Has the entire industry gone insane? Maybe it's a generational thing, but with today's one-hit wonders, there's very little in the current marketplace that I'm interested in buying. The ONLY advertisement the industry can count on is radio air-play. If broadcasters are charged, then we'll be forced to listen to more adverts, which in turn will prompt me to discontinue radio as an entertainment medium.
Until I canceled my service with them. I was hassled by their offshored customer retention staff, offered months of free service, pleas for me to leave my account on inactive status, anything except cancel. And when I insisted, I then found out about the $39 disconnect fee -- what a crock.
Hmm, I tend to agree that we have to be competitive in the global marketplace. However, we do have a certain amount of socialism (that we as a society have deemed important) that gets neglected when jobs are outsourced. If the standard of living falls, then the tax dollars that support the socialist institutions dry up and then everyone loses.
The problem with Capitalism (as I see it), is that it seeks the most efficient level of production to maximize profit. However, human beings and societies (that have certain standards of living) are not efficient. You can only maximize one at the expense of the other.
It is my preference (rightly or wrongly) to maintain my standard of living -- even if it's at the expense of an Indian or Chinaman.
How do I attempt to achieve my goal? I work hard, pay taxes, and I vote.
Right...but besides providing services like roads, state police, labor and environmental protection to the purchaser, courts, etc., what have the Romans ever done for us?
I've never had a problem with electronic voting, given that there are sufficient safeguards. I think a paper receipt (much like a receipt from a pump at a gas station) should be given after every vote is cast. It would not contain any personally identifiable information. It would contain the voting precinct, date/time, a serial number, as well as the votes cast. Then, using the precinct information, along with the serial number, one could review his/her vote online at a reasonable period after the polls close.
Some would say that even this much information would be too much and could possibly be personally identifiable. I wonder which is worse, positively matching a person with a vote, or not being certain if your vote was counted correctly (if at all)?
Don't kid yourself...this is NOT a case of Windows securing itself -- this is revenue protectionism at its best. Microsoft is actively trying to make third-party security vendors a thing of the past.
In all of this, Microsoft forgets the most important thing -- It's my freakin computer! If Microsoft hinders me from getting done what I (remember me? I'm the consumer) want, then I have to reconsider my OS decision -- which I did -- about 5 years ago -- and never looked back.
Who in their right mind would go out and spend big bucks on a crappy hi-tech hi-def dvd player, when most titles aren't available to rent, and the ones for purchase are $30 a pop? Yeah right! And monkeys are flying out of my butt!
Progressive scan dvd players are dirt cheap, rentals are plentiful and cheap, and movies for purchase are nearly as cheap.
Ditto...had to disable Adblock -- and it wasn't worth it.
Here's the list:
Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft Jeffrey Citron, Chairman and chief strategist, Vonage Reed Hastings, CEO, Netflix Ken Kutaragi, President, Sony Computer Entertainment Warren Lieberfarb, Senior Consultant, HD-DVD Promotion Group Rob Malda, Slashdot.org Arun Sarin, CEO, Vodafone Jonathan Schwartz, CEO, Sun Microsystems Linus Torvalds, Creator, Linux Mark Zuckerberg, Founder, Facebook
If the user (any user) is tired of the status quo, there are alternatives available. There's OS-X, BSD and Linux. Switching from Windows to any of these will not be without some pain -- that's clearly by design.
If one isn't prepared to work around some of these issues, then it might not make sense to change. Staying with Windows is an acceptable course of action.
In fact, I'd rather Windows users stay where they are, rather than switch to Linux and complain. It's kind of like the New Englanders coming to Florida and complaining about how "that's not the way we do it up North!"
Meetings can also be used to "buy" additional time, or to push off a project of which you don't want any part. Simply recommend that for X initiative, that it be reviewed and signed off by the legal and/or compliance depts. That pretty much guarantees that all momentum will be halted for at least six months.
Seven years of hard luck comin' down on me from a motor boat, yes, up in Nashville, Tennessee. I worked in every joint you can name, yes, every honky tonk. They all come to see yankee slicker saying, baby, you're what I want.
Want you to sign the contract,
want you to sign the date.
Gonna give you lots of money
workin' for MCA.
Oh, nine thousand dollars just to sow to the wind. Come to smile at the yankee slicker with a big old southern grin. They're gonna take me out to California, gonna make me a super star. Just pay me all my money, mister, maybe you won't get a star.
Want you to sign the contract,
want you to sign the date.
Gonna give you lots of money
workin' for MCA.
Slickers steal my money since I was seventeen, if it ain't no pencil pusher then it got to be a honky tonk queen. But I signed my contract, baby, and I want you people to know that every penny I make, I gotta see where my money goes.
Want you to sign the contract,
want you to sign the date.
Gonna give you lots of money
workin' for MCA.
Isn't Cray hardware and software completely proprietary? If so, no wonder MS is interested in teaming up with Burton Smith. However, as this article suggests, Linux is way ahead of the curve in this arena.
Linux may not ever truly catch on in the desktop environment, but in high-end computing, it's a proven winner.
...and it supports all the hardware you can throw at it.
Yeah, it sure does, if you carry around 30 driver cds with your windows installation cd (which you still are required to use frequently).
Not only did my GNU/Linux installation correctly detect all my hardware, I didn't have to use any CDs other than the one used to initially start the installation process. Windows is WAAAAAY behind the curve on this one.
Funny you should mention "throwing" and "hardware" in the same sentence...that's what I generally wanted to do with my computer pre-Linux!
Slashdot Mirror
The "old" test was much more enjoyable -- especially since my doctor is female!
I don't want to have to figure out disk geometry to install an OS...have they made it as easy as Ubuntu?
I'd gladly give it a go.
Has the entire industry gone insane? Maybe it's a generational thing, but with today's one-hit wonders, there's very little in the current marketplace that I'm interested in buying. The ONLY advertisement the industry can count on is radio air-play. If broadcasters are charged, then we'll be forced to listen to more adverts, which in turn will prompt me to discontinue radio as an entertainment medium.
This one "feature" should absolutely put them out of business. Trusted computing indeed!
So tell me...
Does this APE shit have to be intentionally installed by users?
For example, I've never even heard of it before this. What are the chances that it's on my iMac?
Until I canceled my service with them. I was hassled by their offshored customer retention staff, offered months of free service, pleas for me to leave my account on inactive status, anything except cancel. And when I insisted, I then found out about the $39 disconnect fee -- what a crock.
Fuck Vonage!
I, for one, would like to see third-party pictures of the landing site.
I trust the Japanese to supply me with all my high-tech components -- my auto, cameras, etc. Frankly, I trust them more than I do my own government.
I once read a comment that went something like this:
80% of people are mostly honest and won't usually steal;
20% of people won't steal under any circumstances;
the remaining 20% will steal anything that isn't nailed down.
Don't know if it's accurate, but it feels right!
Hmm, I tend to agree that we have to be competitive in the global marketplace. However, we do have a certain amount of socialism (that we as a society have deemed important) that gets neglected when jobs are outsourced. If the standard of living falls, then the tax dollars that support the socialist institutions dry up and then everyone loses.
The problem with Capitalism (as I see it), is that it seeks the most efficient level of production to maximize profit. However, human beings and societies (that have certain standards of living) are not efficient. You can only maximize one at the expense of the other.
It is my preference (rightly or wrongly) to maintain my standard of living -- even if it's at the expense of an Indian or Chinaman.
How do I attempt to achieve my goal? I work hard, pay taxes, and I vote.
I thank you!
Sorry to be dense, but is that a gay joke or something?
Right...but besides providing services like roads, state police, labor and environmental protection to the purchaser, courts, etc., what have the Romans ever done for us?
:)
Oops, I mean the state...
I love you, man. (wipes tear from eye)
Seriously, you are spot on.
I've never had a problem with electronic voting, given that there are sufficient safeguards. I think a paper receipt (much like a receipt from a pump at a gas station) should be given after every vote is cast. It would not contain any personally identifiable information. It would contain the voting precinct, date/time, a serial number, as well as the votes cast. Then, using the precinct information, along with the serial number, one could review his/her vote online at a reasonable period after the polls close.
Some would say that even this much information would be too much and could possibly be personally identifiable. I wonder which is worse, positively matching a person with a vote, or not being certain if your vote was counted correctly (if at all)?
Don't kid yourself...this is NOT a case of Windows securing itself -- this is revenue protectionism at its best. Microsoft is actively trying to make third-party security vendors a thing of the past.
In all of this, Microsoft forgets the most important thing -- It's my freakin computer! If Microsoft hinders me from getting done what I (remember me? I'm the consumer) want, then I have to reconsider my OS decision -- which I did -- about 5 years ago -- and never looked back.
They've been pondering Linux for a long time now.
This is the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gunfight.
Progressive scan dvd players are dirt cheap, rentals are plentiful and cheap, and movies for purchase are nearly as cheap.
Back to the drawing board, fellas.
Here's the list:
Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft
Jeffrey Citron, Chairman and chief strategist, Vonage
Reed Hastings, CEO, Netflix
Ken Kutaragi, President, Sony Computer Entertainment
Warren Lieberfarb, Senior Consultant, HD-DVD Promotion Group
Rob Malda, Slashdot.org
Arun Sarin, CEO, Vodafone
Jonathan Schwartz, CEO, Sun Microsystems
Linus Torvalds, Creator, Linux
Mark Zuckerberg, Founder, Facebook
Now my list...top two irrelevent news sources:
Money Magazine
CNN News
If the user (any user) is tired of the status quo, there are alternatives available. There's OS-X, BSD and Linux. Switching from Windows to any of these will not be without some pain -- that's clearly by design.
If one isn't prepared to work around some of these issues, then it might not make sense to change. Staying with Windows is an acceptable course of action.
In fact, I'd rather Windows users stay where they are, rather than switch to Linux and complain. It's kind of like the New Englanders coming to Florida and complaining about how "that's not the way we do it up North!"
Meetings can also be used to "buy" additional time, or to push off a project of which you don't want any part. Simply recommend that for X initiative, that it be reviewed and signed off by the legal and/or compliance depts. That pretty much guarantees that all momentum will be halted for at least six months.
WORKIN' FOR MCA
Seven years of hard luck comin' down on me
from a motor boat, yes, up in Nashville, Tennessee.
I worked in every joint you can name, yes, every honky tonk.
They all come to see yankee slicker saying, baby, you're what I want.
Want you to sign the contract,
want you to sign the date.
Gonna give you lots of money
workin' for MCA.
Oh, nine thousand dollars just to sow to the wind.
Come to smile at the yankee slicker with a big old southern grin.
They're gonna take me out to California, gonna make me a super star.
Just pay me all my money, mister, maybe you won't get a star.
Want you to sign the contract,
want you to sign the date.
Gonna give you lots of money
workin' for MCA.
Slickers steal my money since I was seventeen,
if it ain't no pencil pusher then it got to be a honky tonk queen.
But I signed my contract, baby, and I want you people to know
that every penny I make, I gotta see where my money goes.
Want you to sign the contract,
want you to sign the date.
Gonna give you lots of money
workin' for MCA.
- Edward King & Ronnie Van Zant
Isn't Cray hardware and software completely proprietary? If so, no wonder MS is interested in teaming up with Burton Smith. However, as this article suggests, Linux is way ahead of the curve in this arena.
Linux may not ever truly catch on in the desktop environment, but in high-end computing, it's a proven winner.
Yeah, it sure does, if you carry around 30 driver cds with your windows installation cd (which you still are required to use frequently).
Not only did my GNU/Linux installation correctly detect all my hardware, I didn't have to use any CDs other than the one used to initially start the installation process. Windows is WAAAAAY behind the curve on this one.
Funny you should mention "throwing" and "hardware" in the same sentence...that's what I generally wanted to do with my computer pre-Linux!
Yeah, but how are they gonna sue? All you have to do is say that the chunks you downloaded were poisoned bits. Are those copyrighted as well?