There are tons of movies and TV series that just aren't available on Netflix or Amazon for rental.
Yes - And purchasing these items (licensed for rental) is expensive for a rental shop. Having 'Misfits of Science' available for rental for the one geek per year who might ask for it is not good business.
the cost of the electricity to keep them charged isn't worth having a few hours coverage in blackouts for most people
Surely once they're charged all you need is a trickle to keep them topped up? It's not like an electric car runs flat if you don't drive it for a week...
That'll work as long as power outages occur only during California weather conditions
Living without AC is unpleasant but doable. Many millions did it in the 19th and first half of the 20th century. Heat is more important, but in emergency situations you really only need to heat one or two rooms, not your whole house. In the 1998 ice storm, when many Quebecers were without power for many days, people moved into their living room and slept around the fireplace.
Hey, my Sony remote for the Sony TV I bought failed within 18 months, but Sony said "We don't make that remote anymore!"
My Sony TV remote disappeared one day. eBay was full of identical replacements. Never even occurred to me to try to get the replacement from Sony. (Turned up two years later - One of the kids had hidden it in the heating duct. Still worked.)
Not sure about other jurisdictions, but here in British Columbia you can most certainly buy a PVR - Here's the IP TV PVR that sits in my entertainment centre:
I thought these Republican idiots were supposed to be great businessmen and job creators. So how is it the Kenyan socialist communist fascist Marxist Muslim empty chair community organizer ran a campaign that outfoxed and outplayed them at every turn, even without having an entire media empire (Rupert Murdoch) spewing favorable propaganda 24/7 for free?
Because the Republicans jumbled crazy-ass social conservatism into their mix - Social conservatism which doesn't align with America any more. Ramblings about rape, transvaginal ultrasound, evolution, attacks on science. I'm not going to pick a loony to run my organization, even if he is good at balancing the checkbook.
What the hell hell part of "Communist " wouldn't a nerd understated?
I would say the majority of Slashdot have no clue. I see repeated posts calling America a 'police state' or if there is some censorship there is a cry that there is nowhere worse on the planet than the USA. Those that have never left their mother's basement have no idea what a real police state means, or what censorship means. It doesn't occur to them as they post their rants on a forum that in a lot of the world that forum wouldn't exist in the first place.
In his sophomore year, Gates devised an algorithm for pancake sorting as a solution to one of a series of unsolved problems presented in a combinatorics class by Harry Lewis, one of his professors. Gates's solution held the record as the fastest version for over thirty years; its successor is faster by only one percent. His solution was later formalized in a published paper in collaboration with Harvard computer scientist Christos Papadimitriou.
and
During Microsoft's early years, all employees had broad responsibility for the company's business. Gates oversaw the business details, but continued to write code as well. In the first five years, Gates personally reviewed every line of code the company shipped, and often rewrote parts of it as he saw fit
Assuming this will not be my day job, that the local populace is rather poor, and that because of the hills, line-of-sight service will be difficult, how could I set myself up as an ISP?
This *will* have to be your day job. Tech support alone will eat up many hours in a day, plus swapping out hardware, dealing with billing issues etc. Being a rural ISP is not a part-time thing. Frankly, if the local populace is able to get DSL that is fast enough for them to watch Gangnam Style on YouTube I'd leave it at that.
The ballot is identical (other than the names of the candidates) as is the box you stuff it into, regardless of whether you're voting in Dildo, Newfoundland or Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
Noting inherent to the concept of collective bargaining makes performance based pay impossible
Perhaps - But I've never once seen it practiced in any unionized environment I've experienced. Salaries and benefits are 100% bound to your seniority and your band. All of your brothers and sisters are exactly equivalent to you. My wife is a manager in a unionized environment. She had an excellent administrator - She couldn't promote her or pay her more. She couldn't even give her an extra hour of vacation. The excellent employee was rewarded exactly the same as her lazy-slacker union peer.
while traditional unions are incapable of advocating for what developers care about most while at work: autonomy and self-management
They missed one other one: Unions are also incapable of supporting performance-based rewards and promotion, something tech sector workers appreciate. The notion that seniority trumps all else would not go over well in my workplace, nor former workplaces.
All these edge use-cases are interesting, but if this were to materialize, I'm quite sure it would impact a very small number of people. The technology will be meant to prevent you buying a copy of Skyfall at Wal-Mart and showing it to a community center full of people, not to prevent a family from watching it. Like DVD encryption, there will be little no effect on Joe Average. He'll put the disk in his player in the rumpus room and watch the movie, same as always.
Many people, when called on bad grammar, will use the defence that "nobody cares so I'm just going to continue being wrong". If the GP wants to go around correcting them of that notion, then I will support him in that.
+1
As will I. I'll cut a lot of slack for a guy who is obviously posting to Slashdot from somewhere where English is not a first language, but if you're some dude posting from your mom's basement in Ohio I will expect better.
I live close to the American border, I've been to the USA hundreds of times - Amongst my many Canadian and American (and Mexican) friends I've never heard this dim-witted term anywhere other than Slashdot. I've never heard a single person use it. I've heard "yanks," I've heard "muricans / mercans"... on and on... But never heard a single person say "USian." It's not slang - It's just made up by anonymous coward loonies in their mum's basement.
Look you dimwit anonymous coward. There's no such thing as "USians." North America is populated by Americans, Canadians and Mexicans. No one in Canada or Mexico calls themself an "American." I'm Canadian.
Slashdot Mirror
The ONLY video store I know that is still successful specializes in difficult to find material
...and the two video shops I know that attempted this model, complete with clever staff, also failed. The market pool simply isn't big enough.
There are tons of movies and TV series that just aren't available on Netflix or Amazon for rental.
Yes - And purchasing these items (licensed for rental) is expensive for a rental shop. Having 'Misfits of Science' available for rental for the one geek per year who might ask for it is not good business.
the cost of the electricity to keep them charged isn't worth having a few hours coverage in blackouts for most people
Surely once they're charged all you need is a trickle to keep them topped up? It's not like an electric car runs flat if you don't drive it for a week...
That'll work as long as power outages occur only during California weather conditions
Living without AC is unpleasant but doable. Many millions did it in the 19th and first half of the 20th century. Heat is more important, but in emergency situations you really only need to heat one or two rooms, not your whole house. In the 1998 ice storm, when many Quebecers were without power for many days, people moved into their living room and slept around the fireplace.
discussed in March
Also discussed on Star Trek:
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Force_of_Nature_(episode)
Hey, my Sony remote for the Sony TV I bought failed within 18 months, but Sony said "We don't make that remote anymore!"
My Sony TV remote disappeared one day. eBay was full of identical replacements. Never even occurred to me to try to get the replacement from Sony. (Turned up two years later - One of the kids had hidden it in the heating duct. Still worked.)
Why do we have to rent them?
Not sure about other jurisdictions, but here in British Columbia you can most certainly buy a PVR - Here's the IP TV PVR that sits in my entertainment centre:
http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/telus-telus-optik-tv-500gb-hd-pvr-receiver-cis430-500-available-in-bc-ab-only-cis430-500/10193848.aspx
I thought these Republican idiots were supposed to be great businessmen and job creators. So how is it the Kenyan socialist communist fascist Marxist Muslim empty chair community organizer ran a campaign that outfoxed and outplayed them at every turn, even without having an entire media empire (Rupert Murdoch) spewing favorable propaganda 24/7 for free?
Because the Republicans jumbled crazy-ass social conservatism into their mix - Social conservatism which doesn't align with America any more. Ramblings about rape, transvaginal ultrasound, evolution, attacks on science. I'm not going to pick a loony to run my organization, even if he is good at balancing the checkbook.
What the hell hell part of "Communist " wouldn't a nerd understated?
I would say the majority of Slashdot have no clue. I see repeated posts calling America a 'police state' or if there is some censorship there is a cry that there is nowhere worse on the planet than the USA. Those that have never left their mother's basement have no idea what a real police state means, or what censorship means. It doesn't occur to them as they post their rants on a forum that in a lot of the world that forum wouldn't exist in the first place.
So Woz built a computer, 30 years ago, and built another one 20 years ago, and this makes him a computer genius? Apparently no.
Last time I checked, Bill Gates wasn't a computer genius at all, unlike Steve Wozniak.
Check again.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates
In his sophomore year, Gates devised an algorithm for pancake sorting as a solution to one of a series of unsolved problems presented in a combinatorics class by Harry Lewis, one of his professors. Gates's solution held the record as the fastest version for over thirty years; its successor is faster by only one percent. His solution was later formalized in a published paper in collaboration with Harvard computer scientist Christos Papadimitriou.
and
During Microsoft's early years, all employees had broad responsibility for the company's business. Gates oversaw the business details, but continued to write code as well. In the first five years, Gates personally reviewed every line of code the company shipped, and often rewrote parts of it as he saw fit
Assuming this will not be my day job, that the local populace is rather poor, and that because of the hills, line-of-sight service will be difficult, how could I set myself up as an ISP?
This *will* have to be your day job. Tech support alone will eat up many hours in a day, plus swapping out hardware, dealing with billing issues etc. Being a rural ISP is not a part-time thing. Frankly, if the local populace is able to get DSL that is fast enough for them to watch Gangnam Style on YouTube I'd leave it at that.
As long as they uncorporate sounds like a high-pitched cartoony UH-OH! and THWAP! into the new UI, I'm fine with it.
Time to crack your schoolbooks again. The Queen of Canada (Elizabeth II) reigns, but she does not rule.
how about if you got a piece of paper put a cross next to the candidate you want to vote for and then put that paper in box
You mean like a Candian federal election ballot?
http://thechurningtide.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/800px-2008_ballot_canada_1.jpg
The ballot is identical (other than the names of the candidates) as is the box you stuff it into, regardless of whether you're voting in Dildo, Newfoundland or Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
Noting inherent to the concept of collective bargaining makes performance based pay impossible
Perhaps - But I've never once seen it practiced in any unionized environment I've experienced. Salaries and benefits are 100% bound to your seniority and your band. All of your brothers and sisters are exactly equivalent to you. My wife is a manager in a unionized environment. She had an excellent administrator - She couldn't promote her or pay her more. She couldn't even give her an extra hour of vacation. The excellent employee was rewarded exactly the same as her lazy-slacker union peer.
while traditional unions are incapable of advocating for what developers care about most while at work: autonomy and self-management
They missed one other one: Unions are also incapable of supporting performance-based rewards and promotion, something tech sector workers appreciate. The notion that seniority trumps all else would not go over well in my workplace, nor former workplaces.
All these edge use-cases are interesting, but if this were to materialize, I'm quite sure it would impact a very small number of people. The technology will be meant to prevent you buying a copy of Skyfall at Wal-Mart and showing it to a community center full of people, not to prevent a family from watching it. Like DVD encryption, there will be little no effect on Joe Average. He'll put the disk in his player in the rumpus room and watch the movie, same as always.
Many people, when called on bad grammar, will use the defence that "nobody cares so I'm just going to continue being wrong". If the GP wants to go around correcting them of that notion, then I will support him in that.
+1
As will I. I'll cut a lot of slack for a guy who is obviously posting to Slashdot from somewhere where English is not a first language, but if you're some dude posting from your mom's basement in Ohio I will expect better.
the "velomobile" (whatever that is)
RFTA!
I live close to the American border, I've been to the USA hundreds of times - Amongst my many Canadian and American (and Mexican) friends I've never heard this dim-witted term anywhere other than Slashdot. I've never heard a single person use it. I've heard "yanks," I've heard "muricans / mercans"... on and on... But never heard a single person say "USian." It's not slang - It's just made up by anonymous coward loonies in their mum's basement.
Look you dimwit anonymous coward. There's no such thing as "USians." North America is populated by Americans, Canadians and Mexicans. No one in Canada or Mexico calls themself an "American." I'm Canadian.
Ah, Usain Bolt. Quick tip - It's spelled "Usain," not "USain."
I really hate how US'ians just inject their world views into every culture
USians? What the smeg is a "USian?"
- A puzzled Canadian who is now down one hotspring
Think and Smart are/were doomed because they shipped crap that no-one was interested in.
Dunno what a "Think" is, but where I live (Vancouver, Canada) smart cars are everywhere, and this Spring, electric smarts will hit the road.