The need to run their own APN's comes courtesy of the SIM provider - they don't meter traffic going out over those APN's. Hence they can offer "Unlimited Blackberry!"
Also, the BES stuff works better when its not going straight over the internet - you get absolute control over what the handset can do over the network. If you didn't have that, you'd need a custom APN anyway, that the telco would land on your company's network.
Not that it can't be done - most mobile providers will give you a custom APN if you've got deep enough pockets. This means you can do things like land all data traffic (3G dongles, mobile handsets, whatever) on the inside of your network - its like a VPN, only your users can't do anything with the device that you don't want them to. Also handy for VISP'ing 3G connections - the telco does the mobile stuff, you do the internet connectivity stuff, and everyone's happy.
P.S. if you've never stolen a towel in your life, you should be even happier about this system. More stolen towels mean higher maintenance charges for the hotel, which in the end means a higher bill for everyone. In the end everyone pays for the towels some of the people stole.
You're making the assumption there that if their costs go down (due to better tracking of towels) then their prices will fall by a similar amount. This is, I believe, false - they will simply enjoy a (slightly) fatter profit margin, because now they don't have to pay for the towels.
I believe that was proposed in Robert Heinlein's book "The number of the Beast" - if memory serves me well, owners appraise their own land. However, anyone may buy their property,/against the owners will/ at the appraised price. The only way to prevent the sale is to immediately raise the price so high that nobody wants the property. The catch is, you pay 3 years back taxes on the new, higher, price.
Having some experience in this industry, I'm pretty sure the article is talking about VOIP PABX's - ISDN or PSTN indial ranges, terminating on PABX's that then turn it into VOIP internally. The problem is that the PABX is listening on the external interface - for at-home workers, roadwarrior types, and what have you. They're then using the idle ISDN lines to make outbound calls - usually telemarketing/scam calls, like the recent spate of "I'm from Microsoft, your computer has a virus - but if you pay us..." scams. Or, hell, running up the business of "legit" premium-service types, like porn lines, horoscopes, what have you.
PABX's using this type of gear are becoming more common - rather than pulling a analog extension per desk, you pull a single ethernet cable, plug the phone into it (powering the phone using POE) and plug the computer into the 2nd port on the phone. You get a lot of flexibility in the setup, compared to a "traditional" PABX - for example, relocating a user becomes a matter of relocating a handset, rather than engaging a PABX vendor to repatch/reprogram a port.
+1 to this. I have a slightly older mac mini (C2D, 2Gb) hooked up to my TV with a DVI>HDMI cable, using optical to my amplifier for audio. Plex decodes 1080p content fine on this setup, and squirts out DD 5.1 just fine to my amp. I splashed out and bought a Harmony One remote, which is supported in plex - right down to Logitech adding a "plex" device to the keymap of the remote. Its simple enough that anyone can sit down and use it. Its also very quiet and cool.
The recent release (9.0) adds a few nice features, including a iphone/ipod touch app that uses the source machine to transcode video and send it out via Wifi. Apparently it will also work over 3G, but I haven't tried that.
Seriously, if you can, do it. Its the best decision I ever made regarding my home theater system - sure, I could have gone with a "regular" PC and a mouse/keyboard setup, but I wanted a setup that my fiancee could use with a normal remote.
Just like cash, then? After all, the value of the banknotes in my wallet is zero - i can't eat them, plant them, or use them to build a house. The value of "money" is due to a very large organization (my government) stating "this is worth something". Much like how the developers of EVE have stated "this is worth something" by posting it for sale.
Yeah, but at this day and age, can't you just design the lens so that it's the correct shape when it's sagging?
While its perpendicular to gravity, sure! Trouble is, often you'll want to point the telescope at something else. Its not a matter of cost - its engineering. At this point in time, with our current materials set, we cannot make a large, completely rigid, transparent lens. So we use mirrors instead.
The problem with using lenses is, at useful sizes, they sag! no matter how rigid they are, they sag. You can't support a lens in the middle (not without blocking the light you're trying to capture, at least) so they use mirrors instead, which/can/ be supported in the middle.
This. Ex-telstra (Aussie phone company) here - in.au you can just pickup and dial 1 to get a silent line. Bear in mind that a lot of the infrastructure is getting on in years. Over here we had a issue with desiccant gelpacks that were used in pits/pillars/joints etc - the idea being that if any extra moisture got into the network, they would soak it up. Turns out, after about 2 years (it took about 2 years from testing to 100% deployment all around our big country) they degrade and start storing water, rather than letting it evaporate. This actually *accelerates* the corrosion issue, so much so that the field techs can now complete a job with the code indicating "gel affected"...
ahh, but if your friends don't remove *their* apps, they'll have access to your data. Have you ever noticed there's no "block all apps, except those that I specifically allow" option?
Slashdot Mirror
Don't forget, screensavers are executable programs. So installing 3rd-party screensavers can be an attack vector.
The need to run their own APN's comes courtesy of the SIM provider - they don't meter traffic going out over those APN's. Hence they can offer "Unlimited Blackberry!" Also, the BES stuff works better when its not going straight over the internet - you get absolute control over what the handset can do over the network. If you didn't have that, you'd need a custom APN anyway, that the telco would land on your company's network. Not that it can't be done - most mobile providers will give you a custom APN if you've got deep enough pockets. This means you can do things like land all data traffic (3G dongles, mobile handsets, whatever) on the inside of your network - its like a VPN, only your users can't do anything with the device that you don't want them to. Also handy for VISP'ing 3G connections - the telco does the mobile stuff, you do the internet connectivity stuff, and everyone's happy.
I've got one - best phone i've ever owned.
Oh, that's the one where you can plug it into similar devices, yeah?
P.S. if you've never stolen a towel in your life, you should be even happier about this system. More stolen towels mean higher maintenance charges for the hotel, which in the end means a higher bill for everyone. In the end everyone pays for the towels some of the people stole.
You're making the assumption there that if their costs go down (due to better tracking of towels) then their prices will fall by a similar amount. This is, I believe, false - they will simply enjoy a (slightly) fatter profit margin, because now they don't have to pay for the towels.
I bet you don't have a TV, either.
The same thing that happens if you get too close to the edge at Australian train stations:
http://img2.moonbuggy.org/imgstore/you-may-get-sucked-off.jpg
You just turn the other cheek.
I bet you don't even own a tv.
Parent's ADW homescreen link is a goatse, don't click on it.
It'll never end.
Well, obviously, he's got a phone service in the USA.
I believe that was proposed in Robert Heinlein's book "The number of the Beast" - if memory serves me well, owners appraise their own land. However, anyone may buy their property, /against the owners will/ at the appraised price. The only way to prevent the sale is to immediately raise the price so high that nobody wants the property. The catch is, you pay 3 years back taxes on the new, higher, price.
They've already been discontinued, as far as I'm aware - at least, at the phone company I work for.
Having some experience in this industry, I'm pretty sure the article is talking about VOIP PABX's - ISDN or PSTN indial ranges, terminating on PABX's that then turn it into VOIP internally. The problem is that the PABX is listening on the external interface - for at-home workers, roadwarrior types, and what have you. They're then using the idle ISDN lines to make outbound calls - usually telemarketing/scam calls, like the recent spate of "I'm from Microsoft, your computer has a virus - but if you pay us..." scams. Or, hell, running up the business of "legit" premium-service types, like porn lines, horoscopes, what have you.
PABX's using this type of gear are becoming more common - rather than pulling a analog extension per desk, you pull a single ethernet cable, plug the phone into it (powering the phone using POE) and plug the computer into the 2nd port on the phone. You get a lot of flexibility in the setup, compared to a "traditional" PABX - for example, relocating a user becomes a matter of relocating a handset, rather than engaging a PABX vendor to repatch/reprogram a port.
As much as I'd like to see that movie...I don't think I'd want to sit next to you.
Don't take it personal. :)
+1 to this. I have a slightly older mac mini (C2D, 2Gb) hooked up to my TV with a DVI>HDMI cable, using optical to my amplifier for audio. Plex decodes 1080p content fine on this setup, and squirts out DD 5.1 just fine to my amp. I splashed out and bought a Harmony One remote, which is supported in plex - right down to Logitech adding a "plex" device to the keymap of the remote. Its simple enough that anyone can sit down and use it. Its also very quiet and cool.
The recent release (9.0) adds a few nice features, including a iphone/ipod touch app that uses the source machine to transcode video and send it out via Wifi. Apparently it will also work over 3G, but I haven't tried that.
Seriously, if you can, do it. Its the best decision I ever made regarding my home theater system - sure, I could have gone with a "regular" PC and a mouse/keyboard setup, but I wanted a setup that my fiancee could use with a normal remote.
This is about Alzheimer's, not retardation...
Just like cash, then? After all, the value of the banknotes in my wallet is zero - i can't eat them, plant them, or use them to build a house. The value of "money" is due to a very large organization (my government) stating "this is worth something". Much like how the developers of EVE have stated "this is worth something" by posting it for sale.
Yeah, but at this day and age, can't you just design the lens so that it's the correct shape when it's sagging?
While its perpendicular to gravity, sure! Trouble is, often you'll want to point the telescope at something else. Its not a matter of cost - its engineering. At this point in time, with our current materials set, we cannot make a large, completely rigid, transparent lens. So we use mirrors instead.
The problem with using lenses is, at useful sizes, they sag! no matter how rigid they are, they sag. You can't support a lens in the middle (not without blocking the light you're trying to capture, at least) so they use mirrors instead, which /can/ be supported in the middle.
Look, I dunno about you, but if they're only recording when our genitals come into contact, they sure won't be capturing 100% of the information...
This. Ex-telstra (Aussie phone company) here - in .au you can just pickup and dial 1 to get a silent line. Bear in mind that a lot of the infrastructure is getting on in years. Over here we had a issue with desiccant gelpacks that were used in pits/pillars/joints etc - the idea being that if any extra moisture got into the network, they would soak it up. Turns out, after about 2 years (it took about 2 years from testing to 100% deployment all around our big country) they degrade and start storing water, rather than letting it evaporate. This actually *accelerates* the corrosion issue, so much so that the field techs can now complete a job with the code indicating "gel affected"...
ahh, but if your friends don't remove *their* apps, they'll have access to your data. Have you ever noticed there's no "block all apps, except those that I specifically allow" option?
Ahh, interesting. The big cheese doesn't share his personal profile - he shares a *page* with his info on it.