... because I have a G3 Power PC with OS 9 and that seems to be the only useable (and free) browser I can find. The MSN home page is definately messed up on my browser when I visited it, with words overlapping and boxes pushed off the the far, far right. It's annoying, but I run into this frequently with pages using CSS.
PS. If anyone knows of a good browser substitute for Mac IE5.1 on OS 9, I'd be thrilled to hear about it.
Just saw this on Ubergizmo this week. The Sonos ZonePlayer looks like it does every thing you're looking for. They have a PDA-like controller, too, that you can carry around with you.
It's not cheap, though. the ZonePlayer costs $499 and the controller price is $399.
On a more serious note, I'm not sure our judges should really be handing out extra-light sentences to people they believe are deranged. SAT classes? Scary stuff. This seems like a slap on the wrist for someone who caused such a tremendous amount of damage. It sets a bad example for other script kiddies.
Really now, we don't know all that much about the details of this person's life. The judge has a lot more information on this person's background and is better able to decide than those of us in the "peanut gallery". It was noted that he had "psychological troubles" due to parental neglect.
Also, "
Pechman said she was sentencing him at the low end of the range because although he was 18 at the time of the attack, his maturity level was much younger than that.
"I learned a lot about you," she added. "Many of the mental-health problems from the household you grew up in contributed to this problem."
The interesting thing is that he could have been a Slashdotter. His malicious attacks were against a Microsoft Windows update Web site as well as the Recording Industry Association of America Web site, two favorite "whipping boys" of Slashdotters.
As of 2003, [Yasumasa] Kanada held the world record calculating the number of digits in the decimal expansion of pi - exactly 1.2411 trillion digits. The calculation took more than 600 hours on a Hitachi SR8000 supercomputer.
And if you believe what Cringely has to say, iTunes may be already ramping up to do just that, in conjunction with the Mini Mac. (refer to a previous Slashdot article)
The Zelda games that were for the Gameboy and GBA are cartoonish, and it works for those platforms. In fact, The Minish Cap, which is for the GBA and Gameboy SP, is more cartoonish than ever. I like the way it looks. Been playing it for over a week and its fun!
For N64 and Gamecube, I think the 3D realism is a little better because, generally speaking, you're playing on a bigger screen (can't speak for the NES version 'cause I never played that one). But really, it doesn't matter as long as the story and the action/adventure/puzzles are good, because you tend to not think so much about how it looks if you're engrossed in the gameplay and having fun.
1. Rotary phones were built to last (unlike many digital phones). They can survive a drop from a two story building onto concrete. Just go down, pick it up, plug it in, and it will work.
2. Rotary phones can withstand 300lbs of pressure before they will break or deform.
3.Rotary phones can withstand temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees. This may seem a stretch, but rotary phones have been in buildings which have burnt to the ground and still worked.
These phones were built to last because, as I remember it, in the '50's, '60's and early '70's the phones were usually still owned by the phone company. Homeowners leased them and paid a monthly fee to use them. (though I think you could purchase them from the phone company, but they were expensive) So the phone company wanted them to be indestructible.
In the late '70's, when the FCC decided open up competition and to certify other phone makers, then people could buy their own phones from just about any store. That's when the phone makers started using cheaper materials...
Cheaper materials == lower prices, but more broken phones, so more phone sales!
PS - Did you know that the first touchtone ten-button phone was introduced in 1963?
I bet that if you looked in old thrift stores, you could find a rotary phone or two.
My dad volunteered at a thrift store for a while about a year or so ago and he sorted through old phones that had been donated to see which ones still worked. Once in a while he would call me on an old rotary phone while testing them, then he'd ask me to call him back. When he answered, I could hear the bell still ringing on his end....i-i-i-n-ng!
GTA: San Andreas, Halo 2, Half-Life 2, Resident Evil 4?
You're comparing apples to oranges. Those games are obviously not aimed at a young market nor are they considered family-friendly. Personally, those games do not appeal to me in the slightest.
Instead, think of the first Jak and Daxter, all the Zelda games, Mario Kart / Double Dash, and Donkey Kong 64, for instance. Those games are probably what they are referring to, ones that appeal to both me and my kids.
The good news is, according to space.com, people in the northern latitudes (including the northernmost US states) should have seen some northern lights.
The bad news is that the aurora borealis caused by this flare was expected to happen Tuesday night or perhaps during the predawn hours Wednesday in North America.
The good news is that the sunspot that produced this flare could produce more major flares before it heads around to the back side of the sun in a few days. So you might still get to see the northern lights.:)
One stunning landscape was produced by Mike Zawistowski, a freelance computer-repair expert based in Boston, Masschusetts, who describes himself as a "casual astronomy buff".
Zawistowski used Terragen, a freeware program that converts the basic brightness data in aerial pictures into a topographical map, to generate the ground-level vista shown at the top of this page.
He used information from one of Huygens' aerial photos (see second picture), and worked out the correct scale based on its resolution - about 20 to 40 metres per pixel. "The final image was adjusted for colour, with some artistic licence for dramatic effect," he says of his Titan landscape.
Zawistowski hopes that when the radar data from the probe are released, his pictures can be adjusted to make them much more accurate.
"There are lot of resources available to the scientifically curious," says Zawistowski. "This permits many talented amateurs who are technically savvy to participate on some level, even if they are not
They're not trying to horn in on anyone's "peer-review journal", their just having fun with the raw data. Their imaginations are fired up -- thats the sort of thing that pushes human being to want to explore new frontiers. Why take that away from them? The excitement generated by this sort of thing that causes us to push for more - maybe even translating into more dollars being spent in order to learn even more in the long run.
I found some very good articles about Toyota'sGM's and Ford's prototype crash avoidance systems which include the radar system (Nissan's is discussed too). From the article on GM's prototype:
'The system will use radar to determine the distance to the next car ahead on the road and how fast it is going. A computer chip in the so-called smart car will monitor the speed of the motorist's car.
If a motorist uses the system's new type of cruise control and does not see vehicles ahead slowing or stopped, the smart system would sound an alarm and an indicator button would flash, telling the driver the car must slow down, Colgin said. The cruise control system also would automatically apply the car's brakes, he said.
In instances in which very hard braking was required, the driver also would have to step on the brake pedal to stop the car in time, he said. If the cruise control system was off, the car would only warn the driver but not brake, Colgin said.'
The system would also use a camera to ``see'' the road ahead and ``understand'' when vehicles were turning along a curved road. That way, the smart car would be able to figure out which car is ahead of it in a lane, even when the lane is not straight ahead, Colgin said.
``This is a fully automatic system which sorts out which is the most threatening vehicle ahead,'' he said. ``It is meant to solve the problem of the inattentive driver.''
All three automakers are using a warning system for the driver and some of the systems initiate the braking process, slowing the car while leaving it to the driver to apply the brakes fully if needed. Toyota's system is the most comprehensive:
VDIM, an evolution of Toyota's vehicle stability control system, integrates anti-lock braking, electronic-power steering and traction control. The automaker says the system is the first of its kind. Analysts expect the technology to be adopted next on the Toyota's Lexus lineup.
Senior research executive Tetsuo Hattori explains that previous braking, steering, vehicle stability and traction control systems functioned independently. "With VDIM, each system is integrated and seamlessly managed. Moreover," he says, "control is actuated before the vehicle exceeds its movement threshold. This assures a high degree of preventive safety and significantly improves upon ordinary driving performance in terms of traveling, tuning and stopping."
Hattori adds that VDIM "begins integrated control of the brakes, engine and steering before the vehicle reaches its limits, thereby achieving higher preventive safety performance and ideal vehicle kinetics." [In a test drive on simulated ice, the system did not allow the driver to veer off-course and spin the car.]'
How is it genetically possible to have a creature that is blue/female on one side and grayish-green/male on the other side? That seems impossible to me. Have there been any other examples in the animal world showing such a split?
I was expecting someone here to say, "That wee beastie got a little to close too the nuclear power plant" or some such.
In a speech at the Wireless Communications Association in San Jose, Calif., Intel Executive Vice President Sean Maloney is expected to encourage commercial service providers and public agencies such as city governments and municipalities to work together in building out new broadband infrastructure.
Intel has a keen interest in the proliferation of wireless broadband technology and industries using it; by early next year it plans to produce WiMax chips for networking equipment that carriers can use to sell high-speed Internet access to consumers. WiMax is a promising wireless broadband technology allowing data to be wirelessly transmitted across several miles at transfer rates of several megabits per second.
"Sole responsibility, either from government or a single carrier, of a city's wireless network is not the best solution for growing the market," said a source familiar with the chipmaker's position in wireless broadband policy. "A sharing of responsibilities is what will encourage broadband adoption, and that will be a key point in Intel's policy proposal."
Maloney will outline the company's high-level policy position and will speak out against efforts to ban municipally owned networks. In recent years, phone companies and cable providers have actively lobbied local and state governments to ban public agencies and municipalities from building their own communications networks. The commercial providers have been successful in some regions of the country.
In some instances, commercial providers will be able to build networks and offer the best network choice to customers at affordable prices. But in other instances, such as low-income areas or rural locations, it might make more sense for a city or some other municipality to build the infrastructure.
"We welcome Intel's position and strongly support collaboration between the public and private sectors," said Jim Baller, a principal attorney for the Baller Herbst Law Group and a leading expert on municipally owned networks.
Intel's position is partly in response to strong lobbying by Verizon Communications that helped lead to the passage of a law in Pennsylvania that prohibits cities from offering Internet access to their residents for a fee. Verizon and other incumbent phone companies had urged legislators to ban municipally owned networks to prevent other cities from following the lead of Kutztown, a small college town near Allentown that set up its own telephone, Internet and TV system in 2002.
Phone companies and cable providers argue that municipalities that build and own their communications networks have an unfair advantage because they are backed by public funds. They claim that the municipalities will drive them out of business by offering services at greatly reduced prices.
On the other side, communities that want to build their own networks argue that they want broadband services now, and they are not willing to wait until it becomes economically feasible for commercial providers to build the infrastructure.
I think Samus of the Metroid series of games is a good example of a strong female character in a game. You can tell she is female without having to exploit her breasts or bare skin. She kicks butt all the while she's going against the gaming stereotype.
Lets see... 240 songs @ 4 minutes per song (according to this) would equal 16 hours of music. Thats a long time. I think this would last me on a long drive...
The drawback is that the battery only gives about 12 hours of continuous playback time. Still, thats enough for a long drive - don't usually want to spend more than 8-10 hours a day driving anyway.
So... iShuffle - $99 Not having to put up with irritating DJs, commercials, and limited playlists - Priceless!
This article at azcentral.com reports on a hiring trend here in the Phoenix area that began last summer and is picking up. Some relevant quotes:
"...General Dynamics C4 Systems, the Scottsdale-based division of defense giant General Dynamics Corp., will hold a job fair Saturday to fill nearly 300 engineering and program manager jobs. A similar job fair in October drew hundreds of job seekers and resulted in 30 new hires. General Dynamics has won billions of dollars of new contracts in the past two years. It is seeking engineers experienced in communication, radio and spacecraft systems, along with lead software and project engineers. Salaries range from $60,000 to $150,000 a year. Applicants must hold or be qualified for a U.S. Defense Department security clearance...
...The Arizona Technology Council was getting so many requests from member companies looking to hire workers that it launched a job-matching service on its Web site in late November. The Career Center has 55 technology jobs posted from 23 local companies so far, and council staffers are eager to get more job candidates in the system...
...A net 13 percent of chief information officers in the Phoenix area said they plan to hire workers in the first quarter, according to a survey of 100 executives by Robert Half Technology. That is better than the national average, where just a net 9 percent of 1,400 CIOs surveyed have hiring plans...
...Salaries also are going up, Gabrielson said, and some candidates are even getting multiple job offers. The firm is having to educate its client companies that they may need to make decisions more quickly than usual to get the candidate they want, he said..."
We keep seeing articles like this in the paper here which seem to lend some credibility to the "bounceback".
3) Apple will take a big risk in 2005... Apple might decide to throw some of that cash into the box along with new computers by deliberately losing some money on each unit in order to buy market share.
We might see that as early as next week with the rumored introduction of an el-cheapo Mac without a display. The price for that box is supposed to be $499, which would give customers a box with processor, disk, memory, and OS into which you plug your current display, keyboard, and mouse. Given that this sounds a lot like AMD's new Personal Internet Communicator, which will sell for $185, there is probably plenty of profit left for Apple in a $499 price. But what if they priced it at $399 or even $349? Now make it $249, where I calculate they'd be losing $100 per unit. At $100 per unit, how many little Macs could they sell if Jobs is willing to spend $1 billion? TEN MILLION and Apple suddenly becomes the world's number one PC company. Think of it as a non-mobile iPod with computing capability. Think of the music sales it could spawn. Think of the iPod sales it would hurt (zero, because of the lack of mobility). Think of the more expensive Mac sales it would hurt (zero, because a Mac loyalist would only be interested in using this box as an EXTRA computer they would otherwise not have bought). Think of the extra application sales it would generate and especially the OS upgrade sales, which alone could pay back that $100. Think of the impact it would have on Windows sales (minus 10 million units). And if it doesn't work, Steve will still have $5 billion in cash with no measurable negative impact on the company. I think he'll do it.
I found this prediction to be the most interesting, and maybe the closest to going out on a limb that Cringely gets. It also sounds like wishful thinking, like Cringely is trying to talk Jobs into it by convincing him this would be a smart move.
I can't see that Jobs would be willing to lose money on this venture, even if it is a smart move. It's more likely that maybe it would start out at $499 and then slowly drop in price over time.
This brings to mind a story I read not too long ago about Cricket's Fastest-Fingers Text Messaging Competition. A 17-year-old in Utah typed, "The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human," on his wireless phone in 57:75 seconds to set a new world record for text-messaging.
The winner's mother said that he had made text messaging his favorite hobby. The winner himself said that he text-messages more than he talks on the phone.
With this kind of evidence, its easy to see how cell-phone bills can get to $800.
As an aside, my 14-year-old nephew learned a valuable lesson about cell-phone costs. When the first bill came and the parents found an extra $100+ in various charges (games, ring-tone charges, text-messages), they made my nephew responsible for the bill. He quickly learned to limit his charges after that.
They don't bat an eye at helping yourself to serviettes or sugar...
I've worked at and eaten in restaurants (mainly the fast food types) where they care a great deal about how many little packets you get/take. One place I worked for kept all the condiments behind the counter and customers had ask for them. The employees were given guidelines as to how many ketchup packets per order of french fries, etc., we could give out.
Some of these place's profit margins are so small that every penny matters to them, unfortunately.
Slashdot Mirror
... because I have a G3 Power PC with OS 9 and that seems to be the only useable (and free) browser I can find. The MSN home page is definately messed up on my browser when I visited it, with words overlapping and boxes pushed off the the far, far right. It's annoying, but I run into this frequently with pages using CSS.
PS. If anyone knows of a good browser substitute for Mac IE5.1 on OS 9, I'd be thrilled to hear about it.
Just saw this on Ubergizmo this week. The Sonos ZonePlayer looks like it does every thing you're looking for. They have a PDA-like controller, too, that you can carry around with you.
It's not cheap, though. the ZonePlayer costs $499 and the controller price is $399.
- On a more serious note, I'm not sure our judges should really be handing out extra-light sentences to people they believe are deranged. SAT classes? Scary stuff. This seems like a slap on the wrist for someone who caused such a tremendous amount of damage. It sets a bad example for other script kiddies.
Really now, we don't know all that much about the details of this person's life. The judge has a lot more information on this person's background and is better able to decide than those of us in the "peanut gallery". It was noted that he had "psychological troubles" due to parental neglect.Also, " Pechman said she was sentencing him at the low end of the range because although he was 18 at the time of the attack, his maturity level was much younger than that.
"I learned a lot about you," she added. "Many of the mental-health problems from the household you grew up in contributed to this problem."
The interesting thing is that he could have been a Slashdotter. His malicious attacks were against a Microsoft Windows update Web site as well as the Recording Industry Association of America Web site, two favorite "whipping boys" of Slashdotters.
- As of 2003, [Yasumasa] Kanada held the world record calculating the number of digits in the decimal expansion of pi - exactly 1.2411 trillion digits. The calculation took more than 600 hours on a Hitachi SR8000 supercomputer.
600 hours = 25 days!And if you believe what Cringely has to say, iTunes may be already ramping up to do just that, in conjunction with the Mini Mac. (refer to a previous Slashdot article)
The Zelda games that were for the Gameboy and GBA are cartoonish, and it works for those platforms. In fact, The Minish Cap, which is for the GBA and Gameboy SP, is more cartoonish than ever. I like the way it looks. Been playing it for over a week and its fun!
For N64 and Gamecube, I think the 3D realism is a little better because, generally speaking, you're playing on a bigger screen (can't speak for the NES version 'cause I never played that one). But really, it doesn't matter as long as the story and the action/adventure/puzzles are good, because you tend to not think so much about how it looks if you're engrossed in the gameplay and having fun.
Maybe you'd like one of these?
- 1. Rotary phones were built to last (unlike many digital phones). They can survive a drop from a two story building onto concrete. Just go down, pick it up, plug it in, and it will work.
These phones were built to last because, as I remember it, in the '50's, '60's and early '70's the phones were usually still owned by the phone company. Homeowners leased them and paid a monthly fee to use them. (though I think you could purchase them from the phone company, but they were expensive) So the phone company wanted them to be indestructible.2. Rotary phones can withstand 300lbs of pressure before they will break or deform.
3.Rotary phones can withstand temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees. This may seem a stretch, but rotary phones have been in buildings which have burnt to the ground and still worked.
In the late '70's, when the FCC decided open up competition and to certify other phone makers, then people could buy their own phones from just about any store. That's when the phone makers started using cheaper materials...
Cheaper materials == lower prices, but more broken phones, so more phone sales!
PS - Did you know that the first touchtone ten-button phone was introduced in 1963?
I bet that if you looked in old thrift stores, you could find a rotary phone or two.
...i-i-i-n-ng!
My dad volunteered at a thrift store for a while about a year or so ago and he sorted through old phones that had been donated to see which ones still worked. Once in a while he would call me on an old rotary phone while testing them, then he'd ask me to call him back. When he answered, I could hear the bell still ringing on his end.
GTA: San Andreas, Halo 2, Half-Life 2, Resident Evil 4?
You're comparing apples to oranges. Those games are obviously not aimed at a young market nor are they considered family-friendly. Personally, those games do not appeal to me in the slightest.
Instead, think of the first Jak and Daxter, all the Zelda games, Mario Kart / Double Dash, and Donkey Kong 64, for instance. Those games are probably what they are referring to, ones that appeal to both me and my kids.
The good news is, according to space.com, people in the northern latitudes (including the northernmost US states) should have seen some northern lights.
:)
The bad news is that the aurora borealis caused by this flare was expected to happen Tuesday night or perhaps during the predawn hours Wednesday in North America.
The good news is that the sunspot that produced this flare could produce more major flares before it heads around to the back side of the sun in a few days. So you might still get to see the northern lights.
- One stunning landscape was produced by Mike Zawistowski, a freelance computer-repair expert based in Boston, Masschusetts, who describes himself as a "casual astronomy buff".
They're not trying to horn in on anyone's "peer-review journal", their just having fun with the raw data. Their imaginations are fired up -- thats the sort of thing that pushes human being to want to explore new frontiers. Why take that away from them? The excitement generated by this sort of thing that causes us to push for more - maybe even translating into more dollars being spent in order to learn even more in the long run.Zawistowski used Terragen, a freeware program that converts the basic brightness data in aerial pictures into a topographical map, to generate the ground-level vista shown at the top of this page.
He used information from one of Huygens' aerial photos (see second picture), and worked out the correct scale based on its resolution - about 20 to 40 metres per pixel. "The final image was adjusted for colour, with some artistic licence for dramatic effect," he says of his Titan landscape.
Zawistowski hopes that when the radar data from the probe are released, his pictures can be adjusted to make them much more accurate.
"There are lot of resources available to the scientifically curious," says Zawistowski. "This permits many talented amateurs who are technically savvy to participate on some level, even if they are not
- 'The system will use radar to determine the distance to the next car ahead on the road and how fast it is going. A computer chip in the so-called smart car will monitor the speed of the motorist's car.
All three automakers are using a warning system for the driver and some of the systems initiate the braking process, slowing the car while leaving it to the driver to apply the brakes fully if needed. Toyota's system is the most comprehensive:If a motorist uses the system's new type of cruise control and does not see vehicles ahead slowing or stopped, the smart system would sound an alarm and an indicator button would flash, telling the driver the car must slow down, Colgin said. The cruise control system also would automatically apply the car's brakes, he said.
In instances in which very hard braking was required, the driver also would have to step on the brake pedal to stop the car in time, he said. If the cruise control system was off, the car would only warn the driver but not brake, Colgin said.'
The system would also use a camera to ``see'' the road ahead and ``understand'' when vehicles were turning along a curved road. That way, the smart car would be able to figure out which car is ahead of it in a lane, even when the lane is not straight ahead, Colgin said.
``This is a fully automatic system which sorts out which is the most threatening vehicle ahead,'' he said. ``It is meant to solve the problem of the inattentive driver.''
Senior research executive Tetsuo Hattori explains that previous braking, steering, vehicle stability and traction control systems functioned independently. "With VDIM, each system is integrated and seamlessly managed. Moreover," he says, "control is actuated before the vehicle exceeds its movement threshold. This assures a high degree of preventive safety and significantly improves upon ordinary driving performance in terms of traveling, tuning and stopping."
Hattori adds that VDIM "begins integrated control of the brakes, engine and steering before the vehicle reaches its limits, thereby achieving higher preventive safety performance and ideal vehicle kinetics." [In a test drive on simulated ice, the system did not allow the driver to veer off-course and spin the car.]'
...don't give them your credit card number.
You know, this could work. Scam the phisher-wannabe's!
Then again, they might just try to use a stolen credit card number to pay for their brand new ready-made phishing kit...
Oops... thought I checked all your links... sorry!
...and plyojump.com has a great webpage full of photos and info on the HRP, too.
How is it genetically possible to have a creature that is blue/female on one side and grayish-green/male on the other side? That seems impossible to me. Have there been any other examples in the animal world showing such a split?
I was expecting someone here to say, "That wee beastie got a little to close too the nuclear power plant" or some such.
Well, I've got to wonder about anybody who spends 4 months camping out in front of a movie theater. Is any movie that good?
I think that:
A) He likes attention, and
B) He hopes to make piles of money from this (T-shirts and a "potential book deal")
Now Intel is joining the fray. Quoted verbatim:
Intel has a keen interest in the proliferation of wireless broadband technology and industries using it; by early next year it plans to produce WiMax chips for networking equipment that carriers can use to sell high-speed Internet access to consumers. WiMax is a promising wireless broadband technology allowing data to be wirelessly transmitted across several miles at transfer rates of several megabits per second.
"Sole responsibility, either from government or a single carrier, of a city's wireless network is not the best solution for growing the market," said a source familiar with the chipmaker's position in wireless broadband policy. "A sharing of responsibilities is what will encourage broadband adoption, and that will be a key point in Intel's policy proposal."
Maloney will outline the company's high-level policy position and will speak out against efforts to ban municipally owned networks. In recent years, phone companies and cable providers have actively lobbied local and state governments to ban public agencies and municipalities from building their own communications networks. The commercial providers have been successful in some regions of the country.
In some instances, commercial providers will be able to build networks and offer the best network choice to customers at affordable prices. But in other instances, such as low-income areas or rural locations, it might make more sense for a city or some other municipality to build the infrastructure.
"We welcome Intel's position and strongly support collaboration between the public and private sectors," said Jim Baller, a principal attorney for the Baller Herbst Law Group and a leading expert on municipally owned networks.
Intel's position is partly in response to strong lobbying by Verizon Communications that helped lead to the passage of a law in Pennsylvania that prohibits cities from offering Internet access to their residents for a fee. Verizon and other incumbent phone companies had urged legislators to ban municipally owned networks to prevent other cities from following the lead of Kutztown, a small college town near Allentown that set up its own telephone, Internet and TV system in 2002.
Phone companies and cable providers argue that municipalities that build and own their communications networks have an unfair advantage because they are backed by public funds. They claim that the municipalities will drive them out of business by offering services at greatly reduced prices.
On the other side, communities that want to build their own networks argue that they want broadband services now, and they are not willing to wait until it becomes economically feasible for commercial providers to build the infrastructure.
I think Samus of the Metroid series of games is a good example of a strong female character in a game. You can tell she is female without having to exploit her breasts or bare skin. She kicks butt all the while she's going against the gaming stereotype.
Kudos to that game's designers.
Lets see... 240 songs @ 4 minutes per song (according to this) would equal 16 hours of music. Thats a long time. I think this would last me on a long drive...
The drawback is that the battery only gives about 12 hours of continuous playback time. Still, thats enough for a long drive - don't usually want to spend more than 8-10 hours a day driving anyway.
So... iShuffle - $99
Not having to put up with irritating DJs, commercials, and limited playlists - Priceless!
- "...General Dynamics C4 Systems, the Scottsdale-based division of defense giant General Dynamics Corp., will hold a job fair Saturday to fill nearly 300 engineering and program manager jobs. A similar job fair in October drew hundreds of job seekers and resulted in 30 new hires. General Dynamics has won billions of dollars of new contracts in the past two years. It is seeking engineers experienced in communication, radio and spacecraft systems, along with lead software and project engineers. Salaries range from $60,000 to $150,000 a year. Applicants must hold or be qualified for a U.S. Defense Department security clearance...
...The Arizona Technology Council was getting so many requests from member companies looking to hire workers that it launched a job-matching service on its Web site in late November. The Career Center has 55 technology jobs posted from 23 local companies so far, and council staffers are eager to get more job candidates in the system...
...A net 13 percent of chief information officers in the Phoenix area said they plan to hire workers in the first quarter, according to a survey of 100 executives by Robert Half Technology. That is better than the national average, where just a net 9 percent of 1,400 CIOs surveyed have hiring plans...
We keep seeing articles like this in the paper here which seem to lend some credibility to the "bounceback"....Salaries also are going up, Gabrielson said, and some candidates are even getting multiple job offers. The firm is having to educate its client companies that they may need to make decisions more quickly than usual to get the candidate they want, he said..."
We might see that as early as next week with the rumored introduction of an el-cheapo Mac without a display. The price for that box is supposed to be $499, which would give customers a box with processor, disk, memory, and OS into which you plug your current display, keyboard, and mouse. Given that this sounds a lot like AMD's new Personal Internet Communicator, which will sell for $185, there is probably plenty of profit left for Apple in a $499 price. But what if they priced it at $399 or even $349? Now make it $249, where I calculate they'd be losing $100 per unit. At $100 per unit, how many little Macs could they sell if Jobs is willing to spend $1 billion? TEN MILLION and Apple suddenly becomes the world's number one PC company. Think of it as a non-mobile iPod with computing capability. Think of the music sales it could spawn. Think of the iPod sales it would hurt (zero, because of the lack of mobility). Think of the more expensive Mac sales it would hurt (zero, because a Mac loyalist would only be interested in using this box as an EXTRA computer they would otherwise not have bought). Think of the extra application sales it would generate and especially the OS upgrade sales, which alone could pay back that $100. Think of the impact it would have on Windows sales (minus 10 million units). And if it doesn't work, Steve will still have $5 billion in cash with no measurable negative impact on the company. I think he'll do it.
I found this prediction to be the most interesting, and maybe the closest to going out on a limb that Cringely gets. It also sounds like wishful thinking, like Cringely is trying to talk Jobs into it by convincing him this would be a smart move.
I can't see that Jobs would be willing to lose money on this venture, even if it is a smart move. It's more likely that maybe it would start out at $499 and then slowly drop in price over time.
- Yes, young adults send a lot of SMS messages.
This brings to mind a story I read not too long ago about Cricket's Fastest-Fingers Text Messaging Competition. A 17-year-old in Utah typed, "The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human," on his wireless phone in 57:75 seconds to set a new world record for text-messaging.
The winner's mother said that he had made text messaging his favorite hobby. The winner himself said that he text-messages more than he talks on the phone.
With this kind of evidence, its easy to see how cell-phone bills can get to $800.
As an aside, my 14-year-old nephew learned a valuable lesson about cell-phone costs. When the first bill came and the parents found an extra $100+ in various charges (games, ring-tone charges, text-messages), they made my nephew responsible for the bill. He quickly learned to limit his charges after that.
They don't bat an eye at helping yourself to serviettes or sugar...
I've worked at and eaten in restaurants (mainly the fast food types) where they care a great deal about how many little packets you get/take. One place I worked for kept all the condiments behind the counter and customers had ask for them. The employees were given guidelines as to how many ketchup packets per order of french fries, etc., we could give out.
Some of these place's profit margins are so small that every penny matters to them, unfortunately.