There's no profit to be had in rural markets. They'd effectively lose service. Telecommunications, even electrical services for instance only exist in rural areas because of federal mandates.
As for the USPS losing money due to losing volume there's a real simple solution. Economies of scale work both ways. If the volume is going down then the solution should be obvious. Raise rates to cover the cost of doing business. In particular, stop giving the mass mailers (read junk mail) a nearly free pass on the system.
Yet there seems to be a sufficient consensus around HTML5/JavaScript to develop a sufficiently coherent set of standards. There's enough demand for a cross-platform platform to inspire the motivation to twist and contort a technology never originally scoped to the demands and expectations now placed upon it. Nearly every technology resting upon HTTP has from their very inception been a shoehorn to work around some manner of artificial limitation. It's the ultimate incarnation of squeezing a sponge with artificial restrictions and watching workarounds wring out. So many misleading promises have been made and Kool-Aid consumed by CTOs and ilk that even Jimmy Jones would be envious. HTML5/JavaScript is incredibly far from "easily possible" and yet everyone you can think of is pushing it. If the same level of resources that have been invested into making HTML5/JavaScript work would have been placed into a close-to-metal next generation synthesis of the kinds of technologies I mentioned you had better believe we would have accomplished it and so very much more.
Maybe there's something I missed, but I was under the impression that agricultural subsidies were free handouts to citizens albeit farmers and near to the field industries. But, given that the rural economy is predominantly farming that's pretty much everyone. As for the infrastructure, well, that's now a "state" issue. If they want us to buy their food and supply their Wal-Marts then they surely better find a way to pay for it. I really don't have a problem with supporting farmers in third-world nations. I do already anyway when produce is locally out of season. Given the hard life of the typical third-worlder, I'd prefer to help them anyway.
That's about as stupid as the whole HTML5/JavaScript thing in the name of cross-platform compatibility. The solution isn't to keep piling on more and more layers of abstraction. Each layer represents new compromises and needless expense. Just because a few college kids one day said "you know what would be cool...?" doesn't make it a good idea. I'm as much a fan of being able to make my toaster boot Linux as the next guy, but some things are better left as hobbies. Stop the god damn partisanship, stop the damn religious wars, stop the damn profiteering and develop a set of standard APIs that may be implemented and run as close to metal as is practicable while allowing the flexibility to utilize whatever tools, technologies, and languages desired. VMWare, Sun's JVM and Microsoft's CLR were excellent starting points. Now where the hell is the synthesis, what happened to the next generation?
Two terms, of which a term also includes holding the office (un-elected) for two years or more. According to the 22nd amendment:
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.
You know, I might have even found that amusing enough to sign but for the fact you decided to pick on Hawaii... They're good people, just have a bit of an economic challenge given their location. I suspect much of the tax money that heads their way though is probably used to support the military bases there, not the locals per-se.
What I'd really like to see though is for the "red states" to get precisely what they're asking for. I'd have absolutely no problem with turning off the pump so long as we can also turn off the spigot.
I remember this one. There's actually a bit of an interesting story to it. Steve Olsen (the inventor) was actually a 5 year old at the time. His father Peter Olsen, a patent attorney, wanted to teach his son about the patent system. I can't find the original (local) article but the NYT had a short write up as well.
I believe the overarching goal should be to serve the consumer through continuous, rapid innovation in both technology and affordability. Patents provide benefit to established businesses, not start-ups, and definitely not consumers. It has been demonstrated time, and again that businesses favor competition in the court room over competition in product offerings. There is little incentive to invest in R&D. Why innovate when you can block your competition from entering the market through legal maneuvers? Businesses exist now who's sole product are licenses to cheaply conceived ideas so vaguely defined as to ensnare the blood, sweat and tears of real innovators in their net. Products are being implemented sub-optimally to avoid infringement. Good products are being blocked from entering the market. This is what's broken, this is what's flawed with the patent system. This is why its present incarnation must come to an end.
You may wish to look up the definition of the word "natural"... Certain kinds of idiocy and poor parenting are being selected out of the population. Kind of like a group of lambs with a quirk that gives them penchant for wandering into a pride of lions.
Now obviously (to all but you) I'm speaking tongue-in-cheek about this, but realistically foam padding the world doesn't serve humanity's long term interest. Maxfield and Oberton (the folks that made Buckyballs) actually markets their products to adults. They also go above and beyond the call of duty to label their products as well as educate parents about the inherent dangers of their product in the hands of children. There are countless other products on the market that are far more dangerous, and just as, if not more tempting to children. Heck, some of which are even marketed to children. Warning labels and educational campaigns about their dangers are minimal if they even exist.
Slashdot Mirror
It may be normal, but it is still not acceptable behavior and it most certainly didn't evolve in a vacuum.
There's no profit to be had in rural markets. They'd effectively lose service. Telecommunications, even electrical services for instance only exist in rural areas because of federal mandates.
As for the USPS losing money due to losing volume there's a real simple solution. Economies of scale work both ways. If the volume is going down then the solution should be obvious. Raise rates to cover the cost of doing business. In particular, stop giving the mass mailers (read junk mail) a nearly free pass on the system.
... at least until RIM’s rivals begin to roll out similar solutions.
Assuming RIM didn't file a patent for seamless and transparent calling over WiFi/VoIP when available.
Godzilla now?
Usually they don't actually.
Microsoft may have actually come up with a decent product that will challenge market share?
enjoy your garden.
secede already!
So basically what you're saying is that the red states can piss off since they're a genetic dead end anyway...
Yet there seems to be a sufficient consensus around HTML5/JavaScript to develop a sufficiently coherent set of standards. There's enough demand for a cross-platform platform to inspire the motivation to twist and contort a technology never originally scoped to the demands and expectations now placed upon it. Nearly every technology resting upon HTTP has from their very inception been a shoehorn to work around some manner of artificial limitation. It's the ultimate incarnation of squeezing a sponge with artificial restrictions and watching workarounds wring out. So many misleading promises have been made and Kool-Aid consumed by CTOs and ilk that even Jimmy Jones would be envious. HTML5/JavaScript is incredibly far from "easily possible" and yet everyone you can think of is pushing it. If the same level of resources that have been invested into making HTML5/JavaScript work would have been placed into a close-to-metal next generation synthesis of the kinds of technologies I mentioned you had better believe we would have accomplished it and so very much more.
Maybe there's something I missed, but I was under the impression that agricultural subsidies were free handouts to citizens albeit farmers and near to the field industries. But, given that the rural economy is predominantly farming that's pretty much everyone. As for the infrastructure, well, that's now a "state" issue. If they want us to buy their food and supply their Wal-Marts then they surely better find a way to pay for it. I really don't have a problem with supporting farmers in third-world nations. I do already anyway when produce is locally out of season. Given the hard life of the typical third-worlder, I'd prefer to help them anyway.
That's about as stupid as the whole HTML5/JavaScript thing in the name of cross-platform compatibility. The solution isn't to keep piling on more and more layers of abstraction. Each layer represents new compromises and needless expense. Just because a few college kids one day said "you know what would be cool...?" doesn't make it a good idea. I'm as much a fan of being able to make my toaster boot Linux as the next guy, but some things are better left as hobbies. Stop the god damn partisanship, stop the damn religious wars, stop the damn profiteering and develop a set of standard APIs that may be implemented and run as close to metal as is practicable while allowing the flexibility to utilize whatever tools, technologies, and languages desired. VMWare, Sun's JVM and Microsoft's CLR were excellent starting points. Now where the hell is the synthesis, what happened to the next generation?
Racism is only one of the ingredients in the pot. The main thrust of the secession is the 47% thinking that Romney was their champion.
I forgot about that angle. So to reiterate. Please, please do secede.
You're right. It's absolutely miraculous how everyone is getting more than they pay in...
A shame, a true shame that the +1 Funny tops out at 5. Thank you I needed a good laugh.
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.
Kinda like the Panama Canal. In the long term though, I'm not sure it matters much anyway.
You know, I might have even found that amusing enough to sign but for the fact you decided to pick on Hawaii... They're good people, just have a bit of an economic challenge given their location. I suspect much of the tax money that heads their way though is probably used to support the military bases there, not the locals per-se.
What I'd really like to see though is for the "red states" to get precisely what they're asking for. I'd have absolutely no problem with turning off the pump so long as we can also turn off the spigot.
I'm glad one of us is confident in that...
+1 Informative
I remember this one. There's actually a bit of an interesting story to it. Steve Olsen (the inventor) was actually a 5 year old at the time. His father Peter Olsen, a patent attorney, wanted to teach his son about the patent system. I can't find the original (local) article but the NYT had a short write up as well.
I believe the overarching goal should be to serve the consumer through continuous, rapid innovation in both technology and affordability. Patents provide benefit to established businesses, not start-ups, and definitely not consumers. It has been demonstrated time, and again that businesses favor competition in the court room over competition in product offerings. There is little incentive to invest in R&D. Why innovate when you can block your competition from entering the market through legal maneuvers? Businesses exist now who's sole product are licenses to cheaply conceived ideas so vaguely defined as to ensnare the blood, sweat and tears of real innovators in their net. Products are being implemented sub-optimally to avoid infringement. Good products are being blocked from entering the market. This is what's broken, this is what's flawed with the patent system. This is why its present incarnation must come to an end.
You may wish to look up the definition of the word "natural"... Certain kinds of idiocy and poor parenting are being selected out of the population. Kind of like a group of lambs with a quirk that gives them penchant for wandering into a pride of lions.
Now obviously (to all but you) I'm speaking tongue-in-cheek about this, but realistically foam padding the world doesn't serve humanity's long term interest. Maxfield and Oberton (the folks that made Buckyballs) actually markets their products to adults. They also go above and beyond the call of duty to label their products as well as educate parents about the inherent dangers of their product in the hands of children. There are countless other products on the market that are far more dangerous, and just as, if not more tempting to children. Heck, some of which are even marketed to children. Warning labels and educational campaigns about their dangers are minimal if they even exist.
What makes you so sure?