Wow- I agree with you about alienating customers. But I remember an MBA class right after the Do Not Call list, and they were talking about how millions and millions of people buy things from telemarketers.
This shocked me- I am the type of person who if you call me out of the blue at 7 pm at home and are selling something, I won't even consider it, even if it is a great deal...
Although spam and annoying nets ads are far cheaper than telemarketing (usually), they must be getting enough sales to justify the advertising expense.
I am in the US, and yes it is that bad. You have to buy your phone from the wireless company. We have number portability, but your phone only works with the phone company from which you bought it. So you can switch phone companies, but then you have to buy a new phone. (There are ways to strip your phone and somehow use it with another service, but it requires some technical know how and a cooperative phone company, and even then, many of the features on your phone won't work with the new company.)
I am not sure why our phones are this way. Maybe the phone cos. have a strong lobby. I look forward to the day when we can do what you do, i.e. buy whatever phone we want and use it with whatever company we want...
Arrgh- I get replies to my profile all the time. Maybe because I use a picture I scanned from an Abercrombie catalog, and I added 100K to my income.
On a serious note, even the most unattractive person has a couple photos where the lighting is just right, their outfit flatters them and they look pretty good. So even with a real pic, yuo still may end up with a sea monkey.
I had a cough cough "friend" cough cough who tried two of these sites. We'll just call the Hatch and Rahoo. Anyhow, this "friend" would get emails back that said "hey, if you want to see me naked visit this other site LINK."
I have, er, my friend has noticed that whenevr his subsciption was about to expire he would suddenly get a ton of "winks" or "flirts" that you have to subscibe to reply to. Could be a coincidence
If you are using these sites, my "friend" would give this advice- when you see a 20 y/o female who is seeking men 18-45 they are usually a fake profile (Not from the provider necessarily, but these "women" usually reply back with a link to their paysite.)
The worst offenders, not that I would know, are the companies that advertise on porn sites. They have nude pics come up of women in the "next town over" or your town (you get these if they know your ip and can tell where you are) and you just know that there aren't 50 nubile young 18-25 y/o women in these towns looking for no strings sex on the net.
I am old enough (barely) to remember when you had to use phone company phones. You rented big, heavy, ugly phones from the phone company. You couldn't just buy one and use it with your service. That seems to me somewhat similar (sorry, sarcasm) to how cell phones are now. I use a cell service I have had since the mid 90s because they have the best coverage in my area, but they don't have any phones I really like. Does anyone in the know have any idea if cell service will end up like landline service where you can pick out whatever phone you want and then use it with your provider?
On a related note, 2.50 for a song download? That is awesome, you can buy a 20 song album for only $50! And you cant even play it over you car or home speakers! Awesome! Sign me up!
Um- If someone came on slashdot and started making comments about operating systems, and they had never used a computer, and only knew about computers from some slanted website, we would ridicule them. That is pretty much how I feel about you, who has never served (I can tell from your posts), commenting on what goes on in the military. Make sense?
An unattributed quote is a +5 insightful? Why not attribute that quote? And then write about what a success communist governments have been. Seriously- why is slashdot so anti-religion/God?
And why are offtopic posts that the Mod agrees with a +5? That is no way to have discourse. Isn't this supposed to be about gaming addicts? Sheeesh.....
Another way to look at it economically- I plow snow in the winter as a second job. A hybrid plow truck (don't laugh- There is a Silverado hybrid, although it is available in few states and is 2WD only) would be a whole economic different story. First off- gas consumption pushing snow in low gear in 4WD with a gas or diesel is very high. The flip side is that you are always on the brakes, so I assume you would be running on the batteries most of the time if you were plowing with a hybrid. Maybe we should look at hybrid technology for other vehicles, especially ones that brake a lot. I have read FedEx is using hybrids for delivery trucks. Busses would be great with hybrid technology- they are always on the brakes.
And about the straight economic argument- There are a ton of things that many of us do that are good for the world (enviornmentally or otherwise) that either cost money or deliver no economic benefit. I don't make any money recycling, and it costs me extra effort, but I do it anyway because I have to live on this planet.
I change my own oil- it costs me money to dispose of the old oil properly- It would be free to let it run right down the storm drain (and much easier) but there is no way that I would ever let the oil run into the storm drain. I pay extra money to do the right thing....
That is a good point- But all I am saying is that the guy in the Civic shouldn't feel all high and mighty when he sees the guy in the 'Burban, unless he knows for sure who uses less fuel. Also- which is better- 4 people carpooling 50 miles in a vehicle that gets 15-20 MPG, or someone commuting alone 50 miles in a Prius? I guess my point is that this isn't a straight MPG per vehicle argument, there are many other factors.
And as an aside- you say some people do need gas guzzlers. I agree 100%- I plow snow in the winter for extra money and need a big honkin truck to do it. Plow trucks are ideal candidates for hybrid tech- you rarely go over 15-20 mph, and are constantly on the brakes. I salivate at the thought of a hybrid full size plow truck- it would be running on the batteries almost all the time while plowing. We get paid $45-50 an hour to plow, but gas eats into that.... Too bad you can't buy a Silverado hybrid in Ohio. Also too bad they don't make it in 4WD....
Ugh- I always get beat up for saying this, but in my opinion, each of us should be judged on gallons per commute or gallons per week, not miles per gallon. Driving 500 miles per week, which is common, in a "green" vehicle doesn't make you more eco friendly than the guy who drives 50 miles per week in an SUV that gets half as many miles per gallon.... I am not saying go buy an SUV. I am saying that if you have a Civic with a "Love you mother" bumpersticker with a pic of th earth, and commute 50 miles each day each way, you really can't scoff at the guy in a suburban commuting 8 miles each way....
When did spyware get "civil rights." Will this be known as "Spyware profiling?" In all seriousness, shouldn't the makers of spyware detection software only be responsible to customers?
Someone should, using "sophisticated" math, figure out the the stories most duped are the ones that get the most comments... More comments = more page reloads/serves and more ad revenue....
Does no one else notice this? Stories about some small niche thing with limited interest gets posted once, and only once. Anything that engenders comments mentioning A: Big Brother, B: Bush/Repubs or Democrats or C: Europe/Asia/America/France (especially france) sucking get posted again and again. Because guess what, even trolls count as a page view for Ad reporting.
So there is the answer to the dupe question- It isn't funny- it is just business.
On the other hand, how could you NOT be interested in Vicky's Secrets? There are obvious benefits;-)
Uh- I could very easily not be interested in vicky's secrets... Like if they are on a 180 pound woman, or on a man. A big ol woman in a pearl thong isn't my idea of heaven....
I think you are taking it wrong my friend. We are for the most part interested in tech if we are on here, either careerwise, hobbywise or both.
I don't know much about Ham Radio, that doesn't make me "the unwashed masses" but it does mean that I don't require much from a radio, while a Ham would...
The same way an auto tech may have opinions on cars that the average driver doesn't... (Even if the driver is doctor or something)
The same way someone who's main interest in cooking may have differing opinions/more involved opinions about food and ingredients than the average eater...
And about calling my fellow Americans boobs- sorry, I had to go to the WalMart in Stow, Ohio today, and let me just say, if you ever want to see obese, rude people in large quantities, go to the WalMart in Stow, Ohio. But the truth is, to make money on volume, you need to be able to sell to those people... And yes, I believe the majority of the people I saw were unwashed, and thus "The unwashed massives"
I think it is a hardware issue though. Until there is a simple way for it to work on the TVs in the house, it won't take off. Even with a Big old monitor, watching TV on the computer isn't much fun. (Then again, 5 years ago I never thought I would have my morning coffee in front of my computer while reading the paper online.. so who knows...).
This is true of many technologies that could be deployed if we had the infastructure.
However, even at bargain bin prices, it's not worth it. $5+ for a movie that's 20, 30, 40, 50 or even 60+ years old is not worth it.
Actually, that is so on topic that it isn't even funny- That is why the online distro is such a good idea. You aren't paying 5$ for the movie. You are paying 50 cents for the movie, and then You are paying for the freight to get it to the store, to heat the store, pay the staff, buy shopping carts, advertise, press the DVD, the DVD case, the shrink wrap and on and on etc etc etc.... With the online distro, you cut out so much of that expense....
May I play devil's advocate? Think about the majority of the TV watching public. Many don't care about the things you mentioned. If you want me to be a customer, you need to offer me several things:
That's great, and good points, but if 240 million boobs in the the US don't care, and 10 million educated people like who who understand the issues with DRM do care, I think the 240 million will rule the market.
Sort of like, If WalMart wants me as a customer they need to offer X Y and Z... WalMart doesn't give a shit what I want- they have their customers....
So If you want me to be a customer, you need to offer me several things:, they will tell you to shove it up your ass, and don't watch TV, and sell it the 100s of millions of people... It sucks, but it is capitalism at its finest....
It will be interesting to see however, considering the grumbling of the music execs about the 99cent fixed price, whether we will see an ownership type system like iTunes (I understand the vagaries of the copy protection on iTunes- I am being general) or a subscription system like Yahoo Music. With the subscription, I would be like cable I guess, with different levels and channels available, i.e. subscribe to HBO and get to watch movies whenever (sort of like Adelphia in demand), or subscribe to TBS and get the whole Segal and Dirty Harry catolg etc....
When you stand back and think about it, we live in amazing times consumer-technologically. 5 years ago I thought burning my own CDs was awesome- now I have my iPod with thousands of songs hooked up to my car....
I can't wait until a true itunes style tv system is a reality. I would love if al tv were available pay per view, with some type of ala carte system.
I am sure I will get made fun of for this, but I actually subscribed to the Hallmark channel to get Walker Texas Ranger. I would love to be able to buy the episodes iTunes style.
I think most media will go the itunes route- just like music. 10 years ago I would have thought you were talking crazy if you told me I would be able to say, in 2005, I haven't bought a physical music CD in a few years.
Not to sound melodramatic- but I don't like being a slave to tv schedules (not that I watch much tv). Like most people of the digital generation, I want what I want, when I want it....
All my porn has a plot- thats the difference between the $5 porn and the slick $25 vivid porn.
[Maude shows the porn video starring Bunny to the Dude]
Sherry in 'Logjammin': [on video] You must be here to fix the cable.
Maude Lebowski: Lord. You can imagine where it goes from here.
The Dude: He fixes the cable?
Maude Lebowski: Don't be fatuous, Jeffrey. That's my friend Sherry- she just came over to use the shower....
3. Kansas Biology Teacher On the front lines of science's devolution...
This could be a great job for the right person. I had a couple science teachers who were really, really, really articulate, and I think they would have done well in this enviornment- they would have seen it as a challenge.
Backwards places nees the best teachers sometimes- because the people there have the most learning to do....
Im midway between Akron and Cleveland. I went to Case Western (I actually live in Hudson, right off 91 about an 8th of a mile from Western Reserve...).
I love Northeast Ohio, but the economy is sloooooooooow. When I tell people where I work and what I do, the most common response is "Wow- how'd you swing that in the Cleveland area?" I should have been more specific about northern ohio (Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown) Cinci is doing well, Columbus is booming...
Some people get Pickups for status... Of course. An F250 Crew Cab Diesel loaded runs around 50K. You can get those suckers up to $70K without much effort...
As far as your corrola- Even if it was a paid off SUV, the key is paid off. You would have to drive many many miles a month to save money, as having a 3-400$ car payment but saving $50 on gas instead of no car payment and spending $50 more a month on gas... Well where is the sense in that?
You make an excellent point- But you can take it even further- What if people kept their same cars, but increased their fuel efficiency. Almost no one gets the CAFE rating mileage. Most people get far less, a few get more. If everyone laid off the accelerator a bit (A little slower on the freeway, not punching the gas when the light turns green), tuned up their cars, kept the tires properly inflated, slowed down for a stale red light rather than race up to it, slamming the brakes, and then jumping on the gas etc etc etc.
If every American made a commitment to use a less gallon a week (which would be easy for most of us) you are talking about tens, maybe a hundred million gallons of savings...
Slashdot Mirror
Wow- I agree with you about alienating customers. But I remember an MBA class right after the Do Not Call list, and they were talking about how millions and millions of people buy things from telemarketers.
This shocked me- I am the type of person who if you call me out of the blue at 7 pm at home and are selling something, I won't even consider it, even if it is a great deal...
Although spam and annoying nets ads are far cheaper than telemarketing (usually), they must be getting enough sales to justify the advertising expense.
I am in the US, and yes it is that bad. You have to buy your phone from the wireless company. We have number portability, but your phone only works with the phone company from which you bought it. So you can switch phone companies, but then you have to buy a new phone. (There are ways to strip your phone and somehow use it with another service, but it requires some technical know how and a cooperative phone company, and even then, many of the features on your phone won't work with the new company.)
I am not sure why our phones are this way. Maybe the phone cos. have a strong lobby. I look forward to the day when we can do what you do, i.e. buy whatever phone we want and use it with whatever company we want...
Arrgh- I get replies to my profile all the time. Maybe because I use a picture I scanned from an Abercrombie catalog, and I added 100K to my income.
On a serious note, even the most unattractive person has a couple photos where the lighting is just right, their outfit flatters them and they look pretty good. So even with a real pic, yuo still may end up with a sea monkey.
I had a cough cough "friend" cough cough who tried two of these sites. We'll just call the Hatch and Rahoo. Anyhow, this "friend" would get emails back that said "hey, if you want to see me naked visit this other site LINK."
I have, er, my friend has noticed that whenevr his subsciption was about to expire he would suddenly get a ton of "winks" or "flirts" that you have to subscibe to reply to. Could be a coincidence
If you are using these sites, my "friend" would give this advice- when you see a 20 y/o female who is seeking men 18-45 they are usually a fake profile (Not from the provider necessarily, but these "women" usually reply back with a link to their paysite.)
The worst offenders, not that I would know, are the companies that advertise on porn sites. They have nude pics come up of women in the "next town over" or your town (you get these if they know your ip and can tell where you are) and you just know that there aren't 50 nubile young 18-25 y/o women in these towns looking for no strings sex on the net.
I am old enough (barely) to remember when you had to use phone company phones. You rented big, heavy, ugly phones from the phone company. You couldn't just buy one and use it with your service. That seems to me somewhat similar (sorry, sarcasm) to how cell phones are now. I use a cell service I have had since the mid 90s because they have the best coverage in my area, but they don't have any phones I really like. Does anyone in the know have any idea if cell service will end up like landline service where you can pick out whatever phone you want and then use it with your provider?
On a related note, 2.50 for a song download? That is awesome, you can buy a 20 song album for only $50! And you cant even play it over you car or home speakers! Awesome! Sign me up!
Um- If someone came on slashdot and started making comments about operating systems, and they had never used a computer, and only knew about computers from some slanted website, we would ridicule them. That is pretty much how I feel about you, who has never served (I can tell from your posts), commenting on what goes on in the military. Make sense?
An unattributed quote is a +5 insightful? Why not attribute that quote? And then write about what a success communist governments have been. Seriously- why is slashdot so anti-religion/God?
And why are offtopic posts that the Mod agrees with a +5? That is no way to have discourse. Isn't this supposed to be about gaming addicts? Sheeesh.....
Another way to look at it economically- I plow snow in the winter as a second job. A hybrid plow truck (don't laugh- There is a Silverado hybrid, although it is available in few states and is 2WD only) would be a whole economic different story. First off- gas consumption pushing snow in low gear in 4WD with a gas or diesel is very high. The flip side is that you are always on the brakes, so I assume you would be running on the batteries most of the time if you were plowing with a hybrid. Maybe we should look at hybrid technology for other vehicles, especially ones that brake a lot. I have read FedEx is using hybrids for delivery trucks. Busses would be great with hybrid technology- they are always on the brakes.
And about the straight economic argument- There are a ton of things that many of us do that are good for the world (enviornmentally or otherwise) that either cost money or deliver no economic benefit. I don't make any money recycling, and it costs me extra effort, but I do it anyway because I have to live on this planet.
I change my own oil- it costs me money to dispose of the old oil properly- It would be free to let it run right down the storm drain (and much easier) but there is no way that I would ever let the oil run into the storm drain. I pay extra money to do the right thing....
That is a good point- But all I am saying is that the guy in the Civic shouldn't feel all high and mighty when he sees the guy in the 'Burban, unless he knows for sure who uses less fuel. Also- which is better- 4 people carpooling 50 miles in a vehicle that gets 15-20 MPG, or someone commuting alone 50 miles in a Prius? I guess my point is that this isn't a straight MPG per vehicle argument, there are many other factors.
And as an aside- you say some people do need gas guzzlers. I agree 100%- I plow snow in the winter for extra money and need a big honkin truck to do it. Plow trucks are ideal candidates for hybrid tech- you rarely go over 15-20 mph, and are constantly on the brakes. I salivate at the thought of a hybrid full size plow truck- it would be running on the batteries almost all the time while plowing. We get paid $45-50 an hour to plow, but gas eats into that.... Too bad you can't buy a Silverado hybrid in Ohio. Also too bad they don't make it in 4WD....
Ugh- I always get beat up for saying this, but in my opinion, each of us should be judged on gallons per commute or gallons per week, not miles per gallon. Driving 500 miles per week, which is common, in a "green" vehicle doesn't make you more eco friendly than the guy who drives 50 miles per week in an SUV that gets half as many miles per gallon.... I am not saying go buy an SUV. I am saying that if you have a Civic with a "Love you mother" bumpersticker with a pic of th earth, and commute 50 miles each day each way, you really can't scoff at the guy in a suburban commuting 8 miles each way....
When did spyware get "civil rights." Will this be known as "Spyware profiling?" In all seriousness, shouldn't the makers of spyware detection software only be responsible to customers?
Someone should, using "sophisticated" math, figure out the the stories most duped are the ones that get the most comments... More comments = more page reloads/serves and more ad revenue....
Does no one else notice this? Stories about some small niche thing with limited interest gets posted once, and only once. Anything that engenders comments mentioning A: Big Brother, B: Bush/Repubs or Democrats or C: Europe/Asia/America/France (especially france) sucking get posted again and again. Because guess what, even trolls count as a page view for Ad reporting.
So there is the answer to the dupe question- It isn't funny- it is just business.
On the other hand, how could you NOT be interested in Vicky's Secrets? There are obvious benefits ;-)
Uh- I could very easily not be interested in vicky's secrets... Like if they are on a 180 pound woman, or on a man. A big ol woman in a pearl thong isn't my idea of heaven....
I think you are taking it wrong my friend. We are for the most part interested in tech if we are on here, either careerwise, hobbywise or both.
I don't know much about Ham Radio, that doesn't make me "the unwashed masses" but it does mean that I don't require much from a radio, while a Ham would...
The same way an auto tech may have opinions on cars that the average driver doesn't... (Even if the driver is doctor or something)
The same way someone who's main interest in cooking may have differing opinions/more involved opinions about food and ingredients than the average eater...
And about calling my fellow Americans boobs- sorry, I had to go to the WalMart in Stow, Ohio today, and let me just say, if you ever want to see obese, rude people in large quantities, go to the WalMart in Stow, Ohio. But the truth is, to make money on volume, you need to be able to sell to those people... And yes, I believe the majority of the people I saw were unwashed, and thus "The unwashed massives"
I think it is a hardware issue though. Until there is a simple way for it to work on the TVs in the house, it won't take off. Even with a Big old monitor, watching TV on the computer isn't much fun. (Then again, 5 years ago I never thought I would have my morning coffee in front of my computer while reading the paper online.. so who knows...).
This is true of many technologies that could be deployed if we had the infastructure.
However, even at bargain bin prices, it's not worth it. $5+ for a movie that's 20, 30, 40, 50 or even 60+ years old is not worth it.
Actually, that is so on topic that it isn't even funny- That is why the online distro is such a good idea. You aren't paying 5$ for the movie. You are paying 50 cents for the movie, and then You are paying for the freight to get it to the store, to heat the store, pay the staff, buy shopping carts, advertise, press the DVD, the DVD case, the shrink wrap and on and on etc etc etc.... With the online distro, you cut out so much of that expense....
May I play devil's advocate? Think about the majority of the TV watching public. Many don't care about the things you mentioned.
If you want me to be a customer, you need to offer me several things:
That's great, and good points, but if 240 million boobs in the the US don't care, and 10 million educated people like who who understand the issues with DRM do care, I think the 240 million will rule the market.
Sort of like, If WalMart wants me as a customer they need to offer X Y and Z... WalMart doesn't give a shit what I want- they have their customers....
So If you want me to be a customer, you need to offer me several things:, they will tell you to shove it up your ass, and don't watch TV, and sell it the 100s of millions of people... It sucks, but it is capitalism at its finest....
It will be interesting to see however, considering the grumbling of the music execs about the 99cent fixed price, whether we will see an ownership type system like iTunes (I understand the vagaries of the copy protection on iTunes- I am being general) or a subscription system like Yahoo Music. With the subscription, I would be like cable I guess, with different levels and channels available, i.e. subscribe to HBO and get to watch movies whenever (sort of like Adelphia in demand), or subscribe to TBS and get the whole Segal and Dirty Harry catolg etc....
When you stand back and think about it, we live in amazing times consumer-technologically. 5 years ago I thought burning my own CDs was awesome- now I have my iPod with thousands of songs hooked up to my car....
I can't wait until a true itunes style tv system is a reality. I would love if al tv were available pay per view, with some type of ala carte system.
I am sure I will get made fun of for this, but I actually subscribed to the Hallmark channel to get Walker Texas Ranger. I would love to be able to buy the episodes iTunes style.
I think most media will go the itunes route- just like music. 10 years ago I would have thought you were talking crazy if you told me I would be able to say, in 2005, I haven't bought a physical music CD in a few years.
Not to sound melodramatic- but I don't like being a slave to tv schedules (not that I watch much tv). Like most people of the digital generation, I want what I want, when I want it....
All my porn has a plot- thats the difference between the $5 porn and the slick $25 vivid porn.
[Maude shows the porn video starring Bunny to the Dude]
Sherry in 'Logjammin': [on video] You must be here to fix the cable.
Maude Lebowski: Lord. You can imagine where it goes from here.
The Dude: He fixes the cable?
Maude Lebowski: Don't be fatuous, Jeffrey.
That's my friend Sherry- she just came over to use the shower....
My wife seems like a zombie in bed sometimes. How can I get her to watch more porn?
3. Kansas Biology Teacher On the front lines of science's devolution...
This could be a great job for the right person. I had a couple science teachers who were really, really, really articulate, and I think they would have done well in this enviornment- they would have seen it as a challenge.
Backwards places nees the best teachers sometimes- because the people there have the most learning to do....
Im midway between Akron and Cleveland. I went to Case Western (I actually live in Hudson, right off 91 about an 8th of a mile from Western Reserve...).
I love Northeast Ohio, but the economy is sloooooooooow. When I tell people where I work and what I do, the most common response is "Wow- how'd you swing that in the Cleveland area?" I should have been more specific about northern ohio (Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown) Cinci is doing well, Columbus is booming...
Some people get Pickups for status... Of course. An F250 Crew Cab Diesel loaded runs around 50K. You can get those suckers up to $70K without much effort...
As far as your corrola- Even if it was a paid off SUV, the key is paid off. You would have to drive many many miles a month to save money, as having a 3-400$ car payment but saving $50 on gas instead of no car payment and spending $50 more a month on gas... Well where is the sense in that?
You make an excellent point- But you can take it even further- What if people kept their same cars, but increased their fuel efficiency. Almost no one gets the CAFE rating mileage. Most people get far less, a few get more. If everyone laid off the accelerator a bit (A little slower on the freeway, not punching the gas when the light turns green), tuned up their cars, kept the tires properly inflated, slowed down for a stale red light rather than race up to it, slamming the brakes, and then jumping on the gas etc etc etc.
If every American made a commitment to use a less gallon a week (which would be easy for most of us) you are talking about tens, maybe a hundred million gallons of savings...