(even after six years, I only know about 150 or so, but there are people, with the right books, who can get all of them mastered within a year or two)
Six years, and only 150? Either you are not prioritizing them at all, or whatever you use for instruction is terrible. Learning all the kanji within a year or so is doable without problems (whether it makes any sense is another question), but even if you take a different approach a few hundred per year should be there. What are you doing about reading? We learned 250 in the first three months while we built up vocabulary, and it's so much easier now to switch textbooks and start on real texts.
I hadn't thought of that. It makes a scary amount of sense. Wean everybody off DVDs gradually, switch cooperation from the current DVD-carrying stores to electronics producers with their integration systems of PCs, TV etc so they can insist nothing is lost in the conversion away from DVD. Retain much more control over the movie/music/whatever. And the majority of customers will think of it as a convenient innovation.
Agreement on the rental issue. It's convenient, it might be mmore economical, and I doubt anyone worries about data loss in that situation. But for actual movie purchases this is idiotic.
The thing is that once you pay for it, I doubt there's going to be quite as much willingness to wait several hours, at the very least, for a download to finish. Many people will put up with the wait because it means getting something for free, but if it costs the same as picking up the DVD along with your groceries, I just can't see downloads taking a huge market size. Assuming you leave your home once or twice a day, it's probably just as convenient to rent or buy the DVD along the way.
Unlike their current services, in which online shoppers pay around $4 to rent new movies for up to a month, the films will be sold for prices "similar to home video," says Ramo.
Are they trying to deliberately kill the idea of movie downloads? Simultaneous release, same price... why should anyone wait for a few hours for a download when it's just as quick to get the actual DVD? And costs as much? The DVD can be passed on to others and there's no need to install special software on the PC to actually get it running.
Looks very much like an alibi action - "we tried to offer it, but nobody wanted it! So why should we bother?"
Going to the bank once a month is a matter of depositing a lot of coinage (grandmother-related) and of currency exchange. Once the new EU members adopt the Euro, that won't be necessary anymore. It's the most convenient way of money exchange for me, given that my bank is just around the corner.
And, out of curiosity, since I honestly have never encountered checks as regular payment - you slip them into envelopes and then simply mail them out? What happens if they get lost in the mail?
You can set a limit when you sign up for the service. With my phone provider the default limit is 100 Euro per day, so the damage would not be too great. If your phone gets stolen, the first thing you do is call your provider and block the SIM card, so no more payments or calls are possible from that moment on. Same if you lose your phone; you can block the SIM card and get a new card (with the old number) from your provider. Anything that happens until you block the card is your responsibility, though, although providers usually are generous if you can show them a police report or something like that.
It's implemented here in Austria, though only for certain areas. You can buy your parking tickets via SMS, online betting is paid that way, public transport tickets, and you can get your soft drinks from vending machines by sending a code. It gets added to your monthly phone bill. I'm sure there are more areas where it's used, but those are the ones that for me come to mind immediately.
I'd bet on Japan being a lot more advanced in the area, though. If even we can figure it out, surely they're far ahead of us.
Badly phrased on my account; thanks for correcting and clarifying. Although in my experience banks will undo even transfers you initiate yourself if you request it within a few days and have a good reason (like a mistyped account number).
You get the same benefits with bank transfers, though. So I wouldn't consider this a benefit of cheques. Unless it's a matter of writing them out on the spot, I honestly don't see the advantage. Especially since you need a bank account anyway.
I bought a used car only a few months ago. The seller gave me her account number, I transferred the money, and as soon as it reached her account we had it settled. Banks will undo transfers for up to six weeks, so as long as you check your list of transfers regularly, the risk is minimal. In cases like a car sale I'd have no qualms about it. I know who the other party is, after all, so if my number is abused afterwards, I know who is responsible. And at least in my country you cannot draw a transfer from another account without the account owner's signature.
That's exactly it. So unless bank accounts aren't common, I honestly don't see the point. Especially since checks can get lost in the mail, while transfers are traceable through the bank. It's a security issue.
Absolutely serious. I've got a bank account and use transfers for pretty much everything, from the phone bill to electricity to payments to Amazon. My wages get paid into that accout. And for everyday money I use either cash or my debit card, since you can pay with that at most shops. I use online banking regularly, so my bank sees me maybe once a month, if that. And even then I use the ATMs instead of the teller, unless I need something more complicated.
I honestly cannot think of a single instance where I'd need to use a check/cheque/however you want to spell it.
I can physically hand cash off to someone. For larger sums that wouldn't work, but anything under 100 Euro isn't a problem. I've been given one cheque in my entire life, and that was a somewhat extraordinary situation.
How often are they used? I find the whole concept fascinating, in a "I didn't think this still exists" kind of way. And why not use cash? 50 pound doesn't sound like a sum I'd be reluctant to carry around.
I'm buying organic meat. Which means that I'm cutting back on how much of it I eat, since of course it's more expensive. Healthier all around.
I don't want anyone to be forced to pay for organic or bio food. But at the same time I don't want to be forced to have to buy food which has a list of ingredients full of emulgators and other stuff that belong in a chemistry lab and not on a plate.
Odd - "biologically sound" fish is easy to get here and not even that much more expensive. It's quite a market. As long as you don't want salmon or anything else that can't be raised/grown/whatever you do with fish in controlled environments. It all depends on the demand for it, of course, so if you're one of the few who cares...
Can we please stop messing with food? Please? Especially when we don't really know anything about the long-term effects yet? It's really stopping to be funny now, and I'm running out of meat which hasn't been tampered with. Beef? Mad Cow (we know the long-term there). Pork? Antibiotics, plus this lovely new genetic experimenting. Chicken? Antibiotics again, and same goes for turkey. Fish? Full of lead. It's getting a bit tricky by now, and switching over to venison or kangaroo isn't exactly an option.
There's no knowing what the long-term effects of genetic engineering in food will be. So stop mass-testing it on the population.
As far as I recall, the law is that theft is punishable with imprisonment of up to two years. But to actually get that, you'd have to steal designer chewing gum sprinkled with diamonds and go about it professionally. For normal chewing gum, you'll pay a fee unless you're a repeat offender.
But how many people will use MSN search? I'm gradually converting anyone whose PC I can get at to Firefox, and as far as I can tell hardly anyone has figured out what the box in the upper right corner is for. It's painful to watch how they'll open a tab and type in the Google URL instead of simply using the search box, even after it's been pointed out to them.
Given that they're usually offering their own versions of existing services after the competition has been around for a while, it's only logical that they'd be better. They've had the time to watch and learn.
Nice strategy, really. Let the others make the mistakes and blunder about for a bit, then move in once the technology has some user acceptance, fix the problems the existing services have, and voila - success.
Doesn't revenue recorded early also mean spreading it out a bit in terms of tax? I have no idea, though, how relevant that is when you're talking the kind of amount Vista is going to bring in. Just a thought. Or perhaps it's for the shareholders? Polish up the 2006 balance sheet a bit instead of shovelling it all into the 2007 account? It also might not be the worst thing for the stock price.
100 episodes. So, five seasons, most likely. How many vaporators can you possibly repair? And what will the season finale be like? Luke heads out to a vaporator but forgets his toolbox, and drama results?
The sad thing is, when you look at the EU, 5 seasons would be so easy to fill. Give one to the Thrawn trilogy, another to the X-Wing universe (or two - Allston would be worth a try too). Filter NJO for the good plotlines, that would be a third. And two more shouldn't be a problem either - there are enough novels which would do for three to four episodes. It would hardly be chronological, and continuity might be screwed, but hey, this is SW. We got episodes 4-6 before 1-3, and continuity doesn't exist in that galaxy.
Point. And it would mean another war somewhere because, after all, you've got to try out your new toys under combat conditions.
I was thinking of situations like Darfur when I was posting. Given what the militia manages to do there with nothing more than horses and guns (and bows and arrows), then turning them into what amounts superhumans wouldn't paint a pretty picture at all. Bush at least has to care a little bit about the bad PR he gets when the US troops randomly kill civilians. At least, I imagine he gets that bad PR not just here in Europe.
I'm still trying to make up my mind to decide whether this is awesome or frightening. Both, I guess. Because there are so obviously enormous benefits. But on the other hand, when you've grown up on Marvel comics, then any mention of superhuman strength makes me wonder about the potential problems.
Fancy imagining that kind of technology in the hands of some warlord in a third world country somewhere? Or even in a normal army? I'm not sure it's something I really want to envision.
Slashdot Mirror
(even after six years, I only know about 150 or so, but there are people, with the right books, who can get all of them mastered within a year or two)
Six years, and only 150? Either you are not prioritizing them at all, or whatever you use for instruction is terrible. Learning all the kanji within a year or so is doable without problems (whether it makes any sense is another question), but even if you take a different approach a few hundred per year should be there. What are you doing about reading? We learned 250 in the first three months while we built up vocabulary, and it's so much easier now to switch textbooks and start on real texts.
I hadn't thought of that. It makes a scary amount of sense. Wean everybody off DVDs gradually, switch cooperation from the current DVD-carrying stores to electronics producers with their integration systems of PCs, TV etc so they can insist nothing is lost in the conversion away from DVD. Retain much more control over the movie/music/whatever. And the majority of customers will think of it as a convenient innovation.
Agreement on the rental issue. It's convenient, it might be mmore economical, and I doubt anyone worries about data loss in that situation. But for actual movie purchases this is idiotic.
The thing is that once you pay for it, I doubt there's going to be quite as much willingness to wait several hours, at the very least, for a download to finish. Many people will put up with the wait because it means getting something for free, but if it costs the same as picking up the DVD along with your groceries, I just can't see downloads taking a huge market size. Assuming you leave your home once or twice a day, it's probably just as convenient to rent or buy the DVD along the way.
Unlike their current services, in which online shoppers pay around $4 to rent new movies for up to a month, the films will be sold for prices "similar to home video," says Ramo.
Are they trying to deliberately kill the idea of movie downloads? Simultaneous release, same price... why should anyone wait for a few hours for a download when it's just as quick to get the actual DVD? And costs as much? The DVD can be passed on to others and there's no need to install special software on the PC to actually get it running.
Looks very much like an alibi action - "we tried to offer it, but nobody wanted it! So why should we bother?"
Aside from $2 vs. 39 cents, where's the difference? You pay a fee either way, to whoever operates the ATM or to the postal service.
Going to the bank once a month is a matter of depositing a lot of coinage (grandmother-related) and of currency exchange. Once the new EU members adopt the Euro, that won't be necessary anymore. It's the most convenient way of money exchange for me, given that my bank is just around the corner.
And, out of curiosity, since I honestly have never encountered checks as regular payment - you slip them into envelopes and then simply mail them out? What happens if they get lost in the mail?
You can set a limit when you sign up for the service. With my phone provider the default limit is 100 Euro per day, so the damage would not be too great. If your phone gets stolen, the first thing you do is call your provider and block the SIM card, so no more payments or calls are possible from that moment on. Same if you lose your phone; you can block the SIM card and get a new card (with the old number) from your provider. Anything that happens until you block the card is your responsibility, though, although providers usually are generous if you can show them a police report or something like that.
It's implemented here in Austria, though only for certain areas. You can buy your parking tickets via SMS, online betting is paid that way, public transport tickets, and you can get your soft drinks from vending machines by sending a code. It gets added to your monthly phone bill. I'm sure there are more areas where it's used, but those are the ones that for me come to mind immediately.
I'd bet on Japan being a lot more advanced in the area, though. If even we can figure it out, surely they're far ahead of us.
Badly phrased on my account; thanks for correcting and clarifying. Although in my experience banks will undo even transfers you initiate yourself if you request it within a few days and have a good reason (like a mistyped account number).
You get the same benefits with bank transfers, though. So I wouldn't consider this a benefit of cheques. Unless it's a matter of writing them out on the spot, I honestly don't see the advantage. Especially since you need a bank account anyway.
Culture clash, I guess.
I bought a used car only a few months ago. The seller gave me her account number, I transferred the money, and as soon as it reached her account we had it settled. Banks will undo transfers for up to six weeks, so as long as you check your list of transfers regularly, the risk is minimal. In cases like a car sale I'd have no qualms about it. I know who the other party is, after all, so if my number is abused afterwards, I know who is responsible. And at least in my country you cannot draw a transfer from another account without the account owner's signature.
That's exactly it. So unless bank accounts aren't common, I honestly don't see the point. Especially since checks can get lost in the mail, while transfers are traceable through the bank. It's a security issue.
Absolutely serious. I've got a bank account and use transfers for pretty much everything, from the phone bill to electricity to payments to Amazon. My wages get paid into that accout. And for everyday money I use either cash or my debit card, since you can pay with that at most shops. I use online banking regularly, so my bank sees me maybe once a month, if that. And even then I use the ATMs instead of the teller, unless I need something more complicated. I honestly cannot think of a single instance where I'd need to use a check/cheque/however you want to spell it.
I can physically hand cash off to someone. For larger sums that wouldn't work, but anything under 100 Euro isn't a problem. I've been given one cheque in my entire life, and that was a somewhat extraordinary situation.
How often are they used? I find the whole concept fascinating, in a "I didn't think this still exists" kind of way. And why not use cash? 50 pound doesn't sound like a sum I'd be reluctant to carry around.
First a new version of Paint, and now this! I can't wait for Vista to hit the shelves!
I'm buying organic meat. Which means that I'm cutting back on how much of it I eat, since of course it's more expensive. Healthier all around.
I don't want anyone to be forced to pay for organic or bio food. But at the same time I don't want to be forced to have to buy food which has a list of ingredients full of emulgators and other stuff that belong in a chemistry lab and not on a plate.
Odd - "biologically sound" fish is easy to get here and not even that much more expensive. It's quite a market. As long as you don't want salmon or anything else that can't be raised/grown/whatever you do with fish in controlled environments. It all depends on the demand for it, of course, so if you're one of the few who cares...
Can we please stop messing with food? Please? Especially when we don't really know anything about the long-term effects yet? It's really stopping to be funny now, and I'm running out of meat which hasn't been tampered with. Beef? Mad Cow (we know the long-term there). Pork? Antibiotics, plus this lovely new genetic experimenting. Chicken? Antibiotics again, and same goes for turkey. Fish? Full of lead. It's getting a bit tricky by now, and switching over to venison or kangaroo isn't exactly an option.
There's no knowing what the long-term effects of genetic engineering in food will be. So stop mass-testing it on the population.
As far as I recall, the law is that theft is punishable with imprisonment of up to two years. But to actually get that, you'd have to steal designer chewing gum sprinkled with diamonds and go about it professionally. For normal chewing gum, you'll pay a fee unless you're a repeat offender.
But how many people will use MSN search? I'm gradually converting anyone whose PC I can get at to Firefox, and as far as I can tell hardly anyone has figured out what the box in the upper right corner is for. It's painful to watch how they'll open a tab and type in the Google URL instead of simply using the search box, even after it's been pointed out to them.
Given that they're usually offering their own versions of existing services after the competition has been around for a while, it's only logical that they'd be better. They've had the time to watch and learn.
Nice strategy, really. Let the others make the mistakes and blunder about for a bit, then move in once the technology has some user acceptance, fix the problems the existing services have, and voila - success.
Doesn't revenue recorded early also mean spreading it out a bit in terms of tax? I have no idea, though, how relevant that is when you're talking the kind of amount Vista is going to bring in. Just a thought. Or perhaps it's for the shareholders? Polish up the 2006 balance sheet a bit instead of shovelling it all into the 2007 account? It also might not be the worst thing for the stock price.
100 episodes. So, five seasons, most likely. How many vaporators can you possibly repair? And what will the season finale be like? Luke heads out to a vaporator but forgets his toolbox, and drama results?
The sad thing is, when you look at the EU, 5 seasons would be so easy to fill. Give one to the Thrawn trilogy, another to the X-Wing universe (or two - Allston would be worth a try too). Filter NJO for the good plotlines, that would be a third. And two more shouldn't be a problem either - there are enough novels which would do for three to four episodes. It would hardly be chronological, and continuity might be screwed, but hey, this is SW. We got episodes 4-6 before 1-3, and continuity doesn't exist in that galaxy.
Point. And it would mean another war somewhere because, after all, you've got to try out your new toys under combat conditions.
I was thinking of situations like Darfur when I was posting. Given what the militia manages to do there with nothing more than horses and guns (and bows and arrows), then turning them into what amounts superhumans wouldn't paint a pretty picture at all. Bush at least has to care a little bit about the bad PR he gets when the US troops randomly kill civilians. At least, I imagine he gets that bad PR not just here in Europe.
I'm still trying to make up my mind to decide whether this is awesome or frightening. Both, I guess. Because there are so obviously enormous benefits. But on the other hand, when you've grown up on Marvel comics, then any mention of superhuman strength makes me wonder about the potential problems.
Fancy imagining that kind of technology in the hands of some warlord in a third world country somewhere? Or even in a normal army? I'm not sure it's something I really want to envision.