Well, you beat me to the Eagles example. However, you didn't mention that the going price for a nosebleed-section was $70. I wasn't even using the 'internet' at that time, because, according to Bill Gates, it was 'just a fad.':P
"yes, my horse skills have just tanked since i got a car."
"My bicyle skills tanked when I got a car. I also gained forty pounds in one year as my weekly mileage went from 150-200 to zero."
I laughed at the loss of 'horse skills', thinking it was a few overly rational, humorless people that modded it informative. However, I stopped laughing when I saw the next one about losing bike skills.
It's hard to imagine it, but I'm sure many will 'rediscover' the bicycle (as I have always known it -- 20 years without a car and only a bike and most everything can be done with a little preparation) and soon the roads will look like those in Japan; scenes from a chase in "Black Rain" are coming back to me where there were more bikes on the road than cars.
It's not even about customer service. The manager on the floor makes the ultimate call on a discount or return. If you talk with enough courage and know what your points are, you can get customer service to bend to your will (unless you are calling India), but that's not the point. The point is....
Apple was a non-existent company to most people, even five years ago. I can't tell you how much outright hate people put towards that company name. Strangely, people only thought a Mac was only capable of creating complex graphics and video, yet not powerful enough for mundane word-processing and internet surfing; it was a platform usually greeted with scorn. Now it's hip and coolio. wow. It's a lot more than that, but it's not the Apple it used to (or could be, less I digress.)
As a first-gen adopter of the iPod, it still wasn't the envy of every person who saw it. Personally, I think they just 'didn't get it.'
I feel that a lot of new Apple adopters still 'don't get it.'
They are just now 'keeping up with the Jones'' by saying their kids have iPods and trendy Macbooks --unless you're Balmer's kids. ha ha!
Good grief. Most people don't know how to organize their files, much less know what a file-system is. Most people will still get phished. To me, the computer a person uses is, now, less of a reason to talk to them. There was a reason a person used a Mac in the past. That person simply 'got it.' In most cases, you would know that you would have something instantly in common and shared more as a result; more freely with more real happiness. I'm sure that the recent Apple-convert would find that last sentence a bit strange. Sure, but we were all geeks and maybe, for some, that was the greatest revelry we all found in the 'whole thing', but I still love it like it was yesterday.
insert something about cold, dead hands and Macs..
FTA - "'It is in the interest of all shareholders, including the company's employees and officers, that the share price achieves some stability.'"
Perhaps, it is, finally.
Over $400 for one share is completely unsustainable when the company is mainly selling non-tangible items and giving away a plethora of expensive-to-maintain services. Companies that sell durable goods may have higher operating costs, but if demand exists, they can always profit. I don't see demand for Google and their advertising model remaining as strong in the next five years. I have a feeling that some other player will want a bite and try to offer the same thing. Microsoft was courting AOL heavily until Google beat them to the punch for more advertising markets. Google knows that they are reaching an end to how many strategic advertising partners they can reach lest they look like the next (evil) 800 lb. gorilla. Let's not forget the meteoric rise of many tech companies' stock values. They were completely overvalued. Thus, the 'bubble' burst.
The many crises that Google now faces are its growing-pains (DOJ, Librarians, China, etc.)
The truth is that money talks. When quarterly P/E reports are announced, then they are ultimately responsible to their shareholders.
"People carrying a common variation in a certain gene could be worsening their risk of a heart attack simply by drinking several cups of coffee per day."
How typical of an article to stir this much emotion based off so little science. The key words being "could be" are an immediate sign of 'alarmist science-journalism.' Since massive trials have not been conducted to address how much coffee affects different gene types, how can any person be sure if they are susceptible?
Simple. Don't be the average American. Take small steps.
If a study claims that a person may benefit from something, don't overdo it. Feel _how_ your body reacts to certain 'doses' of anything you may do or consume (exercise included.) If you feel bad after eating or drinking something, consume less or stop consuming it entirely. If not, keep doing/consuming it until you feel bad.
On a side note, I used to smoke cigarettes. I knew it was bad, but I didn't 'feel' what they were doing until sometime last year. I'm happy to say I was able to stop entirely, but I realize that coffee may be like cigarettes to others --it's hard to stop consuming something despite how you feel afterwards.
"It's people like these who make it more and more difficult just to use software because of the security features they add. I can't tell you how many times iTunes has spontaniously wiped all the files on it."
First off, iTunes isn't pay-for software --it's free!
Secondly, stop using iTunes on a PC. Third, tell iTunes NOT to manage your Library.
Fourth, iTunes is _far_ from difficult to use. If it is, you're a moron.
How many laws have to be broken to catch the person breaking the law? If your constitutional rights are trampled to get the 'law breaker' (in a strange twist of fate) would you be "all for taking the sucker out" now? What if 'taking the bastard out' meant closing your company or department for three months? I've heard of stranger cases of willing complicity with the feds regarding tracking cybercriminals, especially if said company even reports a crime. If it meant being tracked and bugged to catch 'them', would you be so willing? So, forgive the tinfoil hat approach, but I get wary of people who are so willing to drop standard procedure, especially when it involves clearing up a small inconvenience. Spam? Give me a break. I know how much it is purported to cost us all... This is one where the sector that created it should have learned to clean it up, even for a profit--Laughable, though, considering Microsoft is launching their own spyware/virus service.
" I was told that Microsoft had left its Media Center user interface unprotected, and that UI has been stolen and replicated in numerous other places."
WHERE?!? Show me where the Media Center GUI was stolen and used on a competing product! I demand justice and a large serving of proof!
I don't believe that crap. Everyone knows that Microsoft has been stealing UI elements and themes from Apple since DAY FRIGGIN' ONE! The only people that don't want to admit that are the people that use Windows. Really, they have not-a-clue.
I remember once an older lady asking me at tech-support about the history of Apple and Microsoft. She said, and I quote, "Didn't Microsoft create Apple?" - yeah, I know the quote, but it's a true story.
Scenario: OK, so the Microsoft dealer gives you a hit of some really crappy stuff for free. The Linux dealer gives you a hit of some really good stuff for free.
Q: Which dealer would you go back to now that you are hooked?
A: The Linux guy because he will keep giving you free stuff whereas you will have to eventually pay the Microsoft dealer (of course, you could always steal his stash.)
The Supreme court is deciding on the fate of file-sharing as I write. I use BitTorrent for all sorts of legal means. I have an extensive CD collection I purchased throughout the years to make my MP3 collection. Thus, I learned from an anthropology class...
One of the most important political powers 'you' have is 'where you decide to spend your money'. Laws that are pro-corporate are being crafted to make muni wi-fi impossible.
I live in a city where we are in a duopoly between Concast and Qwest. I have been told that I would get DSL over 10 years ago now. WTF??? This is a college town of over 100,000! What is taking so long. So now, I will dump my cable modem, and my whole internet connection because it is getting too expensive to have.
Therefore, I will tell them, when I return my cable modem (in a week), that I don't want their service because it's too expensive. Honestly, almost every time I do that, I see advertising announcing reduced rates and special deals that last for six months or longer.
So, spend your money wisely, and protest by not spending it.
Now, what did that have in common with the UN wanting to control the internet? nothing at all. Other than maybe you should write your congressman/woman/senator and tell them that this would be out of the interest of the average user. You could also tell them that you wouldn't be using it anymore, but you may make them happy.
And there's talk of Bono (yes, of U2) being named President of the World Bank, too.
This surprises you in 'today's world' ?
After Italy had a hostage reporter almost killed by US troops, are you surprised that Italy ISN'T pulling out of Iraq? I'm not, considering that their Prime Sinister is great friends with Rupert Murdoch (FOX Network) - It's all a club for the rich and famous to remind those who aren't that they won't ever be a part.
could I sue them? And on what grounds? Negligence?
Really, there need to be hard rules (I hate the word 'law', but essentially it's the same) made for companies that hold personal information in digital form. Databanks on their intranet shouldn't even be connected to the internet, but in this case, it wouldn't have mattered. Social-engineering did this? Man, what kinds of badges do they have for security there?
Candy badges might be slightly harder to forge than something printed on an inkjet.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, you beat me to the Eagles example. However, you didn't mention that the going price for a nosebleed-section was $70. I wasn't even using the 'internet' at that time, because, according to Bill Gates, it was 'just a fad.' :P
FTA: "It should be clear that mentioning that you are gay is no different from mentioning that you are left-handed or short or from the West Coast."
and I just found the perfect name for my new guild........
The Short, Gay, Left-Handed, West Coasters Guild
"yes, my horse skills have just tanked since i got a car."
"My bicyle skills tanked when I got a car. I also gained forty pounds in one year as my weekly mileage went from 150-200 to zero."
I laughed at the loss of 'horse skills', thinking it was a few overly rational, humorless people that modded it informative. However, I stopped laughing when I saw the next one about losing bike skills.
It's hard to imagine it, but I'm sure many will 'rediscover' the bicycle (as I have always known it -- 20 years without a car and only a bike and most everything can be done with a little preparation) and soon the roads will look like those in Japan; scenes from a chase in "Black Rain" are coming back to me where there were more bikes on the road than cars.
"...and a malicious user could write data back to your database if implemented incorrectly."
Isn't that supposed to be, "...if implemented correctly"
Mmmm... Flavored neutrinos... Like sprinkles for a doughnut-shaped universe.
Is that what I was supposed to say?
It's not even about customer service. The manager on the floor makes the ultimate call on a discount or return. If you talk with enough courage and know what your points are, you can get customer service to bend to your will (unless you are calling India), but that's not the point. The point is....
Apple was a non-existent company to most people, even five years ago. I can't tell you how much outright hate people put towards that company name. Strangely, people only thought a Mac was only capable of creating complex graphics and video, yet not powerful enough for mundane word-processing and internet surfing; it was a platform usually greeted with scorn. Now it's hip and coolio. wow. It's a lot more than that, but it's not the Apple it used to (or could be, less I digress.)
As a first-gen adopter of the iPod, it still wasn't the envy of every person who saw it. Personally, I think they just 'didn't get it.'
I feel that a lot of new Apple adopters still 'don't get it.'
They are just now 'keeping up with the Jones'' by saying their kids have iPods and trendy Macbooks --unless you're Balmer's kids. ha ha!
Good grief. Most people don't know how to organize their files, much less know what a file-system is. Most people will still get phished. To me, the computer a person uses is, now, less of a reason to talk to them. There was a reason a person used a Mac in the past. That person simply 'got it.' In most cases, you would know that you would have something instantly in common and shared more as a result; more freely with more real happiness. I'm sure that the recent Apple-convert would find that last sentence a bit strange. Sure, but we were all geeks and maybe, for some, that was the greatest revelry we all found in the 'whole thing', but I still love it like it was yesterday.
insert something about cold, dead hands and Macs..
FTA - "'It is in the interest of all shareholders, including the company's employees and officers, that the share price achieves some stability.'"
Perhaps, it is, finally.
Over $400 for one share is completely unsustainable when the company is mainly selling non-tangible items and giving away a plethora of expensive-to-maintain services. Companies that sell durable goods may have higher operating costs, but if demand exists, they can always profit. I don't see demand for Google and their advertising model remaining as strong in the next five years. I have a feeling that some other player will want a bite and try to offer the same thing. Microsoft was courting AOL heavily until Google beat them to the punch for more advertising markets. Google knows that they are reaching an end to how many strategic advertising partners they can reach lest they look like the next (evil) 800 lb. gorilla. Let's not forget the meteoric rise of many tech companies' stock values. They were completely overvalued. Thus, the 'bubble' burst.
The many crises that Google now faces are its growing-pains (DOJ, Librarians, China, etc.)
The truth is that money talks. When quarterly P/E reports are announced, then they are ultimately responsible to their shareholders.
"People carrying a common variation in a certain gene could be worsening their risk of a heart attack simply by drinking several cups of coffee per day."
How typical of an article to stir this much emotion based off so little science. The key words being "could be" are an immediate sign of 'alarmist science-journalism.' Since massive trials have not been conducted to address how much coffee affects different gene types, how can any person be sure if they are susceptible?
Simple. Don't be the average American. Take small steps.
If a study claims that a person may benefit from something, don't overdo it. Feel _how_ your body reacts to certain 'doses' of anything you may do or consume (exercise included.) If you feel bad after eating or drinking something, consume less or stop consuming it entirely. If not, keep doing/consuming it until you feel bad.
On a side note, I used to smoke cigarettes. I knew it was bad, but I didn't 'feel' what they were doing until sometime last year. I'm happy to say I was able to stop entirely, but I realize that coffee may be like cigarettes to others --it's hard to stop consuming something despite how you feel afterwards.
the pot and kettle getting together and declaring that black is now white?
"It's people like these who make it more and more difficult just to use software because of the security features they add. I can't tell you how many times iTunes has spontaniously wiped all the files on it."
First off, iTunes isn't pay-for software --it's free!
Secondly, stop using iTunes on a PC. Third, tell iTunes NOT to manage your Library.
Fourth, iTunes is _far_ from difficult to use. If it is, you're a moron.
"Thus leading one to wonder if college students lack literacy, or are simply too lazy to read everything that comes across their face."
Or maybe more people need glasses from staring at a screen too close for too long!
The last three headlines, including this one:
U.S. Army Testing Personal Cooling Suits
The Future of Tech And NSA Wiretaps
Xbox Modders Charged Under DMCA
There seemed to be something depressing when I saw all three of them in a row.
Whedon Calls Death Knell For Firefly
That's got to hurt, too.
"...shaken by allegations and revelations of theft, fraud, security lapses and lax oversight.'"
Theft occurs because of security lapses.
Fraud occurs because of lax oversight.
Why do people feel compelled, when posting new stories, to be so wordy?
HDD prices continue to drop at record levels.
"I solved this puzzle when I was a kid back in 352 A.D."
If that is so, why is your slashdot user number six digits deep?
How many laws have to be broken to catch the person breaking the law? If your constitutional rights are trampled to get the 'law breaker' (in a strange twist of fate) would you be "all for taking the sucker out" now? What if 'taking the bastard out' meant closing your company or department for three months? I've heard of stranger cases of willing complicity with the feds regarding tracking cybercriminals, especially if said company even reports a crime. If it meant being tracked and bugged to catch 'them', would you be so willing? So, forgive the tinfoil hat approach, but I get wary of people who are so willing to drop standard procedure, especially when it involves clearing up a small inconvenience. Spam? Give me a break. I know how much it is purported to cost us all... This is one where the sector that created it should have learned to clean it up, even for a profit--Laughable, though, considering Microsoft is launching their own spyware/virus service.
"If it's common sense, regardless of the law, the people (in the form of a jury) can make it legal."
I recall, the people, in the form of a posse, still didn't make it legal.
In a strange twist, the people, in the form of a military posse, did make invading Iraq legal. At least, the world has yet to weigh in on that.
" I was told that Microsoft had left its Media Center user interface unprotected, and that UI has been stolen and replicated in numerous other places."
WHERE?!? Show me where the Media Center GUI was stolen and used on a competing product! I demand justice and a large serving of proof!
I don't believe that crap. Everyone knows that Microsoft has been stealing UI elements and themes from Apple since DAY FRIGGIN' ONE! The only people that don't want to admit that are the people that use Windows. Really, they have not-a-clue.
I remember once an older lady asking me at tech-support about the history of Apple and Microsoft. She said, and I quote, "Didn't Microsoft create Apple?" - yeah, I know the quote, but it's a true story.
great, now I'm comparing software makers to the CIA.
hold on, I hear someone knocking at the door....
Scenario: OK, so the Microsoft dealer gives you a hit of some really crappy stuff for free. The Linux dealer gives you a hit of some really good stuff for free.
Q: Which dealer would you go back to now that you are hooked?
A: The Linux guy because he will keep giving you free stuff whereas you will have to eventually pay the Microsoft dealer (of course, you could always steal his stash.)
Guess that physicist didn't read my sig.
it went something like this:
3...2...1...
Contact!
silly humans... 3D data storage is for aliens.
The Supreme court is deciding on the fate of file-sharing as I write. I use BitTorrent for all sorts of legal means. I have an extensive CD collection I purchased throughout the years to make my MP3 collection. Thus, I learned from an anthropology class...
One of the most important political powers 'you' have is 'where you decide to spend your money'. Laws that are pro-corporate are being crafted to make muni wi-fi impossible.
I live in a city where we are in a duopoly between Concast and Qwest. I have been told that I would get DSL over 10 years ago now. WTF??? This is a college town of over 100,000! What is taking so long. So now, I will dump my cable modem, and my whole internet connection because it is getting too expensive to have.
Therefore, I will tell them, when I return my cable modem (in a week), that I don't want their service because it's too expensive. Honestly, almost every time I do that, I see advertising announcing reduced rates and special deals that last for six months or longer.
So, spend your money wisely, and protest by not spending it.
Now, what did that have in common with the UN wanting to control the internet? nothing at all. Other than maybe you should write your congressman/woman/senator and tell them that this would be out of the interest of the average user. You could also tell them that you wouldn't be using it anymore, but you may make them happy.
And there's talk of Bono (yes, of U2) being named President of the World Bank, too.
This surprises you in 'today's world' ?
After Italy had a hostage reporter almost killed by US troops, are you surprised that Italy ISN'T pulling out of Iraq? I'm not, considering that their Prime Sinister is great friends with Rupert Murdoch (FOX Network) - It's all a club for the rich and famous to remind those who aren't that they won't ever be a part.
could I sue them? And on what grounds? Negligence?
Really, there need to be hard rules (I hate the word 'law', but essentially it's the same) made for companies that hold personal information in digital form. Databanks on their intranet shouldn't even be connected to the internet, but in this case, it wouldn't have mattered. Social-engineering did this? Man, what kinds of badges do they have for security there?
Candy badges might be slightly harder to forge than something printed on an inkjet.