It is the nature of both military and government in general (esp. military) to operate under a chain of command. When this link is broken, no one is used to thinking for him/herself. When we teach "yes sir, no sir", we do a disservice to the critical thinking and independent decision making that would have helped out here.
As a business I have a right to choose how I am paid. eBay is not allowing sellers to list Google Checkout as an acceptable payment method to be paid tothemselves (the sellers). From eBay's accepted payment policy, referenced in the article summary: "sellers may not request payment through online payment methods not specifically permitted in this policy".
Parent is missing the point. When a buyer pays for an auction, he does not pay eBay anything - he pays the seller. The seller accepts PayPal or money orders or whatever else, but is barred from accepting payments through Google, per eBay policy. eBay, as a company, can choose how they are paid. eBay, IMHO, should not dictate how sellers are paid. eBay accepts credit card payments, PayPal payments, bank transfers, and checks/money orders. These payments to eBay are for eBay fees (listing fees, etc.), not auction items! These are two seperate issues. I have no problem if eBay refuses payment TO EBAY via Google, but not allowing payment via Google to sellers is another story.
I mean, how do you think eBay makes money? Not off of auction fees, nossir. PayPal fees.
eBay and PayPal both charge fees, yes. And yes, sellers get hit with two fees, and yes, they both go into the pockets of eBay. As for where most of the revenue comes from, eBay has a 'subscription' (free service to sellers) to their 'sales report'. The sales report breaks down paid fees, and will show them as a percentage of total sales. It seperates them into eBay fees as a percent of total sales, and PayPal fees as a percent of total sales.
For the last three months, my sales report shows that the eBay fees by percent are a little over double that of the PayPal fees.
PayPal is a large part of eBay's current revenue stream, and I can see why they don't want it cut into by Google. However, parent is wrong; eBay is where 2/3 of the money is coming from.
Before suggesting that someone's wife needs a new profession, perhaps a lesson in anatomy is in order...
The region of the skull known as the pterion is a junction of the sphenoid, temporal, frontal, and parietal bones. This area is found around your temple. Along this region runs the middle menengial artery, which gives branches to the interior of the skull.
This area is succeptable to injury, as it is relativly thin. Haven't you ever seen baseball helmets that have a projection specifically to cover this region? Ever wonder why they are there? Damage to the pterion by a substantial blow is likely to cause tearing in these arteries, and subsequent hematoma and intracranial bleeding. This may lead to coma and death.
There is some anatomical variation in the structure of the pterion - maybe that is the case with you and your lack of intracranial bleeding after your numerous traumas. Or maybe you are just hard headed.
I would bet money that if porn didn't exist, most people would still use dial-up connections as broadband would be too expensive or inaccessible.
Most people I know who went to broadband before the broadband hype did so because they didn't want to wait 30 minutes to download a song. Maybe I'm wrong though - maybe more people spend hours looking at pr0n and don't really care for music?
You should perhaps treat your CDs with a bit more respect if you expect to get more life out of them
The ones that the dye wore out on were in cases and not kept in a car. They had several transparent spots on them and were unplayable. If you doubt CD rot to be a real phenomena, check out this article from cd freaks. The small image in the article looks like what became of several of my CDs, mainly those from 1985-1990.
Hopefully we can trust the newer dyes like Azo, but when the CDs of the 1980s came out, they said they'd last one hundred years.
CDs are necessary because they offer a constant, nondegrading
Nondegrading what? I think you left out your noun. Assuming you refer to media, I'd like to show you my CDs from circa 1990. Of course, I can't because they've been thrown away. Basically, the dye wore off and they became unplayable. Then there's the scratching/scuffing...
What I would like, and it seems to be in line with what some others are saying, is a way to buy lossless DRM-free individual tracks and have the money go directly to the artists. Of course, I also want world peace. ((holds breath)).
Certainly the sticker price for a car is the "buy it now" price, even though the vast magority of people will make a counter-offer that the car dealer will accept.
Perhaps this is being a bit pedantic, but you misuse the term "counter offer".
Counter offer: an offer made in response to a previous offer by the other party during negotiations for a final contract. Making a counter offer automatically rejects the prior offer, and requires an acceptance under the terms of the counter offer or there is no contract.
eBay's "Buy it Now" is a sticker price. If the seller enables the "or Best Offer" feature, this allows offers. Example: I list an item with a Buy it Now price of $20. Buyer offers $10. This is an offer, not a counter offer. eBay doesn't have a system in place for the seller to make a counter offer. However, the seller can make a counter offer of $15 by contacting the buyer and setting up another Buy it Now offer for $15 with the listing restricting the bidder's list to the potential buyer in question.
Apparently, someone bought hundreds of dollars in stamps at the Post Office, and tried to get out of paying because his card was not signed? I can verify that this policy is in place. A few weeks ago, my CC was refused at the Post Office because it is not signed and says 'See ID' on the back. They mentioned something about the cardholder not being responsible for payment if the card is unsigned. They said the 'See ID' bit was fine, but it needed to be signed also. Somehow, I'd imagine the man will get his money anyway, but I'm not interested in testing the theory. I just used another form of payment.
The bottom line matters. The article never said it didn't; it only said that they weren't interested in just the bottom line. It seems to me that Google has shown that they've learned that one sure-fire way to affect the bottom line is to make things work better. Privacy concerns aside, GMail is so much cleaner and crisper than Hotmail. It is better, so people use it. More users == more Profit! Again better == clean/crisp. I'm not suggesting Google is/was/will be a saint with our data's privacy.
If Google ends up sticking it to us all, we really can't say we didn't see any warning signs. However, I welcome this change from past trends. We now see a company influencing their bottom line by way of actual product enhancement. For this, I/(we?) thank you Google.
*me now hides under rock from Big Google of Christmas future*
> We should respect all of our laws, even if we think that they are wrong.
Martin Luther King, Jr.,Mahatma Gandhi,John Hancock, and many others are rolling over in their respective graves in response to your statement. If everyone believed this, government tyranny would be much greater than it already is.
MLK, referencing Thoreau, makes the point better than I can:
"I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. No other person has been more eloquent and passionate in getting this idea across than Henry David Thoreau. As a result of his writings and personal witness, we are the heirs of a legacy of creative protest." - Martin Luther King, Jr, (Autobiography, Chapter 2).
We should not respect all laws, but we should choose which laws to disrespect carefully. Two of the three names I mentioned went to jail and were murdered because of their beliefs and actions. Choose. Choose wisely.
We also aren't going to stop developing antibiotics because we fear bugs. When a news report says x million people die of a heart attack, we don't blink an eye. We expect people to die from heart attacks. If a news report comes out saying x million people die of MRSA, everyone would freak out. Tons of money would be poured into antibiotic R&D, and prices would go up quickly at the pharmacy.
Also, when an infection spreads, many people have to take antibiotics, even if it's only for a couple of weeks. Many antibiotic treatment courses run $50-$100. Multiply that by, let's say 7% of your co-workers, and that's a decent profit for each new round of the latest thing that's 'going around'.
Every time someone uses that stuff more of the active ingredient goes down the drain and into the environment.
Speaking of going down the drain... Did you know that the biotransformation (defn: alteration of the structure of a compound by a living organism or enzyme) of antibiotics by our bodies is incomplete? That means that every time someone uses the bathroom while on antibiotics, some of those antibiotics go where? Down the drain.
I really wonder what effect this is having on microbial resistance.
This isn't so much as a discount for people using the loyalty cards as it is an avoidance of the larger percent markup if you use the card. Say something at the store costs $5. They increase the markup so that it now sells for $7. If you use your card, you get it for the real price of $5. If you don't, then you pay $7. You aren't getting a $2 discount; you are avoiding paying a $2 surcharge by using your card. This allows the store to appear to be selling to you at a discount for sharing your personal data. This is a win-win situation for the supermarket. They either get marketing data to sell, or an extra percent in cash, all the while looking like they are offering you a good sale price.
Sorry to be picky, but E. Histolytica is not a bacteria. It's a little critter (protozoa / animal). But you're right - washing hands after using the bathroom is a good idea because of this bug and several others you mention. Person with bug uses bathroom, touches stuff, you touch what they touched, you don't wash hands, you eat something, you get what they have. Interestingly, it has been shown though that overzealous handwashing can actually contribute to the spread of bugs. Presumably, it is due to damage to your skin and giving bugs little crevices where they can hide.
You can't teach them enough to be fully competent. If you teach them a little, you just make them dangerous, able to screw up on a much more profound level.
Obligatory quote time.
A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not of the Pierian spring;
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.
- Alexander Pope
Any door you open, be sure to fully explain what is beyond. If you don't, the users will trash everything and thank you not.
That is the "Boy That Cried Wolf!" argument. But I take another view of that story: the third time, there really was a wolf, and the boy was killed and the sheep were eaten, hurting the townspeople.
Would the townspeople really suffer if this boy were eaten by a wolf? I'd be interested to see what new paradidm we could come up with for media distribution and profit. Taking that you are calling the RIAA/MPAA/etc the boy in this analogy, I think the boy might just deserve to be eaten by a wolf after having cried it so many times falsly before. Or maybe a grue...
Slashdot Mirror
It is the nature of both military and government in general (esp. military) to operate under a chain of command. When this link is broken, no one is used to thinking for him/herself. When we teach "yes sir, no sir", we do a disservice to the critical thinking and independent decision making that would have helped out here.
I have mod points, but I couldn't decide if this was a troll, funny, or just plain insightful
eBay is not allowing sellers to list Google Checkout as an acceptable payment method to be paid tothemselves (the sellers). From eBay's accepted payment policy, referenced in the article summary: "sellers may not request payment through online payment methods not specifically permitted in this policy".
Parent is missing the point. When a buyer pays for an auction, he does not pay eBay anything - he pays the seller. The seller accepts PayPal or money orders or whatever else, but is barred from accepting payments through Google, per eBay policy. eBay, as a company, can choose how they are paid. eBay, IMHO, should not dictate how sellers are paid. eBay accepts credit card payments, PayPal payments, bank transfers, and checks/money orders. These payments to eBay are for eBay fees (listing fees, etc.), not auction items! These are two seperate issues. I have no problem if eBay refuses payment TO EBAY via Google, but not allowing payment via Google to sellers is another story.
eBay and PayPal both charge fees, yes. And yes, sellers get hit with two fees, and yes, they both go into the pockets of eBay.
As for where most of the revenue comes from, eBay has a 'subscription' (free service to sellers) to their 'sales report'. The sales report breaks down paid fees, and will show them as a percentage of total sales. It seperates them into eBay fees as a percent of total sales, and PayPal fees as a percent of total sales.
For the last three months, my sales report shows that the eBay fees by percent are a little over double that of the PayPal fees.
PayPal is a large part of eBay's current revenue stream, and I can see why they don't want it cut into by Google. However, parent is wrong; eBay is where 2/3 of the money is coming from.
The region of the skull known as the pterion is a junction of the sphenoid, temporal, frontal, and parietal bones. This area is found around your temple. Along this region runs the middle menengial artery, which gives branches to the interior of the skull.
This area is succeptable to injury, as it is relativly thin. Haven't you ever seen baseball helmets that have a projection specifically to cover this region? Ever wonder why they are there? Damage to the pterion by a substantial blow is likely to cause tearing in these arteries, and subsequent hematoma and intracranial bleeding. This may lead to coma and death.
There is some anatomical variation in the structure of the pterion - maybe that is the case with you and your lack of intracranial bleeding after your numerous traumas. Or maybe you are just hard headed.
Mods:
Asking someone to refrain from an Ad Hominem argument is not flamebait.
-1 offtopic?
I'm convinced mods on on crack. *sigh*
Most people I know who went to broadband before the broadband hype did so because they didn't want to wait 30 minutes to download a song. Maybe I'm wrong though - maybe more people spend hours looking at pr0n and don't really care for music?
The ones that the dye wore out on were in cases and not kept in a car. They had several transparent spots on them and were unplayable. If you doubt CD rot to be a real phenomena, check out this article from cd freaks. The small image in the article looks like what became of several of my CDs, mainly those from 1985-1990.
Hopefully we can trust the newer dyes like Azo, but when the CDs of the 1980s came out, they said they'd last one hundred years.
Nondegrading what? I think you left out your noun. Assuming you refer to media, I'd like to show you my CDs from circa 1990. Of course, I can't because they've been thrown away. Basically, the dye wore off and they became unplayable. Then there's the scratching/scuffing...
What I would like, and it seems to be in line with what some others are saying, is a way to buy lossless DRM-free individual tracks and have the money go directly to the artists. Of course, I also want world peace. ((holds breath)).
Perhaps this is being a bit pedantic, but you misuse the term "counter offer".
Counter offer: an offer made in response to a previous offer by the other party during negotiations for a final contract. Making a counter offer automatically rejects the prior offer, and requires an acceptance under the terms of the counter offer or there is no contract.
eBay's "Buy it Now" is a sticker price. If the seller enables the "or Best Offer" feature, this allows offers. Example: I list an item with a Buy it Now price of $20. Buyer offers $10. This is an offer, not a counter offer. eBay doesn't have a system in place for the seller to make a counter offer. However, the seller can make a counter offer of $15 by contacting the buyer and setting up another Buy it Now offer for $15 with the listing restricting the bidder's list to the potential buyer in question.
Apparently, someone bought hundreds of dollars in stamps at the Post Office, and tried to get out of paying because his card was not signed? I can verify that this policy is in place. A few weeks ago, my CC was refused at the Post Office because it is not signed and says 'See ID' on the back. They mentioned something about the cardholder not being responsible for payment if the card is unsigned. They said the 'See ID' bit was fine, but it needed to be signed also. Somehow, I'd imagine the man will get his money anyway, but I'm not interested in testing the theory. I just used another form of payment.
If Google ends up sticking it to us all, we really can't say we didn't see any warning signs. However, I welcome this change from past trends. We now see a company influencing their bottom line by way of actual product enhancement. For this, I/(we?) thank you Google.
*me now hides under rock from Big Google of Christmas future*
[Correction to Wikipedia link, whoring for a +5 informative]
Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, John Hancock, and many others are rolling over in their respective graves in response to your statement. If everyone believed this, government tyranny would be much greater than it already is.
MLK, referencing Thoreau, makes the point better than I can:
We should not respect all laws, but we should choose which laws to disrespect carefully. Two of the three names I mentioned went to jail and were murdered because of their beliefs and actions. Choose. Choose wisely.Come on, lets have more options in this poll!
No, the Googleplex is in Mountain View. :P
The pre tag will work
Read the pre-vious posts now
Moonlight wanes pre-dawn.
Also, when an infection spreads, many people have to take antibiotics, even if it's only for a couple of weeks. Many antibiotic treatment courses run $50-$100. Multiply that by, let's say 7% of your co-workers, and that's a decent profit for each new round of the latest thing that's 'going around'.
Every time someone uses that stuff more of the active ingredient goes down the drain and into the environment.
Speaking of going down the drain...
Did you know that the biotransformation (defn: alteration of the structure of a compound by a living organism or enzyme) of antibiotics by our bodies is incomplete? That means that every time someone uses the bathroom while on antibiotics, some of those antibiotics go where? Down the drain.
I really wonder what effect this is having on microbial resistance.
This isn't so much as a discount for people using the loyalty cards as it is an avoidance of the larger percent markup if you use the card. Say something at the store costs $5. They increase the markup so that it now sells for $7. If you use your card, you get it for the real price of $5. If you don't, then you pay $7. You aren't getting a $2 discount; you are avoiding paying a $2 surcharge by using your card. This allows the store to appear to be selling to you at a discount for sharing your personal data. This is a win-win situation for the supermarket. They either get marketing data to sell, or an extra percent in cash, all the while looking like they are offering you a good sale price.
Sorry to be picky, but E. Histolytica is not a bacteria. It's a little critter (protozoa / animal). But you're right - washing hands after using the bathroom is a good idea because of this bug and several others you mention. Person with bug uses bathroom, touches stuff, you touch what they touched, you don't wash hands, you eat something, you get what they have. Interestingly, it has been shown though that overzealous handwashing can actually contribute to the spread of bugs. Presumably, it is due to damage to your skin and giving bugs little crevices where they can hide.
Obligatory quote time.
A little learning is a dangerous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not of the Pierian spring;
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.
- Alexander Pope
Any door you open, be sure to fully explain what is beyond. If you don't, the users will trash everything and thank you not.
and in Epiphany, Konqueror, and Opera. You have just drawn a 'share the wealth' card.
Would the townspeople really suffer if this boy were eaten by a wolf? I'd be interested to see what new paradidm we could come up with for media distribution and profit. Taking that you are calling the RIAA/MPAA/etc the boy in this analogy, I think the boy might just deserve to be eaten by a wolf after having cried it so many times falsly before. Or maybe a grue...