Uh, having the big green button right in the middle is more or less a pain. Especially when you have to get from 'B' to 'X' or 'Y' fast? And the shape of the 'R' button always seemed to get in the way when I am moving to the 'Z' button. I can't just move my finger straight up the controller, I have to move it out, up, and back in. And the direction pad? That thing is extremely hard to work with on games that can utilize it (i.e. Tetris). There wasn't anything under it to hold on to, and I'm not gonna try and stretch my thumb that far just so my hand can be in the proper controller position!
Of course, it still beats the pants off of the xbox controller. Only two trigger buttons and the red/black ones are in a different spot on different controllers? What was that all about? And the size of the original xbox controller? It felt like I was holding a damn shoe!
If we upgrade technology... we MIGHT need people who know how to utilize that technology. So hire for the install and setup... fire... then rehire for maintinence!
You're right. Those who can't keep up and get the latest equipment won't be able to play the latest games. But widescreen monitors just aren't the majority of monitors being bought. The gaming industry knows this, so they aren't forcing a move to widescreen just yet. The progressive companies are putting bars on the sides, I'll even bet that some games have widescreen availiblity (for computer). But for the most part, the majority of monitors purchased are 4:3 resolutions.
... But why should the widescreen folk have a better view than the 4:3 folk? Imagine playing a game online, and you have a 4:3 screen. It's great, it looks good. But then someone else you are playing against has a 16:9 widescreen and he sees not only what you are able to see, but more (on the sides). So his 'character' has a better peripheral vision because he has a widescreen monitor?
Having the widescreen stretch the view out seems like less of a programming issue and more of a gamer-fairness issue.
Yes, the original isn't funny. The edited version with the lightsabres is clever and produces a light chuckle. The 'Attack of the Clones' version is absolutely one of the funniest videos I have seen on the internet. Should this kid sue for being 'bullied'? I would think that he would have more success if he had been able to sue them for copyright infringement. The video was not copyrighted (I would assume), but I would imagine it would fall under the precident of the Pamela/Tommy video or the Paris Hilton video. But, IANAL, so I tend to have a sense of humor and no sense of law.
You are absolutely right. A hard-working person with a clear goal can get ahead in life. For a fair amount of people, this means going to college to study a specific field. You were lucky(and hard working) in that you applied business tactics(i.e. getting your foot in the door at a lower rate). But, as you will most likely agree, what works for some does not work for all. Some people need college to help them figure out what they want to do. And what they like to do at 18 isn't always what they like to do at 23.
Now, I agree that working extra hard is the best way to get ahead. I currently am working two jobs, one as a network engineer and the other as an assistant admin pulling about 60 hours a week. I also just graduated college 8 months ago. I don't think that quite that many people are putting themselves behind by going to college, but I think many of them are going to more expensive schools to get the college experience or what they feel is a better education when all they need to go is to the community college for two years and finish up at the nearest state college.
Statistics also seem to show that out of college, the average student will be paid better than the high school graduate. I personally could have made probably the same out of high school, but it would have been much more work and much harder to get a job. I've found that many employers don't care what school one goes to, just as long as they went. And some of my friends went to school just for that. For them, it was an extension of high school and after five years they continue to have no direction.
I think that the value of the education and the value of the time spent is highly dependent on the person. You were highly motivated, and in turn are highly successful. You would have probably excelled in college, but are still successful in the real world. I wasn't highly motivated until my third year into college, and I believe it took those extra few years to help motivate me.
Whether the extra years are wasted is disputable. The numbers you gave show a 15 year gap between the hard working hs grad and the working college grad. I'll bet that if they are both hard working individuals doing the same job for the same amount of time, the college grad will come out with more money in the end. Why? Because he has that piece of paper that employers like to see. This won't be true in every case (such as yours), but I think it is true overall.
Unfortunately for surrounding major cities, crimeisup.
I think that while it is a nice period for the working New Orleans, there is no guarantee once the city is back on track that it will stay free from freeloaders. Part of this is the bigger issue of people living on welfare that could work, but that's another discussion entirely. The wifi will be good to have for the working residents, but how long until the speeds drop, the networks deteriorate, and maintinence is not handled correctly?
I think you're absolutely right on. Of course he would say there isn't any difference. To the average non-techie internet user, there isn't any difference when going to google and searching. But to the person running multiple torrents on one machine, MMORPG's on another computer, and browsing the internet on a third (more than one person, but only one connection) there is a HUGE difference between 1.5Mbps and 6Mbps.
I had two 1.5Mbps DSL lines back at my parent's house(they work for ATT) and the connections were fine. But I couldn't connect too many computers to one connection and run anything more than one or two torrents without bottlenecking the connection. And the ping times were around an average of 100-200ms. Now I'm on a 4Mbit connection with ping times around 50-100ms while running a few torrents.
You can't blame the guy for trying to help his cause, but you most certainly can blame him for being blind about the facts. Sure, I know they're putting fiber down in Southern California with ~30Mbit connections (I have no idea of the cost). But until that happens in my area, I'll stick with my 4Mbps connection (yes, it's not as good as some, but fast enough right now).
AFAIK, the 360 is including the HD-DVD drive as an add-on accessory when they feel the time is right. It shipped with a standard DVD drive. In other words, yes, it will have HD-DVD support... eventually.
Well, I'll hedge my bets and cash out now- pretty hardware and a nice scroll wheel(the only thing that makes an iPod superior(in my mind. I don't like the ITMS)) aren't enough to keep me coming back for more.
The industry didn't pick up on it sooner because they are out of touch with their customers. I know that's rather harsh, but it took an outside company (TiVo) to force change. Had they done this within their companies, they might have come up with a scheme like this. The industry is playing catch-up to what the consumers want. In part it is because they are trying to figure out the best way to allow customers to view content, while at the same time restricting the content from being viewed in a way they deem inappropriate.
But it's like you said, they want a piece of the action. They want to offer us a service that we already have, but charge us for it. A similar thing happened with Cingular not too long ago. I've had a data plan as long as I can remember, and have been able to log into Yahoo Messenger using that data plan since about that time. My plan was somewhere around $6.99 for 512kb (a rediculous rate) with some text messages as well. But not too long ago Cingular upped the rate on the same plan, making it $9.99. Why? Because now they included access to the Yahoo Messenger service, something that had always been availible. No change in the data allowance, SMS, etc. They just advertised that Yahoo was availible and recommended that I change my plan to the current one.
I say this because companies (mostly content providers, as of late) see a technology/service/innovation that someone has already created and implimented well. They then take this and repackage the same thing to offer at a higher price. For most people, they truly are offering a service(i.e. My dad, who is willing to pay an extra $25/month for 5 DVR's around the house instead of setting up his own DVR's). But for those who do know, we refuse to accept this as an alternative. I like watching TV. But I don't like having to be home at 7:00 sharp because thats when the content provider decided to put that on the air.
At any rate, I think the content makers (tv studios) and content providers (cable companies) see this as the best alternative to the TiVo threat. Why not? It allows the makers to impose restrictions easier. If they only want the latest episode of Lost availible for a day, they have more leverage in forcing the cable companies than they do in forcing Joe to delete it off of his DVR. And they might be able to inject the most recent ads as well, letting them charge double for ad space.
I think this 'feature' falls under the category of on-demand tv, and is more likely to be used in addition to the DVR than instead of the DVR.
So the content providers can choose how long I have to watch something I want to record? And how is this better than having a DVR and on-demand tv?
Unless they somehow offer this 'feature' as a free service, count me out.
I think you're right for the most part. The only comment I found off from my POV was about the pricing (refreshment costs being god-awful expensive). When I go to the theater, I believe it is reasonable to expect a certain level of value for my money. In other words, I want that $7 movie to be worth $7. When I go buy a soda, I know that the soda costs them about $.50. And I am used to paying $1.50 for the same size soda at a burger joint. But since the soda is $5, and I value it at $1.50, the movie (for me) has to make up the difference of $3.50. And the same goes for popcorn. So now the movie experience, to me, should be worth at least $14. And very few movies live up to this expectation. If I don't feel that these movies live up to the expectation (and many don't live up to the original $7), I don't feel the need to go. LOTR lived up to this, along with the Matrix & a few others.
Now, I don't think that this is entirely the movie theater's fault. I know that they charge the prices they do for the food and drinks because they make very little off of the movies themselves. IIRC, they only make about $.50/ticket (anyone got a link?). The problem the studios and theaters are facing is the evolving movie model. They are stuck in the 1950's distribution system in an age of information. We know that the studios are charging exorborant amounts for the privilege of showing their movie. We know that piracy does not affect them as much as they let on. And we know that the DVD's are out quick enough to where we can wait (I've seen a few come out before PPV). Actors are arguably paid too much(not all actors, just movie stars), there are too many overhead costs, etc.
The theaters have every right to be mad at the studios- they followed them into the price model, and now the studios are changing their tune. And who is blamed for the high prices of movies? Theaters. One thing I think they can do to save themselves is make things more flexible. I'd pay right now to be able to see a movie at a different time than advertised. Right now, matinee prices are good up until 6pm. However, no movies start between 4:30pm and 6pm. I, like many of my friends, do not get off until 5pm. It isn't worth it for me to go home, eat, lay around and go to the theater at a higher price later on. I'd like to go right after work (say, a 5:15pm showing) and then eat dinner afterward. I don't want to pay $3 more for viewing at an inconvienient time. Why not put a voting mechanism on the site that lets me and friends vote to see the movie at the time we want, but get credit back to our accounts (or get credit for a ticket later) if the time we want to go doesn't get chosen?
Granted, these aren't the greatest ideas in the world. But if the theaters are interested in being saved, they will make some changes.
What's funny about my feelings about the iPod is that I hate having one, due to the cost of the premium. But I also hate not having one due to the funtionality of the scroll wheel. I think that the entire 'ease of use' with the iPod is that damn scroll wheel. I don't see anything in the user interface that is different from other players. Other player's software isn't too far off from apple for my needs(CD ripping, using previous mp3's, I don't buy music online). But that darn scroll wheel is the only thing that would make me go back to having an iPod. If only another company would come along an innovate something this well, then there would be competition and hopefully lower prices. Oh well.
Disclaimer: This isn't meant to insult the parent post, just to raise questions and hopefully get some answers. It's also somewhat of a rant.
What happened to your iPod? I'm only asking because I had purchased an iPod mini. It was a 4GB, and right about the time the warranty ran out, the headphone jack broke. My option was to have them repair it ($250) or replace it ($200). Now, I'm not an apple loyalist or enthusiast, so that right there was enough for me to say 'no' to apple.
I admit, the interface was very appeasing and easy to work with. But after being a PC guy for so long and hearing about the quality of apple hardware compared to PC hardware, I naturally assumed that the iPod would last over a year. And being told by the apple "geniuses" that I am SOL didn't do anything for their reputation.
I guess I'm just wondering why you would buy an expensive product from a company that isn't so set on keeping you a customer? I know that they also offered me a 10% discount on a brand new iPod. But I would imagine they could fix them (or outsource that to another company) and give me at least a 50% discount on a new one. That allows them to make another sale, and get back an iPod to sell at a later date. Instead they won't get any money from me or people that come to me for advice in purchasing a music player.
Maybe I'm just not at the point at which I can buy a player every year or two years. I have the money, but I don't see spending $200 every other year to ensure that I have a working player. I've had portable CD players that lasted at least five years that took more beatings than my dainty iPod. So why would you keep buying a product that breaks after a few years from normal wear and tear? Yes, I realize they are delicate electronics, but when you treat them that way they should last.
Sorry for the rant, I just don't understand the need to purchase the same product that has broken on you before.
Yes, the sales guy is an idiot. However, I am able to region-encode with my DVD burner. While it would defeat part of the purpose of having a burner, that 'feature' is there.
Transfering files between my fiance's and my phone, and the computer as well. This makes the phone cheaper in the long run (not having to purchase ringtones of songs we already own, not paying the provider to transfer OUR pictures)
Bluetooth headset. It makes me look like a crazy person, but the convenience is worth a few stares.
Using it as the remote control for my media center pc. SonyEricsson made a little utility to make an HID profile for your phone that allows keyboard shortcuts and mouse movements. I make an entry on this site with instructions on how to do so for a SonyEricsson phone. You may have to do a search for it.
I have an ugly grey-case pc next to my tv. It looks roughly similar to this and is currently running MCE. Sure, I've got a project in mind to do a project with the components you describe. But I got this PC from a friend for free (minus the cost of a power supply replacement).
Like I said, I'm sure there's a market for people who just want to play MP3's over their stereo.
Out of curiosity, where in your post did you say this?:-)
Well, xvid/divx is the biggest one for me. I've seen U.S. players that will handle divx, but not well. I've also had problems with the player reading a DVD-data disc with divx & ac3. It's not so much that the players here haven't caught up, it's that they don't reach the same point as fast.
I agree. I have no desire to purchase an expensive player that limits my ability as a consumer. Aside from purchasing a ps3 (maybe 6 months after release), I am avoiding this war.
Although how long do you think it will take for dual players to arrive in the US (the US mainstream, that is)? I still haven't seen DVD players here that can do half the things players in the Asian markets can.
Fighting back, when used in the right context, is a very effective solution. I dealt with this in junior high as well. One kid would not leave me alone for a few weeks straight. Once I slammed his face into the back of the bus' chair it was a whole new ballgame.
It's nice to hear of parents that are teaching their children good values, as well as standing up to the schools(who seem to overstep their boundaries in certain situations and ignore responsibilities in others).
Re:Nothing to do with systems administration
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Which ligitimacy are we talking about? I agree that these don't have much to do with administrative tasks, but bittorrent clients and media apps aid in trying to make Linux a legitimate alternative to Windows for desktop users. Linux is already established to be good for sysadmin uses.
I don't think the goal of Linux is to be Windows-like(or OSX-like). I don't think the goal of Windows is even to be Windows-like. I think the goal is to effectivly perform a variety of tasks for as many people as possible. For sysadmins, they won't neccessarily use media tools. But for my Mom who may want the occational torrent of a show she missed or to watch a home movie clip I send her, these apps make or break the legitimacy. It all depends on who we(Linux users) are trying to convince. Yes, the title is decieving, but the underlying message isn't. Linux has many great tools, and letting people know that should be the focus.
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The thing didn't have any awkward buttons.
Uh, having the big green button right in the middle is more or less a pain. Especially when you have to get from 'B' to 'X' or 'Y' fast? And the shape of the 'R' button always seemed to get in the way when I am moving to the 'Z' button. I can't just move my finger straight up the controller, I have to move it out, up, and back in. And the direction pad? That thing is extremely hard to work with on games that can utilize it (i.e. Tetris). There wasn't anything under it to hold on to, and I'm not gonna try and stretch my thumb that far just so my hand can be in the proper controller position!
Of course, it still beats the pants off of the xbox controller. Only two trigger buttons and the red/black ones are in a different spot on different controllers? What was that all about? And the size of the original xbox controller? It felt like I was holding a damn shoe!
If we upgrade technology... we MIGHT need people who know how to utilize that technology. So hire for the install and setup... fire... then rehire for maintinence!
You're right. Those who can't keep up and get the latest equipment won't be able to play the latest games. But widescreen monitors just aren't the majority of monitors being bought. The gaming industry knows this, so they aren't forcing a move to widescreen just yet. The progressive companies are putting bars on the sides, I'll even bet that some games have widescreen availiblity (for computer). But for the most part, the majority of monitors purchased are 4:3 resolutions.
... But why should the widescreen folk have a better view than the 4:3 folk? Imagine playing a game online, and you have a 4:3 screen. It's great, it looks good. But then someone else you are playing against has a 16:9 widescreen and he sees not only what you are able to see, but more (on the sides). So his 'character' has a better peripheral vision because he has a widescreen monitor?
Having the widescreen stretch the view out seems like less of a programming issue and more of a gamer-fairness issue.
Yes, the original isn't funny. The edited version with the lightsabres is clever and produces a light chuckle. The 'Attack of the Clones' version is absolutely one of the funniest videos I have seen on the internet. Should this kid sue for being 'bullied'? I would think that he would have more success if he had been able to sue them for copyright infringement. The video was not copyrighted (I would assume), but I would imagine it would fall under the precident of the Pamela/Tommy video or the Paris Hilton video. But, IANAL, so I tend to have a sense of humor and no sense of law.
This sounds a lot like what my dad used to tell me: It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.
You are absolutely right. A hard-working person with a clear goal can get ahead in life. For a fair amount of people, this means going to college to study a specific field. You were lucky(and hard working) in that you applied business tactics(i.e. getting your foot in the door at a lower rate). But, as you will most likely agree, what works for some does not work for all. Some people need college to help them figure out what they want to do. And what they like to do at 18 isn't always what they like to do at 23.
Now, I agree that working extra hard is the best way to get ahead. I currently am working two jobs, one as a network engineer and the other as an assistant admin pulling about 60 hours a week. I also just graduated college 8 months ago. I don't think that quite that many people are putting themselves behind by going to college, but I think many of them are going to more expensive schools to get the college experience or what they feel is a better education when all they need to go is to the community college for two years and finish up at the nearest state college.
Statistics also seem to show that out of college, the average student will be paid better than the high school graduate. I personally could have made probably the same out of high school, but it would have been much more work and much harder to get a job. I've found that many employers don't care what school one goes to, just as long as they went. And some of my friends went to school just for that. For them, it was an extension of high school and after five years they continue to have no direction.
I think that the value of the education and the value of the time spent is highly dependent on the person. You were highly motivated, and in turn are highly successful. You would have probably excelled in college, but are still successful in the real world. I wasn't highly motivated until my third year into college, and I believe it took those extra few years to help motivate me.
Whether the extra years are wasted is disputable. The numbers you gave show a 15 year gap between the hard working hs grad and the working college grad. I'll bet that if they are both hard working individuals doing the same job for the same amount of time, the college grad will come out with more money in the end. Why? Because he has that piece of paper that employers like to see. This won't be true in every case (such as yours), but I think it is true overall.
Unfortunately for surrounding major cities, crime is up.
I think that while it is a nice period for the working New Orleans, there is no guarantee once the city is back on track that it will stay free from freeloaders. Part of this is the bigger issue of people living on welfare that could work, but that's another discussion entirely. The wifi will be good to have for the working residents, but how long until the speeds drop, the networks deteriorate, and maintinence is not handled correctly?
They couldn't give the link to the article- it was hosted on the server that burned up.
I think you're absolutely right on. Of course he would say there isn't any difference. To the average non-techie internet user, there isn't any difference when going to google and searching. But to the person running multiple torrents on one machine, MMORPG's on another computer, and browsing the internet on a third (more than one person, but only one connection) there is a HUGE difference between 1.5Mbps and 6Mbps.
I had two 1.5Mbps DSL lines back at my parent's house(they work for ATT) and the connections were fine. But I couldn't connect too many computers to one connection and run anything more than one or two torrents without bottlenecking the connection. And the ping times were around an average of 100-200ms. Now I'm on a 4Mbit connection with ping times around 50-100ms while running a few torrents.
You can't blame the guy for trying to help his cause, but you most certainly can blame him for being blind about the facts. Sure, I know they're putting fiber down in Southern California with ~30Mbit connections (I have no idea of the cost). But until that happens in my area, I'll stick with my 4Mbps connection (yes, it's not as good as some, but fast enough right now).
AFAIK, the 360 is including the HD-DVD drive as an add-on accessory when they feel the time is right. It shipped with a standard DVD drive. In other words, yes, it will have HD-DVD support... eventually.
Well, I'll hedge my bets and cash out now- pretty hardware and a nice scroll wheel(the only thing that makes an iPod superior(in my mind. I don't like the ITMS)) aren't enough to keep me coming back for more.
The industry didn't pick up on it sooner because they are out of touch with their customers. I know that's rather harsh, but it took an outside company (TiVo) to force change. Had they done this within their companies, they might have come up with a scheme like this. The industry is playing catch-up to what the consumers want. In part it is because they are trying to figure out the best way to allow customers to view content, while at the same time restricting the content from being viewed in a way they deem inappropriate.
But it's like you said, they want a piece of the action. They want to offer us a service that we already have, but charge us for it. A similar thing happened with Cingular not too long ago. I've had a data plan as long as I can remember, and have been able to log into Yahoo Messenger using that data plan since about that time. My plan was somewhere around $6.99 for 512kb (a rediculous rate) with some text messages as well. But not too long ago Cingular upped the rate on the same plan, making it $9.99. Why? Because now they included access to the Yahoo Messenger service, something that had always been availible. No change in the data allowance, SMS, etc. They just advertised that Yahoo was availible and recommended that I change my plan to the current one.
I say this because companies (mostly content providers, as of late) see a technology/service/innovation that someone has already created and implimented well. They then take this and repackage the same thing to offer at a higher price. For most people, they truly are offering a service(i.e. My dad, who is willing to pay an extra $25/month for 5 DVR's around the house instead of setting up his own DVR's). But for those who do know, we refuse to accept this as an alternative. I like watching TV. But I don't like having to be home at 7:00 sharp because thats when the content provider decided to put that on the air.
At any rate, I think the content makers (tv studios) and content providers (cable companies) see this as the best alternative to the TiVo threat. Why not? It allows the makers to impose restrictions easier. If they only want the latest episode of Lost availible for a day, they have more leverage in forcing the cable companies than they do in forcing Joe to delete it off of his DVR. And they might be able to inject the most recent ads as well, letting them charge double for ad space.
I think this 'feature' falls under the category of on-demand tv, and is more likely to be used in addition to the DVR than instead of the DVR.
So the content providers can choose how long I have to watch something I want to record? And how is this better than having a DVR and on-demand tv?
Unless they somehow offer this 'feature' as a free service, count me out.
I think you're right for the most part. The only comment I found off from my POV was about the pricing (refreshment costs being god-awful expensive). When I go to the theater, I believe it is reasonable to expect a certain level of value for my money. In other words, I want that $7 movie to be worth $7. When I go buy a soda, I know that the soda costs them about $.50. And I am used to paying $1.50 for the same size soda at a burger joint. But since the soda is $5, and I value it at $1.50, the movie (for me) has to make up the difference of $3.50. And the same goes for popcorn. So now the movie experience, to me, should be worth at least $14. And very few movies live up to this expectation. If I don't feel that these movies live up to the expectation (and many don't live up to the original $7), I don't feel the need to go. LOTR lived up to this, along with the Matrix & a few others.
Now, I don't think that this is entirely the movie theater's fault. I know that they charge the prices they do for the food and drinks because they make very little off of the movies themselves. IIRC, they only make about $.50/ticket (anyone got a link?). The problem the studios and theaters are facing is the evolving movie model. They are stuck in the 1950's distribution system in an age of information. We know that the studios are charging exorborant amounts for the privilege of showing their movie. We know that piracy does not affect them as much as they let on. And we know that the DVD's are out quick enough to where we can wait (I've seen a few come out before PPV). Actors are arguably paid too much(not all actors, just movie stars), there are too many overhead costs, etc.
The theaters have every right to be mad at the studios- they followed them into the price model, and now the studios are changing their tune. And who is blamed for the high prices of movies? Theaters. One thing I think they can do to save themselves is make things more flexible. I'd pay right now to be able to see a movie at a different time than advertised. Right now, matinee prices are good up until 6pm. However, no movies start between 4:30pm and 6pm. I, like many of my friends, do not get off until 5pm. It isn't worth it for me to go home, eat, lay around and go to the theater at a higher price later on. I'd like to go right after work (say, a 5:15pm showing) and then eat dinner afterward. I don't want to pay $3 more for viewing at an inconvienient time. Why not put a voting mechanism on the site that lets me and friends vote to see the movie at the time we want, but get credit back to our accounts (or get credit for a ticket later) if the time we want to go doesn't get chosen?
Granted, these aren't the greatest ideas in the world. But if the theaters are interested in being saved, they will make some changes.
What's funny about my feelings about the iPod is that I hate having one, due to the cost of the premium. But I also hate not having one due to the funtionality of the scroll wheel. I think that the entire 'ease of use' with the iPod is that damn scroll wheel. I don't see anything in the user interface that is different from other players. Other player's software isn't too far off from apple for my needs(CD ripping, using previous mp3's, I don't buy music online). But that darn scroll wheel is the only thing that would make me go back to having an iPod. If only another company would come along an innovate something this well, then there would be competition and hopefully lower prices. Oh well.
Disclaimer: This isn't meant to insult the parent post, just to raise questions and hopefully get some answers. It's also somewhat of a rant.
What happened to your iPod? I'm only asking because I had purchased an iPod mini. It was a 4GB, and right about the time the warranty ran out, the headphone jack broke. My option was to have them repair it ($250) or replace it ($200). Now, I'm not an apple loyalist or enthusiast, so that right there was enough for me to say 'no' to apple.
I admit, the interface was very appeasing and easy to work with. But after being a PC guy for so long and hearing about the quality of apple hardware compared to PC hardware, I naturally assumed that the iPod would last over a year. And being told by the apple "geniuses" that I am SOL didn't do anything for their reputation.
I guess I'm just wondering why you would buy an expensive product from a company that isn't so set on keeping you a customer? I know that they also offered me a 10% discount on a brand new iPod. But I would imagine they could fix them (or outsource that to another company) and give me at least a 50% discount on a new one. That allows them to make another sale, and get back an iPod to sell at a later date. Instead they won't get any money from me or people that come to me for advice in purchasing a music player.
Maybe I'm just not at the point at which I can buy a player every year or two years. I have the money, but I don't see spending $200 every other year to ensure that I have a working player. I've had portable CD players that lasted at least five years that took more beatings than my dainty iPod. So why would you keep buying a product that breaks after a few years from normal wear and tear? Yes, I realize they are delicate electronics, but when you treat them that way they should last.
Sorry for the rant, I just don't understand the need to purchase the same product that has broken on you before.
Yes, the sales guy is an idiot. However, I am able to region-encode with my DVD burner. While it would defeat part of the purpose of having a burner, that 'feature' is there.
I do. Only for three things, though:
Transfering files between my fiance's and my phone, and the computer as well. This makes the phone cheaper in the long run (not having to purchase ringtones of songs we already own, not paying the provider to transfer OUR pictures)
Bluetooth headset. It makes me look like a crazy person, but the convenience is worth a few stares.
Using it as the remote control for my media center pc. SonyEricsson made a little utility to make an HID profile for your phone that allows keyboard shortcuts and mouse movements. I make an entry on this site with instructions on how to do so for a SonyEricsson phone. You may have to do a search for it.
I have an ugly grey-case pc next to my tv. It looks roughly similar to this and is currently running MCE. Sure, I've got a project in mind to do a project with the components you describe. But I got this PC from a friend for free (minus the cost of a power supply replacement).
Like I said, I'm sure there's a market for people who just want to play MP3's over their stereo.Out of curiosity, where in your post did you say this? :-)
Well, xvid/divx is the biggest one for me. I've seen U.S. players that will handle divx, but not well. I've also had problems with the player reading a DVD-data disc with divx & ac3. It's not so much that the players here haven't caught up, it's that they don't reach the same point as fast.
I agree. I have no desire to purchase an expensive player that limits my ability as a consumer. Aside from purchasing a ps3 (maybe 6 months after release), I am avoiding this war.
Although how long do you think it will take for dual players to arrive in the US (the US mainstream, that is)? I still haven't seen DVD players here that can do half the things players in the Asian markets can.
Fighting back, when used in the right context, is a very effective solution. I dealt with this in junior high as well. One kid would not leave me alone for a few weeks straight. Once I slammed his face into the back of the bus' chair it was a whole new ballgame.
It's nice to hear of parents that are teaching their children good values, as well as standing up to the schools(who seem to overstep their boundaries in certain situations and ignore responsibilities in others).
GOOGLEFIGHT!
Which ligitimacy are we talking about? I agree that these don't have much to do with administrative tasks, but bittorrent clients and media apps aid in trying to make Linux a legitimate alternative to Windows for desktop users. Linux is already established to be good for sysadmin uses.
I don't think the goal of Linux is to be Windows-like(or OSX-like). I don't think the goal of Windows is even to be Windows-like. I think the goal is to effectivly perform a variety of tasks for as many people as possible. For sysadmins, they won't neccessarily use media tools. But for my Mom who may want the occational torrent of a show she missed or to watch a home movie clip I send her, these apps make or break the legitimacy. It all depends on who we(Linux users) are trying to convince. Yes, the title is decieving, but the underlying message isn't. Linux has many great tools, and letting people know that should be the focus.