It's not just "handsets are expensive, so we're selling them on an installment plan" or "because we provide locked-in service." It's because the cell phone companies, and indeed almost every other business, does not want a revenue stream at slightly above the cost of providing their service. Cell service providers want the greatest possible monthly revenue stream, which will almost certainly result in a higher margin, to occur over the conract period and beyond. They figured most of us wouldn't trade in their handsets every 2 years, which resulted in nice margins once the handsets were paid off. Did you see your cell bill drop after 2 years? I didn't.
If the cell phone companies could have gotten away with locking customers into 3-year+ contracts they would have, but that's a separate issue
It's not just T-Mobile nibbling away at AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon 2-year contracts. It's MVNOs putting pressure on the sacred 2-year contract, too.
At the risk of burning karma points, here's a consumer-focused article I wrote describing how MVNOs might save a consumer money in monthly service fees: http://www.bills.com/bills-blo...
Wasn't there a bus from a company called something like green tortise tours that was taking people to and from Burning Man for many years?
I know it's the land that invented the drive-thru but surely you can apply a bit of alternative thinking and leave that SUV at home to get to an alternative festival. Even cutting the number of vehicles by a quarter would make a difference.
Green Tortise still operates. The event also contracted with a bus company last year to transport more participants departing from the Bay Area. It is my understanding this will continue to expand.
Join the Gate Perimeter & Exodus Dept., work in the lanes for a few shifts, and then I imagine you would see the enormous flaw in your proposal. All participants need to buy into any Exodus plan, and abide by its rules voluntarily. This is spelled out in the FAQ. I doubt all participants would abide by your idea voluntarily, and once a few start busting lanes, everyone else will and all hell breaks loose.
The GPE people, and I'm one of them, work hard to make event entry and exit as quick and painless as possible. It's in everyone's best interest to do so. Join GPE, and you may see another idea once you're part of the team. Contact me privately and I'll talk you through the department sign-up process, and become part of the solution.
A deposition is one tool in the discovery process. The transcript from a deposition is not part of the public record automatically. Quotes from a deposition may be read in court or used as a part of a motion. However, depositions are usually not released.
Have to ask Maureen for her motivations. It's fun to speculate on what they might be. She probably has more than one reason. I've observed her work, on and off, for more than 10 years. I suspect she has experience at a tabloid newspaper. Her reportage has a strong note of commentary and chattiness that has a "inside baseball" feel to it.
Maureen is adept at creating a fuss. Her Microsoft newsletter is called "Billygram," and if that's not cheeky and designed to draw attention to itself I don't know what is. Groklaw has a loyal readership and an editor who shuns personal publicity. What better way to attract attention to herself (and potential readers of her new$letter$) than write an "expose" on Groklaw's editor?
The problem with the story is that it seems calculated to enrage Groklaw's readership. Maureen did not uncover anything that would cause Groklaw's readers to doubt the editor's veracity or motives. I mean, if Maureen had discovered that "Pamela Jones" was actually a committee of lawyers on Big Blue's retainer, then Maureen would have news of value and a story worth publishing.
However, Maureen's story is nothing more than a creepy narrative of an afternoon trying to find someone. It's not clear Maureen found the Groklaw editor's possessions, or if the windows she peeked in were of the editor's house and car or someone elses. The story is bad not only because Maureen didn't find anything relevant, it's bad because what she did find was not fact-checked and has a good chance of being wrong.
I was the editor of LinuxWorld in the IDG.net era. IDG licensed the title and content of LinuxWorld to Sys-Con in the summer of 2003 for a period of five years.
Sys-Con's business model is interesting, or at least it was in 2003 when I spoke to the company about continuing with LinuxWorld. None of the editors for any of Sys-Con's publications or Web sites are paid. Neither are authors.
The business model of relying on volunteer editorial seems to work because a) it's cost effective if your objective is low CPM, and b) Sys-Con seems adept at finding people willing to work for exposure, c) advertisers and readers don't seem to mind that the editorial product is assembled in this manner.
I did not choose to stay with LinuxWorld when the transfer occurred.
As pointed out, the statute refers to the USPS, and not private carriers. Handling & packing mistakes happen, which is why the Apple Store, and perhaps other mailorder retailers use UPS and FedEx.
Slashdot Mirror
It's not just "handsets are expensive, so we're selling them on an installment plan" or "because we provide locked-in service." It's because the cell phone companies, and indeed almost every other business, does not want a revenue stream at slightly above the cost of providing their service. Cell service providers want the greatest possible monthly revenue stream, which will almost certainly result in a higher margin, to occur over the conract period and beyond. They figured most of us wouldn't trade in their handsets every 2 years, which resulted in nice margins once the handsets were paid off. Did you see your cell bill drop after 2 years? I didn't.
If the cell phone companies could have gotten away with locking customers into 3-year+ contracts they would have, but that's a separate issue
It's not just T-Mobile nibbling away at AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon 2-year contracts. It's MVNOs putting pressure on the sacred 2-year contract, too.
At the risk of burning karma points, here's a consumer-focused article I wrote describing how MVNOs might save a consumer money in monthly service fees: http://www.bills.com/bills-blo...
Wasn't there a bus from a company called something like green tortise tours that was taking people to and from Burning Man for many years? I know it's the land that invented the drive-thru but surely you can apply a bit of alternative thinking and leave that SUV at home to get to an alternative festival. Even cutting the number of vehicles by a quarter would make a difference.
Green Tortise still operates. The event also contracted with a bus company last year to transport more participants departing from the Bay Area. It is my understanding this will continue to expand.
So, is it still worth going? I've never been, but it's on my list for the future. Should it be? What's the best (and worst) thing(s) about it?
Yes. It's still worth attending.
The art is amazing. It's unlike any other. Some is utter crap, but for the most part, the art is difficult to describe in type and scale.
The art cars and art bikes are also unlike anything elsewhere. Imagine steampunk, but operational. With flame effects.
The raves are fine if that's what you like. I don't, so I ignore them.
Haselton, what jnelson4765 said.
Join the Gate Perimeter & Exodus Dept., work in the lanes for a few shifts, and then I imagine you would see the enormous flaw in your proposal. All participants need to buy into any Exodus plan, and abide by its rules voluntarily. This is spelled out in the FAQ. I doubt all participants would abide by your idea voluntarily, and once a few start busting lanes, everyone else will and all hell breaks loose.
The GPE people, and I'm one of them, work hard to make event entry and exit as quick and painless as possible. It's in everyone's best interest to do so. Join GPE, and you may see another idea once you're part of the team. Contact me privately and I'll talk you through the department sign-up process, and become part of the solution.
Been using SunRocket for two years now with no complaints about SunRocket per se. Comcast, our high-speed ISP, is less than reliable.
Have no idea if Verizon's patents apply to SunRocket.
A deposition is one tool in the discovery process. The transcript from a deposition is not part of the public record automatically. Quotes from a deposition may be read in court or used as a part of a motion. However, depositions are usually not released.
Have to ask Maureen for her motivations. It's fun to speculate on what they might be. She probably has more than one reason. I've observed her work, on and off, for more than 10 years. I suspect she has experience at a tabloid newspaper. Her reportage has a strong note of commentary and chattiness that has a "inside baseball" feel to it.
Maureen is adept at creating a fuss. Her Microsoft newsletter is called "Billygram," and if that's not cheeky and designed to draw attention to itself I don't know what is. Groklaw has a loyal readership and an editor who shuns personal publicity. What better way to attract attention to herself (and potential readers of her new$letter$) than write an "expose" on Groklaw's editor?
The problem with the story is that it seems calculated to enrage Groklaw's readership. Maureen did not uncover anything that would cause Groklaw's readers to doubt the editor's veracity or motives. I mean, if Maureen had discovered that "Pamela Jones" was actually a committee of lawyers on Big Blue's retainer, then Maureen would have news of value and a story worth publishing.
However, Maureen's story is nothing more than a creepy narrative of an afternoon trying to find someone. It's not clear Maureen found the Groklaw editor's possessions, or if the windows she peeked in were of the editor's house and car or someone elses. The story is bad not only because Maureen didn't find anything relevant, it's bad because what she did find was not fact-checked and has a good chance of being wrong.
--Mark
I was the editor of LinuxWorld in the IDG.net era. IDG licensed the title and content of LinuxWorld to Sys-Con in the summer of 2003 for a period of five years.
Sys-Con's business model is interesting, or at least it was in 2003 when I spoke to the company about continuing with LinuxWorld. None of the editors for any of Sys-Con's publications or Web sites are paid. Neither are authors.
The business model of relying on volunteer editorial seems to work because a) it's cost effective if your objective is low CPM, and b) Sys-Con seems adept at finding people willing to work for exposure, c) advertisers and readers don't seem to mind that the editorial product is assembled in this manner.
I did not choose to stay with LinuxWorld when the transfer occurred.
Mark Cappel
As pointed out, the statute refers to the USPS, and not private carriers. Handling & packing mistakes happen, which is why the Apple Store, and perhaps other mailorder retailers use UPS and FedEx.