Ubuntu IMO is there. if installed and configured. No average joe could install it still but I installed it on my mates laptop that thanks to surfing for too much porn finally fell over having so much malware installed slowing it down it ground to a halt.
at the moment he's sending CV's and cover letters out left right and centre in a word format, his canon ixus camera connects just fine and uploads without a hitch, his iPod 'just works' and thanks to the malware he thinks it runs 'way' faster... how much faster is obviously relative.
his email is hotmail, but then he's an 'average' user and uses internet based apps like that without a hitch on firefox.
quite frankly i'm very impressed with ubuntu having previously used it to get mythtv working to create a HTPC (like with every project took 12months of my life and once completed never used it... i'm sure you can relate) that experience was akin to head butting a wall for a year.
but after this experience I would happily install Ubuntu on my 'average user' friends pc's. It's akin to the same experience that people are getting on linux based netbooks, they only want a small laptop that works for very little.
all it will take is a decent sized OEM to go hole hog and install Linux, savings from windows tax passed on, backed up by a similar amount of support that they throw at windows and they will break MS's grip... it's why MS are shitting a brick about linux on the netbook's as they know those users will realise they don't need Windows, linux will also be associated as 'cheap' as its coming from the bottom (cheap netbooks up...).
In Scotland they already have a system that the local meter operator decides when you heating comes on called WeatherCall. You essentially leave your heating on all the time and a two rate radio teleswitched controled meter switches the heating circuit on based on the weather. Granted i don't live that far north so i don't know how people like it or not or feel their liberty is in some way restricted. All i think they care about is being warm when it's cold, which basically they are.
may not be relevant due to the fact it's based around the weather, but equally the meter operator knows what kind of load it will need and when it will need it as it decides.
That said though, a well insulated house will reduce the need for either AC or Heating... build better...
I thought that CFL's are cheaper any way once you factor in the cost of running them. We got CFL's all over our house. havent checked the leccy bill but I'm sold on them paying for themselves after about eight months.
Can i ask thou, whats the price per unit in the US?
The main trouble is the speedo's in cars generally not showing accurately KPH. They're biased towards MPH. Therefore any sort of switch would take a generations worth of cars with KPH speedos. Amongst other things.
To be honest I pity current school kids taught nothing but Metric. In essence I am bi lingual when it comes to measurements.
Furthermore just about everywhere now will sell you something in metric. You don't have to understand imperial.
well aside from understanding what a pint is. fortunately i'm a top shelf man myself. spirits and magazines...;)
singles and doubles are a lot easier to translate. Sadly I would much rather prefer the more european style of measuring spirits which seems to be based on time spent pouring and the preference of the barman/maid.
"ok.. i'm good at this..."
"five words"
"first word"
"hand, prayer, give... Give!"
"Give, ok.."
"second word"
"you... me? ME."
"give you.. ok we're getting there..."
"forth word.."
"whats that..? dancing. sex? Fucking?"
"ok, you're really need it don't you..."
"ok so. Give me you're fucking... what"
"Fifth word"
"whats that, prayer? book? no..?
"money... ahh so you want my wallet"
"give me you're fucking wallet!"
"told you i was good at this..."
"ohh..."
Everyone loves their old system and hates the new system, whinge about it but then when its replaced, bitch about the new system again and miss the old system and get tear eyed about the old,old system.
Then another one comes along. They get more arsey about the new system, love the now old system that they hated. get teary eyed about the old old system and form a religion about the original system...
I work in one of the six main utility companies in the UK. We've just taken the decision to return all our work in house, from India.
The reason we've done this is mainly that outsourcing doesnt work, but is also because we're moving away from a command and control environment where the work is broken down into small amounts and processed ad infinitum by the worker, which made outsourcing so attractive. We're moving to a system thinking/lean model like Toyota's production line being the main example.
The, i've got 200 workers that can do 2000 units of work at $x amount means that there are targets in the system. Once you get targets you're defining that once they've done 2000units of work they are effective and its even better when we can get the work done cheaper.
Problem is that those 2000units of work havent been done effectively. They've been fudged, the ticket has been resolved for instance but the actual customers problem hasnt so they'll raise 4,5,6,7 tickets all 'resolved' each time as a unit of work for the outsource, making the management happy by meeting the target but the customer is still pissed off and has taken there custom else where as they've never resolved the problem.
The trick is to look at how the work works and improve the system. not break it down into a series of units and whore it to the cheapest bidder. Once you improve the system you can view what work is waste and value. IE one office receives a number of bits of paper staples whacks them in an envelope and sends them to another office where they employ someone to take the staples out. Why staple it? turn off that bit of work and free that employee to actually look at that work and work it.
Yes, i've been sold on it, but then again it actually works. In 12months we've gone from 90% above average for customer complaints to 60% below average and have overtaken most of our rivals and our catching the rest up. Not only that moral in the company has really improved too.
Personally my little rant doesnt do justice to how well its working and will continue to work for us.
Is this the same Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday that has spent almost every day since Princess Diana's death carrying a consipracy theory story. Trust me I wouldnt wipe my arse with the Mail...
My arse prefering double sheet ultra soft toilet paper probably sourced from cheap labour.
Still not the greatest bastion of journalism in the UK thou.
The lack of backward compatability isnt a surprise to me. remember Lego bricks last forever. so anything that requires you to buy new bricks means money going to Lego.
if there going to pay £3.00 GBP for a ringtone (only 30secs of a song they already own) then they'll pay for higher priced songs. Fortunately these people also accept the sh!t music that is shoveled to them at present. The cooler and classic stuff will remain cheap and now fortunately it's easier to find... p2p and digital music will generate a load of new talented artists that the labels will suck dry... and still they don't get it this darn interweb thing.
it's sad, but a fool and his money are easily parted......it's true cos I used to own a Sony Network Walkman.
I'm exporting a movie from Quicktime in iPod format right now... seems pretty easy to me. Shouldnt be too difficult to get OSX to find the programs on my MythTv box and re-format it for the iPod over night. sync it in the morning, watch it on the way to work...
The exact attitude I would expect. They truely know the cost of everything and the worth of nothing. Music is far too subjective. Now while there are different demands of different sections of the music market I find iTunes to be quite democratic for a flat pricing stucture.
Why should some one who likes some crap sub genre music pay less for a song when they derive the same pleasure from it? a 99c song (79p in the UK, too high) floats my boat and in my genre of choice, in different styles of music, people are getting the same value out of it. It's not as if there's minimum runs... varing marketing costs. Put simply they still don't have a handle on the internet as a distrobution method and quite simply in five years time they still won't...
Slashdot Mirror
by similar logic Microsoft have themselves a contraction of the word fucking and called their phone it.
'kin hilarious if you ask me...
I'd been struggling along with a 2D one which was an absolute nightmare to find when viewed end on...
This extra dimension you refer to interests me, do you have more information in the form of a pop up book?
Its what I always compare Macs to is luxury brands.
Anyway does anyone think the Snow Leopard on the box looks smug? or is that just cats in general?
Ubuntu IMO is there. if installed and configured. No average joe could install it still but I installed it on my mates laptop that thanks to surfing for too much porn finally fell over having so much malware installed slowing it down it ground to a halt.
at the moment he's sending CV's and cover letters out left right and centre in a word format, his canon ixus camera connects just fine and uploads without a hitch, his iPod 'just works' and thanks to the malware he thinks it runs 'way' faster... how much faster is obviously relative.
his email is hotmail, but then he's an 'average' user and uses internet based apps like that without a hitch on firefox.
quite frankly i'm very impressed with ubuntu having previously used it to get mythtv working to create a HTPC (like with every project took 12months of my life and once completed never used it... i'm sure you can relate) that experience was akin to head butting a wall for a year.
but after this experience I would happily install Ubuntu on my 'average user' friends pc's. It's akin to the same experience that people are getting on linux based netbooks, they only want a small laptop that works for very little.
all it will take is a decent sized OEM to go hole hog and install Linux, savings from windows tax passed on, backed up by a similar amount of support that they throw at windows and they will break MS's grip... it's why MS are shitting a brick about linux on the netbook's as they know those users will realise they don't need Windows, linux will also be associated as 'cheap' as its coming from the bottom (cheap netbooks up...).
In Scotland they already have a system that the local meter operator decides when you heating comes on called WeatherCall. You essentially leave your heating on all the time and a two rate radio teleswitched controled meter switches the heating circuit on based on the weather. Granted i don't live that far north so i don't know how people like it or not or feel their liberty is in some way restricted. All i think they care about is being warm when it's cold, which basically they are.
may not be relevant due to the fact it's based around the weather, but equally the meter operator knows what kind of load it will need and when it will need it as it decides.
That said though, a well insulated house will reduce the need for either AC or Heating... build better...
i'll take two...
aside from the fact any stop signs and road markings may now be a crater. Do many soldiers get stuck in traffic in the middle of a war zone?
Surely a better idea would be to train these vehicles to drive evasively once ambushed to stop supplies from not reaching the front line?
I for one never saw a traffic report from baghdad during the war...
could these batteries be used as a weapon in Iraq?
Graphics wise. I love my WACOM. using a pen is so much more natural. Just wish I could have a larger one. but don't most guys?
well it's not like we're escaping from a death star. surely not everything has to be decided by a committee ?
I thought that CFL's are cheaper any way once you factor in the cost of running them. We got CFL's all over our house. havent checked the leccy bill but I'm sold on them paying for themselves after about eight months. Can i ask thou, whats the price per unit in the US?
The main trouble is the speedo's in cars generally not showing accurately KPH. They're biased towards MPH. Therefore any sort of switch would take a generations worth of cars with KPH speedos. Amongst other things.
;)
To be honest I pity current school kids taught nothing but Metric. In essence I am bi lingual when it comes to measurements.
Furthermore just about everywhere now will sell you something in metric. You don't have to understand imperial.
well aside from understanding what a pint is. fortunately i'm a top shelf man myself. spirits and magazines...
singles and doubles are a lot easier to translate. Sadly I would much rather prefer the more european style of measuring spirits which seems to be based on time spent pouring and the preference of the barman/maid.
"ok.. i'm good at this..." "five words" "first word" "hand, prayer, give... Give!" "Give, ok.." "second word" "you... me? ME." "give you.. ok we're getting there..." "forth word.." "whats that..? dancing. sex? Fucking?" "ok, you're really need it don't you..." "ok so. Give me you're fucking... what" "Fifth word" "whats that, prayer? book? no..? "money... ahh so you want my wallet" "give me you're fucking wallet!" "told you i was good at this..." "ohh..."
Everyone loves their old system and hates the new system, whinge about it but then when its replaced, bitch about the new system again and miss the old system and get tear eyed about the old,old system.
Then another one comes along. They get more arsey about the new system, love the now old system that they hated. get teary eyed about the old old system and form a religion about the original system...
I work in one of the six main utility companies in the UK. We've just taken the decision to return all our work in house, from India. The reason we've done this is mainly that outsourcing doesnt work, but is also because we're moving away from a command and control environment where the work is broken down into small amounts and processed ad infinitum by the worker, which made outsourcing so attractive. We're moving to a system thinking/lean model like Toyota's production line being the main example. The, i've got 200 workers that can do 2000 units of work at $x amount means that there are targets in the system. Once you get targets you're defining that once they've done 2000units of work they are effective and its even better when we can get the work done cheaper. Problem is that those 2000units of work havent been done effectively. They've been fudged, the ticket has been resolved for instance but the actual customers problem hasnt so they'll raise 4,5,6,7 tickets all 'resolved' each time as a unit of work for the outsource, making the management happy by meeting the target but the customer is still pissed off and has taken there custom else where as they've never resolved the problem. The trick is to look at how the work works and improve the system. not break it down into a series of units and whore it to the cheapest bidder. Once you improve the system you can view what work is waste and value. IE one office receives a number of bits of paper staples whacks them in an envelope and sends them to another office where they employ someone to take the staples out. Why staple it? turn off that bit of work and free that employee to actually look at that work and work it. Yes, i've been sold on it, but then again it actually works. In 12months we've gone from 90% above average for customer complaints to 60% below average and have overtaken most of our rivals and our catching the rest up. Not only that moral in the company has really improved too. Personally my little rant doesnt do justice to how well its working and will continue to work for us.
Is this the same Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday that has spent almost every day since Princess Diana's death carrying a consipracy theory story.
Trust me I wouldnt wipe my arse with the Mail...
My arse prefering double sheet ultra soft toilet paper probably sourced from cheap labour.
Still not the greatest bastion of journalism in the UK thou.
The lack of backward compatability isnt a surprise to me. remember Lego bricks last forever. so anything that requires you to buy new bricks means money going to Lego.
if there going to pay £3.00 GBP for a ringtone (only 30secs of a song they already own) then they'll pay for higher priced songs. Fortunately these people also accept the sh!t music that is shoveled to them at present. The cooler and classic stuff will remain cheap and now fortunately it's easier to find... p2p and digital music will generate a load of new talented artists that the labels will suck dry... and still they don't get it this darn interweb thing. it's sad, but a fool and his money are easily parted... ...it's true cos I used to own a Sony Network Walkman.
I'm exporting a movie from Quicktime in iPod format right now... seems pretty easy to me. Shouldnt be too difficult to get OSX to find the programs on my MythTv box and re-format it for the iPod over night. sync it in the morning, watch it on the way to work...
sounds easy enough.
Home Theatre perfection.
The exact attitude I would expect. They truely know the cost of everything and the worth of nothing. Music is far too subjective. Now while there are different demands of different sections of the music market I find iTunes to be quite democratic for a flat pricing stucture.
Why should some one who likes some crap sub genre music pay less for a song when they derive the same pleasure from it? a 99c song (79p in the UK, too high) floats my boat and in my genre of choice, in different styles of music, people are getting the same value out of it. It's not as if there's minimum runs... varing marketing costs. Put simply they still don't have a handle on the internet as a distrobution method and quite simply in five years time they still won't...