that what the world needs is more corporate expertise?
FTA: "It's not about the cost of the software, it's about how you take your expertise to people. We are sharing our expertise, particularly with governments in emerging markets. Cost is not the barrier here -- expertise is . . .."
See? M$ just wants to share its expertise. You sure wouldn't want to give a ten year old access to a computer. No sir. That ten year old doesn't have any expertise.
Laptops are now outselling desktops, and AMD has lagged behing Intel in its portable chips designs. Now, a breakdown based on the numbers of CPUs shipped would be interesting.
But we all know that when North American cell phone providers aren't outright lying to their customers, they're crippling the phones they provide so that the only way to make use of all of the technology in the phone you buy is to pay outrageous fees.
This is both true AND inaccurate. It is true because you do get charged outrageous fees for ringtones, wallpapers, etc. However, it is inaccurate because, in Europe, callers pay to make phone calls to a mobile phone. Try calling a European mobile phone from the US. You'll be astounded just how expensive it is. Someone has to pay for all those fancy services. In Europe, it's the caller. Europeans can send SMS messages for 5-10 cents, and those cost nothing for them to receive.
If I call from Belgium with a French SIM card, I'm roaming. If I call to Belgium with a French SIM card, I pay more. Try comparing a service mape from a large, U.S. mobile provider to what is available in Europe. You'll be shocked. Also, European mobile carriers cannot bundle phones with mobile contracts.
It is simply different in the U.S. Americans can talk much more on their mobile phones because it is much more economical to do so. Most Americans would rather have cheap minutes than gee-whiz features that don't add much value to the average consumer. If you want the gee-whiz features, order a GSM phone, pay the full, unsubsidized price, and get a contract with Cingular. Case closed.
In any other part of the world, you buy your own phone from wherever you choose (even another country) and just plug in a sim card from your chosen provider and it just works.p
In the US, it depends on the provider. We recently switched to Cingular (uses SIM cards) from Sprint PCS. We had a nice, new Nokia phone from AT&T that had never been used. It was a simple matter to take the phone to Cingular and pop in one of their SIM cards.
It is important to note that even on US mobile carriers who use SIM cards, the phones can be partially disabled or crippled. There are unlock codes available on the web for many brands/models of phones, if you look hard enough.
"Posession is 9/10s of the law", "we were here first", "we pay the bills", "we've got the UN building", "we've got the Security Council veto", "we've got the big bombs".
What, exactly, is the problem? This IS how the world works.
That the UN, an American creation, should now try to bully the US into giving up control of the Internet, another American creation, seems to us the height of arrogance.
It was an Al Gore creation. Why does everyone have such a hard time with this?
Moreover, for most people, in the time it will take to download the movie, you can drive to your local Blockbuster, rent the movie, come home, and start watching it in your living room.
But what do I know? Sony and Hollywood seem to think there's a market for watching movies on your PSP. I won't watch them, but that doesn't mean someone else won't.
Which brings up the point, do you really WANT to live 300 years? We already tend to go downhill after our 20's, and each decade after is compounded by more health problems.
MS and Sony will be more than happy to sell you a system with controllers chock-full of buttons.
Not to mention that the original Xbox and its games is going to continue to go down in price. I'll be the first to admit that the new Xbox 360 games look great, but, deep down inside, cheap stuff really talks to me.
What's with all the "Engineer as a Working-Class-Hero" Comments?
It's almost as if most of the comments above fail to address what the article is about. I congratulate all of you who graduated from Ivy League programs, had small classes and personal attention, and/or studied with good professors. Pat yourself on the back. Unfortunately, (SHOCKING SPOILER AHEAD) most college students don't go to Ivy League schools.
If someone wants to take pride from sticking it out with the crappy conditions in engineering great. This article is about why the U.S. doesn't turn out more engineers, and it offers the following valid observation (if you read between the lines): students in higher education are basically "customers." You don't believe me? Look at the amount of construction in the last 10 years for recreational centers and sports facilities. College students aren't stupid. Ignorant? To a degree, but not stupid.
The author had options. He went to law school. Law school is NOT easy, so he's not stupid. He made the following choice as a customer: I can leave a degree program which is unsatisfying and will NOT reward me financially for my sacrifices OR I can change my major to something more enjoyable with the intent to get a professional degree that will, in the long term, pay me much, MUCH more money, allow me to buy a better house, allow me to buy a better car, and send my kids to a better college. Think about that.
Here's an idea for U.S. automakers: quit spoon-feeding everyone with this gee whiz technology which will NEVER be used, at least not in the U.S., while continuing to "move the steel" so they can squeeze every last drop out of their factories.
Hybrids are here NOW. D-C's smart brand sells a cool little car in much of the developed world, including Canada, that gets 70 mpg NOW. Electric cares are here, n-, oh, they quit selling those. What's wrong with some useful technology? Is TRANSPORTATION, people, not Viagra for your commute.
There was a great game for the Apple II, Wilderness, that was much like what you're describing. You could input your personal statistics, height, weight, pulse, and the game would determine how fast, far, long you could walk and how much you could realistically carry based on those stats. Great game. I want to see that released again with some updates.
the way to fight polution is at the source. stop corporations from producing polution. if that is done, then the people won't have to spend tax dollars cleaning up the mess.
Good idea! Also, why don't you have the government tell teenagers to quit having sex? That should clear the teen pregnancy problem right up! While your at it, why don't you stop corporations from producing cookies, crackers, and other unhealthy snacks! That should clear up the epidemic of overweight kids, diabetes, and the U.S.'s soaring medical costs!
Here's a better idea, why not encourage people and corporations with tax incentives to stop making bad purchasing decisions and making products which are NOT in our best longterm interests?
Maybe then I can buy a smart plustwo here in the U.S.
While Apple releases the Mini and encourages users to plug in their old monitors, keyboards, mice, etc., Microsoft is including a feature that will cripple content YOU'VE ALREADY PAID FOR because you haven't upgraded ALL off your hardware?
It's not enough that the majority of installed PCs probably don't have the horsepower to run Longhorn, now M$ wants to force people to buy new peripherals. I hate to compare them to Apple, but I was using the old OS 9 on an old computer that wouldn't run OS X. So, I bought a used B&W G3, plugged in my ADB keyboard and a beige, Performa-era monitor, and installed OS X 10.3 which runs flawlessly. The OS was literally more expensive than the computer.
M$, on the other hand, would force me to buy a new monitor in addition to a faster computer to view content that I'VE ALREADY PAID FOR? Once again, I'm having difficulty seeing Windows as a value added product.
Slashdot Mirror
FTA: "It's not about the cost of the software, it's about how you take your expertise to people. We are sharing our expertise, particularly with governments in emerging markets. Cost is not the barrier here -- expertise is . . . ."
See? M$ just wants to share its expertise. You sure wouldn't want to give a ten year old access to a computer. No sir. That ten year old doesn't have any expertise.
People need structure.
Laptops are now outselling desktops, and AMD has lagged behing Intel in its portable chips designs. Now, a breakdown based on the numbers of CPUs shipped would be interesting.
Why? So you can see your job outsourced to India. Duh!
Maybe we'll get lucky and M$ will pull a 180.
This is both true AND inaccurate. It is true because you do get charged outrageous fees for ringtones, wallpapers, etc. However, it is inaccurate because, in Europe, callers pay to make phone calls to a mobile phone. Try calling a European mobile phone from the US. You'll be astounded just how expensive it is. Someone has to pay for all those fancy services. In Europe, it's the caller. Europeans can send SMS messages for 5-10 cents, and those cost nothing for them to receive.
If I call from Belgium with a French SIM card, I'm roaming. If I call to Belgium with a French SIM card, I pay more. Try comparing a service mape from a large, U.S. mobile provider to what is available in Europe. You'll be shocked. Also, European mobile carriers cannot bundle phones with mobile contracts.
It is simply different in the U.S. Americans can talk much more on their mobile phones because it is much more economical to do so. Most Americans would rather have cheap minutes than gee-whiz features that don't add much value to the average consumer. If you want the gee-whiz features, order a GSM phone, pay the full, unsubsidized price, and get a contract with Cingular. Case closed.
In the US, it depends on the provider. We recently switched to Cingular (uses SIM cards) from Sprint PCS. We had a nice, new Nokia phone from AT&T that had never been used. It was a simple matter to take the phone to Cingular and pop in one of their SIM cards.
It is important to note that even on US mobile carriers who use SIM cards, the phones can be partially disabled or crippled. There are unlock codes available on the web for many brands/models of phones, if you look hard enough.
What, exactly, is the problem? This IS how the world works.
It was an Al Gore creation. Why does everyone have such a hard time with this?
Moreover, for most people, in the time it will take to download the movie, you can drive to your local Blockbuster, rent the movie, come home, and start watching it in your living room.
But what do I know? Sony and Hollywood seem to think there's a market for watching movies on your PSP. I won't watch them, but that doesn't mean someone else won't.
This would be great for Viagra sales.
Not to mention that the original Xbox and its games is going to continue to go down in price. I'll be the first to admit that the new Xbox 360 games look great, but, deep down inside, cheap stuff really talks to me.
It's almost as if most of the comments above fail to address what the article is about. I congratulate all of you who graduated from Ivy League programs, had small classes and personal attention, and/or studied with good professors. Pat yourself on the back. Unfortunately, (SHOCKING SPOILER AHEAD) most college students don't go to Ivy League schools.
If someone wants to take pride from sticking it out with the crappy conditions in engineering great. This article is about why the U.S. doesn't turn out more engineers, and it offers the following valid observation (if you read between the lines): students in higher education are basically "customers." You don't believe me? Look at the amount of construction in the last 10 years for recreational centers and sports facilities. College students aren't stupid. Ignorant? To a degree, but not stupid.
The author had options. He went to law school. Law school is NOT easy, so he's not stupid. He made the following choice as a customer: I can leave a degree program which is unsatisfying and will NOT reward me financially for my sacrifices OR I can change my major to something more enjoyable with the intent to get a professional degree that will, in the long term, pay me much, MUCH more money, allow me to buy a better house, allow me to buy a better car, and send my kids to a better college. Think about that.
Yes, and that's the key to its success! Isn't it nice?
If you think about it, the new flash memory has "supervisor"y functions!
Wait for it . . . .
Mile High Club.
Thanks for giving away the ending. Now I'll have to wait for the sequel.
Where's the OS?
Quit spying on me!
Blah, blah $70-grand.
Blah, blah 2010.
Blah, blah Daimler-Chrysler.
Here's an idea for U.S. automakers: quit spoon-feeding everyone with this gee whiz technology which will NEVER be used, at least not in the U.S., while continuing to "move the steel" so they can squeeze every last drop out of their factories.
Hybrids are here NOW. D-C's smart brand sells a cool little car in much of the developed world, including Canada, that gets 70 mpg NOW. Electric cares are here, n-, oh, they quit selling those. What's wrong with some useful technology? Is TRANSPORTATION, people, not Viagra for your commute.
"Quick! Everyone! Hide!"
Stupid sci-fi readin' scientists.
Yep. That's why we should get rid of all of them . . . and grill them up!
Anyone want to guess when that will happen?
How will cutting NASA funding pay down the debt?
I'd say by $16.5 billion.
Good idea! Also, why don't you have the government tell teenagers to quit having sex? That should clear the teen pregnancy problem right up! While your at it, why don't you stop corporations from producing cookies, crackers, and other unhealthy snacks! That should clear up the epidemic of overweight kids, diabetes, and the U.S.'s soaring medical costs!
Here's a better idea, why not encourage people and corporations with tax incentives to stop making bad purchasing decisions and making products which are NOT in our best longterm interests?
Maybe then I can buy a smart plustwo here in the U.S.
It's not enough that the majority of installed PCs probably don't have the horsepower to run Longhorn, now M$ wants to force people to buy new peripherals. I hate to compare them to Apple, but I was using the old OS 9 on an old computer that wouldn't run OS X. So, I bought a used B&W G3, plugged in my ADB keyboard and a beige, Performa-era monitor, and installed OS X 10.3 which runs flawlessly. The OS was literally more expensive than the computer.
M$, on the other hand, would force me to buy a new monitor in addition to a faster computer to view content that I'VE ALREADY PAID FOR? Once again, I'm having difficulty seeing Windows as a value added product.