Those 2% of surviving crabs need to eat something. And when you're stranded in a desert, eventually the point comes where your fellow crabs are starting to look rather yummy.
Even if you can get in and win, it would still be a matter of fraud (if that is the right term), since you'll be obscuring your identity. Which in all likelihood renders your winnings null and void.
Of course they'll not allow it. If they can charge $10 for one DVD, then tehy can also charge $15, can't they? And of course a service fee, because it's a convenience they offer. Plus the blank DVD, because you can't expect them to supply that for free (and don't you dare bring a cheap one with you, it won't be accepted.)
By this time the customer has wandered off to either order the DVD online, buy it in the DVD store next door, or downloaded it. And the studios will have one more piece of proof that the consumers are inherently evil and that they don't accept their legal distribution methods, but will download no matter how conveniently they could get a legal DVD.
Add SMS and an alarm function to that and it would be my ideal phone. I haven't used any of the other features mine has.
The providers wouldn't like this idea, of course. They want you to pay for your data transfers. If you are willing to hand over 10 euros a month, you can have all the data transfer you want. Once you pay for the flash storage and the convenience of it, of course. But they'll include that in your monthly fee so you don't have to worry about it. They're very nice that way.
It's representative. Or at least, it matches the central European cell phone users. I was part of a marketing research project for T-Mobile at the beginning of the year, and I'm working on a similiar project with Telekom Austria right now. The users don't care about the "features". We're looking at user groups, and essentially almost 50% only use the phone for calls (including services like phone books, caller lists and other directly call-related services). Another 15% only use SMS in addition. If you include those who use some of the smaller functions like alarm clocks or calculators, you get up to over 80% of users. The services the providers want to sell are usually used by less than 5% of private users and less than 10% of business users.
We did a field experiment where we made users show us how to use features like the camera or the internet services. It was painful to watch.
I agree about the DNA. It might turn the US into a police state (like they aren't well on their way already), but hopefully not into Nazi Germany. I just get knee-jerk reactions when I see Nazis being limited down to the Holocaust - that was the worst they did, but far from the only thing. Comes with growing up in Austria, I guess.
The Nazis didn't become Nazis only when they murdered the first Jew. You might want to look up the history of the NSDAP (short version: Nazis existed since 1920, came to power in 1933, gas chambers went up a few years after that). And also check the definition of a police state, while you're at it.
That might lead to less blue screen, but more calls along the line of "honey, why does this look so different? And where can I find Minesweeper on this?" And I wouldn't even put it past him to manage a blue screen in linux.
No, better a screen that tells him to keep his hands where it can see them.:-)
I like it. Finally I'll know when my boyfriend is playing with my desktop again, because then the screen will scream for help. No more rescuing the system after an embarrassed admission that the screen suddenly turned blue, when he didn't do anything except play with the settings a little.
What's the reasoning behind quoting before-tax prices? Are there so many customer groups who are exempted from paying the tax that it makes sense that way? Or is it just because the sellers like to be able to quote lower prices than what the customers will actually pay? It's something that has puzzled me for a while. I'm used to the European system where the price on the sticker is what you pay at the register.
They might make less profit on the console itself than in the past, but I suspect that at worst they'll come out with zero profit, zero loss. Count market share wins into that (and those will be massive if they don't do anything stupid now, or Sony suddenly gets an epiphany and does a 180 degree turn), along with future game and controller sales, and they're well within the black numbers.
Yes... especially the part where their plot generating machine comes up with something that closely resembles the Da Vinci Code and they dismiss it as complete and utter crap. Eco is probably feeling rather smug these days.
They'll program their calculators only if the school actually permits them to use those programs. It's been a while for me (I graduated when the TI-82 was still hot and new), but I'm still in contact with my maths teacher. The rule at the school (which is very widespread here) is that no programmed calculators may be used for any kind of test. It's completely discouraging, because why write a program, only to have it wiped from your calculator as soon as you'd have a good opportunity to use it? And I wish I could say university were different, but programming is seen as some kind of evil that keeps you from actually learning the processes properly.
I went through a customs inspection two years ago, on the way back from Beijing to Vienna, and I chatted a bit with the customs official while we waited for an estimate from one of their experts on some stuff I was importing. As far as the EU goes, you can import products worth up to 175 Euro without paying customs tax on it. Anything above that has to be taxed, anything that is obviously pirated gets you into legal trouble. There is a tolerance level, though - they're not going after anyone who has ten DVDs in his luggage. A hundred is another story already if you can't prove that you bought them legally.
If they really sell DVDs at these prices, it might just be worth it to fly to China, fill up your suitcase and then sell the stuff. Or distribute from China directly - postage for that kind of weight is minimal, and if you have receipts for the stuff it won't get you into trouble.
Great, so the next time I travel to China I can stock up on DVDs cheaply and actually get a receipt for them so I won't have to worry about being searched at customs. A few dozens of DVDs are always a bit tricky to explain in those situations.
Can't see how this will make a difference for the Chinese consumers, though, unless there is a massive anti-piracy campaign sometime in the near future.
Not exactly a Madonna fan, but she sells out. Of course, she also doesn't do a lot of shows (4 or so in Germany on the new tour), so the demand is high enough to warrant insane ticket prices. I think her German shows sold out within half an hour or thereabouts. If she and her management want to earn more money, it would simply be a matter of increasing the amount of concerts.
None of this cost cutting is going to happen instantly, but within 2-5 years it will happen.
And then it takes another 5 years for the format to spread widely. People don't replace their DVD players every year; they keep them for as long as they work and for as long as they can get DVDs. So at an optimistic estimate, the balance will tip for HD-DVD enabled players in seven years, maybe a little less. Is that fast enough? Or will there be another format around by that time?
This is only going to work if they can first brainwash all employees into firmly believing in the goals of the company and putting their own goals aside for those.
Far too bloated, open for abuse, and unwieldy. How much time will be spent fiddling with that new system that could be used more productively?
The Japanese class was on top of regular classes and work. At a rough guess I'd say I spent eight hours a week with Japanese, half of them in class. I had an advantage because I've been studying Chinese for a few years, so remembering characters is something I'm trained to do by now (though I only learned simplified Chinese characters, so kanji seriously messed with my mind at the time because they just look wrong). But still, 30 kanji or so were regular for my course per week, and we had a lot of students who had their first encounter with them in that course. They all held up.
If this is the first time you tackle a new language (aside from your native language), then you're in for some difficulties. You'll have to learn three new writing systems (two of which are doable within a few hours for each), new grammar structures, new vocabulary sets. And you'll have to learn how to switch off your native language when you try to use the new one.
My Japanese classes were limited to a few months, due to conflicting schedules, but I'm a graduate in Chinese studies, and some issues are comparable.
If you can take them in any way, I'd recommend classes, especially for something as different as Japanese. Even if it's boring or tedious sometimes, it ensures that you'll study steadily and that you have someone to ask when you run into problems. And you will run into problems. Also, having a teacher means that you'll have someone point out your mistakes to you.
Don't even think about not learning the characters. Even if you don't learn how to write them by hand, make sure you know how to compose texts on the PC. There's no excuse for not being able to read characters, and you'll seriously cripple your use of the language if you can only read Romaji. Don't get a textbook that uses Romaji beyond the first few chapters. It's a constant temptation.
You'll need to budget a few hours per week, regularly. If you lack that persistence, then you won't get anywhere with your studies. Classes help here, since it means you're in a schedule and you have to meet regular goals.
This is a useful place to pick up some tricks. Not all of it is applicable, and some parts need to be taken with a rather large grain of salt, but pick through it. Stuff like flashcards and regular scheduling is quite helpful.
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Those 2% of surviving crabs need to eat something. And when you're stranded in a desert, eventually the point comes where your fellow crabs are starting to look rather yummy.
Even if you can get in and win, it would still be a matter of fraud (if that is the right term), since you'll be obscuring your identity. Which in all likelihood renders your winnings null and void.
By this time the customer has wandered off to either order the DVD online, buy it in the DVD store next door, or downloaded it. And the studios will have one more piece of proof that the consumers are inherently evil and that they don't accept their legal distribution methods, but will download no matter how conveniently they could get a legal DVD.
Or you found your own party and support abortion as well as the death penalty. You're certainly not the only one with that political stance.
The providers wouldn't like this idea, of course. They want you to pay for your data transfers. If you are willing to hand over 10 euros a month, you can have all the data transfer you want. Once you pay for the flash storage and the convenience of it, of course. But they'll include that in your monthly fee so you don't have to worry about it. They're very nice that way.
We did a field experiment where we made users show us how to use features like the camera or the internet services. It was painful to watch.
I agree about the DNA. It might turn the US into a police state (like they aren't well on their way already), but hopefully not into Nazi Germany. I just get knee-jerk reactions when I see Nazis being limited down to the Holocaust - that was the worst they did, but far from the only thing. Comes with growing up in Austria, I guess.
The Nazis didn't become Nazis only when they murdered the first Jew. You might want to look up the history of the NSDAP (short version: Nazis existed since 1920, came to power in 1933, gas chambers went up a few years after that). And also check the definition of a police state, while you're at it.
No, better a screen that tells him to keep his hands where it can see them. :-)
I like it. Finally I'll know when my boyfriend is playing with my desktop again, because then the screen will scream for help. No more rescuing the system after an embarrassed admission that the screen suddenly turned blue, when he didn't do anything except play with the settings a little.
Still, half the fun about his books comes from the language, whichever it is.
What's the reasoning behind quoting before-tax prices? Are there so many customer groups who are exempted from paying the tax that it makes sense that way? Or is it just because the sellers like to be able to quote lower prices than what the customers will actually pay? It's something that has puzzled me for a while. I'm used to the European system where the price on the sticker is what you pay at the register.
I was just going for the Cliff's Notes version of his comment. Foucault wasn't even that bad. Hardly any passages in Latin.
They might make less profit on the console itself than in the past, but I suspect that at worst they'll come out with zero profit, zero loss. Count market share wins into that (and those will be massive if they don't do anything stupid now, or Sony suddenly gets an epiphany and does a 180 degree turn), along with future game and controller sales, and they're well within the black numbers.
Yes... especially the part where their plot generating machine comes up with something that closely resembles the Da Vinci Code and they dismiss it as complete and utter crap. Eco is probably feeling rather smug these days.
Yes, it is amazing that Dan Brown went as far as browsing Wikipedia for five minutes to do his fact checks.
If I were at all cynical, I'd say because filling out thousands of fake ballots takes longer than tampering with the Diebold machines.
They'll program their calculators only if the school actually permits them to use those programs. It's been a while for me (I graduated when the TI-82 was still hot and new), but I'm still in contact with my maths teacher. The rule at the school (which is very widespread here) is that no programmed calculators may be used for any kind of test. It's completely discouraging, because why write a program, only to have it wiped from your calculator as soon as you'd have a good opportunity to use it? And I wish I could say university were different, but programming is seen as some kind of evil that keeps you from actually learning the processes properly.
I went through a customs inspection two years ago, on the way back from Beijing to Vienna, and I chatted a bit with the customs official while we waited for an estimate from one of their experts on some stuff I was importing. As far as the EU goes, you can import products worth up to 175 Euro without paying customs tax on it. Anything above that has to be taxed, anything that is obviously pirated gets you into legal trouble. There is a tolerance level, though - they're not going after anyone who has ten DVDs in his luggage. A hundred is another story already if you can't prove that you bought them legally.
If they really sell DVDs at these prices, it might just be worth it to fly to China, fill up your suitcase and then sell the stuff. Or distribute from China directly - postage for that kind of weight is minimal, and if you have receipts for the stuff it won't get you into trouble.
Great, so the next time I travel to China I can stock up on DVDs cheaply and actually get a receipt for them so I won't have to worry about being searched at customs. A few dozens of DVDs are always a bit tricky to explain in those situations.
Can't see how this will make a difference for the Chinese consumers, though, unless there is a massive anti-piracy campaign sometime in the near future.
Not exactly a Madonna fan, but she sells out. Of course, she also doesn't do a lot of shows (4 or so in Germany on the new tour), so the demand is high enough to warrant insane ticket prices. I think her German shows sold out within half an hour or thereabouts. If she and her management want to earn more money, it would simply be a matter of increasing the amount of concerts.
None of this cost cutting is going to happen instantly, but within 2-5 years it will happen.
And then it takes another 5 years for the format to spread widely. People don't replace their DVD players every year; they keep them for as long as they work and for as long as they can get DVDs. So at an optimistic estimate, the balance will tip for HD-DVD enabled players in seven years, maybe a little less. Is that fast enough? Or will there be another format around by that time?
This is only going to work if they can first brainwash all employees into firmly believing in the goals of the company and putting their own goals aside for those.
Far too bloated, open for abuse, and unwieldy. How much time will be spent fiddling with that new system that could be used more productively?
The Japanese class was on top of regular classes and work. At a rough guess I'd say I spent eight hours a week with Japanese, half of them in class. I had an advantage because I've been studying Chinese for a few years, so remembering characters is something I'm trained to do by now (though I only learned simplified Chinese characters, so kanji seriously messed with my mind at the time because they just look wrong). But still, 30 kanji or so were regular for my course per week, and we had a lot of students who had their first encounter with them in that course. They all held up.
If this is the first time you tackle a new language (aside from your native language), then you're in for some difficulties. You'll have to learn three new writing systems (two of which are doable within a few hours for each), new grammar structures, new vocabulary sets. And you'll have to learn how to switch off your native language when you try to use the new one.
My Japanese classes were limited to a few months, due to conflicting schedules, but I'm a graduate in Chinese studies, and some issues are comparable.
If you can take them in any way, I'd recommend classes, especially for something as different as Japanese. Even if it's boring or tedious sometimes, it ensures that you'll study steadily and that you have someone to ask when you run into problems. And you will run into problems. Also, having a teacher means that you'll have someone point out your mistakes to you.
Don't even think about not learning the characters. Even if you don't learn how to write them by hand, make sure you know how to compose texts on the PC. There's no excuse for not being able to read characters, and you'll seriously cripple your use of the language if you can only read Romaji. Don't get a textbook that uses Romaji beyond the first few chapters. It's a constant temptation.
You'll need to budget a few hours per week, regularly. If you lack that persistence, then you won't get anywhere with your studies. Classes help here, since it means you're in a schedule and you have to meet regular goals.
This is a useful place to pick up some tricks. Not all of it is applicable, and some parts need to be taken with a rather large grain of salt, but pick through it. Stuff like flashcards and regular scheduling is quite helpful.