Isn't it great to see how software patents can encourage innovation? (And by encourage, I mean scare away.) What could be a better example of how broken the system has become?
The article also states that the beam control system "guided the laser beam to the target." Not just aimed, but guided. They have to make sure a gust of wind doesn't push the laser thingy off course.
That's true, if you have accepted a $40-$60 per month cell phone bill as a given, then there's no reason to mess with internet phone service. I use internet phone service to save money, combined with a pay-as-you-go cell phone for those times I need a portable phone. My combined phone expense is about $10 per month.
This wouldn't work for everyone, I know. To me, it's worth it to save a few hundred dollars per year. Google Voice is going to make this much easier, since I won't have to give out two phone numbers. I've been waiting in hope that Google will soon offer the option to transfer my main Skype number to them.
I'd like to see easier configuration for the options that people most often want to use. Switching between [tabs on top] / [tabs on bottom] shouldn't require googling for an obscure browser setting, or finding a checkbox from a list of 50 settings.
When I go to settings, there should be a tab for "layout". I should be able to select between [tabs on top] / [tabs on bottom], and see a small preview of what this will look like.
It may be possible to do tabs on top now, but I couldn't find any way to do it in the options. Does it require an add-on?
I have one question for the OP, who was born in 1957. If the technological advances of today were "largely anticipated", how many millions of dollars did you make by investing in computers and internet technologies in the 80's and 90's?
Unless someone owns the copyright to the sound of coins jingling. And if you try to pay that person back using the coins sound clip as well, you'll just end up with feedback. And if someone owns the copyright on feedback, then I think a robot's head somewhere will explode.
My mouse is similar, but every time I move it, it tweets the current (x, y) screen position, the current application, and twitpics with a screen shot and a webcam image. My keyboard works in much the same way for keypresses.
I've produced 743 tweets while writing this message. Oh wait, I just scrolled a bit - 1142 tweets.
They aren't the same thing at all. With Google Voice, you still need some kind of phone service to make calls. In fact, one cost effective way to use Google Voice is to combine it with Skype.
It would be nice if Google provided an internet phone service as part of Google Voice. I'm currently looking into using Google Voice in combination with Gizmo5, which looks very promising. Whether Skype or Gizmo5 is a less expensive pairing for Google Voice depends on your usage patterns - Gizmo5 is cheaper up front, but Skype offers unlimited domestic calling for a set price.
If anyone has experience with this, please share your advice. I have been annoyed by Skype's billing policies and customer service lately, which is what is making me want to switch.
I'm just basing it on the title of the article, and a little math. (These costs are per unit sold, and assume that there is a profit margin baked into the costs.)
C = Cost of Game ($60) D = Development costs M = Marketing costs (3*D) P = Packaging / Distribution costs (Should be less than $5)
D+M+P = C D+M+5 = 60 D+(3*D)+5 = 60 4D = 55 Development costs = About $14 Cost of game without marketing = 14 + 5 = $19
Presumably the games without marketing sell far less units, and therefore need to recoup more development costs per units sold. However, if there weren't any games with excessive marketing costs, then sales would distribute more around those games which are well reviewed, and it would be possible to sell a top notch game for $20 and make a profit.
At what point does a fictional character die? When their death is written, when it is published, or when the reader reads it? If I haven't read about the character's death yet, are they still alive to me? Or are they already dead, and I'm simply not aware of it?
I suppose it depends where the character is considered to live. We could say that the character lives within the story -- but what life does the story have if no one is reading it? I think that the story and its characters take on life within the mind and imagination of the reader. Therefore, the author destines a character to their demise, and the reader brings that destiny to fruition.
Is this the reason that new games cost $60 or more? Without the marketing costs, new games could cost a more reasonable $15-20. This would encourage people like me to buy new games rather than waiting to buy them used.
Perhaps the trouble is that there is nothing to keep marketing expenses in check. A large bag of store-brand, non-advertised charcoal might cost $15. Kingston brand charcoal might cost $20, with much of that extra cost due to advertising. If Kingston decided to spend another $40 per bag on advertising and sell their charcoal for $60, they'd sell almost nothing and go out of business. They would be crazy - but this sort of crazy marketing seems to be standard in the games industry.
And how does feeding people for one day or providing one town health care for ten years solve the long term problems that India faces? At least your suggestion of building sewage treatment plants has the potential for providing long term benefits. However, I suspect that increasing India's level of technological expertise will go farther towards increasing its wealth (and hence its ability to care for its citizens) than anything you suggested.
Unless there are nuclear bomb plans on the desktop, why would we be holding these devices for any days? Why are searching people's data anyways, when any serious criminal could simply upload their data to a server, drop it in a Dropbox account, or just encrypt it before crossing the border?
We need to be encouraging tourism and business travelers, not pulling this crap.
Samba works without Microsoft's help. However, I don't know if the PS3 could incorporate Samba without breaking the GPL. They might have to write their own implementation.
The PS3 can browse files shared using uPnP, but it is really slow. It's sad that my modded Xbox can browse through my music over the network so much faster than what my PS3 can do.
That first link is so bizarre, sitting within a post which otherwise seems very logical. My brain is short circuiting as it tries to find the connection between underground piping and spinach pizza.
Thanks for posting from your pedal powered, all natural and biodegradable computer.;)
My point is that we're all contributing to polluting the environment. Of course we shouldn't pollute gratuitously. Knowing the extent of the damage being done helps us decide how aggressive we need to be in reducing emissions.
It's easy to say that big corporations should spend billions on reducing emissions. But should you start biking to work? Should you stop using electronics for simple recreation? I'll stop if it will save the human race, but not if it will only cause a negligible drop in CO2 readings.
Register a URL specifically for her, and think up a login and password for it. Place the URL and login info on a sheet of paper placed in the capsule. Create a trust of 3 people to maintain the domain registration and to keep a copy of all the files stored and backed up. Once she turns 16, sign up for hosting somewhere, and set up a login page which gives her access to all the digital files. At this time you can convert the files to the format-of-the-day if needed.
If you do this, it should be secondary content. The main content of the capsule should be physical items and handwritten words.
I agree. However, it's cool to think that in 2-3 years I could buy a phone such as this for about $150, and run any software on it that I like.
I hope we're reaching the point of diminishing returns, where there just isn't much left to add to a phone that people actually want. Then perhaps the service providers will have to start competing on cost of the contract rather than shininess of the phone. (Yeah, I know, good luck with that!)
Of course you're free to spend time however you want. I was speaking in general terms, and also from personal experience. I don't know much about the reliability of the study, I just thought it was an interesting starting point for a discussion.
Those "lite" games are little more than Flash games with shinier graphics. They also tend to be repetitive, and there is not much depth or story involved. I play them sometimes, but they're not really what I'm looking for.
What I would like to see is something like a cross between a game and a movie. I want depth and story integrated into the game experience. I want every challenge I face within the game to have been carefully chosen because it adds to the experience, just like a good director carefully chooses each shot and cuts out those which don't add to a movie.
I don't really see anything like this available. When a game does include a good story, it also includes far too much repetitive gameplay.
Slashdot Mirror
Isn't it great to see how software patents can encourage innovation? (And by encourage, I mean scare away.) What could be a better example of how broken the system has become?
What truth would that be? I'm all ears.
The article also states that the beam control system "guided the laser beam to the target." Not just aimed, but guided. They have to make sure a gust of wind doesn't push the laser thingy off course.
It is http, colon, then slash, slash, slash, dot, dot, org, and followed by another slash. Confusing, I know.
That's true, if you have accepted a $40-$60 per month cell phone bill as a given, then there's no reason to mess with internet phone service. I use internet phone service to save money, combined with a pay-as-you-go cell phone for those times I need a portable phone. My combined phone expense is about $10 per month.
This wouldn't work for everyone, I know. To me, it's worth it to save a few hundred dollars per year. Google Voice is going to make this much easier, since I won't have to give out two phone numbers. I've been waiting in hope that Google will soon offer the option to transfer my main Skype number to them.
I'd like to see easier configuration for the options that people most often want to use. Switching between [tabs on top] / [tabs on bottom] shouldn't require googling for an obscure browser setting, or finding a checkbox from a list of 50 settings.
When I go to settings, there should be a tab for "layout". I should be able to select between [tabs on top] / [tabs on bottom], and see a small preview of what this will look like.
It may be possible to do tabs on top now, but I couldn't find any way to do it in the options. Does it require an add-on?
I believe there is already a term for slow, crappy internet service. It's Comcastic!
I have one question for the OP, who was born in 1957. If the technological advances of today were "largely anticipated", how many millions of dollars did you make by investing in computers and internet technologies in the 80's and 90's?
Unless someone owns the copyright to the sound of coins jingling. And if you try to pay that person back using the coins sound clip as well, you'll just end up with feedback. And if someone owns the copyright on feedback, then I think a robot's head somewhere will explode.
My mouse is similar, but every time I move it, it tweets the current (x, y) screen position, the current application, and twitpics with a screen shot and a webcam image. My keyboard works in much the same way for keypresses.
I've produced 743 tweets while writing this message. Oh wait, I just scrolled a bit - 1142 tweets.
They aren't the same thing at all. With Google Voice, you still need some kind of phone service to make calls. In fact, one cost effective way to use Google Voice is to combine it with Skype.
It would be nice if Google provided an internet phone service as part of Google Voice. I'm currently looking into using Google Voice in combination with Gizmo5, which looks very promising. Whether Skype or Gizmo5 is a less expensive pairing for Google Voice depends on your usage patterns - Gizmo5 is cheaper up front, but Skype offers unlimited domestic calling for a set price.
If anyone has experience with this, please share your advice. I have been annoyed by Skype's billing policies and customer service lately, which is what is making me want to switch.
I'm just basing it on the title of the article, and a little math. (These costs are per unit sold, and assume that there is a profit margin baked into the costs.)
C = Cost of Game ($60)
D = Development costs
M = Marketing costs (3*D)
P = Packaging / Distribution costs (Should be less than $5)
D+M+P = C
D+M+5 = 60
D+(3*D)+5 = 60
4D = 55
Development costs = About $14
Cost of game without marketing = 14 + 5 = $19
Presumably the games without marketing sell far less units, and therefore need to recoup more development costs per units sold. However, if there weren't any games with excessive marketing costs, then sales would distribute more around those games which are well reviewed, and it would be possible to sell a top notch game for $20 and make a profit.
At what point does a fictional character die? When their death is written, when it is published, or when the reader reads it? If I haven't read about the character's death yet, are they still alive to me? Or are they already dead, and I'm simply not aware of it?
I suppose it depends where the character is considered to live. We could say that the character lives within the story -- but what life does the story have if no one is reading it? I think that the story and its characters take on life within the mind and imagination of the reader. Therefore, the author destines a character to their demise, and the reader brings that destiny to fruition.
Is this the reason that new games cost $60 or more? Without the marketing costs, new games could cost a more reasonable $15-20. This would encourage people like me to buy new games rather than waiting to buy them used.
Perhaps the trouble is that there is nothing to keep marketing expenses in check. A large bag of store-brand, non-advertised charcoal might cost $15. Kingston brand charcoal might cost $20, with much of that extra cost due to advertising. If Kingston decided to spend another $40 per bag on advertising and sell their charcoal for $60, they'd sell almost nothing and go out of business. They would be crazy - but this sort of crazy marketing seems to be standard in the games industry.
But without all the sex, of course.
And how does feeding people for one day or providing one town health care for ten years solve the long term problems that India faces? At least your suggestion of building sewage treatment plants has the potential for providing long term benefits. However, I suspect that increasing India's level of technological expertise will go farther towards increasing its wealth (and hence its ability to care for its citizens) than anything you suggested.
Thanks for the heads up, Nvidia! I'll be sure to hold off for 6 years on buying anything with a GPU.
Unless there are nuclear bomb plans on the desktop, why would we be holding these devices for any days? Why are searching people's data anyways, when any serious criminal could simply upload their data to a server, drop it in a Dropbox account, or just encrypt it before crossing the border?
We need to be encouraging tourism and business travelers, not pulling this crap.
Samba works without Microsoft's help. However, I don't know if the PS3 could incorporate Samba without breaking the GPL. They might have to write their own implementation.
The PS3 can browse files shared using uPnP, but it is really slow. It's sad that my modded Xbox can browse through my music over the network so much faster than what my PS3 can do.
That first link is so bizarre, sitting within a post which otherwise seems very logical. My brain is short circuiting as it tries to find the connection between underground piping and spinach pizza.
Thanks for posting from your pedal powered, all natural and biodegradable computer. ;)
My point is that we're all contributing to polluting the environment. Of course we shouldn't pollute gratuitously. Knowing the extent of the damage being done helps us decide how aggressive we need to be in reducing emissions.
It's easy to say that big corporations should spend billions on reducing emissions. But should you start biking to work? Should you stop using electronics for simple recreation? I'll stop if it will save the human race, but not if it will only cause a negligible drop in CO2 readings.
Register a URL specifically for her, and think up a login and password for it. Place the URL and login info on a sheet of paper placed in the capsule. Create a trust of 3 people to maintain the domain registration and to keep a copy of all the files stored and backed up. Once she turns 16, sign up for hosting somewhere, and set up a login page which gives her access to all the digital files. At this time you can convert the files to the format-of-the-day if needed.
If you do this, it should be secondary content. The main content of the capsule should be physical items and handwritten words.
The funniest thing is that someone modded it informative.
I agree. However, it's cool to think that in 2-3 years I could buy a phone such as this for about $150, and run any software on it that I like.
I hope we're reaching the point of diminishing returns, where there just isn't much left to add to a phone that people actually want. Then perhaps the service providers will have to start competing on cost of the contract rather than shininess of the phone. (Yeah, I know, good luck with that!)
Of course you're free to spend time however you want. I was speaking in general terms, and also from personal experience. I don't know much about the reliability of the study, I just thought it was an interesting starting point for a discussion.
Those "lite" games are little more than Flash games with shinier graphics. They also tend to be repetitive, and there is not much depth or story involved. I play them sometimes, but they're not really what I'm looking for.
What I would like to see is something like a cross between a game and a movie. I want depth and story integrated into the game experience. I want every challenge I face within the game to have been carefully chosen because it adds to the experience, just like a good director carefully chooses each shot and cuts out those which don't add to a movie.
I don't really see anything like this available. When a game does include a good story, it also includes far too much repetitive gameplay.