Nearly every weekend she goes to her BFF's house to "study", but the two of them really go hang out at the mall (according to both the phone and the bank transactions).
Here is what I have done about the situation: nothing. Lying and deceiving your parents is a normal part of growing up, and the point of spying on your kids is not to prevent them from being normal, but to protect them from real dangers.
I like the philosophy. She obviously knows that dad/mom will not come down hard unless something really bad happens and would probably feel terrible if she went beyond the "norm" for behavior. Good parenting isn't always correcting mistakes and keeping them in a gilded cage.
I'm curious why you don't have a talk with her and say something like, "I know studying can be taxing and if you need a little break head on over to the mall" without letting her know you are already aware this happens. Would probably take some stress off her about sneaking around and, if you did call her, feeling pressure to lie to you...which then does start eroding trust.
Combined with redefinition. Unemployment is low and dropping because labor force participation rate is dropping even faster. Eventually none of us will have jobs, but as we stand in the soup lines we'll see unemployment has dropped to merely 5% and good times are right around the corner.
You'll be fine as long as you keep listening to Manna's instructions or enjoy the good life in the Terrafoam housing.
I know 5 different families whose kids never watched the tube before they were near the end of puberty. The outcome is striking. The kids are brighter, more well balanced, more socially mature, more responsible, more productive and better disciplined.
I know one family that is a counter anecdote: mine. My girls probably watched more TV and used the computer more than you might think was appropriate based on the statement above. They are bright, well-behaved, productive, and have pretty good grades in school.
The catch? They enjoyed shows about WW II, science, technology (how many "How It's Made" are there anyway?) and the like. On the computer, they spent time creating pictures, researching strange topics, or playing with a 3D rendering program they downloaded...and yes Facebook and Zero Punctuation.
I think much of the issue with new media is what kind of interests they have when watching TV. If favorite show is "iCarly", "House wives of..." or wrestling then I see much of the problem with TV. However, as we techys know, all TV isn't created equal. Personally, Disney channel is a problem:)
EG, it starts out as "If I voluntarily join this program, I could say 20% on my insurance." It then later becomes the "New standard rate metric, based on your personal driving patterns," and eventually becomes "Penalized rate for not providing data on your traffic patterns."
Sounds all too familiar to those living in the Chicago area. While the tollways were being updated to new open-road tolling (i.e. you don't need to stop at a booth), everyone was told that those who had an iPass (the electronic toll device) would receive a discount. Of course the discount turned into: those with iPass pay the same (high) cost as before and everyone using cash pays double.
"The company is hoping that consumers will be willing to pay more, though it is unlikely that the “Made in America” lineage will be part of any marketing campaign.'"
People excoriate execs and companies who move parts of their businesses offshore (often rightly, and also often without questioning the policies that contribute to it often being cheaper and easier to employ people thousands of miles away in other countries).
I use to work in manufacturing (wrote machine vision algorithms back then...fun stuff) and the cost can be very competitive with overseas. The key is design for manufacturing and automating as much as possible.
Labor isn't your highest expense when you have high-speed chip shooting lines and automated assembly processes. For a high volume builder such as Apple, the economies of scale work in it's favor too. Low volume manufacturing needs a board house to do the work otherwise capital equipment goes under utilized. That's not Apple or Google's problem.
I'm sure Apple and everyone's designs fit in the designed for manufacturability category so why not assemble in the states. Invest the capital on equipment and put some assemblers back to work!
I know having a lack of locally sourced parts (they are all over seas now, right?) will make it hard, but I would love to see leading brands bring manufacturing back to the states. For Apple, this would be a blessing in minimizing knock-offs and leaks anyway and a little less margin isn't going to put them out of business.
Note to self: Pitch reality TV show to A&E hosted by Richard Dean Anderson and Steve Smith. Contestants must solve high-tech problems using only the household items that they are given. The items always include duct tape and empty beer cans.
What fits well together is largely a cultural thing. Consider this: in England eating vinegar sprinkled over deep fried potatoes is considered de rigueur. On the continent this draws looks of horror, here we eat our chips the Belgian way: with mayonnaise.
I always thought it was a combination of cultural expectations and the fact people aren't open to explore the tastes that are foreign to them. I like deep fried potatoes with vinegar, mayo, gravy, mustard, and ketchup. Sure each flavor combination is different, but if someone truly gives it a chance...who knows what you like!
Of course, it is possible that a deep fried potato taste good with everything.
If the law changes then it is indeed "Apple's Problem", and they will have to figure out some other combination of pricing to make the revenue work for them.
I think many people who are pushing the agenda to allow hackintosh companies want cheap hardware with the cheap high-quality Apple OSX. However, OSX is inexpensive (relatively) because it is an upgrade and is tied to the HW sale. If the law changes, we will all get the wonderful benefit of paying MS level retail prices for OSX and wonderful DRM and activation. I wouldn't be surprised if we even see the same ridiculous price structure we see from MS today instead of the simple one-size for all.
The story behind the Enigma and how the codes were cracked are fascinating. I fell in love with the machine and the concept of rotors, symmetric encode/decode, and how the circuit and mechanical systems worked.
I was so into it that I wrote a simple free simulator for the iPhone that faithfully simulated a set of rotors and include quirks in behavior. It is old and not full featured (one set of rotors, no plug board, etc) but was a labor of love! Someone also has a full featured one for sale in the store now and there are numerous simulators on the net.
There is a paper based Enigma that is an excellent tool for teaching students about this historical device. If you are a WW2 buff, the Enigma is a must on your research list.
Sorry if sounded like I was disagreeing. Indeed it would be good if they were able to keep prices similar due to saving on infrastructure (e.g. warehouse cheaper than storefront). I think part of true added cost is the "pickers" employed to package orders and people are accustomed to delivery charges so they can pass the cost along.
Maybe as more players come in (and not the Webvan kind who could not control their zeal for growth) price will go down. Can alway hope!
As someone else pointed out, there are companies doing this. One in the Chicago and Mikwaukee areas (and more I imagine) is Peapod.
I've used them for years and the convenience of putting items on my list (iPad app) as I need them and then one button click to order is great. Having them delivered is even so convenient if you can plan a few days in advance to schedule an order. I might sound like a commercial message but I found they have really excellent produce and meat.
I know the prices are higher than local market and you do pay for delivery so you have to decide if the trade off of convenience vs. price is worth it.
I'm not a professional at all but an amateur who has used Apple professional tools for music. I was also excited about Final Cut Pro X since I also like to create shorts and wring every last bit of power from iMovie.
I read the message boards to see what was going on with the different tools and--personal opinion--some professionals aren't very. First, as a professional you constantly evaluate your workflows and tools to deliver your end product. I get that some people do not want to change what works, but I moved from Sonar Producer (DAW) to Logic Pro with very little issues and could leverage some of the different features quickly (of course, I did miss Sonar exclusive features too). Some posters on the boards were simply not able to understand there might be better workflows using the power of new tools. Second, some of the tools added were phenomenal which would probably save them enough time to focus on how to do work with the new tool. Third, the squeaky wheels got a lot of press while many on the boards were very happy with the changes and improvements. I personally found the enhancements fairly exciting based on the limitations I hit in iMovie every day.
From my own experience would I be upset if Logic Pro started looking like Garageband...yes. Would I adapt to leverage what it offers..absolutely. I already find myself using Garageband for quick songs because it is far easier to get in and out quickly; there is some real value there.
As technologist, what would we say to a professional programmer who never wanted to learn a new language, evaluate new programming tools (e.g. IDE) or leverage new build automation?
Finally, it is fortunate there is a great ecosystem of video and audio tools that can fill any gaps in Apple's portfolio. That's a good thing
I would not rule out the chance to preserve a nucleus of human specimens. It would be quite easy at the bottom of some of our deeper mine shafts..
This sounds a little like the concept for the movie "City of Ember". It is about a colony of humans sealed away under a mountain for hundreds of years until the surface became better again for human habitation. Unfortunately, the secret of the outside world was lost and as everything started to fall apart and they ran out of food... well it is is not a bad movie and worth watching it for yourself.
Obviously, the parent was describing a completely self sufficient colony where they could sustain the population indefinitely. The comment just made me think about the movie and you can call it off topic!
There's no way I want to even think about attaching a BGA socket on a board by hand.
Still, I would have a hard time believing that there is no demand for the through-hole components any more.
Perhaps that is part of the business plan. First kit you need to build is the "Chip Shooter" kit. Next, the "Stencil Solder" kit. Finally, the "Reflow Oven" is added to your list of projects. After that, the rest of the projects are cake!
As soon as I ask them if they'd like to meet up, they go quiet and never message me again. <PotKettle>It's clear to me why these people are on a dating website, they have no personality</PotKettle>.
Has anyone actually had any luck with this, because at the moment I've paid £90 for 3 month's worth of pen-friends.
I've actually had good success with dating sites. It has lead to some great first dates, many subsequent dates and two very nice longer term relationships. The current relationship is very rewarding. I don't consider my self much of geek anymore, though I really enjoy geeky things. I think what helped with me is the following:
Have a profile that does a really good job of explaining who really are and include something that would spark someone to say "interesting". In my case, I play music and mention I enjoy writing it. Don't be afraid to share something a little personal (nothing you don't want to be on the Internet forever); I shared an interesting nugget about my formative years. It gives someone who is interested something to latch onto and also gives someone you message with similar interests something to read when they check you out. A paragraph of "love the outdoors and walks on beach" just doesn't do anything for anyone.
Literacy in communication is seriously lacking in on-line communities. Think through your thoughts such as what was interesting about her that made you write. Use proper grammar and well constructed sentences which is easy for most of you but careful not to "talk over" their head. Many women have responded and commented on how they were impressed with this.
Ask a question pertinent to their interests. People enjoy discussions and a question opens up the avenue for interaction. This is a critical item and cannot stress enough. If they like hiking, ask where they go and mention your favorite place. Simple things.
Be genuine and focus on real areas of connection. Saying how beautiful they are or the email equivalent of a pickup line isn't making a connection
Don't have a psychology degree and think most of this is common sense
We have rolled out almost every type of tablet as a test to our users. They have claimed that they were needed, and loved them at first. A after a few weeks, the vast majority of the users have said that they rarely use it anymore....and now are back to their laptop.
Maybe for sitting on the couch they work, but for productivity they seem to have been a flop around here.
Right tool for the right job I suspect and I find the iPad extremely useful for work.
Case in point: I had my laptop go out of commission for three weeks and still can't get it to connect to a non-work network (I hate Windows 7). I had an iPad and began using our over-the-air mail sync to augment. I found I could do over 90% of what I needed. My job includes reviewing many documents, tracking program deliverables, managing crisis's by email, and generating basic content for others. With iWorks, iBook (PDF), note taking software, and my mail link I was good to go.
Now would I use it to generate 20 page PowerPoint... of course not. However, that's what my backup desktop is for and I actually find that I'm more likely to take my iPad to meetings than my laptop today.
How could we have a slightest clue if humans are selfish or not? Compared to what? We might be the most benevolent thing seen in the entire universe, or we might something completely different.
I think your insight is interesting.
There was a Twilight Zone episode I once saw (don't know name or whether it was old vs. the short lived 70's one) where aliens came down and told the UN that we needed to fix our problems.
World leaders finally worked together to eliminate wars and conflict. When the aliens returned, they were even more upset as they wanted us to be warring and ultimately destroyed the world because of the new peace. I don't recall reason, but I believe it was related to the human race simply being work bees and conflict drove evolutionary improvements to strength or something similar.
Why is it that most of the books on relationships have been written by people who have been divorced multiple times?
Maybe it is that old adage at work: You learn more from your failures than your successes. Or maybe they spent so much time writing the book and trying to solve other people's problem they ignored their own!
If I pay a good amount of money for a game, I don't want anyone telling me that I _HAVE_ to finish that one mission before I can move further.
Absolutely agree! I cannot play for long periods of time since my wrists start to bother me. Now this is for the console version, but I was never able to finish Gears of War due to the level where you need to get the troll outside before you could bring down the rain. Never could do it and I had to give up.
Also, and perhaps more annoying, is driving games not giving me all the cars and tracks at the beginning. I do not have the time to do the campaign mode for a racing game. I bought the game to race around for an hour and then put it away...period...give me the cars I PAID FOR. There really is no reason to lock this content. The replay value isn't in forcing me to go through all the tracks, all the series, and all the souping mods. It is, wait for it, racing.
OK I'll admit I know almost nothing about Bitcoins (other than what I read on slashdot....).
I read many posts regarding cashing out Bitcoins for real money. Who is doing this? Is there a bank or some other institution that will take them and give out real dollars?
When people started to first discuss Bitcoins, it sounded like the electronic equivalent of bartering within the tech sector or tech merchants. I never really considered it anything but a easy way to account for these trades by tech savvy individuals.
I don't know if the math is dodgy but I do know the use of the Enigma was also a good example of how poor use of the device can lesson the effectiveness.
Many of the messages sent between stations using the Enigma had similar sets of characters. For example, messages would end with praise to the fuhrer or start with something related to weather (that's two I can recall). This gave the allies a chance to have a known set of plain text and would greatly limit the problem space.
I actually wrote an Enigma simulator for the iPhone because it is a fascinating device (e.g.. being a symmetric code/decode machine). It is a little dated and might not work on modern iPhone OS's but I did it as a labor of love and how cool the machine was.
There is a great little tool to teach students about the Enigma machine as part of a WWII curriculum call the Paper Enigma.
My big gripe with Bluray is that the discs are so fragile. I've received a few from the Lovefilm rental service that have stopped working halfway through the movie, apparently due to disc damage. This has never happened with a rented DVD, or with a BD that I own. And yet the discs are handled in exactly the same way. It seems BD is much more sensitive to scratches.
I have had the exact opposite experience with Blu-Rays and don't think they are more fragile. I thought one of the selling points of Blu-Ray is they are less susceptible to damage. I get movies through mail all the time (Blockbuster) and I have never received a Blu-Ray with a scratch (smudges, yes). Anytime I get a DVD, it has scratches and I hope it plays correctly. I have a sample size of a hundred movies across each format that I'm using as the bases of my assessment. I think it really is curious how we can have different experiences..is there a difference in the mail services, customers (I think kid movies could be made out of titanium and still get destroyed by kids), kinds of movies, shipping material used? Maybe Blockbuster is more proactive in removing unreadable discs from their inventory?
Some other posters mention the lack of quality. So while I'm at it, I have a 65" DLP set and do see a remarkable difference in quality (using a PS3) in DVD vs. Blu-Ray titles. I do, however, notice considerably less improvement on my 37" LCD television. Obviously, the bigger the screen the more useful the resolution bump is.
In many cases, I'm not an early adopter and only had a Blu-Ray player because of the PS3. I simply cannot see not buying Blu-Ray discs in most situations now. Of course, I'm as annoyed as anyone else with the "boot" time required for some discs.
. The only reason to own one is that they're fashionable and hip.
Are we as technologist still throwing out this meme?
I don't have an iPad 1 but a large number of competent software engineers, hardware designers, and system administrators (including Linux and Win systems) I know do. They aren't hipsters but find the device very useful in a number of ways.
I had the good fortune of having one loaned to me for a couple of weekends and was hooked. There was something very nice about leaving my Mac laptop connected to my big screen and reference speakers while I was working on an HD movie...yet still being able to grab the tablet for quick use around the house.
After seeing how there are really cool tools available-- including virtual guitar rigs, iMovie, a really nicely done Garageband, good implementation of WebEx and RDP clients-- I am buying an iPad 2. Not because I'm a hipster (I have an iPhone so don't plan on taking the tablet out of the house too often) but because I found some significant utility in a nicely designed device.
Maybe all the slashdot people live in NY or San Francisco where the hipster live..but here in the Midwest we apparently buy things that are useful.
I believe there was a Saturday Night Live bit many years ago that was not all that unrelated to the above post.
A representative of the school was talking to a class and asked the teacher to leave. They then tell the students that when they go to the school, they split the tuition their parents paid 50/50 with the school. The students were free to do whatever they wanted and would receive a degree at the end of the 4 years. The caveat: they had to be on campus for certain parent/student days. If they didn't the school representative would say, "We will find you and we will kill you".
There was a stinger when the teacher came back in and all the students were really excited about the school. She said something about a high ranking school official also went to the school.
I thought every geek had watched "Junkyard Wars" at one point or another in their life. It was a great British show (and an American version too...not as good) that showcased people making motoring devices out of old cars and parts from a junkyard. Great for gear heads (petrol heads for our UK friends), geeks, and anyone with a penchant for welding (and fire).
More to the point, every 2 minutes they would mention "kit"...I learned many quality UK terms from that show.
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Nearly every weekend she goes to her BFF's house to "study", but the two of them really go hang out at the mall (according to both the phone and the bank transactions).
Here is what I have done about the situation: nothing. Lying and deceiving your parents is a normal part of growing up, and the point of spying on your kids is not to prevent them from being normal, but to protect them from real dangers.
I like the philosophy. She obviously knows that dad/mom will not come down hard unless something really bad happens and would probably feel terrible if she went beyond the "norm" for behavior. Good parenting isn't always correcting mistakes and keeping them in a gilded cage.
I'm curious why you don't have a talk with her and say something like, "I know studying can be taxing and if you need a little break head on over to the mall" without letting her know you are already aware this happens. Would probably take some stress off her about sneaking around and, if you did call her, feeling pressure to lie to you...which then does start eroding trust.
Combined with redefinition. Unemployment is low and dropping because labor force participation rate is dropping even faster. Eventually none of us will have jobs, but as we stand in the soup lines we'll see unemployment has dropped to merely 5% and good times are right around the corner.
You'll be fine as long as you keep listening to Manna's instructions or enjoy the good life in the Terrafoam housing.
I know 5 different families whose kids never watched the tube before they were near the end of puberty. The outcome is striking. The kids are brighter, more well balanced, more socially mature, more responsible, more productive and better disciplined.
I know one family that is a counter anecdote: mine. My girls probably watched more TV and used the computer more than you might think was appropriate based on the statement above. They are bright, well-behaved, productive, and have pretty good grades in school .
The catch? They enjoyed shows about WW II, science, technology (how many "How It's Made" are there anyway?) and the like. On the computer, they spent time creating pictures, researching strange topics, or playing with a 3D rendering program they downloaded...and yes Facebook and Zero Punctuation.
I think much of the issue with new media is what kind of interests they have when watching TV. If favorite show is "iCarly", "House wives of..." or wrestling then I see much of the problem with TV. However, as we techys know, all TV isn't created equal. Personally, Disney channel is a problem :)
EG, it starts out as "If I voluntarily join this program, I could say 20% on my insurance." It then later becomes the "New standard rate metric, based on your personal driving patterns," and eventually becomes "Penalized rate for not providing data on your traffic patterns."
Sounds all too familiar to those living in the Chicago area. While the tollways were being updated to new open-road tolling (i.e. you don't need to stop at a booth), everyone was told that those who had an iPass (the electronic toll device) would receive a discount. Of course the discount turned into: those with iPass pay the same (high) cost as before and everyone using cash pays double.
"The company is hoping that consumers will be willing to pay more, though it is unlikely that the “Made in America” lineage will be part of any marketing campaign.'"
People excoriate execs and companies who move parts of their businesses offshore (often rightly, and also often without questioning the policies that contribute to it often being cheaper and easier to employ people thousands of miles away in other countries).
I use to work in manufacturing (wrote machine vision algorithms back then...fun stuff) and the cost can be very competitive with overseas. The key is design for manufacturing and automating as much as possible.
Labor isn't your highest expense when you have high-speed chip shooting lines and automated assembly processes. For a high volume builder such as Apple, the economies of scale work in it's favor too. Low volume manufacturing needs a board house to do the work otherwise capital equipment goes under utilized. That's not Apple or Google's problem.
I'm sure Apple and everyone's designs fit in the designed for manufacturability category so why not assemble in the states. Invest the capital on equipment and put some assemblers back to work!
I know having a lack of locally sourced parts (they are all over seas now, right?) will make it hard, but I would love to see leading brands bring manufacturing back to the states. For Apple, this would be a blessing in minimizing knock-offs and leaks anyway and a little less margin isn't going to put them out of business.
Note to self: Pitch reality TV show to A&E hosted by Richard Dean Anderson and Steve Smith. Contestants must solve high-tech problems using only the household items that they are given. The items always include duct tape and empty beer cans.
Maybe they can call the show "Junk Drawer Wars"
What fits well together is largely a cultural thing. Consider this: in England eating vinegar sprinkled over deep fried potatoes is considered de rigueur. On the continent this draws looks of horror, here we eat our chips the Belgian way: with mayonnaise.
I always thought it was a combination of cultural expectations and the fact people aren't open to explore the tastes that are foreign to them. I like deep fried potatoes with vinegar, mayo, gravy, mustard, and ketchup. Sure each flavor combination is different, but if someone truly gives it a chance...who knows what you like!
Of course, it is possible that a deep fried potato taste good with everything.
If the law changes then it is indeed "Apple's Problem", and they will have to figure out some other combination of pricing to make the revenue work for them.
I think many people who are pushing the agenda to allow hackintosh companies want cheap hardware with the cheap high-quality Apple OSX. However, OSX is inexpensive (relatively) because it is an upgrade and is tied to the HW sale. If the law changes, we will all get the wonderful benefit of paying MS level retail prices for OSX and wonderful DRM and activation. I wouldn't be surprised if we even see the same ridiculous price structure we see from MS today instead of the simple one-size for all.
The story behind the Enigma and how the codes were cracked are fascinating. I fell in love with the machine and the concept of rotors, symmetric encode/decode, and how the circuit and mechanical systems worked.
I was so into it that I wrote a simple free simulator for the iPhone that faithfully simulated a set of rotors and include quirks in behavior. It is old and not full featured (one set of rotors, no plug board, etc) but was a labor of love! Someone also has a full featured one for sale in the store now and there are numerous simulators on the net.
There is a paper based Enigma that is an excellent tool for teaching students about this historical device. If you are a WW2 buff, the Enigma is a must on your research list.
Sorry if sounded like I was disagreeing. Indeed it would be good if they were able to keep prices similar due to saving on infrastructure (e.g. warehouse cheaper than storefront). I think part of true added cost is the "pickers" employed to package orders and people are accustomed to delivery charges so they can pass the cost along.
Maybe as more players come in (and not the Webvan kind who could not control their zeal for growth) price will go down. Can alway hope!
As someone else pointed out, there are companies doing this. One in the Chicago and Mikwaukee areas (and more I imagine) is Peapod.
I've used them for years and the convenience of putting items on my list (iPad app) as I need them and then one button click to order is great. Having them delivered is even so convenient if you can plan a few days in advance to schedule an order. I might sound like a commercial message but I found they have really excellent produce and meat.
I know the prices are higher than local market and you do pay for delivery so you have to decide if the trade off of convenience vs. price is worth it.
I'm not a professional at all but an amateur who has used Apple professional tools for music. I was also excited about Final Cut Pro X since I also like to create shorts and wring every last bit of power from iMovie.
I read the message boards to see what was going on with the different tools and--personal opinion--some professionals aren't very. First, as a professional you constantly evaluate your workflows and tools to deliver your end product. I get that some people do not want to change what works, but I moved from Sonar Producer (DAW) to Logic Pro with very little issues and could leverage some of the different features quickly (of course, I did miss Sonar exclusive features too). Some posters on the boards were simply not able to understand there might be better workflows using the power of new tools. Second, some of the tools added were phenomenal which would probably save them enough time to focus on how to do work with the new tool. Third, the squeaky wheels got a lot of press while many on the boards were very happy with the changes and improvements. I personally found the enhancements fairly exciting based on the limitations I hit in iMovie every day.
From my own experience would I be upset if Logic Pro started looking like Garageband...yes. Would I adapt to leverage what it offers..absolutely. I already find myself using Garageband for quick songs because it is far easier to get in and out quickly; there is some real value there.
As technologist, what would we say to a professional programmer who never wanted to learn a new language, evaluate new programming tools (e.g. IDE) or leverage new build automation?
Finally, it is fortunate there is a great ecosystem of video and audio tools that can fill any gaps in Apple's portfolio. That's a good thing
I would not rule out the chance to preserve a nucleus of human specimens. It would be quite easy at the bottom of some of our deeper mine shafts. .
This sounds a little like the concept for the movie "City of Ember". It is about a colony of humans sealed away under a mountain for hundreds of years until the surface became better again for human habitation. Unfortunately, the secret of the outside world was lost and as everything started to fall apart and they ran out of food... well it is is not a bad movie and worth watching it for yourself.
Obviously, the parent was describing a completely self sufficient colony where they could sustain the population indefinitely. The comment just made me think about the movie and you can call it off topic!
There's no way I want to even think about attaching a BGA socket on a board by hand.
Still, I would have a hard time believing that there is no demand for the through-hole components any more.
Perhaps that is part of the business plan. First kit you need to build is the "Chip Shooter" kit. Next, the "Stencil Solder" kit. Finally, the "Reflow Oven" is added to your list of projects. After that, the rest of the projects are cake!
As soon as I ask them if they'd like to meet up, they go quiet and never message me again. <PotKettle>It's clear to me why these people are on a dating website, they have no personality</PotKettle>.
Has anyone actually had any luck with this, because at the moment I've paid £90 for 3 month's worth of pen-friends.
I've actually had good success with dating sites. It has lead to some great first dates, many subsequent dates and two very nice longer term relationships. The current relationship is very rewarding. I don't consider my self much of geek anymore, though I really enjoy geeky things. I think what helped with me is the following:
Don't have a psychology degree and think most of this is common sense
We have rolled out almost every type of tablet as a test to our users. They have claimed that they were needed, and loved them at first. A after a few weeks, the vast majority of the users have said that they rarely use it anymore....and now are back to their laptop. Maybe for sitting on the couch they work, but for productivity they seem to have been a flop around here.
Right tool for the right job I suspect and I find the iPad extremely useful for work.
Case in point: I had my laptop go out of commission for three weeks and still can't get it to connect to a non-work network (I hate Windows 7). I had an iPad and began using our over-the-air mail sync to augment. I found I could do over 90% of what I needed. My job includes reviewing many documents, tracking program deliverables, managing crisis's by email, and generating basic content for others. With iWorks, iBook (PDF), note taking software, and my mail link I was good to go.
Now would I use it to generate 20 page PowerPoint ... of course not. However, that's what my backup desktop is for and I actually find that I'm more likely to take my iPad to meetings than my laptop today.
How could we have a slightest clue if humans are selfish or not? Compared to what? We might be the most benevolent thing seen in the entire universe, or we might something completely different.
I think your insight is interesting.
There was a Twilight Zone episode I once saw (don't know name or whether it was old vs. the short lived 70's one) where aliens came down and told the UN that we needed to fix our problems.
World leaders finally worked together to eliminate wars and conflict. When the aliens returned, they were even more upset as they wanted us to be warring and ultimately destroyed the world because of the new peace. I don't recall reason, but I believe it was related to the human race simply being work bees and conflict drove evolutionary improvements to strength or something similar.
Why is it that most of the books on relationships have been written by people who have been divorced multiple times?
Maybe it is that old adage at work: You learn more from your failures than your successes. Or maybe they spent so much time writing the book and trying to solve other people's problem they ignored their own!
If I pay a good amount of money for a game, I don't want anyone telling me that I _HAVE_ to finish that one mission before I can move further.
Absolutely agree! I cannot play for long periods of time since my wrists start to bother me. Now this is for the console version, but I was never able to finish Gears of War due to the level where you need to get the troll outside before you could bring down the rain. Never could do it and I had to give up.
Also, and perhaps more annoying, is driving games not giving me all the cars and tracks at the beginning. I do not have the time to do the campaign mode for a racing game. I bought the game to race around for an hour and then put it away...period...give me the cars I PAID FOR. There really is no reason to lock this content. The replay value isn't in forcing me to go through all the tracks, all the series, and all the souping mods. It is, wait for it, racing.
OK I'll admit I know almost nothing about Bitcoins (other than what I read on slashdot....).
I read many posts regarding cashing out Bitcoins for real money. Who is doing this? Is there a bank or some other institution that will take them and give out real dollars?
When people started to first discuss Bitcoins, it sounded like the electronic equivalent of bartering within the tech sector or tech merchants. I never really considered it anything but a easy way to account for these trades by tech savvy individuals.
Any insight would be much appreciated.
I don't know if the math is dodgy but I do know the use of the Enigma was also a good example of how poor use of the device can lesson the effectiveness.
Many of the messages sent between stations using the Enigma had similar sets of characters. For example, messages would end with praise to the fuhrer or start with something related to weather (that's two I can recall). This gave the allies a chance to have a known set of plain text and would greatly limit the problem space.
I actually wrote an Enigma simulator for the iPhone because it is a fascinating device (e.g.. being a symmetric code/decode machine). It is a little dated and might not work on modern iPhone OS's but I did it as a labor of love and how cool the machine was.
There is a great little tool to teach students about the Enigma machine as part of a WWII curriculum call the Paper Enigma.
My big gripe with Bluray is that the discs are so fragile. I've received a few from the Lovefilm rental service that have stopped working halfway through the movie, apparently due to disc damage. This has never happened with a rented DVD, or with a BD that I own. And yet the discs are handled in exactly the same way. It seems BD is much more sensitive to scratches.
I have had the exact opposite experience with Blu-Rays and don't think they are more fragile. I thought one of the selling points of Blu-Ray is they are less susceptible to damage. I get movies through mail all the time (Blockbuster) and I have never received a Blu-Ray with a scratch (smudges, yes). Anytime I get a DVD, it has scratches and I hope it plays correctly. I have a sample size of a hundred movies across each format that I'm using as the bases of my assessment. I think it really is curious how we can have different experiences..is there a difference in the mail services, customers (I think kid movies could be made out of titanium and still get destroyed by kids), kinds of movies, shipping material used? Maybe Blockbuster is more proactive in removing unreadable discs from their inventory?
Some other posters mention the lack of quality. So while I'm at it, I have a 65" DLP set and do see a remarkable difference in quality (using a PS3) in DVD vs. Blu-Ray titles. I do, however, notice considerably less improvement on my 37" LCD television. Obviously, the bigger the screen the more useful the resolution bump is.
In many cases, I'm not an early adopter and only had a Blu-Ray player because of the PS3. I simply cannot see not buying Blu-Ray discs in most situations now. Of course, I'm as annoyed as anyone else with the "boot" time required for some discs.
. The only reason to own one is that they're fashionable and hip.
Are we as technologist still throwing out this meme?
I don't have an iPad 1 but a large number of competent software engineers, hardware designers, and system administrators (including Linux and Win systems) I know do. They aren't hipsters but find the device very useful in a number of ways.
I had the good fortune of having one loaned to me for a couple of weekends and was hooked. There was something very nice about leaving my Mac laptop connected to my big screen and reference speakers while I was working on an HD movie...yet still being able to grab the tablet for quick use around the house.
After seeing how there are really cool tools available-- including virtual guitar rigs, iMovie, a really nicely done Garageband, good implementation of WebEx and RDP clients-- I am buying an iPad 2. Not because I'm a hipster (I have an iPhone so don't plan on taking the tablet out of the house too often) but because I found some significant utility in a nicely designed device.
Maybe all the slashdot people live in NY or San Francisco where the hipster live..but here in the Midwest we apparently buy things that are useful.
I believe there was a Saturday Night Live bit many years ago that was not all that unrelated to the above post.
A representative of the school was talking to a class and asked the teacher to leave. They then tell the students that when they go to the school, they split the tuition their parents paid 50/50 with the school. The students were free to do whatever they wanted and would receive a degree at the end of the 4 years. The caveat: they had to be on campus for certain parent/student days. If they didn't the school representative would say, "We will find you and we will kill you".
There was a stinger when the teacher came back in and all the students were really excited about the school. She said something about a high ranking school official also went to the school.
Not sure why that bit stuck with me.
I thought every geek had watched "Junkyard Wars" at one point or another in their life. It was a great British show (and an American version too...not as good) that showcased people making motoring devices out of old cars and parts from a junkyard. Great for gear heads (petrol heads for our UK friends), geeks, and anyone with a penchant for welding (and fire).
More to the point, every 2 minutes they would mention "kit"...I learned many quality UK terms from that show.