It's not his obesity that sends him to the doctor, it's hypochondria
In some cases it may very well be, but usually it's not - He's got genuine ailments - A sore back, the flu, no energy. I see him frequently enough to know. However, I also know the arrival of these 'ailments' is pretty much directly proportional to his weight gain. When he was in his 20s and skinny he was almost never sick.
Smokers and fat people don't cost the medical system money; it's only the living that go to doctors.
That may apply in the last ten years of life, but it's certainly not true earlier. I'm 41. I have a friend who is the same age as me who is perhaps 70 to 100 pounds overweight. He is constantly at the doctor for this ailment and that, this ache and pain, he's always sick on it goes. If he gets an owie in his knee he's at the massage therapist, the chiropractor etc. etc. I'd say 95% of these issues would go away if he ate better and exercised.
"Too bad. Move if you don't like it" - that is the common response.
But what's wrong with that response? In many ways, a state (be it a province, state, city, nation, whatever) is in effect a giant club. If you don't like the club rules, go to another club. I live in Canada, and I have several Canadian friends who didn't like the 'rules' and moved to the USA and overseas. Ditto I have American friends who have moved to Canada because they didn't like the 'rules' in the USA. That's the true definition of moving your labour capital to where you feel it's best suited.
True that, except in those years, DOS/Windows licenses could be moved between machines.
For the vast majority of users, this was a non-feature. They bought a computer, it 'came with Windows' then a few years later they bought a new computer and it 'came with Windows.' Nobody cared that their "Windows 3.1 Floppy Disks" could be installed onto another machine. The same applies today.
For everyone I know, the issue of "OS Portability" isn't an issue at all.
SUV's have existed at least since the days of the first commercial Jeep, and probably before that
I agree. The problem is, you can't buy the kind of SUV that used to exist - One with manual locking hubs, vinyl seats, and manual windows. A vehicle that doesn't have carpet so your muddy boots don't matter. A machine that doesn't have surround sound and a DVD player. Land Rover kind of has a vehicle like that, but they're hard to purchase and service.
that makes a huge difference in the national deficit.
As an outsider looking in (I live in Canada), I'm amazed at how little the American media seems to discuss the issue of the federal and state deficits, and the national debt.
I would argue that perhaps the media considers it a 'complicated issue' but it shouldn't be - All you need to do is draw analogies to credit cards or mortgages and most people would 'get it'. In my opinon, the fact that the American nation-state is willing to simply offload their spending upon the nation's children is criminal. You guys need to either a) accept that the kind of spending you demand from your government(s) needs to be funded from somewhere and accept higher taxes or b) accept that spending needs to be deeply cut. You can't have it both ways.
now don't tell me I can get a Windows machine (with Vista Home Basic as we are comparing both of the newest low-end OSes) that runs as well as my Dimension for less then $32.35
If you have a business, your cost to convert your install base away from Windows is WAY more than $32.25. You've got to look at the total cost of ownership - Your other applications, training, productivity, etc.
Chances are, if "Mabel in Accounting" got upgraded from Win98 to XP her learning curve wasn't too large. Ditto if and when you upgrade her from XP to Vista - Your costs due to lost productivity would be low - Maybe a morning as she "learned her new computer". However, if you 'upgraded' her to Linux you'd lose a lot more than $32.25 as Mabel tried to figure out how to get her 'wallpaper' back etc. Now add onto that the applications Mabel uses - You've got her trained on Great Plains for Windows and now you've got to train her in Great Plains for Linux (or whatever).
Generally this is why companies don't change platforms - The per-unit cost might be lower, but the "TCO" (total cost of ownership) is higher.
Furthermore, how do you determine which users are Canadians?
As a Canadian, when I surf the web I encounter content that isn't available to me - Amazon.com won't let me put an MP3 purchase in a shopping cart, even if I'm not logged in. CBS.com won't let me watch the latest episode of "Survivor" etc. etc. etc.
I'm sure I could do all kinds of proxy cleverness, but I suspect the vast majority of Facebookers would simply give up on the service if it was unavailable in Canada.
I'm not sure Facebook would lock up 10% of its user bas.
"Facebook [...] has around 70 million registered users worldwide - including around seven million Canadians."
The math is more complicated than that, though. If the 7M hoseheads are high school kids with no spending power, or users that log in infrequently, then their value goes down - You can't just base it on numbers. My wife is a Canadian Facebook user who hasn't logged in in 2 months.
If this 'noise' becomes a problem for Facebook Inc. I suspect the simplest solution for them will be to simply lock out Canada. The market here in Canada is pretty small (population 33 million) and probably not really worth the effort. You could just say that in we're 'not accepting new users from Canada and in 90 days all Canadian accounts will be deleted.'
Why does MS and Apple put huge amounts of money into developing browsers when Firefox exists?
The goal is not to create an application that renders a Dilbert cartoon every morning.
The goal is to be first-to-market with an architecture that seamlessly integrates the 'desktop PC' with the 'internet' as a whole - To deliver rich media, email, files, photos - Whatever. Google is close, but they don't own the desktop - They own cyberspace. Microsoft doesn't own cyberspace, but they do own the desktop. Apple is somewhere in the middle.
The reason "personal computer" makers (Apple and Microsoft) make free browsers is so they can own the 'middleware' that will link their customer's computers with the greater cyber-universe they're trying to build, own, and profit from.
The best deterrent is to drive a used car with no real resale value and park next to expensive cars.
Here in Vancouver, Canada, it's the "used cars with no real resale value" that are stolen the most.
Why? Here, generally cars are stolen for the following reason -
1) Scumbags need an easy way home, so they steal a car, drive it home, and dump it
2) Scumbags decide to go on a joyride to impress some girl and get laid, usually crashing up the car for fun in the process
3) Scumbag drug addict thieves who steal a vehicle in order to go do a B&E - They steal a car, rob someone's stuff, drive the goods to the fence, get a few bucks, then drive to their dealer and buy drugs. They then dump the car.
Older vehicles are much easier to steal than the new, expensive ones. You can steal and old honda with a screwdriver.
I've had two vehicles stolen - In both cases they were fifteen years old at the time of theft. I got both of them back, in sadder shape.
Besides, by posting interesting writings on a website, getting a lot of viewers, and showing adds on those pages, he could still make money by giving away his writings for free.
I guess I understand that, but the other/. mantra seems to be 'block all ads on all sites by whatever means possible' - So if/. says 1) Information wants to be free and 2) Block all ads using all plugins possible, then it still doesn't work...?
My brother writes books and magazine articles. He gets paid for his books and articles. He also publishes some stuff 'for free' on his blog (there's a free e/audio-book on there right now for instance). However, his core, major work isn't free. This way he can afford to feed and clothe his children. If he gave his stuff away, or asked for contributions he wouldn't make any money (he knows this because he's tried unsuccessfully).
How does an author who writes 8 hours a day make a living if he gives his stuff away?
Or does he become a carpenter and write for fun an hour or two a week because writing is not a 'career path', but being a mechanic or carpenter is?
,Also, It's nice to leave without burning bridges. Who knows, maybe some of the people you leave behind may remember you in a positive light later in your career and provide an opportunity?
This advice is bang-on. It may be a boring two weeks, but c'est la vie. Whatever you do, don't rock any boats or burn any bridges. What goes around, comes around.
I had a similar problem at a ski resort - The distance was too 'far' for CAT5, and Wireless / Fiber was too difficult due to weather and cost. I wound up using a couple of "Tut Systems" DSL ethernet bridge boxes, hooked together with about 750 meters of cat 5. Worked like a charm.
The few times I've been to the UK in recent times I've tried to visit Bletchley Park. Each time, the hours of the museum didn't work. In checking the website, I now see that things have improved considerably, but with an infant at home I likely won't be back to the UK any time soon:(
Slashdot Mirror
In some cases it may very well be, but usually it's not - He's got genuine ailments - A sore back, the flu, no energy. I see him frequently enough to know. However, I also know the arrival of these 'ailments' is pretty much directly proportional to his weight gain. When he was in his 20s and skinny he was almost never sick.
That may apply in the last ten years of life, but it's certainly not true earlier. I'm 41. I have a friend who is the same age as me who is perhaps 70 to 100 pounds overweight. He is constantly at the doctor for this ailment and that, this ache and pain, he's always sick on it goes. If he gets an owie in his knee he's at the massage therapist, the chiropractor etc. etc. I'd say 95% of these issues would go away if he ate better and exercised.
But what's wrong with that response? In many ways, a state (be it a province, state, city, nation, whatever) is in effect a giant club. If you don't like the club rules, go to another club. I live in Canada, and I have several Canadian friends who didn't like the 'rules' and moved to the USA and overseas. Ditto I have American friends who have moved to Canada because they didn't like the 'rules' in the USA. That's the true definition of moving your labour capital to where you feel it's best suited.
I recommend "friendster" :P
For the vast majority of users, this was a non-feature. They bought a computer, it 'came with Windows' then a few years later they bought a new computer and it 'came with Windows.' Nobody cared that their "Windows 3.1 Floppy Disks" could be installed onto another machine. The same applies today.
For everyone I know, the issue of "OS Portability" isn't an issue at all.
In Singapore, if you're caught with more than pound of weed they hang you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Singapore#Misuse_of_Drugs_Act
Heck, they'll hang you if you have as little as 30g of coke.
Seems to work - There's very little drug use there.
The "Wrangler" is not really an SUV - It's a jeep, so there isn't much, if any, cargo capacity.
I'm talking about something like a late 60s to mid-70s International Scout, but with some safety updates.
I agree. The problem is, you can't buy the kind of SUV that used to exist - One with manual locking hubs, vinyl seats, and manual windows. A vehicle that doesn't have carpet so your muddy boots don't matter. A machine that doesn't have surround sound and a DVD player. Land Rover kind of has a vehicle like that, but they're hard to purchase and service.
> "What we have here is a failure to communicate."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_we've_got_here_is_failure_to_communicate
As an outsider looking in (I live in Canada), I'm amazed at how little the American media seems to discuss the issue of the federal and state deficits, and the national debt.
I would argue that perhaps the media considers it a 'complicated issue' but it shouldn't be - All you need to do is draw analogies to credit cards or mortgages and most people would 'get it'. In my opinon, the fact that the American nation-state is willing to simply offload their spending upon the nation's children is criminal. You guys need to either a) accept that the kind of spending you demand from your government(s) needs to be funded from somewhere and accept higher taxes or b) accept that spending needs to be deeply cut. You can't have it both ways.
If you have a business, your cost to convert your install base away from Windows is WAY more than $32.25. You've got to look at the total cost of ownership - Your other applications, training, productivity, etc.
Chances are, if "Mabel in Accounting" got upgraded from Win98 to XP her learning curve wasn't too large. Ditto if and when you upgrade her from XP to Vista - Your costs due to lost productivity would be low - Maybe a morning as she "learned her new computer". However, if you 'upgraded' her to Linux you'd lose a lot more than $32.25 as Mabel tried to figure out how to get her 'wallpaper' back etc. Now add onto that the applications Mabel uses - You've got her trained on Great Plains for Windows and now you've got to train her in Great Plains for Linux (or whatever).
Generally this is why companies don't change platforms - The per-unit cost might be lower, but the "TCO" (total cost of ownership) is higher.
As a Canadian, when I surf the web I encounter content that isn't available to me - Amazon.com won't let me put an MP3 purchase in a shopping cart, even if I'm not logged in. CBS.com won't let me watch the latest episode of "Survivor" etc. etc. etc.
I'm sure I could do all kinds of proxy cleverness, but I suspect the vast majority of Facebookers would simply give up on the service if it was unavailable in Canada.
"Facebook [...] has around 70 million registered users worldwide - including around seven million Canadians."
The math is more complicated than that, though. If the 7M hoseheads are high school kids with no spending power, or users that log in infrequently, then their value goes down - You can't just base it on numbers. My wife is a Canadian Facebook user who hasn't logged in in 2 months.
If this 'noise' becomes a problem for Facebook Inc. I suspect the simplest solution for them will be to simply lock out Canada. The market here in Canada is pretty small (population 33 million) and probably not really worth the effort. You could just say that in we're 'not accepting new users from Canada and in 90 days all Canadian accounts will be deleted.'
The goal is not to create an application that renders a Dilbert cartoon every morning.
The goal is to be first-to-market with an architecture that seamlessly integrates the 'desktop PC' with the 'internet' as a whole - To deliver rich media, email, files, photos - Whatever. Google is close, but they don't own the desktop - They own cyberspace. Microsoft doesn't own cyberspace, but they do own the desktop. Apple is somewhere in the middle.
The reason "personal computer" makers (Apple and Microsoft) make free browsers is so they can own the 'middleware' that will link their customer's computers with the greater cyber-universe they're trying to build, own, and profit from.
They're not there yet.
I am still chuckling at this post five minutes after reading it. Funny as hell :)
I think Maddox the Pirate says it best: http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=iphone
Here in Vancouver, Canada, it's the "used cars with no real resale value" that are stolen the most.
Why? Here, generally cars are stolen for the following reason -
1) Scumbags need an easy way home, so they steal a car, drive it home, and dump it
2) Scumbags decide to go on a joyride to impress some girl and get laid, usually crashing up the car for fun in the process
3) Scumbag drug addict thieves who steal a vehicle in order to go do a B&E - They steal a car, rob someone's stuff, drive the goods to the fence, get a few bucks, then drive to their dealer and buy drugs. They then dump the car.
Older vehicles are much easier to steal than the new, expensive ones. You can steal and old honda with a screwdriver.
I've had two vehicles stolen - In both cases they were fifteen years old at the time of theft. I got both of them back, in sadder shape.
I guess I understand that, but the other /. mantra seems to be 'block all ads on all sites by whatever means possible' - So if /. says 1) Information wants to be free and 2) Block all ads using all plugins possible, then it still doesn't work...?
I still don't get it.
My brother writes books and magazine articles. He gets paid for his books and articles. He also publishes some stuff 'for free' on his blog (there's a free e/audio-book on there right now for instance). However, his core, major work isn't free. This way he can afford to feed and clothe his children. If he gave his stuff away, or asked for contributions he wouldn't make any money (he knows this because he's tried unsuccessfully).
How does an author who writes 8 hours a day make a living if he gives his stuff away?
Or does he become a carpenter and write for fun an hour or two a week because writing is not a 'career path', but being a mechanic or carpenter is?
Please explain.
[/flame]
This advice is bang-on. It may be a boring two weeks, but c'est la vie. Whatever you do, don't rock any boats or burn any bridges. What goes around, comes around.
Here's the kind of boxes I'm talking about:
http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190224334652
Once you have an OS like Win98 on there, surely you can get a PCMCIA network card that works? 10 megabits, but still leaps and bounds better...
- Copied the NT i386 CD to a machine. We'll call this the server. The i386 directory needs to be in a FAT16 partition on the machine.
- Hooked the server to the client machine (that had no CD) with a "laplink parallel cable"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LapLink_cable
- Booted both machines into DOS 6.x, either via installed-dos or from DOS boot disks.
- Used the DOS applications INTERLINK (on the client) and INTERSERVER (on the server) to connect them together. You can read more here:
http://www.qsl.net/iz7ath/web/03_digital/04_pc/DCC/english/pag03_eng.html#DUE%20PC%20ENTRAMBI%20IN%20DOS
- Used the DOS XCOPY command or the freeware XXCOPY utility to copy the i386 directory from the server to the client
- Rebooted the client with my DOS book disk and ran setup
Message me if you need more.
The few times I've been to the UK in recent times I've tried to visit Bletchley Park. Each time, the hours of the museum didn't work. In checking the website, I now see that things have improved considerably, but with an infant at home I likely won't be back to the UK any time soon :(