Toss in a camera for me, and it's a deal. The only reason I'd want a cell phone that did a bunch of things would be that it did *all* the things my various devices do now. I want a voice recorder & FM radio, too. It doesn't have to be perfect at most of those things, but good enough that I don't need to bother carrying a camera for casual snapshots, an MP3 player for casual listening, etc.
If I still have to carry 2 or 3 devices to get all these things, then, screw it, the phone can just be a phone and I'll pick devices that are better at their functions than an all-in-one. But if the all-in-one really did cover all the bases, adequately, I'd rather they all be in the phone, since that's probably the most important device I'd carry--the one that I'd carry regardless.
What does Geek Squad do? Judging from your description, they get the problem fixed for their customer by hiring you and your firm, which is a good thing for you, right? It seems like you're complaining about getting work. A lot of us here should be very, very grateful that computer technology isn't so easy to manage -- it's why we get paid.
Sounds like you're doing a good job if you're catching misdiagnoses. This looks like an overall good situation for everyone concerned, as far as I can tell. Customer goes to one place for help, and that place gets it done behind the scenes.
You'd get bagged by the security camera hidden in the lowered ceiling in the cube farm where you work. And the coworker would get bagged for leaving that computer unlocked and logged in.
Yayago writes, "Whether that results in loss of privacy is an interesting debate, but in my opinion not an assumption/axiom. For example, the more data out there, the more it becomes environmental noise."
That's an interesting insight. The point of collecting and selling the information is that the information is tied to *you*, the person who uses websites that sell the data about your preferences. If you're saying that more data about you contributes to noise, I don't see how that's possible unless you choose to lie about your preferences or add spurious, false data by pretending to be interested in things, for example. In other words, where does the "noise" come from? Records of your clicks, URLs visited, friends added, etc. is not noise. It's data that indicates something about your behavior.
If, OTOH, you're suggesting that, as more data is collected about more people, the collection of data itself becomes noisy because the data set is large, well, that's just a question of data processing, and doesn't seem to pose a challenge for current and near-term tech. The records still connect behaviors with identities.
Seems to me the best way to avoid being catalogued is to use fake names, and many of them, so that there is no single personal identity that represents your behavior. I understand that a resourceful data collector can try to associate your IP address [or your Trusted Computing-equipped tattletale computer] with your identity -- I think THIS is the area we should focus our attention upon, if privacy is important to us.
After all, if all your various identities can be associated with the same computer, IP address, or physical location in meatspace, then none of that data is noise. It's all relevant to you and your behavior.
Grammar fascist, your English code is still a bit buggy. Try this: "I'm talking about the price of a game versus its length, to which the article devoted a whole paragraph, and I said it wasn't worth it because I could get much more bang for my buck elsewhere."
I should have been clear: I want to see 2 different cameras, one for me, and one for Mom. The digital SLR sounds good for me. Now we need something for Mom -- simple as an Instamatic, no frills, just family snapshots of the birthday cake and the grandbaby's new dress.
a. fast operation. Whatever the operation, I want it to be as fast as it was on the old SLR with 35mm film and a power winder. Snap, snap, snap. No waiting for camera to boot. No waits between pics.
b. take that fast operation and put it in a camera that is as dead simple as Kodak Instamatics, so my Mom will be happy with her camera. No zoom, no autofocus, no different exposure settings. Snap, snap, snap -- oh darn, that one came out too dark, but I took 20 more and one was just fine. That's what Mom wants, and I want her to have it so I don't have to be an on-call digital camera consultant.
When she used Instamatics, she never had to ask anyone for help, and was satisfied. Now, it's confusing for her, and usually involves some frustrating delay.
Engineer: "Don't point this toy gun at that clown and pull the trigger, because in 1 out of 15 tests we tried, the clown is killed by exploding toy gun parts." Manager: "Hmm, 1 in 15, you say?" Engineer: "That's what our test data shows. Of course, if we had time for more tests..." Manager: "Thank you for your analysis of the situation. I've determined that the risk is worth the reward. 1 in 15... Hell, I can live with that."
Bang. So it goes with each new toy gun they make. 1 out of 15 times, the clown died. 14 other times, the manager was rewarded for a job well done. His boss says, "Hell, I can live with that."
This is what I'd do, most likely, unless we're talking about repeat customers or customers whom you think might really come back for more business [and of course, they'd have to be customers you'd want back, too]. I don't have customers; I just have family and friends who used to think of me as the guy who "knows computers". For a while, it was flattering and I was proud. Eventually, I had to wean them from my support just as you describe -- it was just too much. For the one person I couldn't, in good conscience, refuse [my father], I convinced him to switch to a Mac mini. We've both been mostly happy with that for the past 9 months and my support burden has almost vanished [so far, so good!].
If Mom wants a home computer, it'll be a Mac mini, too. Easier for me more than for them, but easy enough for them.
Looks to me like a passive-aggressive way of avoiding the unpleasant task: if you are going to charge someone a fee, be mature enough to tell them about it, rather than hide it in a financial document. Accept responsibility for your choice to charge them.
I'm not recommending charging, btw, just recommending you not sneak your rates onto a bill. Own up to your change in policy, or don't change.
Have you ever considered using a contract?
It wasn't clear to me whether the users in question were customers, or potential customers, or just people who know that you "know computers". Makes a big difference, I think. Tread carefully where repeat customers are concerned, and err on the side of keeping them happy. Repeat customers are the best kind, I'm told, because they've already leapt over the hurdle of deciding whether to do business with you, and are therefore more likely to work with you again.
I'll never willingly accept a chip implant that could be used by governments or companies to identify me. If my body and the product of my mind [speech, knowledge] aren't good enough, screw 'em. My ancestors didn't emigrate to America and work themselves into early graves so that their children could become property of the State. They came specifically to avoid such things, and the Constitution of this country promised protection against same. Their descendants have worked, fought, and voted to preserve that protection.
Now, a piece of jewelry I could remove, or clothing, would be OK. Nothing permanent like a tatoo or an implant, ever.
argent, I'd be interested to hear your comments on Cryptonomicon, but maybe it's too off-topic here. I hope you don't mind if I contact you via the information found at the URL you offer via/..... I'm not looking to argue or debate, but just to know your thoughts on how it missed the boat in a lot of areas. Curious what insights you may have.
the government said the interests of the parties in the lawsuit "may well be in the disclosure of state secrets"
I read that as saying that the government claims that the EFF's motive in bringing the suit is to force disclosure of state secrets, as if EFF only cooked up the suit to aid America's enemies. That's a transparent ploy to evade the issue that's really being tried: did the government violate the law?
It's hilarious when someone does a few minutes of Google searching and then, having "researched", crams their big fat foot in their mouth. Thanks for that; I needed a chuckle.
Did you at all consider that the reporter was in *Japan* when she visited and made interviews?
argent, I see what you mean, and, coincidentally, I just encountered Neal Stephenson's essay about OSes yesterday, and he was making the same point.
In the Beginning was the Command Line.
To be completely honest, I must admit that I'm a fan of OSX, but I think that's because I find that it's doing things for me, instead of me doing things for it.
BTW, I coded that link to open in an new window, but apparently Slashdot doesn't allow it; I don't know why, but I'm curious.
I would have thought that I'd be right with you on that point, championing open software and hardware, except that I don't have time. I was dragged kicking and screaming [well, almost] from DOS and Windows to Mac use, and only with OSX's stability did I begin to really use the thing. My experience was: dang, this thing doesn't crash, doesn't need to restart often, the apps seldom crash, I haven't had to reinstall or do much system maintenance, and I'm getting more work done in less time because I don't have to futz with it. Costs more than twice what my PC cost me, though.
I'd rather be using Linux, on philosophical grounds, but I don't have time to deal with finding apps that approach the things I want, making it all work, etc. Maybe someday. I'd rather the majority of users were on Linux, but they're not, and I have to speak their language, which means I either use Windows or a Mac. I'd rather the OS be something in the background that we all take for granted and kinda forget about, so we can focus on the apps, on actually getting stuff done. I fall in love with an app first, not an OS or a platform.
When I was small, there were more options for hi-fi audio components, for many years after the all-in-one systems had been on the market. But the components' appeal seemed to fade over the years, as a younger generation seemed to prefer the all-in-one sets, in spite of the fact that all-in-ones could rarely approach the audio quality, or even reliability, of the components. The cost was far less, and the all-in-ones did a passable job.
Now components are a smaller piece of the market, I think. That's how it looks from the street where I'm standing. I didn't do any research. I just see fewer hi-fi stores with fewer products to choose among now.
Apparently Mossberg thinks a similar shift will happen with personal computing. I hope that shift doesn't harm my interests. I want access to components for building general-use PCs that I can use for graphics production, games, web design or audio production... for my home use. For the paying work, I pick the Mac, which has proven reliable for me for years now.
But when my old stereo power amp or tuner dies, I sure hope I can find a suitable, quality replacement. No all-in-ones for me. I can see similarities between the two industries in light of this article.
"Even unmeritorious class action lawsuits are expensive to defend, so the plaintiffs' lawyers can exploit those defense costs for their personal largesse."
That sentence doesn't make sense. What do you think is meant by "for their personal largesse"? Largesse doesn't make sense here. The plaintiff's lawyers can exploit those defense costs for their personal generosity? More likely, the writer meant "personal benefit".
Writing is like code that runs in your readers' heads. This code is buggy.
Slashdot Mirror
How can you be sure that meat doesn't have feelings?
Toss in a camera for me, and it's a deal. The only reason I'd want a cell phone that did a bunch of things would be that it did *all* the things my various devices do now. I want a voice recorder & FM radio, too. It doesn't have to be perfect at most of those things, but good enough that I don't need to bother carrying a camera for casual snapshots, an MP3 player for casual listening, etc.
If I still have to carry 2 or 3 devices to get all these things, then, screw it, the phone can just be a phone and I'll pick devices that are better at their functions than an all-in-one. But if the all-in-one really did cover all the bases, adequately, I'd rather they all be in the phone, since that's probably the most important device I'd carry--the one that I'd carry regardless.
..., so that the Zune wouldn't seem so special when it finally came out.
What does Geek Squad do? Judging from your description, they get the problem fixed for their customer by hiring you and your firm, which is a good thing for you, right? It seems like you're complaining about getting work. A lot of us here should be very, very grateful that computer technology isn't so easy to manage -- it's why we get paid.
Sounds like you're doing a good job if you're catching misdiagnoses. This looks like an overall good situation for everyone concerned, as far as I can tell. Customer goes to one place for help, and that place gets it done behind the scenes.
It's all part of that compensation complex -- your LCD is bigger than his, you know.
Including me -- til I read this, which is one more good reason to visit /. ....
What would happen if I plugged that evil USB drive into my Mac running the latest OSX?
You'd get bagged by the security camera hidden in the lowered ceiling in the cube farm where you work. And the coworker would get bagged for leaving that computer unlocked and logged in.
LOL. Good one.
Yayago writes, "Whether that results in loss of privacy is an interesting debate, but in my opinion not an assumption/axiom. For example, the more data out there, the more it becomes environmental noise."
That's an interesting insight. The point of collecting and selling the information is that the information is tied to *you*, the person who uses websites that sell the data about your preferences. If you're saying that more data about you contributes to noise, I don't see how that's possible unless you choose to lie about your preferences or add spurious, false data by pretending to be interested in things, for example. In other words, where does the "noise" come from? Records of your clicks, URLs visited, friends added, etc. is not noise. It's data that indicates something about your behavior.
If, OTOH, you're suggesting that, as more data is collected about more people, the collection of data itself becomes noisy because the data set is large, well, that's just a question of data processing, and doesn't seem to pose a challenge for current and near-term tech. The records still connect behaviors with identities.
Seems to me the best way to avoid being catalogued is to use fake names, and many of them, so that there is no single personal identity that represents your behavior. I understand that a resourceful data collector can try to associate your IP address [or your Trusted Computing-equipped tattletale computer] with your identity -- I think THIS is the area we should focus our attention upon, if privacy is important to us.
After all, if all your various identities can be associated with the same computer, IP address, or physical location in meatspace, then none of that data is noise. It's all relevant to you and your behavior.
Grammar fascist, your English code is still a bit buggy. Try this: "I'm talking about the price of a game versus its length, to which the article devoted a whole paragraph, and I said it wasn't worth it because I could get much more bang for my buck elsewhere."
I should have been clear: I want to see 2 different cameras, one for me, and one for Mom. The digital SLR sounds good for me. Now we need something for Mom -- simple as an Instamatic, no frills, just family snapshots of the birthday cake and the grandbaby's new dress.
2 things I want to see in a digital camera:
a. fast operation. Whatever the operation, I want it to be as fast as it was on the old SLR with 35mm film and a power winder. Snap, snap, snap. No waiting for camera to boot. No waits between pics.
b. take that fast operation and put it in a camera that is as dead simple as Kodak Instamatics, so my Mom will be happy with her camera. No zoom, no autofocus, no different exposure settings. Snap, snap, snap -- oh darn, that one came out too dark, but I took 20 more and one was just fine. That's what Mom wants, and I want her to have it so I don't have to be an on-call digital camera consultant.
When she used Instamatics, she never had to ask anyone for help, and was satisfied. Now, it's confusing for her, and usually involves some frustrating delay.
I think it's more like:
..." ... Hell, I can live with that."
Engineer: "Don't point this toy gun at that clown and pull the trigger, because in 1 out of 15 tests we tried, the clown is killed by exploding toy gun parts."
Manager: "Hmm, 1 in 15, you say?"
Engineer: "That's what our test data shows. Of course, if we had time for more tests
Manager: "Thank you for your analysis of the situation. I've determined that the risk is worth the reward. 1 in 15
Bang. So it goes with each new toy gun they make. 1 out of 15 times, the clown died. 14 other times, the manager was rewarded for a job well done. His boss says, "Hell, I can live with that."
This is what I'd do, most likely, unless we're talking about repeat customers or customers whom you think might really come back for more business [and of course, they'd have to be customers you'd want back, too]. I don't have customers; I just have family and friends who used to think of me as the guy who "knows computers". For a while, it was flattering and I was proud. Eventually, I had to wean them from my support just as you describe -- it was just too much. For the one person I couldn't, in good conscience, refuse [my father], I convinced him to switch to a Mac mini. We've both been mostly happy with that for the past 9 months and my support burden has almost vanished [so far, so good!].
If Mom wants a home computer, it'll be a Mac mini, too. Easier for me more than for them, but easy enough for them.
Looks to me like a passive-aggressive way of avoiding the unpleasant task: if you are going to charge someone a fee, be mature enough to tell them about it, rather than hide it in a financial document. Accept responsibility for your choice to charge them.
I'm not recommending charging, btw, just recommending you not sneak your rates onto a bill. Own up to your change in policy, or don't change.
Have you ever considered using a contract?
It wasn't clear to me whether the users in question were customers, or potential customers, or just people who know that you "know computers". Makes a big difference, I think. Tread carefully where repeat customers are concerned, and err on the side of keeping them happy. Repeat customers are the best kind, I'm told, because they've already leapt over the hurdle of deciding whether to do business with you, and are therefore more likely to work with you again.
I'll never willingly accept a chip implant that could be used by governments or companies to identify me. If my body and the product of my mind [speech, knowledge] aren't good enough, screw 'em. My ancestors didn't emigrate to America and work themselves into early graves so that their children could become property of the State. They came specifically to avoid such things, and the Constitution of this country promised protection against same. Their descendants have worked, fought, and voted to preserve that protection.
Now, a piece of jewelry I could remove, or clothing, would be OK. Nothing permanent like a tatoo or an implant, ever.
argent, I'd be interested to hear your comments on Cryptonomicon, but maybe it's too off-topic here. I hope you don't mind if I contact you via the information found at the URL you offer via /. .... I'm not looking to argue or debate, but just to know your thoughts on how it missed the boat in a lot of areas. Curious what insights you may have.
I read that as saying that the government claims that the EFF's motive in bringing the suit is to force disclosure of state secrets, as if EFF only cooked up the suit to aid America's enemies. That's a transparent ploy to evade the issue that's really being tried: did the government violate the law?
It's hilarious when someone does a few minutes of Google searching and then, having "researched", crams their big fat foot in their mouth. Thanks for that; I needed a chuckle.
Did you at all consider that the reporter was in *Japan* when she visited and made interviews?
Did you think she forgot?
Did you think?
Funny & perceptive.
In the Beginning was the Command Line. To be completely honest, I must admit that I'm a fan of OSX, but I think that's because I find that it's doing things for me, instead of me doing things for it.
BTW, I coded that link to open in an new window, but apparently Slashdot doesn't allow it; I don't know why, but I'm curious.
The scientist in Donovan's Brain. Viktor Frankenstein from the Boris Karloff movie.
I would have thought that I'd be right with you on that point, championing open software and hardware, except that I don't have time. I was dragged kicking and screaming [well, almost] from DOS and Windows to Mac use, and only with OSX's stability did I begin to really use the thing. My experience was: dang, this thing doesn't crash, doesn't need to restart often, the apps seldom crash, I haven't had to reinstall or do much system maintenance, and I'm getting more work done in less time because I don't have to futz with it. Costs more than twice what my PC cost me, though.
I'd rather be using Linux, on philosophical grounds, but I don't have time to deal with finding apps that approach the things I want, making it all work, etc. Maybe someday. I'd rather the majority of users were on Linux, but they're not, and I have to speak their language, which means I either use Windows or a Mac. I'd rather the OS be something in the background that we all take for granted and kinda forget about, so we can focus on the apps, on actually getting stuff done. I fall in love with an app first, not an OS or a platform.
When I was small, there were more options for hi-fi audio components, for many years after the all-in-one systems had been on the market. But the components' appeal seemed to fade over the years, as a younger generation seemed to prefer the all-in-one sets, in spite of the fact that all-in-ones could rarely approach the audio quality, or even reliability, of the components. The cost was far less, and the all-in-ones did a passable job.
... for my home use. For the paying work, I pick the Mac, which has proven reliable for me for years now.
Now components are a smaller piece of the market, I think. That's how it looks from the street where I'm standing. I didn't do any research. I just see fewer hi-fi stores with fewer products to choose among now.
Apparently Mossberg thinks a similar shift will happen with personal computing. I hope that shift doesn't harm my interests. I want access to components for building general-use PCs that I can use for graphics production, games, web design or audio production
But when my old stereo power amp or tuner dies, I sure hope I can find a suitable, quality replacement. No all-in-ones for me. I can see similarities between the two industries in light of this article.
"Even unmeritorious class action lawsuits are expensive to defend, so the plaintiffs' lawyers can exploit those defense costs for their personal largesse."
That sentence doesn't make sense. What do you think is meant by "for their personal largesse"? Largesse doesn't make sense here. The plaintiff's lawyers can exploit those defense costs for their personal generosity? More likely, the writer meant "personal benefit".
Writing is like code that runs in your readers' heads. This code is buggy.