That's absolutely right! Just like N. Korea did. I notice that Uncle Sam's not complaining about them at all.
What's that? You're now trying to argue that there's some big, principled difference between (legally) renouncing a previously-signed treaty and never having signed it in the first place? I suppose you weren't looking when the U.S. renounced the ABM Treaty just a few years ago. No, there's no hypocrisy going on here at all....No sir!
"However, I would also submit that the ability to express one's ideas and thoughts to another, with eloquence and precision, is of incalculable value to anyone, in any walk of life, irrespective of occupation, social status, or other interests -- and not just professionally, but socially as well. You can be a math genius, but I'm still going to think you're an idiot if you come off as an inarticulate twit who can't properly wield his native language."
I agree with the above, but with the caveat that the medium can make a big difference. For instance, I can express myself in writing every bit as well as you could, however were you to engage me in a verbal conversation, especially in a social setting and especially if I didn't know you very well and even more especially if you happened to be a nubile person of the opposite gender (ok, ok I confess, just a person of the opposite gender would do!), then I might very well come across to you as an inarticulate twit.
I'm afraid that I have to reluctantly disagree.:-( Since the legal system in your country enables one to sue and even have a reasonable probability of winning such cases, thereby acquiring mucho $$$ and therefore preferential survival and reproductive advantages, the logical conclusion is that those who do so, far from being retards, are actually exploiting a viable ecological niche and are, arguably, better adapted to their environment than people like you are!
Yes, BMW is certainly a bigger player than the other two, however it still sells far fewer vehicles than the big auto companies (e.g., VW sells twice as many, Daimler-Chrysler four times as many, and Ford, GM, Toyota yet more). During recent years, there has often been discussion in the business press about how long BMW, as one of the smaller players, could maintain its existence as an independent company. Indeed, VW wanted to take it over at one point.
I hope Apple, too, can continue to survive and provide a choice in the marketplace.
As you point out, people often choose cars in order to make a fashion statement or because of their unique design qualities rather than simply for providing a means for getting from A to B. However, I am arguing that this is now also more and more the case for computers, at least in the home-user market, and Apple is one of the few companies that realize this and are capitalizing on it.
"The average Asian OEM PC maker sells more computers then Apple. OBVIOUSLY these companies know what consumers want. Apple ( or rather, Steve Jobs ) does not. Apple firmly wants to remain in a niche market, or at least, Steve Jobs does."
It's not necessarily so bad to be a niche player. To draw an analogy to the auto industry, Porsche, Ferrari and BMW could be described as niche players who do not sell nearly as many vehicles as the GMs or Fords but are nevertheless financially successful and famous worldwide for building high quality, exciting and desirable products. The world of cars would be much less interesting if poorly-designed, shoddily-made, mass-market gas-guzzlers were all that was on offer. Similarly, the computer world is better off for having Apple and its products available as a choice, even if they might not alwawys be the cheapest or most widely-used ones on the market.
I don't know why, but the Bushies always put me in mind of the Daleks from Doctor Who. Hmmm, let's see...a short perusal of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalek yields gems like the following: "...little to no individual personalities...conditioned to obey superior orders without question...complete ruthlessness and lack of compassion...nearly impossible to negotiate or reason with...well known for their disregard of due process...". A case of farce repeating itself as history? Sigh...
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That's absolutely right! Just like N. Korea did. I notice that Uncle Sam's not complaining about them at all. What's that? You're now trying to argue that there's some big, principled difference between (legally) renouncing a previously-signed treaty and never having signed it in the first place? I suppose you weren't looking when the U.S. renounced the ABM Treaty just a few years ago. No, there's no hypocrisy going on here at all....No sir!
"However, I would also submit that the ability to express one's ideas and thoughts to another, with eloquence and precision, is of incalculable value to anyone, in any walk of life, irrespective of occupation, social status, or other interests -- and not just professionally, but socially as well. You can be a math genius, but I'm still going to think you're an idiot if you come off as an inarticulate twit who can't properly wield his native language." I agree with the above, but with the caveat that the medium can make a big difference. For instance, I can express myself in writing every bit as well as you could, however were you to engage me in a verbal conversation, especially in a social setting and especially if I didn't know you very well and even more especially if you happened to be a nubile person of the opposite gender (ok, ok I confess, just a person of the opposite gender would do!), then I might very well come across to you as an inarticulate twit.
I'm afraid that I have to reluctantly disagree. :-(
Since the legal system in your country enables one to sue and even have a reasonable probability of winning such cases, thereby acquiring mucho $$$ and therefore preferential survival and reproductive advantages, the logical conclusion is that those who do so, far from being retards, are actually exploiting a viable ecological niche and are, arguably, better adapted to their environment than people like you are!
Good point! I can imagine some who might draw an analogy to Macs and their consumption of CPU-cycles... ;-)
Yes, BMW is certainly a bigger player than the other two, however it still sells far fewer vehicles than the big auto companies (e.g., VW sells twice as many, Daimler-Chrysler four times as many, and Ford, GM, Toyota yet more). During recent years, there has often been discussion in the business press about how long BMW, as one of the smaller players, could maintain its existence as an independent company. Indeed, VW wanted to take it over at one point. I hope Apple, too, can continue to survive and provide a choice in the marketplace.
As you point out, people often choose cars in order to make a fashion statement or because of their unique design qualities rather than simply for providing a means for getting from A to B. However, I am arguing that this is now also more and more the case for computers, at least in the home-user market, and Apple is one of the few companies that realize this and are capitalizing on it.
I don't know why, but the Bushies always put me in mind of the Daleks from Doctor Who. Hmmm, let's see...a short perusal of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalek yields gems like the following: "...little to no individual personalities...conditioned to obey superior orders without question...complete ruthlessness and lack of compassion...nearly impossible to negotiate or reason with...well known for their disregard of due process...". A case of farce repeating itself as history? Sigh...