Again..cameras on a tablet computer? It just sounds stupid! So you have this A4 sized device, and you're going to swing it about to take pictures? Instead of, say, your Cellphone's camera? Its not like you need the additional power of a "tablet" device to have decent optics...so why have one on some stupid Tablet?
See, the thing to do would be for the damn slides to just be stored "slide 1.png" or whatever, and to be automatically downloaded from the lecturers computer during each lesson...Instead of hoping the auto focus on some tiny camera takes perfect shots a hundred times a day...generating MB+ sized photos of a few paragraphs of text...
I think this tablet will join the Kindle in Black And White Gadget Hell, I'm sure the Newton will help them settle in.
I never trust those statistics, I'd prefer to focus on our own anecdotal evidence about Flash.
I have a friend who develops using, among other things, Silverlight. You know that dog-awful thing that nobody has installed? He showed me some statistics by a polling company I had never heard of, claiming THE VAST MAJORITY of web users had Silverlight! They polled some massive number of web connected machines, and the results were that practically all had Silverlight! I dont have Silverlight, I wasnt going to install it (even if possible on my Mac) just to see his little demo...
I'd much rather trust what I've seen with my own eyes, I doubt my friends and family are radically different than usual, NONE of us (apart from the Silverlight developer!) use the damn thing! What major websites DO use Silverlight? Certainly nothing I use... I dont know how these numbers are generated, I mean I'm not saying Microsoft have some warehouse with a few million netbooks doing nothing but run Silverlight all day and night...but....
Its like Flash...apart from.FLV videos (that just autoplay on their own accord, not something I seek out) and annoying Banner ads/crappy menu bars....I dont use Flash. If YouTube and the video sites I use switch to.MP4 or HTML5...whatever, then Flash would effectively vanish from my computer.
I'm serious, lets say you're the typical person who dabbles with having a personal website. Why would you want to use Flash? Its slow, annoying, takes over your computer, causes crashes (on my Macs, Windows computers...) and is generally a big pain to anyone who uses it.
Apart from Flash Videos (.flv)...and annoying banner ads...I dont really think I see Flash on *ANY* website...apart from those annoying promotional sites (for a new movie etc) where you have to wait half a minute for the thing to load, and then you just get some annoying little animation behind the "menu buttons".
Back in the 90's I played about with Flash at High School...but now?
Flash *SUCKS*. It should go the way of the Blink tag.
Can I ask, what the devil is so important about taking SD Cards?
I just dont get it, if you want to use an SD card...why not plug in the adaptor? How often do you use SD cards? Is it really worth having a gaping hole on the side/top/bottom of your sleek device?
I'm sure there are genuine professionals who are constantly...taking photos and need to connect to a "computer" several times a day...but cmon, how common is this?
I never understood why people BASHED Apple for so long about having no SD card slot on their computers...then when the MacBook Pro got one, it was a fairly big deal!
My 27 inch iMac has these two awful looking GASHES on the right side, an Optical Drive and SD Card slot. What the hell am I meant to do with them? Who uses discs anymore, apart from the annual OS update...? Ok, I've used my DVD drive on this iMac exactly 213 times....to rip my 213 DVDS using HandBrake. Why the hell would I want to walk over to a bookcase full of pieces of plastic, rummage about, find the correct one...eject the previous occupant...
Again, like the people who DEMAND Apple put an SD slot on iPhones...
and in any case, there's considerable argument over what services government should provide.
There really is only ONE country in the world that gets all worked up about "government oppression". This "Free Market" has been blamed for many issues, if you are American, I've heard "the loss of Americas manufacturing base has caused our decline in living standards".
Lets stick to health care, since its the issue I as a non American are most aware of.
Perhaps you know, from watching "Sicko" that pretty much straight after being "pleased" by the idea of these massive corporations that actively want to provide LESS help to their CUSTOMERS...he went on to have a public speech "my fellow Americans....we deserve the best health care in the world!"...
And this is what you are defending, in this "Free Market"?
You know the main one that gets to me? Why thank you for asking for my opinion!, "I-phone" or some such...CHRIST, and when I had just mentioned "oh, how do you like your iPhone now, Margaret?" or some such...
That said, I'm also a "Jordan", and people will read my name in emails, and reply back "Hi JordOn!"...grrrr!
Sorry if I sound like I'm bashing your personal choices, but wait, you find an iPod Touch complicated for music, and THEN YOU DECIDE TO GET AN ANDROID DEVICE FOR MUSIC?
I'm a New Zealander so our experiences with Apple should be very similar, actually, you have Apple Stores...we dont...so dont complain:) If it makes a difference, I use the Mac version of iTunes, I've heard the Windows version is "slow" although its always fun for a "fanboi" like myself to blame that on Windows, it would certainly make sense for Apple to deliberately gimp the Windows version "Daaaaaaad, iTunes runs slow, I need a new computer, I want a MacBook Pro!..."
I have moved my music library before, I pointed iTunes to the new folder, and it worked...just fine for me....
You can also "show duplicates" in your library and delete anything out of the usual.
iPod "helpers" also load on the Mac. I have 4GB of RAM, which is bugger all these days, and currently the "iTunes Helper" is taking up a whopping 4.3MB. Unless you have 8MB of RAM, I dont think that really counts as a resource hog, although I do agree that "these days, programs take up as much memory as they like, in my day we had 640K and we were damn proud!":)
I can understand why Apple/The Record Labels/The Man screw with how iPods actually arrange music. I dont like it, but I've never had a reason to try and get something off my iPod and onto my machine again...and thats also what backups are for... I'm playing devils advocate here, I'd rather music was arranged under "Albums" or whatever on the device, but honestly, how does this affect me? I click "play" and everything "Just Works".
I'm sorry your clickwheel doesnt work! I remember my 3rd Generation 15GB iPod "packed a sad" (do you say that also in Australia?) on me, I was able to get a replacement easily. Hell, NZ has a distributor handle "Apple NZ" http://www.renaissance.co.nz/ . Lets be honest, I dont think shoddy clickwheels are an epidemic like Xbox 360 RROD has been for Microsoft, you could have whatever other MP3 player is on the market and find it had some button issue.
I love the "wheel" metaphor...I miss it on my iPhone and iPad, I really do want to "spin" to get my music, instead of "up/down" stroking.....(not the best descriptor). If you want to ZOOM to a given artist/album/song, search for it! As Jobs would say, BOOM!
If you dont like Genius (I've never used it), dont!:) I think in NZ we would need an iTunes account too. I never even notice "Genius", except when I notice it "updating my library" by sending all the porn on my iMac to Homebase every now and then.
iPod screens getting scratches? Its a piece of glass right? I havnt any major scratches on mine, and I restore furniture while listening to podcasts while using belt sanders, grinders...I had a $300 NZD Casio watch face ruined when my idiot boss left it exposed while sparks were flying from my grinder, I dont blame Casio for making "damn" screens. Thats what will happen to glass, or plastic, or wood....really any material. Not an iPod specific flaw.
Can you explain what you dont like about the iTunes UI? As I mentioned above, when I want to listen to music, I scroll through the albums, pick the song I want, and it plays...
Are you using iTunes on Windows? I've heard a lot of complaints from Windows users about iTunes "being slow" before.
What is it in *particular* that you dont like about iTunes, that you find "un-intuitive"?
For example, when I open iTunes, and want to play music...its under "Music" on the sidebar, is that somehow backwards? Should it be under "phat beatz" or "Tunes" instead, since it is "iTunes"?
I use Album views for everything, if I play music, I search by album, and then the song I want, I know others who only search through artists....which is plain wrong for me, but each to their own...
What *IS* a program or device with a better UI than iTunes for general music listening? I use a Mac, and havnt use that awful Windows Media Player for some time....do you have any Mac suggestions?
Thank you very much for your polite reply jazzkat!
I myself do not drive, I live in a small city of 50,000, I am more than capable of walking to any shops I require, although I also cycle a fair distance a day (mostly on an exercycle), I used to average 66KM a day.
I can see a car as have genuine uses, and I truly dont see a gun as being a "genuine need" in any case. Even our police officers do NOT have guns, and I dont think they would WANT to be armed, just as the UK Police have no interest in carrying guns.
However, tazers are being trialled here, and many say that those are "going too far".
I really am glad you were kind spirited with your reply, I normally LOATHE posting online because of the replies you receive!
If you are interested in replying, would you feel safer knowing everyone else around you also has a gun? I absolutely wouldnt, sure "I *could* do whatever they *could* do to me", but frankly, I'd rather be unarmed, and living in an unarmed society.
Its 7:15PM Monday night here in New Zealand, thank you, and have a great night:)
I agree, this "socialism" thing has a lot going for it. I'm a New Zealander, compare my country to the USA and you will see major differences that arise from our "socialism". This reminds me of the healthcare debate, as a "foreigner", its the topic I know most about when it comes to this debate in the USA.
The people *AGAINST* "universal healthcare" (we dont even think about naming it here, its just "I'm hurt, go to the hospital") can *ADMIT* that every other developed country has public healthcare, that they essentially all live longer...but but but..."ITS SOCIALISM! SOVIET TANKS WILL PATROL OUR STREETS!"....
You remind me of those Right Wing Talkback guys who talk about people who died a couple hundred years ago, blame "The Media" (while being the largest network yourself) for hassling BP, "hey, accidents happen! Just like Enron!" Who spout off about religious morals, helping others, while exploding if anyone ACTUALLY tries to *HELP* the poor with measures such as healthcare.
Many small parties that have to work together to form a government. Not just a continual Right to Far Right coin flip. We currently have our Centre Right party, National running the show, SUPPOSEDLY, they are actually dependent on our Green party! Imagine that, the Republicans depending on that Green party we hear about but never see. The Greens have ideas such as subsidising housing insulation, so houses will be warmer, air will be drier, people will be healthier, stimulates the economy....and the Right Wing party "in power", National, claims it as its OWN idea:) Even the small parties (5% odd) manage to have their say, and actually get work done.
I'm not blaming all the ills of the world on Right Wingers, just saying the US is massively Right Wing, no real left wing
I find the idea of everyone being armed absolutely terrifying, friends who have been overseas (and not just to Australia like myself) mention seeing police with guns on every street...and the thought of even armed police gives me the creeps...
We are less violent, we live longer, we are healthier, more left wing... we focus on preventing the problem in the first place rather than keeping our Millitary Industrial Complex running at full capacity.
I would love to hear your thoughts on my society:)
Hmm, as a New Zealander, I would have to disagree with you, at least in part.
Assuming we are talking about the USA, the country with the most guns, and one of the most violent? Exactly how many more guns do you guys need before you are a safe country?
People here still complain about crime, but surely, its nothing like in larger, and more...armed...countries.
I would argue that some people will always steal, assault etc. If these people realise others have a pistol, I would logically assume they would make sure they have an equal or if possible "better" weapon. Think about it, if you are in a public place, say a movie theatre, watching, oh, lets say Avatar (in 3D if it makes a difference), would you rather EVERYONE had a gun, or that NOBODY had a gun?
I would also think that if you want to commit a crime, and you know that the police who oppose you are brutal, you would be more likely to do ANYTHING you can to stay free. And thus things could escalate rapidly.
If you think that you live in an unsafe area because of weapons, then why add more weapons into the equation? Its a sort of a Mutual Assured Destruction theory? At some time, you have to back down, and work on REDUCING the problem itself.
I'm still amazed at how people act. "Oh, the world is out of control, children are out of control, teens are out of control, everything is worse than when i was a kid". And yet, our largest city, where a whopping QUARTER of the population live, is the FOURTH most "liveable" city in the world! (equal to Vancouver) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_most_livable_cities
I say to these people, "You live here in New Zealand, we dont have any major recession, we are not fighting wars overseas or indeed right here at home, what do you have to whine about?". They normally dont know what to say to me! They've been told by the nightly news that the world is a horrible, horrible place!
...And do you think Apple enjoys being with AT&T? They felt they needed a "deal" with a carrier, they went to Verizon first, which I believe in the US is pretty much "the best"? And you know what, Verizon apparently slammed the door in Jobs' face, "yea, that iPhone thingy? Good luck with that!".
AT&T was willing to have a "deal" with Apple...but they were locked into the exclusive contract...and you blame Apple for AT&T's service?
Would I prefer it if I could run my iPhone on any network? Yes, and hey, I can, in New Zealand....just like you can in Europe...none of that CDMA vs GSM BS...
Can you not unlock an iPhone and use it on another network? Are the other carriers in your area not compatible? Because I have a US iPhone, I run it on Vodafone NZ, I have to jailbreak it (or else it keeps searching for AT&T with every update!), but it works fine...
Its fine to hate AT&T, I suppose some people will always hate Apple, but dont hate APPLE for the faults of AT&T!
Its up to you to keep hating the iPhone "pissing on your customers"....enjoy your Storm or Android device, whatever.
Agreed, but does anyone get excited about the Microsoft brand? Do normal people queue outside the critically acclaimed Microsoft Temple on day one for a "Bluetrack" mouse?
And we seriously wonder why Apple is doing so well?
Xbox aside, I dont think anyone truly gets hyped over a Microsoft product? Perhaps there will be news coverage of the next OS release, but its ALWAYS seen as hyper-nerdy, and has mention of "Few can forget the fiasco of the previous Microsoft Windows release....".
If all Apple has is "marketing", then why dont Dell, HP, Acer....bother making their websites and PR look GOOD?
And I suppose Foxconn mined and refined the elements used in my iMac? Oh, so then some other company TRULY makes everything for Apple then!
Most of my non technical friends believe they have a "Dell" or "HP" computer, and "windows" is just "the thing" inside the screen, they have essentially no idea about other Operating Systems such as Linux, its just "windows" and "those Apple computers". They know that Apple computers are Apple inside and "out".
Funnily enough, Steve Jobs considered the TOTAL vertical approach:
"Remember Steve Jobs "sand" concept for the creation of personal computers? About the time he lent his star power to the creation of the original Macintosh back in the early 80s, Apples founder famously described his dream factory: an oceanfront site that would haul raw beach sand in one end, cook up its own silicon and deliver fully configured PCs out the other end.
This vision of vertical integration and rugged self-sufficiency is a cornerstone of Apples culture that has informed the companys every move during Jobs two tenures there."
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Apple/Mac-Market-Built-on-Sand/
Slashdot Mirror
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotorua As long as you can put up with the smell! (sorry if you are a local and tired of the same jokes!)
A national news story about local Kereru ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_Pigeon ) being drunk, and flying low over roads.
http://www.3news.co.nz/Motorists-warned-to-be-wary-of-low-flying-kereru/tabid/423/articleID/155234/Default.aspx
Birds get drunk everywhere. I suppose it is an interesting story though, I covered the Kereru on my Animal Rights podcast. http://coexistingwithnonhumananimals.blogspot.com/2010/05/episode-27-drunk-kereru-and-humane-calf.html
I love that story :)
I used to feel PROUD to know my secondhand G5 was (essentially) the same as the nodes for System X http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_X_(computing)
Again..cameras on a tablet computer? It just sounds stupid! So you have this A4 sized device, and you're going to swing it about to take pictures? Instead of, say, your Cellphone's camera? Its not like you need the additional power of a "tablet" device to have decent optics...so why have one on some stupid Tablet?
See, the thing to do would be for the damn slides to just be stored "slide 1.png" or whatever, and to be automatically downloaded from the lecturers computer during each lesson...Instead of hoping the auto focus on some tiny camera takes perfect shots a hundred times a day...generating MB+ sized photos of a few paragraphs of text...
I think this tablet will join the Kindle in Black And White Gadget Hell, I'm sure the Newton will help them settle in.
I never trust those statistics, I'd prefer to focus on our own anecdotal evidence about Flash.
.FLV videos (that just autoplay on their own accord, not something I seek out) and annoying Banner ads/crappy menu bars....I dont use Flash. If YouTube and the video sites I use switch to .MP4 or HTML5...whatever, then Flash would effectively vanish from my computer.
I have a friend who develops using, among other things, Silverlight. You know that dog-awful thing that nobody has installed? He showed me some statistics by a polling company I had never heard of, claiming THE VAST MAJORITY of web users had Silverlight! They polled some massive number of web connected machines, and the results were that practically all had Silverlight! I dont have Silverlight, I wasnt going to install it (even if possible on my Mac) just to see his little demo...
I'd much rather trust what I've seen with my own eyes, I doubt my friends and family are radically different than usual, NONE of us (apart from the Silverlight developer!) use the damn thing! What major websites DO use Silverlight? Certainly nothing I use... I dont know how these numbers are generated, I mean I'm not saying Microsoft have some warehouse with a few million netbooks doing nothing but run Silverlight all day and night...but....
Its like Flash...apart from
I'm serious, lets say you're the typical person who dabbles with having a personal website. Why would you want to use Flash? Its slow, annoying, takes over your computer, causes crashes (on my Macs, Windows computers...) and is generally a big pain to anyone who uses it.
Apart from Flash Videos (.flv)...and annoying banner ads...I dont really think I see Flash on *ANY* website...apart from those annoying promotional sites (for a new movie etc) where you have to wait half a minute for the thing to load, and then you just get some annoying little animation behind the "menu buttons".
Back in the 90's I played about with Flash at High School...but now?
Flash *SUCKS*. It should go the way of the Blink tag.
Can I ask, what the devil is so important about taking SD Cards?
I just dont get it, if you want to use an SD card...why not plug in the adaptor? How often do you use SD cards? Is it really worth having a gaping hole on the side/top/bottom of your sleek device?
I'm sure there are genuine professionals who are constantly...taking photos and need to connect to a "computer" several times a day...but cmon, how common is this?
I never understood why people BASHED Apple for so long about having no SD card slot on their computers...then when the MacBook Pro got one, it was a fairly big deal!
My 27 inch iMac has these two awful looking GASHES on the right side, an Optical Drive and SD Card slot. What the hell am I meant to do with them? Who uses discs anymore, apart from the annual OS update...? Ok, I've used my DVD drive on this iMac exactly 213 times....to rip my 213 DVDS using HandBrake. Why the hell would I want to walk over to a bookcase full of pieces of plastic, rummage about, find the correct one...eject the previous occupant...
Again, like the people who DEMAND Apple put an SD slot on iPhones...
Whats the big deal with demanding ports?
and in any case, there's considerable argument over what services government should provide.
There really is only ONE country in the world that gets all worked up about "government oppression". This "Free Market" has been blamed for many issues, if you are American, I've heard "the loss of Americas manufacturing base has caused our decline in living standards".
Lets stick to health care, since its the issue I as a non American are most aware of.
Have you ever heard that old Nixon clip on Healthcare? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmHTte8jRLk
Perhaps you know, from watching "Sicko" that pretty much straight after being "pleased" by the idea of these massive corporations that actively want to provide LESS help to their CUSTOMERS...he went on to have a public speech "my fellow Americans....we deserve the best health care in the world!"...
And this is what you are defending, in this "Free Market"?
Wouldnt you rather just have normal hospitals etc, like the entire rest of the developed world? You know, those places where people live longer, and healthier lives? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy
Really, there is no "Tea Party" movement in New Zealand.
Thank you for also noticing!
...grrrr!
You know the main one that gets to me? Why thank you for asking for my opinion!, "I-phone" or some such...CHRIST, and when I had just mentioned "oh, how do you like your iPhone now, Margaret?" or some such...
That said, I'm also a "Jordan", and people will read my name in emails, and reply back "Hi JordOn!"
Sorry if I sound like I'm bashing your personal choices, but wait, you find an iPod Touch complicated for music, and THEN YOU DECIDE TO GET AN ANDROID DEVICE FOR MUSIC?
Have you seen it before? http://www.simplehelp.net/images/android_music_windows/android_music_windows17.png
Christ, just looking at the thing gives me nightmares! Compared to the same screen on an iPod Touch or iPhone... http://www.question-defense.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/iphone-playing-music-through-windows-7.gif
I hope your future experiences are better.
I'm a New Zealander so our experiences with Apple should be very similar, actually, you have Apple Stores...we dont...so dont complain :) If it makes a difference, I use the Mac version of iTunes, I've heard the Windows version is "slow" although its always fun for a "fanboi" like myself to blame that on Windows, it would certainly make sense for Apple to deliberately gimp the Windows version "Daaaaaaad, iTunes runs slow, I need a new computer, I want a MacBook Pro!..."
:)
:) I think in NZ we would need an iTunes account too. I never even notice "Genius", except when I notice it "updating my library" by sending all the porn on my iMac to Homebase every now and then.
I have moved my music library before, I pointed iTunes to the new folder, and it worked...just fine for me....
You can also "show duplicates" in your library and delete anything out of the usual.
iPod "helpers" also load on the Mac. I have 4GB of RAM, which is bugger all these days, and currently the "iTunes Helper" is taking up a whopping 4.3MB. Unless you have 8MB of RAM, I dont think that really counts as a resource hog, although I do agree that "these days, programs take up as much memory as they like, in my day we had 640K and we were damn proud!"
I can understand why Apple/The Record Labels/The Man screw with how iPods actually arrange music. I dont like it, but I've never had a reason to try and get something off my iPod and onto my machine again...and thats also what backups are for... I'm playing devils advocate here, I'd rather music was arranged under "Albums" or whatever on the device, but honestly, how does this affect me? I click "play" and everything "Just Works".
I'm sorry your clickwheel doesnt work! I remember my 3rd Generation 15GB iPod "packed a sad" (do you say that also in Australia?) on me, I was able to get a replacement easily. Hell, NZ has a distributor handle "Apple NZ" http://www.renaissance.co.nz/ . Lets be honest, I dont think shoddy clickwheels are an epidemic like Xbox 360 RROD has been for Microsoft, you could have whatever other MP3 player is on the market and find it had some button issue.
I love the "wheel" metaphor...I miss it on my iPhone and iPad, I really do want to "spin" to get my music, instead of "up/down" stroking.....(not the best descriptor). If you want to ZOOM to a given artist/album/song, search for it! As Jobs would say, BOOM!
If you dont like Genius (I've never used it), dont!
iPod screens getting scratches? Its a piece of glass right? I havnt any major scratches on mine, and I restore furniture while listening to podcasts while using belt sanders, grinders...I had a $300 NZD Casio watch face ruined when my idiot boss left it exposed while sparks were flying from my grinder, I dont blame Casio for making "damn" screens. Thats what will happen to glass, or plastic, or wood....really any material. Not an iPod specific flaw.
I hope you have better experiences in the future!
Can you explain what you dont like about the iTunes UI? As I mentioned above, when I want to listen to music, I scroll through the albums, pick the song I want, and it plays...
How would you like to select your music?
I wish I could reply to you both with one post.
Are you using iTunes on Windows? I've heard a lot of complaints from Windows users about iTunes "being slow" before.
What is it in *particular* that you dont like about iTunes, that you find "un-intuitive"?
For example, when I open iTunes, and want to play music...its under "Music" on the sidebar, is that somehow backwards? Should it be under "phat beatz" or "Tunes" instead, since it is "iTunes"?
I use Album views for everything, if I play music, I search by album, and then the song I want, I know others who only search through artists....which is plain wrong for me, but each to their own...
What *IS* a program or device with a better UI than iTunes for general music listening? I use a Mac, and havnt use that awful Windows Media Player for some time....do you have any Mac suggestions?
Thank you very much for your polite reply jazzkat!
:)
I myself do not drive, I live in a small city of 50,000, I am more than capable of walking to any shops I require, although I also cycle a fair distance a day (mostly on an exercycle), I used to average 66KM a day.
I can see a car as have genuine uses, and I truly dont see a gun as being a "genuine need" in any case. Even our police officers do NOT have guns, and I dont think they would WANT to be armed, just as the UK Police have no interest in carrying guns.
However, tazers are being trialled here, and many say that those are "going too far".
I really am glad you were kind spirited with your reply, I normally LOATHE posting online because of the replies you receive!
If you are interested in replying, would you feel safer knowing everyone else around you also has a gun? I absolutely wouldnt, sure "I *could* do whatever they *could* do to me", but frankly, I'd rather be unarmed, and living in an unarmed society.
Its 7:15PM Monday night here in New Zealand, thank you, and have a great night
Well said :)
I agree, this "socialism" thing has a lot going for it. I'm a New Zealander, compare my country to the USA and you will see major differences that arise from our "socialism". This reminds me of the healthcare debate, as a "foreigner", its the topic I know most about when it comes to this debate in the USA.
The people *AGAINST* "universal healthcare" (we dont even think about naming it here, its just "I'm hurt, go to the hospital") can *ADMIT* that every other developed country has public healthcare, that they essentially all live longer...but but but..."ITS SOCIALISM! SOVIET TANKS WILL PATROL OUR STREETS!"....
Its best to keep an open mind to all options.
governments also provide services to those who elect them...the same cannot be said of "Corporations".
You remind me of those Right Wing Talkback guys who talk about people who died a couple hundred years ago, blame "The Media" (while being the largest network yourself) for hassling BP, "hey, accidents happen! Just like Enron!" Who spout off about religious morals, helping others, while exploding if anyone ACTUALLY tries to *HELP* the poor with measures such as healthcare.
:) Even the small parties (5% odd) manage to have their say, and actually get work done.
US Politics are very far Right Wing for the rest of the world, you have essentially two parties, and they are Right and Massively Far Right. Compare to countries like my own, New Zealand where we have MMP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_member_proportional_representation
Many small parties that have to work together to form a government. Not just a continual Right to Far Right coin flip. We currently have our Centre Right party, National running the show, SUPPOSEDLY, they are actually dependent on our Green party! Imagine that, the Republicans depending on that Green party we hear about but never see. The Greens have ideas such as subsidising housing insulation, so houses will be warmer, air will be drier, people will be healthier, stimulates the economy....and the Right Wing party "in power", National, claims it as its OWN idea
I'm not blaming all the ills of the world on Right Wingers, just saying the US is massively Right Wing, no real left wing
I would love to see how pro-gun people would deal with New Zealand, where we have a law "against" Smacking children :)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10431333
(link just for fun)
:)
I find the idea of everyone being armed absolutely terrifying, friends who have been overseas (and not just to Australia like myself) mention seeing police with guns on every street...and the thought of even armed police gives me the creeps...
We are less violent, we live longer, we are healthier, more left wing... we focus on preventing the problem in the first place rather than keeping our Millitary Industrial Complex running at full capacity.
I would love to hear your thoughts on my society
Hmm, as a New Zealander, I would have to disagree with you, at least in part.
Assuming we are talking about the USA, the country with the most guns, and one of the most violent? Exactly how many more guns do you guys need before you are a safe country?
As I said before on this thread, here in NZ, we are highly rated for "development" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand#International_rankings
People here still complain about crime, but surely, its nothing like in larger, and more...armed...countries.
I would argue that some people will always steal, assault etc. If these people realise others have a pistol, I would logically assume they would make sure they have an equal or if possible "better" weapon. Think about it, if you are in a public place, say a movie theatre, watching, oh, lets say Avatar (in 3D if it makes a difference), would you rather EVERYONE had a gun, or that NOBODY had a gun?
I would also think that if you want to commit a crime, and you know that the police who oppose you are brutal, you would be more likely to do ANYTHING you can to stay free. And thus things could escalate rapidly.
If you think that you live in an unsafe area because of weapons, then why add more weapons into the equation? Its a sort of a Mutual Assured Destruction theory? At some time, you have to back down, and work on REDUCING the problem itself.
But thats just from my perspective.
But rejoice, the world is not going as bad as you think it is:
I would agree with you, living in New Zealand, a highly "liveable" country:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand#International_rankings
I'm still amazed at how people act. "Oh, the world is out of control, children are out of control, teens are out of control, everything is worse than when i was a kid". And yet, our largest city, where a whopping QUARTER of the population live, is the FOURTH most "liveable" city in the world! (equal to Vancouver) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_most_livable_cities
I say to these people, "You live here in New Zealand, we dont have any major recession, we are not fighting wars overseas or indeed right here at home, what do you have to whine about?". They normally dont know what to say to me! They've been told by the nightly news that the world is a horrible, horrible place!
That said, I do often wonder if the world is closer to A Clockwork Orange than in the past... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Clockwork_Orange
...And do you think Apple enjoys being with AT&T? They felt they needed a "deal" with a carrier, they went to Verizon first, which I believe in the US is pretty much "the best"? And you know what, Verizon apparently slammed the door in Jobs' face, "yea, that iPhone thingy? Good luck with that!".
AT&T was willing to have a "deal" with Apple...but they were locked into the exclusive contract...and you blame Apple for AT&T's service?
Do you remember how phones were before Apple entered the market? I do. And if they decided they needed some kickback scheme from the carrier, so be it. Do you remember how the tech pundits thought Apple could never make it? http://gizmodo.com/5416765/top-5-assclowns-laughing-at-the-iphone-back-in-2007
Would I prefer it if I could run my iPhone on any network? Yes, and hey, I can, in New Zealand....just like you can in Europe...none of that CDMA vs GSM BS...
Can you not unlock an iPhone and use it on another network? Are the other carriers in your area not compatible? Because I have a US iPhone, I run it on Vodafone NZ, I have to jailbreak it (or else it keeps searching for AT&T with every update!), but it works fine...
Its fine to hate AT&T, I suppose some people will always hate Apple, but dont hate APPLE for the faults of AT&T!
Its up to you to keep hating the iPhone "pissing on your customers"....enjoy your Storm or Android device, whatever.
I rather like Appl€ :)
Agreed, but does anyone get excited about the Microsoft brand? Do normal people queue outside the critically acclaimed Microsoft Temple on day one for a "Bluetrack" mouse?
Christ, I'd never been to Microsoft.com since getting service pack updates for my XP laptop...compare *THIS* http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/default.mspx monstrosity to Apple's page for their keyboard http://www.apple.com/keyboard/
And we seriously wonder why Apple is doing so well?
Xbox aside, I dont think anyone truly gets hyped over a Microsoft product? Perhaps there will be news coverage of the next OS release, but its ALWAYS seen as hyper-nerdy, and has mention of "Few can forget the fiasco of the previous Microsoft Windows release....". If all Apple has is "marketing", then why dont Dell, HP, Acer....bother making their websites and PR look GOOD?
And I suppose Foxconn mined and refined the elements used in my iMac? Oh, so then some other company TRULY makes everything for Apple then!
Most of my non technical friends believe they have a "Dell" or "HP" computer, and "windows" is just "the thing" inside the screen, they have essentially no idea about other Operating Systems such as Linux, its just "windows" and "those Apple computers". They know that Apple computers are Apple inside and "out".
Funnily enough, Steve Jobs considered the TOTAL vertical approach:
"Remember Steve Jobs "sand" concept for the creation of personal computers? About the time he lent his star power to the creation of the original Macintosh back in the early 80s, Apples founder famously described his dream factory: an oceanfront site that would haul raw beach sand in one end, cook up its own silicon and deliver fully configured PCs out the other end. This vision of vertical integration and rugged self-sufficiency is a cornerstone of Apples culture that has informed the companys every move during Jobs two tenures there." http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Apple/Mac-Market-Built-on-Sand/