok, let's magically eliminate sniping on ebay. All auctions automatically extend once a bid is placed.
All you've done is allow *more* time for unscrupulous activity by the seller, or agents thereof.
Sniping is a tool that *prevents* bid fraud, not enables it.
Slashdot Mirror
The other problem mentioned by others, delays in Customs, I've found almost always the reason is that the seller screwed up. They'll tick gift instead of merchandise, trying to save the customer some money. They'll undervalue the item, or leave it off entirely.
Stuff like this seems to route the package into the "cavity search" group. They'll spend weeks investigating realistic prices, origins etc, to make sure everything is on the up and up.
Fill in the forms accurately and honestly, and things zip through Canada Customs.
I've tried some of the free VOD's here, and they were terrible. Blocky, pixellated, numerous breakups in the video. And that was during a four minute music video. I'd have been choked if I'd paid money and it did that constantly during a two hour movie. I will never order a VOD, because the quality is so lousy. And that's only on a 32" tv, this ain't no home theatre.
Maybe some folks would rather have "instant shit" compared to waiting for quality. Not me.
Hey, leave my Osborne 1 out of this.
Pity.
Looks like us Canadians will have to make a trip across the border.
Some folks make things needlessly complicated. :)
I can't count the hours I spent tweaking, compiling, and testing robots. Great fun.
Even wrote myself a disassembler, to see how other robots worked.
As for having to explain it, I say "This is a place you can make folders that apply to all your email accounts, if you have more than one. Most folks don't use it."
Takes a couple of seconds, and I've never had anyone not get it. Parents, friends, kids, they all got it right away.
You originally said: "Above [the google toolbar] I have a small toolbar containing Back/Forward/Stop/Refresh/Home/History. Right of that is the menu File/Edit/View/Favourites/Tools/Help. Then I have space for a huge URL bar."
Navigation buttons, then menu bar, then URL bar on one line. I'm looking at it right this second. In Firefox 0.8.
Sorry dude, you're just plain wrong on this one. You can drag any Firefox UI element anywhere you want it.
No. No, it doesn't. The Google bar does much more than just a search box.
Well, I was talking about ditching the built in Google bar, not the proprietary third party version you seem to like. Google says it does this:
But, if it's absolutely vital you have the full thing, then download the Googlebar extension
Of course you can. Right click the toolbar, pick customise, and put whatever you want wherever you want.
I personally put the address bar on the same line as the menubar, works perfectly there, and kill the Google bar because the address bar duplicates its function.
I have much the same problem, lots of ideas, but artistic "talent" that can barely draw a stick man.
Have you considered text adventures?
Damn, you know you're old when you've got that book sitting on your bookshelf.
I never said it was time consuming or difficult to make these changes. Just pointed out that if you're tweaking for optimum performance on a slower machine, you'll need to do more than just visit System Properties.
The problem is the whole damn internet is so transitory. You bookmark a page for reference, come back in a year, and it's gone. Who's to say how long these patch sites will be up? It's gotten so bad, that I now keep a local archive of everything, software patches, drivers for all my old hardware, interesting web pages...
Is it just me, or is Interplay already gone? I haven't been able to connect to their page since this story first was posted.
Right-click My Computer->Properties->Advanced->Settings button.
Choose either "Best Performance" or "Best Appearance." Or check each option individually. What a non-issue.
Of course, that's only a subset of all the settings you need to change. There's still the Display properties, the Start menu properties, the Folder properties etc, that all still need tweaking.
I find it's quite the opposite. Almost everything modern I try is fun for a few minutes, but then you realise it's pretty much the same as every other recent release, all flash and no substance.
Guess I'd better go download all their game patches, before they're gone forever.
Is Techno Trousers to pull them!
Heh, just like Vancouver. Clearly they could film the live action version here.
'Course, I haven't played it yet, I'm only through Ultima 1 to 6. Folks might have guessed that from my sig.
two chicks at the same time.
I don't see how the U fits. If the word was "you," that'd be lame but acceptable. I don't think U can be used for "your" though. Mystery solved, it must have been carved by Prince.
That's why I said had/has. They were one of the reasons I switched to Mozilla a couple years ago as well. So I don't know if they're still doing it or not.
A company willing to pull dirty tricks in advertising is of course willing to go the extra mile and blatantly steal from their customers.
Only problem is, *none* of those things have anything to do with sniping. Ok, let's magically eliminate sniping on ebay. All auctions automatically extend once a bid is placed.
All you've done is allow *more* time for unscrupulous activity by the seller, or agents thereof.
Sniping is a tool that *prevents* bid fraud, not enables it.
Could probably use it for crossing New York intersections.