We don't even have a FAIR capitalistic society yet.
I'll bet you're thinking of something like "The American Dream", which is the dream of a "fair" capitalistic society. Or Utopia, which is in theory where the socialism/communism/capitalism models are supposed to evolve to.
Capitalism by definition isn't necessarily supposed to be fair - it's an economic model that states that anyone is allowed to make money. It means that evil corporations are still allowed the make the same money in the same market that good ol' Joe is (substitute whatever David vs. Goliath story you wish - NewPunkBand vs RIAA, Consumers vs. BigCorporations, Linux vs. Microsoft, etc..etc.etc). It just so happens that currently (and many,many,many times in the past) politics are helping the bigger evil corporations make money easier than good ol' Joe, because they are big enough to get some law on their side.
Howard Rheingold is making the point that these big evil corporations are depending on what he believes is an outdated "version" of the capitalistic economic model, which is that since they need to control the distribution of their particular product/service in order to make money, the only way they can make that happen when technology gets in the way is to get laws passed against it. That can't "bail them out" forever, especially when other countries that aren't necessarily interested in following that economic model get involved.
If greed motivates the average human (which it does), then the way for this type of "social revolution" to work is for everyone involved have something to gain by the collective participation of everyone. The "greed factor" could be that people start to learn in an very Pavlov-like-way that the more they contribute to making the collective model work, the better it works for them. It might take some time, but it's not outside the realm of possibility.
But then again I've had a few beers, so maybe I'm just dreaming...:)
Re:1st post and evil AOL
on
You've Got PC
·
· Score: 1
What does one need to squash AOL account to death effectively? If you had any bad experiences in cancelling AOL account, please post here!!!:P
My grandfather tried to cancel his AOL account by dying, but that didn't work either. Looks like we might have try an exorcism now.
- Create a "My Radio" option and a "My Radio" guide. If I would like to listen to KFOG's "Live at the Archives" on Wednesday morning at 3 a.m., so be it. If I would like to get a season pass to Howard Stern, great. These files should be saved to MP3 and be portable.
What, are these people CRAZY?!? There's no way a device that has the capability of RECORDING RADIO (or anything) is EVER going to be kosher with the DMCA!!! And the capability to save them in MP3 format? Whoever thought that must have lost their mind. Isn't anyone paying attention to what the RIAA has been telling us lately? Recording stuff is BAD. Paying for stuff every time you play it on another device is GOOD. Sheesh - it's like these people don't remember how those whole "cassette player" and "CD player" fads RUINED music and radio and made it so no one could make money because no one would buy any cassettes or CDs anymore...
I think this is a great step forward in the VR developments (no pun intended). What I think is going to be really interesting to see is, in say 10 years or so, what newer VR technology does to the relative fitness of your average hardcore computer gamer. Think about it - instead of sitting in a chair, you'd actually be exercising, which would burn those pizza and Dew calories.
If that becomes the case, what would happen to the labeling of games? All games could have "calorie burn factors" printed on them, so the more intense ones would have higher "calorie burn" ratings.
Does anyone know if there are any statstics out there for what the physical impact of today's games is that are a little like this - like "Dance Dance Revolution"?
Bottom line: a large company that is in the business of making money will NEVER offer incentives to their customers that causes them to lose money somehow. That's bad business.
This is an extremely broad statement. By your logic coupons would not exist.
The concept of coupons actually feeds right into my logic. Supermarkets and other stores issue coupons for items because the intent is to have people visit their store and purchase products that would not normally plan on visiting their store and/or people who would otherwise not purchase a particular product. They don't necessarily make their money back on selling the coupon item at a lower price, but the theory is that one will purchase more than just the discounted items when visiting the store. So, by issuing you a coupon, they actually make money because the larger-than-normal volume of customers outweighs the small discount they put on a particular item or items. It's called a "loss leader".
You: Stay the f**k out of my life. InsureCo: No problem. Have a nice day and good luck driving your car without insurance.
Me: Thanks, it's very easy to drive without insurance. It's not really harder than driving with insurance, actually. Now, getting pulled over without insurance, that's a different story. Still relatively easy, but expensive. I'll go talk to company B who will give me discounts based on my lack of accidents, lack of tickets within the last three years, and the fact that I purchased other insurance policies through them as well. Have a nice day!
InsuranceCo: Wait, come back! We don't want to lose your business, we just wanted to make more money from you by proving that you speed despite your clean record!
Insurance Companies live and die with statistics. The one they're playing with now I'll bet says that even their "best" drivers that don't get speeding tickets and get into accidents are still speeding, but not getting caught. I'd imagine that most of their customers speed from time to time, so this is an easier way of increasing their rates without having to rely on the CHP or local law enforcement to catch them. I'm not against people wanting to do this, but I imagine that a whole lot of people that try this will be disappointed in the end because their premiums don't go anywhere but up because only the most cautious drivers actually go the speed limit or slower ALL THE TIME. Most people speed, and the insurance companies probably have the statstics to prove it.
Bottom line: a large company that is in the business of making money will NEVER offer incentives to their customers that causes them to lose money somehow. That's bad business.
That's a link to the whole story. Or, if you prefer, this one has that quote in it as well. I think the Flamebait rating of the parent was a little harsh. There are lots of reasons to be suspicious of e-voting machines, this one just happens to be a glaring one. (IMHO) This would also serve as proof of sorts that the "general public" that was interviewed for this study probably didn't read this article (and probably doesn't read nearly as many articles about this type of issue as/. people do).
Yahoo!'s user agreement doesn't protect someone from being abused like that. At least that's not how I read it. It states the user is responsible to NOT post such abusive things, and that Yahoo! cannot control what its users try to post (to a certain degree). It also states that a person may be exposed to things that will offend them. Therefore, Stephen, by registering with Yahoo! he agreed that this stuff might happen.
What better way to prove to your potential customers that you REALLY know law, so therefore they should use you for all their legal needs, than to sue Yahoo when people call you bad names? Oh, wait - he accomplished exactly the opposite of that. I hear Burger King is hiring...
You know all those dvds you have? (ive got about 300) You get to re-purchase all of those in HD on blue-ray.
That's assuming that the publishers are going to be re-releasing all of those DVDs in HD formats on blu-ray discs. I can see the LucasFilm people re-releasing Star Wars (AGAIN) in HD format (after they release the "super special updated from the last version" version), but I just don't see the publishers of movies like "The Wizard of Oz" or "A Bridge Too Far" or any other old movie I own on DVD thinking there's much of a benefit to porting those old movies to a new HD disc...
What happens a few years around the road when a little corosion sets in, and the little motor attached to the screw can no longer back it out. If you took advantage of the fact that it does not need access how do you remove it when the mechanism fails?
Not only that, but what if the encryption scheme gets messed up somehow (password recovery anyone?). There's quite a few hurdles they'll have to overcome before this will be completely viable. It's a cool idea nonetheless though.
I say we just start using velcro to fasten all of our most critical engine parts - there shouldn't be any problems with that, right?:)
Seatbelts. Wireless or satellite signals from emergency control centers could release seatbelts, infant restraints and seating systems, enabling instant release of trapped or injured passengers from their cars in emergency situations.
Woman stuck in seat because seatbelt won't release: "Hello Ford? I'm in my car, it's about to fall off a cliff, and I can't get out of my seat - can you release my seatbelt please?"
Ford Customer Service: "Hold please ma'am - we're experiencing some slowdowns with our computer system. We'll just need to verify a few pieces of information with you first..."
Offtopic, I know...but I just had to spout this off:
One of the core beliefs of our founding fathers (that I'll bet is making them turn over in their graves now) was that our government (and any decent government for that matter) should hold as one of its highest priorities the seperation of church and state.
Just about every one of the U.S. Presidents has had a religious background of some sort.
The problem comes in when they decide that their religion is the best for the entire country and therefore start trying to make legislation that includes/mimics their own religious values or beliefs.
IANAL, but this just sounds like the DA is pushing for a charge that he know won't necessarily stick so as to make the case more visible publically. More than likely, this will get plead out or will be dropped to the more (IMHO) appropriate charge of vehicular manslaughter.
From a random websearch for homicide: Murder (1,2,3): Murder with EXPRESS or IMPLIED MALICE or intent to kill or do harm
Manslaughter(1,2): Manslaughter without express or implied malice or intent to kill or do harm
It seems to me that the driver falls into the manslaughter category, which includes vehicular manslaughter. If he were to be convicted of murder, it would mean that all drunk driving fatalaties could now be classified as murders as well.
While I agree with him that there is a LOT of scientific evidence that can be gathered without having humans aboard a mission, there's just certain things that a robot can't mimic when it comes to human experience.
I don't think they've gotten quite to the level yet with AI and robots where they could glean *all* the information a human could about a specific landscape. Sure, they can gather scientific data ad nauseum, but what about senses that border more on the emotional? I'd defy a robot to report back to NASA things like "this place is beautiful" or "it's eerie" or things like that.
Sometimes you just need a real human's perspective, if only to get the overall "feel" of a particular location.
If Van Allen's views make it so that NASA decides to send cheaper unmanned missions more often, and that in turn results in more data available so that we can send more reliable (and cheaper) manned missions to more places in the future, then I say he's right on target. There doesn't need to be a human on EVERY mission, and certainly not most of them, but once in awhile it is nice for us humans to hear about the details of some far away place from one of our own...
BMG and Columbia House are the two of the biggest mail-order record clubs out there. If Sony already has a 37% stake in Columbia House, and now they're going to own(be) BMG too, isn't this a BAD thing for competition within the mail-order music industry? Why wouldn't that fact alone cause the EC to thwart this?
I suggest that we all read the sentence again. It clearly says that any of the following actions in relation to "PlayStation 2 modification chips" is (are):
"illegal in this country."
Those actions (as outlined by the sentence) are:
sale,
advertisement,
posession for commercial purposes, and use of
The "true hoppyist" in UK, under this law, is only "safe" if he/she doesn't get CAUGHT for USING the mod chip.
Good review - it's especially funny because its raw (unedited) format. I especially liked the part in the Mac/Systems Architect User's notes that said:
"Task #4 - ICQ/Chat
* Loaded Gaim
* "Holy crap" at the number of protocols
*...
I didn't know I was being recorded when I said that!:)
I thought the review could have used just one more user though - the Beginner who is NOT "hesitant" (as the article puts it).
A lot of companies that I've worked for have stayed "behind the curve" on purpose, since older products tend to be more stable. So there will be a certain amount of industries that switch over to Linux because of their influx of recent grads that convince them to do so, but the other corporations (like the ones I'm talking about) will wait until other "like" corporations adopt the same thing, just because it will be more "proven" at that point.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that I don't think Linux can overtake MS as the OS of choice for corporations - my company already uses Linux servers for a lot of our critical environments - it's just that I don't think that the switch to Linux will be completely (or even largely) due to what college students run as their desktops - what will make Linux win is the fact that overall, its TCO should be lower than MS's, because it is a more stable environment for mission critical environments...
BTW - Remember the EULA for Windows NT(the one that you have to hit F8 for)? At the end of it, it says someting to the effect of "this OS was not intended for use in life-critical applications. Using this OS in these types for applications could prove FATAL". Now that's an OS I want to be running on my servers! (not):)
Oh no! Another $30 per year (if you read the article) in order to download all the free music you want for four years?
Acutally, I did read the entire article:
"This is a nice service if holding onto to your tunes is not important. Once their four years at school are over, the students are cut off from Napster and lose all the music they've download. That is unless they pay 99 cents per song or $10 per album to own a permanent download that can be burned onto CDs or MP3 players.
Keep in mind too, that this charge applies to ALL students, not just those that want to download music. And what about those from other countries/cultures that won't find their particular tastes in music on Napster?
The total cost of this is yet to be determined. That's just the price these colleges agreed to for now - who knows what the RIAA will start charging them in a few years, or what will happen if their students find a way to circumvent the Napster, etc, etc, etc...
"Napster offers a unique blend of a name students recognize, a broad music library that appeals to every taste and community features that let you discover new music and share your favorites with friends...."
Ah, but you can only share them with friends that are also currently enrolled at another one of these universities...:)
From the article: "If Napster would be more forthcoming, we'd all know exactly how much this "service" is going to affect university prices.
Great, tuition at places like Cornell wasn't high enough. Now they're going to charge MORE because I'll get to download music without being sued? Sign me up twice!
"Back in the days of Windows 3.1, you could easily make the installation disks, and give them to your school mates and buddies, and so all the local kids had a copy."
That much is true. The fact that Linux is easier to distribute will certainly help it become more prevalant amongst kids and student types that can't afford to purchase new OSes every year or two.
"In my opinion, Linux is going to win because kids can get it cheap, College students can get it cheap, and it is the kids that drives the next wave of OS's, not the price or TCO.
I have to disagree with you there. In this newer economy, management at large companies has to prove ROI and demonstrate what the TCO is for just about every new product/process that they have presented to them. Since Microsoft's market share comes from both home and business users, and in my experience, people (outside slashdot of course) tend to purchase operating systems they are the most familiar with, that usually means that the home users purchase the same OS that they use at work.
Most companies use testimonials from other companies and results of studies done within their industry to determine which path is the best one to take. Therefore, with the possible exception of places like MIT, most companies will not care what colleges and/or college students are running as their preferred OS - what will matter is what OS the other companies within their industry are running, why, and how that OS is working out for them. Since business is all about making money and downtime means profit loss, two primary factors will almost always factor into their decision:
- Stability
- Price
Their OS decision, therefore, will have little or nothing to do with how well a given product does with college students or kids. It will have more to do with how well the product works for them and how much it's going to cost them (overall, not just initially).
TCO, Total Cost of Ownership, isn't bogus - it's just a different/newer way of looking at how much an asset "really" costs someone. It might be used in some FUD that some software (or any other) companies put out to try and get people to buy their product, but it doesn't have to apply just to software and/or computers.
You could apply a TCO formula to just about everything. For example, the "TCO" of my car includes:
- How much I paid for it,
- How much insurance costs me,
- What the gas mileage is (how much gas costs me),
- How many people can it hold (how "efficient" is it?),
- How many other uses does it have that would cost me money to get otherwise (like towing), and
- other factors that I'm sure I'm forgetting right now.
One definition of TCO found on the web is (and there are a few):
"The life cycle cost view of an asset, which includes acquisition, setup, support, ongoing maintenance, service and all operating expenses. It focuses attention on the sum of all costs of owning an asset, as opposed to the initial or vendor cost, and is useful in outsourcing decisions."
Also be sure to inform any neighbors you have as well as the police that you are having an airsoft game.
Well said, but you obviously don't live in my neighborhood. The next time I step on one of these little BBs while barefoot on my driveway I'm gonna schedule a quick AirSoft with my neighborhood kids. The catch? I'll be using a paintball gun...:)
Actually, the shows weren't even censored. The writers and producer "bleeped" the choice words out on their own, to avoid any possible fines for breaking a "law" (actually "standard") that's subjective in its nature so they could avoid fines. If this were a large cable company, they could have broadcast it without fear of the fines because their profits could have outweighed the fines they could have been slapped with.
There are lots ways of preventing the "wrong" people from watching this type of thing. Here's a few that come to mind immediately:
1) Alert the viewers to possible content prior to the airing of the show, and in all of the listings in TV guides.
2) Air the show at a time when young people aren't likely to be watching.
3) Tell parents to watch what their kids are watching.
I don't want kids to be subjected to adult material any more than the next person, but I take the stance that it's the parents' job to moderate their children's activities, not the government.
Slashdot Mirror
Kinda old news actually - the article posted @ 15:00GMT, which is 8:00am my time. But I drank too much beer last night so I wasn't awake...:)
We don't even have a FAIR capitalistic society yet.
I'll bet you're thinking of something like "The American Dream", which is the dream of a "fair" capitalistic society. Or Utopia, which is in theory where the socialism/communism/capitalism models are supposed to evolve to.
Capitalism by definition isn't necessarily supposed to be fair - it's an economic model that states that anyone is allowed to make money. It means that evil corporations are still allowed the make the same money in the same market that good ol' Joe is (substitute whatever David vs. Goliath story you wish - NewPunkBand vs RIAA, Consumers vs. BigCorporations, Linux vs. Microsoft, etc..etc.etc). It just so happens that currently (and many,many,many times in the past) politics are helping the bigger evil corporations make money easier than good ol' Joe, because they are big enough to get some law on their side.
Howard Rheingold is making the point that these big evil corporations are depending on what he believes is an outdated "version" of the capitalistic economic model, which is that since they need to control the distribution of their particular product/service in order to make money, the only way they can make that happen when technology gets in the way is to get laws passed against it. That can't "bail them out" forever, especially when other countries that aren't necessarily interested in following that economic model get involved.
If greed motivates the average human (which it does), then the way for this type of "social revolution" to work is for everyone involved have something to gain by the collective participation of everyone. The "greed factor" could be that people start to learn in an very Pavlov-like-way that the more they contribute to making the collective model work, the better it works for them. It might take some time, but it's not outside the realm of possibility.
But then again I've had a few beers, so maybe I'm just dreaming...:)
What does one need to squash AOL account to death effectively? If you had any bad experiences in cancelling AOL account, please post here!!! :P
My grandfather tried to cancel his AOL account by dying, but that didn't work either. Looks like we might have try an exorcism now.
- Create a "My Radio" option and a "My Radio" guide. If I would like to listen to KFOG's "Live at the Archives" on Wednesday morning at 3 a.m., so be it. If I would like to get a season pass to Howard Stern, great. These files should be saved to MP3 and be portable.
What, are these people CRAZY?!? There's no way a device that has the capability of RECORDING RADIO (or anything) is EVER going to be kosher with the DMCA!!! And the capability to save them in MP3 format? Whoever thought that must have lost their mind. Isn't anyone paying attention to what the RIAA has been telling us lately? Recording stuff is BAD. Paying for stuff every time you play it on another device is GOOD. Sheesh - it's like these people don't remember how those whole "cassette player" and "CD player" fads RUINED music and radio and made it so no one could make money because no one would buy any cassettes or CDs anymore...
wait...
hold on...
THEY DIDN'T.
I think this is a great step forward in the VR developments (no pun intended). What I think is going to be really interesting to see is, in say 10 years or so, what newer VR technology does to the relative fitness of your average hardcore computer gamer. Think about it - instead of sitting in a chair, you'd actually be exercising, which would burn those pizza and Dew calories.
If that becomes the case, what would happen to the labeling of games? All games could have "calorie burn factors" printed on them, so the more intense ones would have higher "calorie burn" ratings.
Does anyone know if there are any statstics out there for what the physical impact of today's games is that are a little like this - like "Dance Dance Revolution"?
Bottom line: a large company that is in the business of making money will NEVER offer incentives to their customers that causes them to lose money somehow. That's bad business.
This is an extremely broad statement. By your logic coupons would not exist.
The concept of coupons actually feeds right into my logic. Supermarkets and other stores issue coupons for items because the intent is to have people visit their store and purchase products that would not normally plan on visiting their store and/or people who would otherwise not purchase a particular product. They don't necessarily make their money back on selling the coupon item at a lower price, but the theory is that one will purchase more than just the discounted items when visiting the store. So, by issuing you a coupon, they actually make money because the larger-than-normal volume of customers outweighs the small discount they put on a particular item or items. It's called a "loss leader".
You: Stay the f**k out of my life.
InsureCo: No problem. Have a nice day and good luck driving your car without insurance.
Me: Thanks, it's very easy to drive without insurance. It's not really harder than driving with insurance, actually. Now, getting pulled over without insurance, that's a different story. Still relatively easy, but expensive. I'll go talk to company B who will give me discounts based on my lack of accidents, lack of tickets within the last three years, and the fact that I purchased other insurance policies through them as well. Have a nice day!
InsuranceCo: Wait, come back! We don't want to lose your business, we just wanted to make more money from you by proving that you speed despite your clean record!
Insurance Companies live and die with statistics. The one they're playing with now I'll bet says that even their "best" drivers that don't get speeding tickets and get into accidents are still speeding, but not getting caught. I'd imagine that most of their customers speed from time to time, so this is an easier way of increasing their rates without having to rely on the CHP or local law enforcement to catch them. I'm not against people wanting to do this, but I imagine that a whole lot of people that try this will be disappointed in the end because their premiums don't go anywhere but up because only the most cautious drivers actually go the speed limit or slower ALL THE TIME. Most people speed, and the insurance companies probably have the statstics to prove it.
Bottom line: a large company that is in the business of making money will NEVER offer incentives to their customers that causes them to lose money somehow. That's bad business.
The head of a company [Diebold] vying to sell voting machines in Ohio told Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
/. people do).
That's a link to the whole story. Or, if you prefer, this one has that quote in it as well. I think the Flamebait rating of the parent was a little harsh. There are lots of reasons to be suspicious of e-voting machines, this one just happens to be a glaring one. (IMHO) This would also serve as proof of sorts that the "general public" that was interviewed for this study probably didn't read this article (and probably doesn't read nearly as many articles about this type of issue as
Yahoo!'s user agreement doesn't protect someone from being abused like that. At least that's not how I read it. It states the user is responsible to NOT post such abusive things, and that Yahoo! cannot control what its users try to post (to a certain degree). It also states that a person may be exposed to things that will offend them. Therefore, Stephen, by registering with Yahoo! he agreed that this stuff might happen.
What better way to prove to your potential customers that you REALLY know law, so therefore they should use you for all their legal needs, than to sue Yahoo when people call you bad names? Oh, wait - he accomplished exactly the opposite of that. I hear Burger King is hiring...
You know all those dvds you have? (ive got about 300) You get to re-purchase all of those in HD on blue-ray.
That's assuming that the publishers are going to be re-releasing all of those DVDs in HD formats on blu-ray discs. I can see the LucasFilm people re-releasing Star Wars (AGAIN) in HD format (after they release the "super special updated from the last version" version), but I just don't see the publishers of movies like "The Wizard of Oz" or "A Bridge Too Far" or any other old movie I own on DVD thinking there's much of a benefit to porting those old movies to a new HD disc...
What happens a few years around the road when a little corosion sets in, and the little motor attached to the screw can no longer back it out. If you took advantage of the fact that it does not need access how do you remove it when the mechanism fails?
:)
Not only that, but what if the encryption scheme gets messed up somehow (password recovery anyone?). There's quite a few hurdles they'll have to overcome before this will be completely viable. It's a cool idea nonetheless though.
I say we just start using velcro to fasten all of our most critical engine parts - there shouldn't be any problems with that, right?
FTA:
Seatbelts. Wireless or satellite signals from emergency control centers could release seatbelts, infant restraints and seating systems, enabling instant release of trapped or injured passengers from their cars in emergency situations.
Woman stuck in seat because seatbelt won't release: "Hello Ford? I'm in my car, it's about to fall off a cliff, and I can't get out of my seat - can you release my seatbelt please?"
Ford Customer Service: "Hold please ma'am - we're experiencing some slowdowns with our computer system. We'll just need to verify a few pieces of information with you first..."
Offtopic, I know...but I just had to spout this off:
One of the core beliefs of our founding fathers (that I'll bet is making them turn over in their graves now) was that our government (and any decent government for that matter) should hold as one of its highest priorities the seperation of church and state.
Just about every one of the U.S. Presidents has had a religious background of some sort.
The problem comes in when they decide that their religion is the best for the entire country and therefore start trying to make legislation that includes/mimics their own religious values or beliefs.
IANAL, but this just sounds like the DA is pushing for a charge that he know won't necessarily stick so as to make the case more visible publically. More than likely, this will get plead out or will be dropped to the more (IMHO) appropriate charge of vehicular manslaughter.
From a random websearch for homicide:
Murder (1,2,3): Murder with EXPRESS or IMPLIED MALICE or intent to kill or do harm
Manslaughter(1,2): Manslaughter without express or implied malice or intent to kill or do harm
It seems to me that the driver falls into the manslaughter category, which includes vehicular manslaughter. If he were to be convicted of murder, it would mean that all drunk driving fatalaties could now be classified as murders as well.
While I agree with him that there is a LOT of scientific evidence that can be gathered without having humans aboard a mission, there's just certain things that a robot can't mimic when it comes to human experience.
I don't think they've gotten quite to the level yet with AI and robots where they could glean *all* the information a human could about a specific landscape. Sure, they can gather scientific data ad nauseum, but what about senses that border more on the emotional? I'd defy a robot to report back to NASA things like "this place is beautiful" or "it's eerie" or things like that.
Sometimes you just need a real human's perspective, if only to get the overall "feel" of a particular location.
If Van Allen's views make it so that NASA decides to send cheaper unmanned missions more often, and that in turn results in more data available so that we can send more reliable (and cheaper) manned missions to more places in the future, then I say he's right on target. There doesn't need to be a human on EVERY mission, and certainly not most of them, but once in awhile it is nice for us humans to hear about the details of some far away place from one of our own...
Hey wait a minute:
Here is an excerpt from an article about NARM (the National Association of Recording Merchandisers) charging that Sony is using unfair business practices:
"The complaint also charges that Sony plans to uses its market muscle to push consumers toward buying CDs and digital music tracks from the soon-to-be merged Columbia House record club and online music retailer CDNow. Sony and Time Warner will each own a 37 percent stake in the combined company.
BMG and Columbia House are the two of the biggest mail-order record clubs out there. If Sony already has a 37% stake in Columbia House, and now they're going to own(be) BMG too, isn't this a BAD thing for competition within the mail-order music industry? Why wouldn't that fact alone cause the EC to thwart this?
I suggest that we all read the sentence again. It clearly says that any of the following actions in relation to "PlayStation 2 modification chips" is (are): "illegal in this country."
Those actions (as outlined by the sentence) are:
sale,
advertisement,
posession for commercial purposes,
and use of
The "true hoppyist" in UK, under this law, is only "safe" if he/she doesn't get CAUGHT for USING the mod chip.
Good review - it's especially funny because its raw (unedited) format. I especially liked the part in the Mac/Systems Architect User's notes that said:
:)
"Task #4 - ICQ/Chat
* Loaded Gaim
* "Holy crap" at the number of protocols
*...
I didn't know I was being recorded when I said that!
I thought the review could have used just one more user though - the Beginner who is NOT "hesitant" (as the article puts it).
A lot of companies that I've worked for have stayed "behind the curve" on purpose, since older products tend to be more stable. So there will be a certain amount of industries that switch over to Linux because of their influx of recent grads that convince them to do so, but the other corporations (like the ones I'm talking about) will wait until other "like" corporations adopt the same thing, just because it will be more "proven" at that point.
:)
Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that I don't think Linux can overtake MS as the OS of choice for corporations - my company already uses Linux servers for a lot of our critical environments - it's just that I don't think that the switch to Linux will be completely (or even largely) due to what college students run as their desktops - what will make Linux win is the fact that overall, its TCO should be lower than MS's, because it is a more stable environment for mission critical environments...
BTW - Remember the EULA for Windows NT(the one that you have to hit F8 for)? At the end of it, it says someting to the effect of "this OS was not intended for use in life-critical applications. Using this OS in these types for applications could prove FATAL". Now that's an OS I want to be running on my servers! (not)
Oh no! Another $30 per year (if you read the article) in order to download all the free music you want for four years?
Acutally, I did read the entire article:
"This is a nice service if holding onto to your tunes is not important. Once their four years at school are over, the students are cut off from Napster and lose all the music they've download. That is unless they pay 99 cents per song or $10 per album to own a permanent download that can be burned onto CDs or MP3 players.
Keep in mind too, that this charge applies to ALL students, not just those that want to download music. And what about those from other countries/cultures that won't find their particular tastes in music on Napster?
The total cost of this is yet to be determined. That's just the price these colleges agreed to for now - who knows what the RIAA will start charging them in a few years, or what will happen if their students find a way to circumvent the Napster, etc, etc, etc...
"Napster offers a unique blend of a name students recognize, a broad music library that appeals to every taste and community features that let you discover new music and share your favorites with friends...."
Ah, but you can only share them with friends that are also currently enrolled at another one of these universities...:)
From the article: "If Napster would be more forthcoming, we'd all know exactly how much this "service" is going to affect university prices.
Great, tuition at places like Cornell wasn't high enough. Now they're going to charge MORE because I'll get to download music without being sued? Sign me up twice!
"Back in the days of Windows 3.1, you could easily make the installation disks, and give them to your school mates and buddies, and so all the local kids had a copy."
That much is true. The fact that Linux is easier to distribute will certainly help it become more prevalant amongst kids and student types that can't afford to purchase new OSes every year or two.
"In my opinion, Linux is going to win because kids can get it cheap, College students can get it cheap, and it is the kids that drives the next wave of OS's, not the price or TCO.
I have to disagree with you there. In this newer economy, management at large companies has to prove ROI and demonstrate what the TCO is for just about every new product/process that they have presented to them. Since Microsoft's market share comes from both home and business users, and in my experience, people (outside slashdot of course) tend to purchase operating systems they are the most familiar with, that usually means that the home users purchase the same OS that they use at work.
Most companies use testimonials from other companies and results of studies done within their industry to determine which path is the best one to take. Therefore, with the possible exception of places like MIT, most companies will not care what colleges and/or college students are running as their preferred OS - what will matter is what OS the other companies within their industry are running, why, and how that OS is working out for them. Since business is all about making money and downtime means profit loss, two primary factors will almost always factor into their decision:
- Stability
- Price
Their OS decision, therefore, will have little or nothing to do with how well a given product does with college students or kids. It will have more to do with how well the product works for them and how much it's going to cost them (overall, not just initially).
TCO, Total Cost of Ownership, isn't bogus - it's just a different/newer way of looking at how much an asset "really" costs someone. It might be used in some FUD that some software (or any other) companies put out to try and get people to buy their product, but it doesn't have to apply just to software and/or computers.
You could apply a TCO formula to just about everything. For example, the "TCO" of my car includes:
- How much I paid for it,
- How much insurance costs me,
- What the gas mileage is (how much gas costs me),
- How many people can it hold (how "efficient" is it?),
- How many other uses does it have that would cost me money to get otherwise (like towing), and
- other factors that I'm sure I'm forgetting right now.
One definition of TCO found on the web is (and there are a few):
"The life cycle cost view of an asset, which includes acquisition, setup, support, ongoing maintenance, service and all operating expenses. It focuses attention on the sum of all costs of owning an asset, as opposed to the initial or vendor cost, and is useful in outsourcing decisions."
(From The Bridgefield Group)
Also be sure to inform any neighbors you have as well as the police that you are having an airsoft game.
Well said, but you obviously don't live in my neighborhood. The next time I step on one of these little BBs while barefoot on my driveway I'm gonna schedule a quick AirSoft with my neighborhood kids. The catch? I'll be using a paintball gun...:)
Actually, the shows weren't even censored. The writers and producer "bleeped" the choice words out on their own, to avoid any possible fines for breaking a "law" (actually "standard") that's subjective in its nature so they could avoid fines. If this were a large cable company, they could have broadcast it without fear of the fines because their profits could have outweighed the fines they could have been slapped with.
There are lots ways of preventing the "wrong" people from watching this type of thing. Here's a few that come to mind immediately:
1) Alert the viewers to possible content prior to the airing of the show, and in all of the listings in TV guides.
2) Air the show at a time when young people aren't likely to be watching.
3) Tell parents to watch what their kids are watching.
I don't want kids to be subjected to adult material any more than the next person, but I take the stance that it's the parents' job to moderate their children's activities, not the government.