Why on earth would they want to purchase Foxconn? That would only open them up to more criticism in the West and more hazards (corruption, theft, anti-foreign sentiment, etc.) in China. As for Israel, it's a country who's also good at industrial espionage.
Let someone else do the dirty work of manufacturing. Apple just has to keep the hype machine going and occasionally toss out something "sleek". That's going to be difficult enough.
The biggest reason that overall it never has and never will work like that is that people are easy to make. Only when massive population decreases occur does the average rate for labor increases. The global population is increasing exponentially, so unless global economic growth grows as rapidly or more rapidly, then there isn't going to be global middle class. The middle class (as it's redefined by each country) will grow in some places and decline in others.
This is where the economists all chime in saying "free trade is good for everyone" and "it's not a zero-sum game". The truth is if the pie doesn't grow as fast as the number of seats at the table, there's always going to be more losers than winners.
I go one better, I avoid Texas like the plague, and much of the rest of the South (yes, I'm from the South). If I have to travel there, I always try to look like "landed Gentry" (kind of like Thurston Howell III crossed with Colonel Sanders).
I completely understand your comments about small business, I was a Class B Carpentry contractor until I realized that the number of hours I was working weren't worth the return. I learned a lot about business through "the school of hard knocks" during that time.
I agree, CEOs whine and cry about government regulations, but then want their problems solved through legislation rather than the "free hand of the market". As for politicians, it's funny how the US accepts a higher cost per inmate than college student. Legalize marijuana and spend the proceeds and savings on college educations and the STEM shortage problem goes away very quickly.
I've noticed a lot of technical professionals fall into the same "it's beneath me" trap that a lot of managers fall into. Being a competent business owner or manager does not preclude you from being a competent engineer. Can you focus on a particular discipline to the same degree? Probably not, but you're probably going to understand practical aspects of the discipline that a "mad scientist" wouldn't know since he wouldn't deign to learn them.
A lot of people somehow think that business is inherently evil; it isn't. A business inherits its ethics and policies from the laws of the society it exists in and from the policies placed into it by its management. Again, too many technical people feel that they'll be morally compromised by moving into management or other less technically focused positions. Instead, they should realize that they have the opportunity to influence other people in the organization. Yes, it can be damned annoying and frustrating at times, but it doesn't demean you.
You're right in that it is wise (and probably necessary) to take business classes, but you're wrong when you denigrate those who choose to get involved with the business aspects of the profession. Is there "pure" engineering ? Unless you happen to be incredibly well self-funded or part of a well endowed university, you ultimately have to align your work with the interests of the business, whether it's one you own or not.
The profit motive is part of it, but only a part. Usually, the customer has undefined or poorly defined requirements and grossly incompetent management. I was once part of a program in which the government representative refused to provide the security standards and criteria that the system would be judged upon. We had conflicting standards to reconcile and every request for guidance or additional information was ignored.
That was only part of the problem. The network design was provided by the government and it was a complete mess; we couldn't change it either.
I'll go one better. My idea for the ultimate "Eco-friendy art installation" - any open space (a wooded lot or open field would do well) with a spot for a person to pay, enter, and then leave. When they leave they get a piece of paper saying how much of a carbon impact they've had on the site so they can feel shitty about themselves.
And yes, I claim copyright. Not because I want money; I just don't want some artsy douchebag to actually do this.
So, what happens to the religious belief of humans being unique and extraordinary when if we discover intelligent alien life? If they are more advanced than we are, that sort of demotes us from "God's special creation", doesn't it? It would kind of suck finding out that we're more like "God's botched attempt". Christianity would have a serious theological issue to deal with; Islam and Hinduism, probably not so much.
Global population doesn't have to exceed 10 billion, that is totally up to us all. You speak of population "increasing too rapidly" in a very passive way, as if there's nothing we can do about it and it's not even our fault! Of course, some groups will not restrain themselves, what will we do about that? Beat them up? Or join
them in a massive Tragedy of the Commons?
I was quoting facts, so yes, the passive voice is perfectly cromulent. As for it being "our" fault, do you have children? If so, you've contributed to the problem. I don't have children since my wife and I decided that there are enough people on the planet already. I'm not part of the "our" that you are trying to blame.
The good news is that the rate of increase is decreasing; it is also expected to continue to decrease. 10 billion people by 2050 is a high estimate; it may be as low as 7.5 billion. No, we don't have to fall into some dystopian extreme to moderate population growth; education, women's empowerment, and economic growth will do it.
I lived in northern Japan last year during the summer. The Japanese voluntarily cut back their electricity use so much that they didn't need to impose energy rationing. I don't know if that has changed since I left.
Yes, I can imagine imagine a world not handicapped by the need for fossil fuels, but that's not going to happen in my life unless there are some truly astounding breakthroughs in alternative energy. The earth's population is increasing too rapidly for that. The global population may be as high as 10.5 billion by 2050 and the global energy demand will be proportionally higher. Although the use of alternative energy sources will increase, so will the use of conventional sources. The mix between oil, natural gas, and coal will change, but they will all still be used.
It's already significantly affected Japan. For the first time since 1980, Japan has a negative balance of trade. This is from the Trading Economics site page on Japan.
Last year Japan’s trade balance fell into an annual deficit for the first time since 1980, driven by subdued global demand and soaring fossil fuel imports in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear power crisis.
I fully understand their desire to decrease dependence on nuclear power in light of the disaster, but quitting "cold turkey" obviously has had a strong negative impact.
Where's the other machine, Mongolia? Most commercial ISPs have latency of 50 ms or less from coast to coast in the US and about 100 ms from the US to Europe. My numbers may be a bit out of date, but that's the rule of thumb we used at UUNET and Qwest. There are Service Level Agreements that provide that information.
Yes, the last hop to the customer usually has the highest latency, but anything higher than 100ms for that is poor.
Drive in Naples, Cairo, Athens, or any number of cities in Africa, India, or the Middle East for a year. 65 hours over 142 mph? Pfft. That's a long weekend's drive on the autostrade.
Actually, I'm just yanking your chain; you're right, there is no substitute for experience and training. Do you have any suggestions for driving schools?
Wrong. Not all left lanes are passing lanes. Plenty are turning lanes. Turning lanes, by definition can't be passing lanes, because the traffic patterns for turning vehicles kills any chance so safely passing anything.
You haven't lived in Italy, have you? "See Naples and die" isn't about the cities beauty, it's about its traffic.
Team Fortress 2 is free to play now and it's still the most fun multi-player game I've seen. They now sell in-game items, but they don't really alter the balance of the game; mainly it's just silly hats, which fits that game well. Most of the items can also be crafted, so no one is compelled to buy the in-game items. However, you still have to deal with Steam.
The alternative? How about a wild, alcohol and drug fueled, sex romp around the world until I die of overdose and/or exhaustion? Hell, it would be a lot more fun and probably a lot cheaper.
Hardcore libertarians always have this view of themselves as gods-made-flesh, always rational, always informed, always able to make the best decision for themselves, and HOW DARE anyone tell them otherwise.
Of course I feel that way. I am rational and informed, so naturally I'm libertarian. I don't have any evidence of being an incarnation of a deity though, so it's rational to believe that I am not.
I'm not a hardcore Libertarian. Governments are necessary, and regulating drugs and other medical treatments are valid responsibilities for governments. However, each person also has the responsibility to attempt to learn the facts. Governments are not inherently impartial; in many cases, they are quite the opposite.
The feds are using the classic witch hunt methodology as explained by Monty Python-
BEDEMIR: Tell me, what do you do with witches?
VILLAGER #2: Burn!
CROWD: Burn, burn them up!
BEDEMIR: And what do you burn apart from witches?
VILLAGER #1: More witches!
Don't worry, they'll be going after the other witches/uploaders/pirates once they go through Megaupload's servers.
Slashdot Mirror
Why on earth would they want to purchase Foxconn? That would only open them up to more criticism in the West and more hazards (corruption, theft, anti-foreign sentiment, etc.) in China. As for Israel, it's a country who's also good at industrial espionage.
Let someone else do the dirty work of manufacturing. Apple just has to keep the hype machine going and occasionally toss out something "sleek". That's going to be difficult enough.
The biggest reason that overall it never has and never will work like that is that people are easy to make. Only when massive population decreases occur does the average rate for labor increases. The global population is increasing exponentially, so unless global economic growth grows as rapidly or more rapidly, then there isn't going to be global middle class. The middle class (as it's redefined by each country) will grow in some places and decline in others.
This is where the economists all chime in saying "free trade is good for everyone" and "it's not a zero-sum game". The truth is if the pie doesn't grow as fast as the number of seats at the table, there's always going to be more losers than winners.
WHO would work for them, I ask you?
Someone who likes lots of money.
Oh great, this time it will have kids, ewoks, or Jar Jar Binks in it.
I go one better, I avoid Texas like the plague, and much of the rest of the South (yes, I'm from the South). If I have to travel there, I always try to look like "landed Gentry" (kind of like Thurston Howell III crossed with Colonel Sanders).
I completely understand your comments about small business, I was a Class B Carpentry contractor until I realized that the number of hours I was working weren't worth the return. I learned a lot about business through "the school of hard knocks" during that time.
I agree, CEOs whine and cry about government regulations, but then want their problems solved through legislation rather than the "free hand of the market". As for politicians, it's funny how the US accepts a higher cost per inmate than college student. Legalize marijuana and spend the proceeds and savings on college educations and the STEM shortage problem goes away very quickly.
My wife is in the US and I'm in Bahrain. This isn't the first time that we've been apart. Not having children is a big plus.
I've noticed a lot of technical professionals fall into the same "it's beneath me" trap that a lot of managers fall into. Being a competent business owner or manager does not preclude you from being a competent engineer. Can you focus on a particular discipline to the same degree? Probably not, but you're probably going to understand practical aspects of the discipline that a "mad scientist" wouldn't know since he wouldn't deign to learn them.
A lot of people somehow think that business is inherently evil; it isn't. A business inherits its ethics and policies from the laws of the society it exists in and from the policies placed into it by its management. Again, too many technical people feel that they'll be morally compromised by moving into management or other less technically focused positions. Instead, they should realize that they have the opportunity to influence other people in the organization. Yes, it can be damned annoying and frustrating at times, but it doesn't demean you.
You're right in that it is wise (and probably necessary) to take business classes, but you're wrong when you denigrate those who choose to get involved with the business aspects of the profession. Is there "pure" engineering ? Unless you happen to be incredibly well self-funded or part of a well endowed university, you ultimately have to align your work with the interests of the business, whether it's one you own or not.
Would a UAV overflight provide the same intel?
Too bad I don't have mod points. That's the funniest post I've read in weeks.
The profit motive is part of it, but only a part. Usually, the customer has undefined or poorly defined requirements and grossly incompetent management. I was once part of a program in which the government representative refused to provide the security standards and criteria that the system would be judged upon. We had conflicting standards to reconcile and every request for guidance or additional information was ignored.
That was only part of the problem. The network design was provided by the government and it was a complete mess; we couldn't change it either.
I'll go one better. My idea for the ultimate "Eco-friendy art installation" - any open space (a wooded lot or open field would do well) with a spot for a person to pay, enter, and then leave. When they leave they get a piece of paper saying how much of a carbon impact they've had on the site so they can feel shitty about themselves.
And yes, I claim copyright. Not because I want money; I just don't want some artsy douchebag to actually do this.
So, what happens to the religious belief of humans being unique and extraordinary when if we discover intelligent alien life? If they are more advanced than we are, that sort of demotes us from "God's special creation", doesn't it? It would kind of suck finding out that we're more like "God's botched attempt". Christianity would have a serious theological issue to deal with; Islam and Hinduism, probably not so much.
Global population doesn't have to exceed 10 billion, that is totally up to us all. You speak of population "increasing too rapidly" in a very passive way, as if there's nothing we can do about it and it's not even our fault! Of course, some groups will not restrain themselves, what will we do about that? Beat them up? Or join them in a massive Tragedy of the Commons?
I was quoting facts, so yes, the passive voice is perfectly cromulent. As for it being "our" fault, do you have children? If so, you've contributed to the problem.
I don't have children since my wife and I decided that there are enough people on the planet already. I'm not part of the "our" that you are trying to blame.
The good news is that the rate of increase is decreasing; it is also expected to continue to decrease. 10 billion people by 2050 is a high estimate; it may be as low as 7.5 billion. No, we don't have to fall into some dystopian extreme to moderate population growth; education, women's empowerment, and economic growth will do it.
I lived in northern Japan last year during the summer. The Japanese voluntarily cut back their electricity use so much that they didn't need to impose energy rationing. I don't know if that has changed since I left.
Yes, I can imagine imagine a world not handicapped by the need for fossil fuels, but that's not going to happen in my life unless there are some truly astounding breakthroughs in alternative energy. The earth's population is increasing too rapidly for that. The global population may be as high as 10.5 billion by 2050 and the global energy demand will be proportionally higher. Although the use of alternative energy sources will increase, so will the use of conventional sources. The mix between oil, natural gas, and coal will change, but they will all still be used.
Last year Japan’s trade balance fell into an annual deficit for the first time since 1980, driven by subdued global demand and soaring fossil fuel imports in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear power crisis.
I fully understand their desire to decrease dependence on nuclear power in light of the disaster, but quitting "cold turkey" obviously has had a strong negative impact.
Where's the other machine, Mongolia? Most commercial ISPs have latency of 50 ms or less from coast to coast in the US and about 100 ms from the US to Europe. My numbers may be a bit out of date, but that's the rule of thumb we used at UUNET and Qwest. There are Service Level Agreements that provide that information.
Yes, the last hop to the customer usually has the highest latency, but anything higher than 100ms for that is poor.
Drive in Naples, Cairo, Athens, or any number of cities in Africa, India, or the Middle East for a year. 65 hours over 142 mph? Pfft. That's a long weekend's drive on the autostrade.
Actually, I'm just yanking your chain; you're right, there is no substitute for experience and training. Do you have any suggestions for driving schools?
Wrong. Not all left lanes are passing lanes. Plenty are turning lanes. Turning lanes, by definition can't be passing lanes, because the traffic patterns for turning vehicles kills any chance so safely passing anything.
You haven't lived in Italy, have you? "See Naples and die" isn't about the cities beauty, it's about its traffic.
Team Fortress 2 is free to play now and it's still the most fun multi-player game I've seen. They now sell in-game items, but they don't really alter the balance of the game; mainly it's just silly hats, which fits that game well. Most of the items can also be crafted, so no one is compelled to buy the in-game items. However, you still have to deal with Steam.
The alternative? How about a wild, alcohol and drug fueled, sex romp around the world until I die of overdose and/or exhaustion? Hell, it would be a lot more fun and probably a lot cheaper.
Hardcore libertarians always have this view of themselves as gods-made-flesh, always rational, always informed, always able to make the best decision for themselves, and HOW DARE anyone tell them otherwise.
Of course I feel that way. I am rational and informed, so naturally I'm libertarian. I don't have any evidence of being an incarnation of a deity though, so it's rational to believe that I am not.
I'm not a hardcore Libertarian. Governments are necessary, and regulating drugs and other medical treatments are valid responsibilities for governments. However, each person also has the responsibility to attempt to learn the facts. Governments are not inherently impartial; in many cases, they are quite the opposite.
qq moar n00b
More of what passes for discourse in today's society. Apparently what's at the bottom of the slippery slope is the gutter.
BEDEMIR: Tell me, what do you do with witches?
VILLAGER #2: Burn!
CROWD: Burn, burn them up!
BEDEMIR: And what do you burn apart from witches?
VILLAGER #1: More witches!
Don't worry, they'll be going after the other witches/uploaders/pirates once they go through Megaupload's servers.