Definitely No Script, IE View, Forecast Fox, Tabbed Browser Preferences, and best of all Open Download. I download and test a lot of different programs, and I personally just open the programs rather than saving the executable to my harddrive. Saves me juat a few seconds, I know, but in the long run well worth it. And No Script is absolutely awesome, cause it stops scripts dead in their tracks.
If you are in IT and have people yelling at you, you need to deal with the situation. Walk away, hang up, etc. Even if it's your boss. You don't have to put up with abusive behavior. If it's your boss, you may have some legal options as well. Again, yelling at an employee or co-worker is not acceptable in the business world - ever.
We recently had a "communications" seminar at work and I asked the question, what do we do if someone is being vulgar and abusive to you while on a call (saying this knowing full well that my boss was sitting 3 chairs down from me). The speaker (who himself was a highly regarded, but outside consultant) informed us that we should never, ever have to take any kind of abuse from anyone and that we should give the person a corteous warning ("Can you please refrain from using that language or taking that tone with me...") and if they continued, we should just ghang up on them. My boss was pretty upset with this and couldn't get over the fact that someone would defiantly tell employees to hang up on the customer if they were being abusive.
That being said, I think we need to educate management to understand that customers can be pretty abusive and that no person should have to tolerate that abuse. What a lot of managers don't see is that phone support personnel take abuse on a daily basis from both customers and management and that's why turnovers in low-level support is so high. Maybe if those managers sat on the phones for a day, they'd see what we deal with and work with us rather than fight us on this issue.
To most managers, they only see what on paper in reports and logs, so until the day they do take the calls themselves, IT Support will continue to be the way it is.
I've thrown CDs around, but that's just for the Cubicle Full Contact Football. It's truly the only way to relieve stress after being on a 40 minute call trying to explain where the backslash key is.
I think it's naivety and that causes people to not want to go to Linux.
Take this for example: Our company recently told our group of our employees that in order for them to get paid, they had to complete their timesheets online. They didn't specify what kind of computer or even the fact that the page is only viewable in IE 6.0 on Windows (...which IMO is one of the worst moves they ever made, and speaking of which I don't even know how they managed to make it so proprietary to just one browser on one OS), they just said you need to access this through the internet.
Well, there were many employees who ended up buying new computers, because they had no other way to access the internet (apparently the public libraries in their area haven't caught up to the information age). Out of the employees that bought computers, over half of them bought Macs and the rest bought PCs (not one that I know of bought Linux). Most of them said, they saw that there was a great deal on their Mac (or PC) and decided to buy it. They didn't bother asking will this run what I need it to run?
So with that said, most people will buy any machine they think will work as long as it "looks" ok and is cheap and comes preloaded with an OS. Others will just ask the local retailer for suggestions. And guess what... that local retailer is usually a Best Buy or Circuit City or Gateway Country or Apple Store. There are no major retail Linux Stores. And even if Linux was preinstalled on a PC and sold at Best Buy, it's more than probable that the salesperson won't know enough about it to try and sell it.
As a matter of fact, I don't think that price comes into play when buying a computer preloaded with an OS. The reason I say that, is because most people think that the Operating System IS the computer. They don't realize that the OS is a separate piece of software that must be installed on whatever computer they get. And to top it off those that do know that it is a piece of software don't know that they have to pay for the software. They think that it is just another thing that is bundled for "free" with their system. Taking that into consideration, telling a user that they can install Linux for free won't make much of a dent in their bias.
Lavender Hat = A hacker afraid to come out of the closet.
Rainbow Hat = He's a hacker and he's proud! 2 Snaps and an @ symbol!
Yellow Hat = A White Hat hacker who's just been pissed on.
Green Hat = A novice who is just learning how to hack. (also known as a n00b, FNG, Script-Kiddie).
I don't see why everyone is having a hissyfit about not wanting to buy the video iPod. It's essentially an iPod with video added on for no extra cost.
What's that you say?
Did I stutter??? It's an iPod with Free Video Capabilities.
If you don't like the video aspect of it and just want an iPod that plays music, guess what? It still plays music! Just don't download any videos to it and you'll be fine.
People are missing the point that the new generation iPod is an improvement altogether: Thinner case and improved battery life.
Re:Technology Changes, and so do preferences..
on
Video iPod Screen Test
·
· Score: 2, Insightful
I understand exactly, but as with most technology, miniaturization comes after the fact. As a matter of fact most technological devices follow the reasoning of function over form within it's first stages of release [Miniaturization follows along the lines of form (although there are many functional benefits to having smaller devices) and integration follows the path of functionality.] But that being said, we also live in an age were aesthetics are everything. Take the iPod for example. It is very aesthetically appealing (and was very well packaged and marketed) and therefore appeals to the mass market. Many other companies are now thinking along the same lines and before they release a fully functional item, nowadays, they make sure that it has similar appeal.
So ultimately, my answer to you is, we should definitely focus on device integration and ultimately the function of the device as a whole and then focus on miniaturization. The first generation of these devices will be under the greatest of scrutiny. If it does not perform as well as the sums of its whole, then the device will flounder whether or not it is small.
Re:Technology Changes, and so do preferences..
on
Video iPod Screen Test
·
· Score: 1, Insightful
There's always the option to connect the AV jacks to a tv or monitor so that you would be able to see a movie/show/whatever on a larger screen.
Regardless of that, the big thing here is definitely portability. It's just one step closer to having the all-in-one Personal Digital Experience. Ultimately, we will have a device that not only allows us to play audio and video, and has a built in calendar (ala PDA), it will also be a full featured schedule planner, phone, and camera. I'm sure there's a ton of other features I'm missing here, but the point is that devices like the video iPod and the Sidekick mobile are one step closer to a fully integrated device that will remove the neccesity for us to carry around 4 or 5 separate devices.
Man, this is starting to sound like a movie from 1995, but there's no Anglie Jolie in site. Crap.
Nah, if this were true, when he finally was able to use a computer in 2 years, he'd adopt the identity to Crash Override and help uncover a nefarious plot thought up by a white man who was once an Indian robotics technician. And to top it off he'd do it on his brand new 486 laptop with 9600 baud modem and people would think he was black when they found out who he really is!
I like to think of it as how movies and video games taught me.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and Civilization taught me that the first into space will be the only civilization that lives and even then we will inevitably fight amongst ourselves for supremacy of land and space. And regardless of what country we come from, there will be an intellectual divide that separates each faction of thought, whether it be a hive mind, militaristic, eco-friendly, or religion based mindset.
The Terminator Movie Series taught me that mankind is destined to destroy itself.
And Highlander taught me that there can be only one.
So ultimately, no matter where we go, we will want to be the first to claim our stake, and if there is a dispute, we will battle it out until all others are ultimately destroyed for that is our destiny until there is only one left.
On the plus side, one tech support line, ( I think it was 3com) had a voice at the start of the hold cue that said, Press 1 for classical music, Press 2 for Jazz, Press 3 for classic rock.... That was pretty nice
Yes, actually that was a 3com thing, I worked with US Robotics and when they split off in 97-98(?) we kept the music going... we even had the option of changing what songs were played as long as it was along the lines of Classical, Jazz, Adult Contemporary, or Classic Rock. We found ourselves in hold limbo all the time with the RMA dept as they fuddled around with their computers trying to get all of the information. Let me tell you there's nothing better than some smooth Miles Davis to cool you down after listening to some screaming your ears off because their 56kbps modem just died.
For our company actually this is a major improvement to the Tablets we use now. As is, we are converting to almost all IBM machines (Desktops, laptops, tablets), and as far as the Tablets go, our sales force goes out to the stores with the Tablets and uses them to jot down notes and enter orders directly into the system.
The problem with the tablets now is that the keyboard supplied with the Tablet is a joke, it's a flimsy shell that covers the screen when not in use and trying to type on it is almost if not impossible. The keys are much smaller than on a regular laptop and the sides of the keyboard curve upward to form the shell casing. With the IBM tablet, you have a regular laptop keyboard that is much easier to type on and accessible without having to connect via usb/firewire cables.
We get a lot of complaints that the keyboard is garbage and that they would rather have their old laptops back. Well, I think this is the best of both worlds now.
Slashdot Mirror
Yeah, that's exactly what we need, an angry mute flicking us off and having a computer translate.
Fat guys don't wear kilts. That's a mini muumuu.
Definitely No Script, IE View, Forecast Fox, Tabbed Browser Preferences, and best of all Open Download. I download and test a lot of different programs, and I personally just open the programs rather than saving the executable to my harddrive. Saves me juat a few seconds, I know, but in the long run well worth it. And No Script is absolutely awesome, cause it stops scripts dead in their tracks.
That being said, I think we need to educate management to understand that customers can be pretty abusive and that no person should have to tolerate that abuse. What a lot of managers don't see is that phone support personnel take abuse on a daily basis from both customers and management and that's why turnovers in low-level support is so high. Maybe if those managers sat on the phones for a day, they'd see what we deal with and work with us rather than fight us on this issue.
To most managers, they only see what on paper in reports and logs, so until the day they do take the calls themselves, IT Support will continue to be the way it is.
I've thrown CDs around, but that's just for the Cubicle Full Contact Football. It's truly the only way to relieve stress after being on a 40 minute call trying to explain where the backslash key is.
Take this for example: Our company recently told our group of our employees that in order for them to get paid, they had to complete their timesheets online. They didn't specify what kind of computer or even the fact that the page is only viewable in IE 6.0 on Windows (...which IMO is one of the worst moves they ever made, and speaking of which I don't even know how they managed to make it so proprietary to just one browser on one OS), they just said you need to access this through the internet.
Well, there were many employees who ended up buying new computers, because they had no other way to access the internet (apparently the public libraries in their area haven't caught up to the information age). Out of the employees that bought computers, over half of them bought Macs and the rest bought PCs (not one that I know of bought Linux). Most of them said, they saw that there was a great deal on their Mac (or PC) and decided to buy it. They didn't bother asking will this run what I need it to run?
So with that said, most people will buy any machine they think will work as long as it "looks" ok and is cheap and comes preloaded with an OS. Others will just ask the local retailer for suggestions. And guess what... that local retailer is usually a Best Buy or Circuit City or Gateway Country or Apple Store. There are no major retail Linux Stores. And even if Linux was preinstalled on a PC and sold at Best Buy, it's more than probable that the salesperson won't know enough about it to try and sell it.
As a matter of fact, I don't think that price comes into play when buying a computer preloaded with an OS. The reason I say that, is because most people think that the Operating System IS the computer. They don't realize that the OS is a separate piece of software that must be installed on whatever computer they get. And to top it off those that do know that it is a piece of software don't know that they have to pay for the software. They think that it is just another thing that is bundled for "free" with their system. Taking that into consideration, telling a user that they can install Linux for free won't make much of a dent in their bias.
Lavender Hat = A hacker afraid to come out of the closet.
Rainbow Hat = He's a hacker and he's proud! 2 Snaps and an @ symbol!
Yellow Hat = A White Hat hacker who's just been pissed on.
Green Hat = A novice who is just learning how to hack. (also known as a n00b, FNG, Script-Kiddie).
What's that you say?
Did I stutter??? It's an iPod with Free Video Capabilities.
If you don't like the video aspect of it and just want an iPod that plays music, guess what? It still plays music! Just don't download any videos to it and you'll be fine.
People are missing the point that the new generation iPod is an improvement altogether: Thinner case and improved battery life.
I understand exactly, but as with most technology, miniaturization comes after the fact. As a matter of fact most technological devices follow the reasoning of function over form within it's first stages of release [Miniaturization follows along the lines of form (although there are many functional benefits to having smaller devices) and integration follows the path of functionality.] But that being said, we also live in an age were aesthetics are everything. Take the iPod for example. It is very aesthetically appealing (and was very well packaged and marketed) and therefore appeals to the mass market. Many other companies are now thinking along the same lines and before they release a fully functional item, nowadays, they make sure that it has similar appeal.
So ultimately, my answer to you is, we should definitely focus on device integration and ultimately the function of the device as a whole and then focus on miniaturization. The first generation of these devices will be under the greatest of scrutiny. If it does not perform as well as the sums of its whole, then the device will flounder whether or not it is small.
There's always the option to connect the AV jacks to a tv or monitor so that you would be able to see a movie/show/whatever on a larger screen. Regardless of that, the big thing here is definitely portability. It's just one step closer to having the all-in-one Personal Digital Experience. Ultimately, we will have a device that not only allows us to play audio and video, and has a built in calendar (ala PDA), it will also be a full featured schedule planner, phone, and camera. I'm sure there's a ton of other features I'm missing here, but the point is that devices like the video iPod and the Sidekick mobile are one step closer to a fully integrated device that will remove the neccesity for us to carry around 4 or 5 separate devices.
Nah, if this were true, when he finally was able to use a computer in 2 years, he'd adopt the identity to Crash Override and help uncover a nefarious plot thought up by a white man who was once an Indian robotics technician. And to top it off he'd do it on his brand new 486 laptop with 9600 baud modem and people would think he was black when they found out who he really is!
Yeah, we can put it right next to the Dairy Queen.
I like to think of it as how movies and video games taught me.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and Civilization taught me that the first into space will be the only civilization that lives and even then we will inevitably fight amongst ourselves for supremacy of land and space. And regardless of what country we come from, there will be an intellectual divide that separates each faction of thought, whether it be a hive mind, militaristic, eco-friendly, or religion based mindset.
The Terminator Movie Series taught me that mankind is destined to destroy itself.
And Highlander taught me that there can be only one.
So ultimately, no matter where we go, we will want to be the first to claim our stake, and if there is a dispute, we will battle it out until all others are ultimately destroyed for that is our destiny until there is only one left.
Yes, actually that was a 3com thing, I worked with US Robotics and when they split off in 97-98(?) we kept the music going... we even had the option of changing what songs were played as long as it was along the lines of Classical, Jazz, Adult Contemporary, or Classic Rock. We found ourselves in hold limbo all the time with the RMA dept as they fuddled around with their computers trying to get all of the information. Let me tell you there's nothing better than some smooth Miles Davis to cool you down after listening to some screaming your ears off because their 56kbps modem just died.
For our company actually this is a major improvement to the Tablets we use now. As is, we are converting to almost all IBM machines (Desktops, laptops, tablets), and as far as the Tablets go, our sales force goes out to the stores with the Tablets and uses them to jot down notes and enter orders directly into the system.
The problem with the tablets now is that the keyboard supplied with the Tablet is a joke, it's a flimsy shell that covers the screen when not in use and trying to type on it is almost if not impossible. The keys are much smaller than on a regular laptop and the sides of the keyboard curve upward to form the shell casing. With the IBM tablet, you have a regular laptop keyboard that is much easier to type on and accessible without having to connect via usb/firewire cables.
We get a lot of complaints that the keyboard is garbage and that they would rather have their old laptops back. Well, I think this is the best of both worlds now.