On a "desktop" computer with Windows 10 if I lose my internet connection I might as well just go home. 99.9% of my functionality is gone without internet because most of our work today is web based.
You know how you put things in a mailbox and items drop down but you can't reach in and get anything out? Yea, just a big one of those either free standing by your front door or built into the front door like many houses used to have for envelopes. The challenge is that we are getting some pretty big boxes being delivered so it will have to accommodate all sizes.
Moto G6 is a great phone and the best bang for your buck that I've seen. The $200 - $300 price range seems to be the sweet spot where you can get an awesome Android phone that is neither too cheap nor too expensive. You won't get all the high end features but you won't be frustrated with low performance either. There will always be people that want to spend more or less, but 95% of users would probably be perfectly happy.
I bought mine earlier this summer and find the size, storage, display, battery life, camera, and overall experience just right.
I'm keeping my current smartphone until it dies. I'm sure one day I'll drop it, someone might bump me and it will go crashing onto the pavement. But as long as it's working I have no need to replace it. Laptops, smartphones,...I'll just keep them until they physically break.
This is a bit different from cars however. My car I can keep fixing. Ten, fifteen, twenty years,...I don't know how long I'll keep it. But as long as the annual repair bills are less than what a years worth of car payments will be, then why bother to replace it.
The problem with laptops and smartphones is that they are cheap and basically disposable and either not worth it to repair or can't be repaired. Sure, you can always fix little things depending upon what it is. If I can do it myself I will. I'll replace a non-replaceable battery because I can. But for the price of the device it may not be worth it. Good enough devices today are a few hundred dollars. I've never been one to buy the top of the line most expensive ones anyway. So if I drop my phone then it's $300 to replace, not $1,000. And I'll probably get 5 years out it before I break it again.
Yes, Universal Basic Employment. People need a purpose. Let's ensure that we provide the funding so that everyone who wants a job can have a job. This reduces the fear from those against any of this that lazy people will just sit back and take their welfare money. Instead, you have to work for it, and the government funds it. We can find work for people if we really want to. Depending upon skills and education, it could be anything from being a teachers aide to offset the size of large classrooms, to picking up trash and making our cities look better, to desk jobs and helping push papers. A job for everyone. If they are happy with the basic income from this basic job, then that's it. They put in their hours that week and sit back and enjoy the rest of their time with minimal effort. But if they want a bigger house or a nicer car, then they can put in the effort for a better job and more hours. But one way or another, everyone should have their basic needs met: food, shelter, health.
"With a phone, it takes a certain stance to record anything useful and hence it is easy to see."
I disagree. I keep my cell phone in my shirt pocket. It's taller than the pocket and the camera lens sits just above the top in clear view. I could start recording, put it back in my pocket, and walk around and record video like nothing was happening. I really see no difference between Google Glass and a cell phone. Well, maybe about two seconds of time saved.
I just got a Google Glass this past week, so still learning. My goal is to explore educational possibilities, what teachers and students may be able to do with them in the future, and how to prepare teachers for some of the issues they might have to deal with. I think it's great, and has a lot of potential. However, I agree that it's really for explorers/developers at this time. There's always a trade off for those want to be on the bleeding edge. There is little Glassware, battery life is not so hot, and a lot of functionality is not there (such as no camera controls whatsoever, not even a zoom feature).
Still, there's a lot to be said for what they can do. With Google Glass I can do quite a lot hands free which makes it really convenient while I'm driving, walking, or cooking something in the kitchen. You can phone, text, video conference, Google simple questions, and take pictures and video. Yes, you can do that via your smartphone and other devices, but not as easily in all circumstances. I especially think having that first person perspective for video conferencing and video recording is really neat if you need your hands free to manipulate objects and show it to others. Not everything can be done with screen capture when what you want to share is not on the computer screen. This will be great to create how to videos without having to worry about where the camera is or if it's still in the picture. It's also so easy that we'll see even more day to day use.
So if you are used to having a Bluetooth ear piece to make hands free phone calls, then this is the natural extension with more capability. If you already record video and take pictures, then this makes it easier, and especially nice always having the camera ready to go. It's neat being able to instantly upload to Youtube and other sites.
That's just the basics. It's a little bulky, but not too bad. Battery life lasts the day if used sporadically, not as much if used constantly. But when some killer Glassware starts being developed is when it will really pay off. There are very, very few right now.
The education market loves Chromebooks, and I think they will then take off with the general public and many industries before long. So look at why schools love them:
- Almost instant boot and wake from sleep. Teachers don't have a lot of time. They hate having to wait and wait while students say a Windows machine is still booting.
- Long battery life. You need to be able to get through the day (that may include time when the machine is asleep in between classes and activities).
- Cloud storage. Kids break things, and they lose things. The ability to swap one out for another and the student is up and running in 10 seconds and no files have been lost is amazing.
- Easy to manage. The management console means a school can deploy and oversee without hiring more staff. Literally, 10 times easier than managing iPads or Windows machines.
- Keyboard. I really would not want to give students tablets without a keyboard, so why not just get them a laptop anyway.
- Inexpensive. Yes, half the price of an iPad. With school budgets Chromebooks are the cheapest solution by far, not just hardware/software but then factor in the management too.
- Safe. No worries about viruses or downloading and wrecking the device. Once again, saves money and saves time securing them.
So while some of these features may be found with other solutions, and some of the features may show up in future solutions, right now Chromebooks just can't be beat. Sure, if you have a specific Windows/Mac program you absolutely have to have for a high level course then you need something else. But for typing, browsing, communicating, collaborating, watching, listening, emailing and chatting, and every day use, Chromebooks will handle school needs inexpensively and easily. I'm on a Chromebook right now while my Windows HP laptops collects dust in my office. My iPad is collecting dust. Though I do like my Nexus 7 for browsing Slashdot if I'm just reading.
I'm not a financial officer so I may not see it all, but from my perspective I see how our budget lines have been held flat or reduced over the past decade. I see that we track every single penny, I see how we scrimp on everything. There are no luxuries, there are no bonuses like in industry, there are no leftover funds, there is no profit going to anyone. So I wanted a desk to stand at while I work and built that at home with my own money and brought it to my office because we can't justify replacing my old desk for a new one. We have potluck lunches from time-to-time instead of having the dept buy food. Yes, it could be worse, but we are definitely not living in luxury.
While there are certainly places where savings could be made on college campuses to offset tuition increases we're talking about some pretty small numbers. Most public universities run a pretty lean ship and budgets are tight. What is the main reason college costs have gone up? Reduced funding from states. When I got hired at my midwest midsize public university just over a decade ago 2/3 of our funding came from the state and 1/3 from tuition. It has now flipped, with 1/3 coming from the state and 2/3 coming from students. Overall tuition has barely budged, but the amount paid is coming out of student pockets instead of from state taxes.
And faculty and staff are not getting rich off of this. We have had little to no raises over the past decade. In fact, factor in inflation and we are paid less.
And those beautiful campuses and new buildings and recreational centers? Often, like ours, these are student fee funded. Students voted to approve the bonds to build these facilities by approving a small student fee similar to a low cost gym membership. Not a penny of tuition goes towards any of this.
Full time faculty positions have held steady or dropped, with more and more cheaper paid adjuncts taking up additional classes to compensate for increased enrollments. Department budgets have not increased a penny in the past decade. Everyone is holding to flat or reduced spending. Academia is not making it big off of students. It's all down to how you want to pay for higher education, through taxes or your own pocket book. Public universities are slowly being privatized because of reduced funding from the states. The republican mantra of lower and lower taxes only means that you will pay more and more for what were once public services.
iPhone? iPad? Are people still buying those? They really need to catch up to 2013. I actually did get an iPad but it just collects dust. It's pretty clunky compared to my Androids.
Sure this could all be solved. At some point we wouldn't have to worry about noise, navigation, landing, flight time, etc. But the big problem is why I don't ride a bike to work: weather. It may be fun on a nice day, but rain, sleet, freezing ice and snow, would force me back into a car. I don't want to show up to work dripping wet or frozen like a Popsicle.
George Lucas has already made millions. Let someone else have a shot at it. There are already comics, books, games, etc. So let some other directors come in and make Star Wars movies. Think of the potential: someone could do a rough R-rated trilogy, someone else could make an alternate universe, some could be even greater action while others focus on characters, etc. The point is, there are a lot of ideas out there. And if Lucas wants more money, then he could ask for a couple percent of the sales for handing over the rights. Let's get those fresh ideas.
Slashdot Mirror
On a "desktop" computer with Windows 10 if I lose my internet connection I might as well just go home. 99.9% of my functionality is gone without internet because most of our work today is web based.
You know how you put things in a mailbox and items drop down but you can't reach in and get anything out? Yea, just a big one of those either free standing by your front door or built into the front door like many houses used to have for envelopes. The challenge is that we are getting some pretty big boxes being delivered so it will have to accommodate all sizes.
What is this thing called manual of which you speak?
Moto G6 is a great phone and the best bang for your buck that I've seen. The $200 - $300 price range seems to be the sweet spot where you can get an awesome Android phone that is neither too cheap nor too expensive. You won't get all the high end features but you won't be frustrated with low performance either. There will always be people that want to spend more or less, but 95% of users would probably be perfectly happy. I bought mine earlier this summer and find the size, storage, display, battery life, camera, and overall experience just right.
I'm keeping my current smartphone until it dies. I'm sure one day I'll drop it, someone might bump me and it will go crashing onto the pavement. But as long as it's working I have no need to replace it. Laptops, smartphones,...I'll just keep them until they physically break.
This is a bit different from cars however. My car I can keep fixing. Ten, fifteen, twenty years,...I don't know how long I'll keep it. But as long as the annual repair bills are less than what a years worth of car payments will be, then why bother to replace it.
The problem with laptops and smartphones is that they are cheap and basically disposable and either not worth it to repair or can't be repaired. Sure, you can always fix little things depending upon what it is. If I can do it myself I will. I'll replace a non-replaceable battery because I can. But for the price of the device it may not be worth it. Good enough devices today are a few hundred dollars. I've never been one to buy the top of the line most expensive ones anyway. So if I drop my phone then it's $300 to replace, not $1,000. And I'll probably get 5 years out it before I break it again.
Yes, Universal Basic Employment. People need a purpose. Let's ensure that we provide the funding so that everyone who wants a job can have a job. This reduces the fear from those against any of this that lazy people will just sit back and take their welfare money. Instead, you have to work for it, and the government funds it. We can find work for people if we really want to. Depending upon skills and education, it could be anything from being a teachers aide to offset the size of large classrooms, to picking up trash and making our cities look better, to desk jobs and helping push papers. A job for everyone. If they are happy with the basic income from this basic job, then that's it. They put in their hours that week and sit back and enjoy the rest of their time with minimal effort. But if they want a bigger house or a nicer car, then they can put in the effort for a better job and more hours. But one way or another, everyone should have their basic needs met: food, shelter, health.
The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long - and you have burned so very, very brightly.
"With a phone, it takes a certain stance to record anything useful and hence it is easy to see." I disagree. I keep my cell phone in my shirt pocket. It's taller than the pocket and the camera lens sits just above the top in clear view. I could start recording, put it back in my pocket, and walk around and record video like nothing was happening. I really see no difference between Google Glass and a cell phone. Well, maybe about two seconds of time saved.
I just got a Google Glass this past week, so still learning. My goal is to explore educational possibilities, what teachers and students may be able to do with them in the future, and how to prepare teachers for some of the issues they might have to deal with. I think it's great, and has a lot of potential. However, I agree that it's really for explorers/developers at this time. There's always a trade off for those want to be on the bleeding edge. There is little Glassware, battery life is not so hot, and a lot of functionality is not there (such as no camera controls whatsoever, not even a zoom feature). Still, there's a lot to be said for what they can do. With Google Glass I can do quite a lot hands free which makes it really convenient while I'm driving, walking, or cooking something in the kitchen. You can phone, text, video conference, Google simple questions, and take pictures and video. Yes, you can do that via your smartphone and other devices, but not as easily in all circumstances. I especially think having that first person perspective for video conferencing and video recording is really neat if you need your hands free to manipulate objects and show it to others. Not everything can be done with screen capture when what you want to share is not on the computer screen. This will be great to create how to videos without having to worry about where the camera is or if it's still in the picture. It's also so easy that we'll see even more day to day use. So if you are used to having a Bluetooth ear piece to make hands free phone calls, then this is the natural extension with more capability. If you already record video and take pictures, then this makes it easier, and especially nice always having the camera ready to go. It's neat being able to instantly upload to Youtube and other sites. That's just the basics. It's a little bulky, but not too bad. Battery life lasts the day if used sporadically, not as much if used constantly. But when some killer Glassware starts being developed is when it will really pay off. There are very, very few right now.
I think I'll wait until Google makes a self brushing toothbrush. Then I can sleep or browse the web while the toothbrush does it's work.
The education market loves Chromebooks, and I think they will then take off with the general public and many industries before long. So look at why schools love them: - Almost instant boot and wake from sleep. Teachers don't have a lot of time. They hate having to wait and wait while students say a Windows machine is still booting. - Long battery life. You need to be able to get through the day (that may include time when the machine is asleep in between classes and activities). - Cloud storage. Kids break things, and they lose things. The ability to swap one out for another and the student is up and running in 10 seconds and no files have been lost is amazing. - Easy to manage. The management console means a school can deploy and oversee without hiring more staff. Literally, 10 times easier than managing iPads or Windows machines. - Keyboard. I really would not want to give students tablets without a keyboard, so why not just get them a laptop anyway. - Inexpensive. Yes, half the price of an iPad. With school budgets Chromebooks are the cheapest solution by far, not just hardware/software but then factor in the management too. - Safe. No worries about viruses or downloading and wrecking the device. Once again, saves money and saves time securing them. So while some of these features may be found with other solutions, and some of the features may show up in future solutions, right now Chromebooks just can't be beat. Sure, if you have a specific Windows/Mac program you absolutely have to have for a high level course then you need something else. But for typing, browsing, communicating, collaborating, watching, listening, emailing and chatting, and every day use, Chromebooks will handle school needs inexpensively and easily. I'm on a Chromebook right now while my Windows HP laptops collects dust in my office. My iPad is collecting dust. Though I do like my Nexus 7 for browsing Slashdot if I'm just reading.
I'm not a financial officer so I may not see it all, but from my perspective I see how our budget lines have been held flat or reduced over the past decade. I see that we track every single penny, I see how we scrimp on everything. There are no luxuries, there are no bonuses like in industry, there are no leftover funds, there is no profit going to anyone. So I wanted a desk to stand at while I work and built that at home with my own money and brought it to my office because we can't justify replacing my old desk for a new one. We have potluck lunches from time-to-time instead of having the dept buy food. Yes, it could be worse, but we are definitely not living in luxury.
While there are certainly places where savings could be made on college campuses to offset tuition increases we're talking about some pretty small numbers. Most public universities run a pretty lean ship and budgets are tight. What is the main reason college costs have gone up? Reduced funding from states. When I got hired at my midwest midsize public university just over a decade ago 2/3 of our funding came from the state and 1/3 from tuition. It has now flipped, with 1/3 coming from the state and 2/3 coming from students. Overall tuition has barely budged, but the amount paid is coming out of student pockets instead of from state taxes. And faculty and staff are not getting rich off of this. We have had little to no raises over the past decade. In fact, factor in inflation and we are paid less. And those beautiful campuses and new buildings and recreational centers? Often, like ours, these are student fee funded. Students voted to approve the bonds to build these facilities by approving a small student fee similar to a low cost gym membership. Not a penny of tuition goes towards any of this. Full time faculty positions have held steady or dropped, with more and more cheaper paid adjuncts taking up additional classes to compensate for increased enrollments. Department budgets have not increased a penny in the past decade. Everyone is holding to flat or reduced spending. Academia is not making it big off of students. It's all down to how you want to pay for higher education, through taxes or your own pocket book. Public universities are slowly being privatized because of reduced funding from the states. The republican mantra of lower and lower taxes only means that you will pay more and more for what were once public services.
Yea, the UI on all the Apple products suck. So cumbersome compared to Android. Maybe their next version will try and be more android like.
iPhone? iPad? Are people still buying those? They really need to catch up to 2013. I actually did get an iPad but it just collects dust. It's pretty clunky compared to my Androids.
Thats what I'm trying to tell you, kid. It ain't there. It's been totally blown away.
I will create an ice age by dumping lime into the oceans unless you pay me... ONE MILLION DOLLARS Ha, ha, ha
Sure this could all be solved. At some point we wouldn't have to worry about noise, navigation, landing, flight time, etc. But the big problem is why I don't ride a bike to work: weather. It may be fun on a nice day, but rain, sleet, freezing ice and snow, would force me back into a car. I don't want to show up to work dripping wet or frozen like a Popsicle.
I for one welcome our flexible robot overlords.
I for one welcome our hybrid human assistant overlords.
George Lucas has already made millions. Let someone else have a shot at it. There are already comics, books, games, etc. So let some other directors come in and make Star Wars movies. Think of the potential: someone could do a rough R-rated trilogy, someone else could make an alternate universe, some could be even greater action while others focus on characters, etc. The point is, there are a lot of ideas out there. And if Lucas wants more money, then he could ask for a couple percent of the sales for handing over the rights. Let's get those fresh ideas.