To give a hypothetical US example: let's say the people elect a President who turns out to be Literally Hitler, and has gotten Congress to back him (just like Hitler).
Hitler did not simply walk into the Reichstag.
Hitler's election was one of the most undemocratic processes in western democracy's history. In a lot of polling stations, the Sturmablung (SA or the Brown Shirts) stood over the polling booths to ensure people "voted correctly". People known to associate with Hitler's opponents were encouraged not to vote. The whole election was a farce.
Ironically, for the SA's good work in "promoting" Nazism in the election, Hitler immediately stabbed their leader Ernst Rohm in the back (almost quite literally, he had Rohm killed), disbanded the SA and folded the political division into the SS and the military arm into the regular German military.
Apologies if the German words are spelled incorrectly, it's not my native language.
The lesson we can draw from this (TL;DR) is that ultra radicals are rarely elected and almost always use subversion, violence and other undemocratic means to get into power.
let's say the people elect a President who turns out to be Literally Hitler
Sorry Mt._Honkey, I couldn't let this pass.
Is his first name "Literally"? I mean it's bad enough to elect someone with the last name of Hitler, but seeing Mr Literally Hitler on the ballot paper should set alarm bells ringing in the head of the dumbest of voters.
So, any ideas other than do nothing? While do nothing is easy and doesn't suffer a lot of corruption, it doesn't have nearly as many accomplishments (such as workplace safety, 8 hour days and 40 hour weeks, etc) to it's name.
Wanna learn a bit about unions? Go lurk on message boards for people in various union jobs. You might learn something. For example, I have seen that more linemen die in non-union jobs than in union jobs because in non-union places they'll send under-qualified people up the pole where the distribution voltage is.
This,
Most people who whinge about unions, engineers and standards have never worked or lived in places where they dont have these things and any idiot is permitted to install wiring.
I've been in places where I've seen people die on the worksite from preventable accidents. The one moment that sticks out was in an SE Asian country where I oversaw the network installation, after a worker got electrocuted because he was working on a live system (because turning off the mains would have stopped others from using power tools) the response from his manager was "he's Burmese, lah". The worst part was being part of the management meeting discussing the smallest amount of money they could get away with paying the dead mans family. This is the world you get without unions, an Australian union would have made damn sure the site had separate circuits installed and the circuit being worked on was off.
Unions may not be perfect, some are shamelessly corrupt but without unions we'd be at the mercy of corporations.
I believe people like Amazon, et al. are offering virtual desktops now. So called "in the cloud" machines.
The alternative to using a VPN is simply to rent a box (virtual or physical) in the US, then make your purchases from that box. Seeing as the endpoint as far as the merchant is concerned is in the US there is no real way to block it (well you could try playing whack-a-mole with "cloud" service providers and well, good luck with that.
It's the same as using freight forwarders, but a lot harder to blacklist.
What we need is the return of the DIN standard for car stereos, with some additions....
As much as I love the idea of the DIN standard, car radio theft is a huge problem with DIN style radios. Removing the faceplate every time you leave your car somewhere is a pain in the butt, and doesn't guarantee the radio won't be stolen anyway (radio theives aren't the smartest bunch). Car makers moving to nonstandard radios is the biggest reason car radio thefts have almost disappeared. I would much rather have bluetooth, a USB charging point, and an Aux port. Maybe we won't be using USB and bluetooth as a standard in 15 years, but I guarantee an adapter for USB->future power standard will be available, and you have to try really hard to make something incompatable with an AUX port.
Erm no.
The fact a used car stereo is worthless has become the reason car stereo theft has almost disappeared. A new car stereo is $40, you'll be lucky if a pawn shop will give you $5 for a used one.
Non standard radios are the reason we have to get specialised wiring looms and aftermarket brackets to install aftermarket stereo's. Hell, my DC5 has a standard double DIN but still requires a Honda specific wiring loom (fortunately Honda has published the wiring diagrams). The biggest PITA is the fact I have to disassemble the entire console facade in order remove the stereo in a DC5.
Also, I'm willing to bet in 15 years time, we'll still be using USB, USB v6 or 7 maybe, but still USB and there will be an adapter if that version of USB is not backwards compatible.
Speaking as someone who's had this done to him, it was still my fault.
Arseholes like that are why I've installed a dashcam.
That being said, it's pretty hard to get "intentionally" rear ended if the driver behind is paying attention and keeping a minimum safe distance. Difficult, but not impossible (hence the dash cam).
THAT is what defensive driving actually means; assume the other guy will do the wrong thing. It's usually a safe assumption.
This, this x 1000.
Defensive driving is about determining potential hazards before they become real hazards and taking measures to avoid/mitigate them. More often than not the hazard ends up being a motorist who has no clue what they are doing or what is going on around them.
. My assessment of her intelligence was based on the look on her face (blank) and the kind of car she was driving (crossover SUV, pretty much always driven by people who can't fucking drive.)
Quoted For Truth.
Some drivers you can just tell are going to be trouble by looking at them. The cant keep a consistent speed, drift around in their lane, using their phone, always alternating between the accelerator and the brake (their brake lights go on every 2nd or 3rd second)... A semi-decent defensive driver sees the signs of a dumb driver a long way off.
Is it also prejudiced to assume that people in expensive new BMWs and Mercedes will cut me off and then slow down in the left lane as I pass through Marin? Fuck no, that's a certainty.
That's not prejudice, it's pattern recognition.
It's like saying SUV's will drift out of their lane on the slightest of bends, most of the time you'll be right.
Being rear-ended is never the fault of the person getting rear-ended. If you can't safely stop when the car in-front emergency brakes then you're driving too close. Yes it's an invite for someone to jump in front of you but that's not the point.
Almost never,
If you get rear ended because you cut someone off or braked maliciously then it is your fault. But just driving normally and someone rams up your arse then it's practically never your fault.
This hysteria to have as wide screen as possible is limiting the usefulness when it comes to business applications and software development.
For software development your screen(s) needs to horizontally span three pages: One page for docs, one page for your editor, and one page for testing/debugger. You want a vertical resolution to display at least a full page of documentation. If you are going to do all that on a single monitor, then 2560x1600 is common and cheap enough, so I don't see why anyone would settle for the 2560x1080 in TFA. 1080 is insufficient vertical res.
Dang, I don't know how i survived programming C on a CGA monitor back in the late 80's.
What the GP meant to say is that modern developers need 3 windows open, an IDE, Google and the Clipboard.
In comparison typical 2000mAh alkaline AA cell can support 5mw for about 600 hours, but if you can't afford alkaline batteries (or are someplace where you don't have easy access to them), then this flashlight may be better than nothing. Though a crank-up generator flashlight might be brighter and more usable.
It's not a question of affording AA batteries in some scenarios, it's a matter of getting them or being certain they'll work.
Alkaline batteries have a shelf life. I once worked in a machine shop at a mine. As one of the lowest level peons one of my glorious tasks was testing all the battery powered devices in the shop and once every 2 months, replacing all the replaceable batteries in all the battery powered devices (regardless of if they worked) as if one torch (flashlight for the Americans) didn't work the safety inspectors would tear us a new one. Rechargeable were strictly verboten for safety devices as they had a terrible shelf life.
If the company replaced every single torch in the place with a version that didn't need batteries they'd save a mint. Hundreds of units per site.
Also, I can think of places that dont have regular supply or carrying spare batteries is wasteful like onboard ships or remote bases that get a resupply ship every 6 months where this would be useful.
I don't think Ballmer is bad in every way, I think there are some teams he seems to have recognised know what they're on about and so he just leaves alone for the most part. Windows Server and SQL Server for example have just continued to get better.
Erm... You haven't used server 2012 have you... It's a usability nightmare.
I haven't had to use SQL2012 yet. I'm kind of scared to because MSSQL is one of the few MS products I'd recommend to people.
Steve Balmer has presided over the crappification of Microsoft. Starting from 2006, Server 2008 and SQL 2008 were started under Gate's leadership, the project we've seen come from Balmer are Windows 8, Server 2012, Windows Phone, all abysmal failures.
If you look at what happened with the DRM fiasco, we had Don insulting his customers saying basically that DRM was for their own good but also importantly that it couldn't be removed, then within a couple of days you had it removed including detail of the implications that had on other systems and features which is not a mere couple of days work to evaluate properly.
Sorry XBox fanboys, it hasn't been removed, it's simply been "deactivated".
The system is still there, lying dormant... like a virus.
And does anyone honestly think that this system wont be re-activated in the future, I have a bridge to sell you. It also gets you the "Bridge Buyer(TM)" achievement.
Goodbye Don
Don Mattrick was the fall guy, given a golden handshake and told it's not personal, its just business.
I wouldn't be surprised if Balmer ordered the DRM system in the first place, it's in line with Microsofts anti-piracy policies on other systems. If he didn't order it, he would have known about it and approved it from its inception at the very least.
Software is almost entirely a mathematical construct. We dont allow patenting mathematical constructs because they are far too logical and replicable. Anyone looking to do the same thing will logically take the same path with no knowledge of any prior art.
So you dont understand patents, software or more likely, both.
Patents are meant to encourage innovation by providing a limited monopoly. The key words in there are "encourage" and "limited". Patents are not meant to provide a means of extorting other businesses nor are they meant to last for ever. The price of the limited monopoly is that the patent passes into the public domain after a set number of years. Patents are also required to be unique, code is too easily replicated by someone with no knowledge of the patented code to meet this requirement.
Then at we'd be back to enjoying the benefits of the system that worked rather well for hundreds of years.
LoL, you also dont know your history.
Patent systems are radically different to the systems you claim "worked" and we haven't had the same system for 100's of years. The current iteration started around 50 years ago with most of the abusive changes added in the last 20.
Simple, deposit that cash into a bank account of your choosing.
or do what we do in civilised countries that gave up "cheques" decades ago, direct deposit into a bank account of my choosing.
In Australia if I want to pay a bill in cash, I can take it to any Australia Post office. If the bill provider does not offer the Pay at Post option, I can get a money order made out and sent to the biller at the post office. The money order is pre-paid and backed by the Australian Government, it cant be refused like a personal cheque can. This is how oldies who aren't familiar with those new fangled interents pay their bills.
or you know, I can pay by direct debit like normal people do.
I think US companies just like to spend more on unnecessary paperwork.
monthly and directly to bank account is the norm over here.
You know, for as much as I see people from European countries bash on big corporations, you guys sure seem fine with letting them earn interest on your money for an extra 6 months a year.
The benefits to monthly payroll are purely for the employer- they don't have to spend as much processing payroll since it happens half as often, and they can earn more interest on the money before giving it to you.
What utter bollocks.
Bollocks spoken by someone who knows nothing about accounting. The costs of hiring extra accountants and bookkeepers to do weekly pay runs will take more out of your pay than the alleged 6 months of interest (which again is bollocks) would add in. And yes, your delusional if you think that cost wont come out of your salary.
As ABG points out, bills are issued in arrears, the same as your salary so it all balances out. If you're smart, you stay ahead of your regular bills (rents, repayments) by a few weeks or a month.
I'm willing to bet you're the same kind of idiot who thinks putting everything on the card is making them money when it is costing them money via merchant fees (banks charge merchants for accepting your card, merchants raise prices and pass this on to you). If you cant effectively budget for monthly salaries, you completely fail at money management.
I think US companies just like to spend more on unnecessary paperwork.
monthly and directly to bank account is the norm over here.
Same in Australia, direct debit (straight into my bank account).
Monthly is preferred, but not always the case. Some jobs I've been paid fortnightly, my current job is weekly. Businesses prefer monthly because doing 12 payruns a year is cheaper than doing 26 or 52 payruns, for many small businesses it means hiring one book keeper instead of two.
Texting should be OK. You do not need any noise to text. And in a pitch black room the screen brightness should always be minimal. yes a cell needs to pump out a lot of lumens to be readable in the noon day son, but there is no excuse for a cell with a camera attachment to be a noticeable detraction in a movie theater.
Texting does make noise, beep when they're received (cmon, you honestly expect us to believe that someone inconsiderate enough to text in a theatre isn't inconsiderate enough not to put it on silent) and the constant "tick, tick, tick" from pressing keys can be heard.
Finally, one particular popular brand of smartphone has terrible light sensing abilities. I used to have to carry an Iphone for work, when it beeped in the middle of the night it would fecking blind me at full brightness in pitch black darkness. So I dont phones will not automatically be at minimum brightness.
Slashdot Mirror
As a person who fancies myself a programmer, I have to ask: What is "the Clipboard"?
Someone who hasn't been around long enough to remember it. Lawn.. get off.. etc, etc.
I've been programming since 1981. Don't remember any clipboard.
Keep digging.
If you dont know what a clipboard is, you cant be a very good developer.
To give a hypothetical US example: let's say the people elect a President who turns out to be Literally Hitler, and has gotten Congress to back him (just like Hitler).
Hitler did not simply walk into the Reichstag.
Hitler's election was one of the most undemocratic processes in western democracy's history. In a lot of polling stations, the Sturmablung (SA or the Brown Shirts) stood over the polling booths to ensure people "voted correctly". People known to associate with Hitler's opponents were encouraged not to vote. The whole election was a farce. Ironically, for the SA's good work in "promoting" Nazism in the election, Hitler immediately stabbed their leader Ernst Rohm in the back (almost quite literally, he had Rohm killed), disbanded the SA and folded the political division into the SS and the military arm into the regular German military.
Apologies if the German words are spelled incorrectly, it's not my native language.
The lesson we can draw from this (TL;DR) is that ultra radicals are rarely elected and almost always use subversion, violence and other undemocratic means to get into power.
let's say the people elect a President who turns out to be Literally Hitler
Sorry Mt._Honkey, I couldn't let this pass.
Is his first name "Literally"? I mean it's bad enough to elect someone with the last name of Hitler, but seeing Mr Literally Hitler on the ballot paper should set alarm bells ringing in the head of the dumbest of voters.
So, any ideas other than do nothing? While do nothing is easy and doesn't suffer a lot of corruption, it doesn't have nearly as many accomplishments (such as workplace safety, 8 hour days and 40 hour weeks, etc) to it's name.
Wanna learn a bit about unions? Go lurk on message boards for people in various union jobs. You might learn something. For example, I have seen that more linemen die in non-union jobs than in union jobs because in non-union places they'll send under-qualified people up the pole where the distribution voltage is.
This,
Most people who whinge about unions, engineers and standards have never worked or lived in places where they dont have these things and any idiot is permitted to install wiring.
I've been in places where I've seen people die on the worksite from preventable accidents. The one moment that sticks out was in an SE Asian country where I oversaw the network installation, after a worker got electrocuted because he was working on a live system (because turning off the mains would have stopped others from using power tools) the response from his manager was "he's Burmese, lah". The worst part was being part of the management meeting discussing the smallest amount of money they could get away with paying the dead mans family. This is the world you get without unions, an Australian union would have made damn sure the site had separate circuits installed and the circuit being worked on was off.
Unions may not be perfect, some are shamelessly corrupt but without unions we'd be at the mercy of corporations.
I believe people like Amazon, et al. are offering virtual desktops now. So called "in the cloud" machines.
The alternative to using a VPN is simply to rent a box (virtual or physical) in the US, then make your purchases from that box. Seeing as the endpoint as far as the merchant is concerned is in the US there is no real way to block it (well you could try playing whack-a-mole with "cloud" service providers and well, good luck with that.
It's the same as using freight forwarders, but a lot harder to blacklist.
What's the big deal? Pay by check! What's a week or two to save your rights?
Sorry, we dont accept personal cheques, especially from foreign banks.
You're still at the mercy of the bank who can choose to not to accept cheques.
What we need is the return of the DIN standard for car stereos, with some additions....
As much as I love the idea of the DIN standard, car radio theft is a huge problem with DIN style radios. Removing the faceplate every time you leave your car somewhere is a pain in the butt, and doesn't guarantee the radio won't be stolen anyway (radio theives aren't the smartest bunch). Car makers moving to nonstandard radios is the biggest reason car radio thefts have almost disappeared. I would much rather have bluetooth, a USB charging point, and an Aux port. Maybe we won't be using USB and bluetooth as a standard in 15 years, but I guarantee an adapter for USB->future power standard will be available, and you have to try really hard to make something incompatable with an AUX port.
Erm no.
The fact a used car stereo is worthless has become the reason car stereo theft has almost disappeared. A new car stereo is $40, you'll be lucky if a pawn shop will give you $5 for a used one.
Non standard radios are the reason we have to get specialised wiring looms and aftermarket brackets to install aftermarket stereo's. Hell, my DC5 has a standard double DIN but still requires a Honda specific wiring loom (fortunately Honda has published the wiring diagrams). The biggest PITA is the fact I have to disassemble the entire console facade in order remove the stereo in a DC5.
Also, I'm willing to bet in 15 years time, we'll still be using USB, USB v6 or 7 maybe, but still USB and there will be an adapter if that version of USB is not backwards compatible.
Synergy is abused in marketspeak, but it's a perfectly legitimate word itself, ask the Greeks.
Most marketspeak is a term with a legitimate meaning that has been abused to the point where it's lost all meaning.
Arseholes like that are why I've installed a dashcam.
That being said, it's pretty hard to get "intentionally" rear ended if the driver behind is paying attention and keeping a minimum safe distance. Difficult, but not impossible (hence the dash cam).
This, this x 1000.
Defensive driving is about determining potential hazards before they become real hazards and taking measures to avoid/mitigate them. More often than not the hazard ends up being a motorist who has no clue what they are doing or what is going on around them.
Quoted For Truth.
Some drivers you can just tell are going to be trouble by looking at them. The cant keep a consistent speed, drift around in their lane, using their phone, always alternating between the accelerator and the brake (their brake lights go on every 2nd or 3rd second)... A semi-decent defensive driver sees the signs of a dumb driver a long way off.
That's not prejudice, it's pattern recognition.
It's like saying SUV's will drift out of their lane on the slightest of bends, most of the time you'll be right.
Being rear-ended is never the fault of the person getting rear-ended. If you can't safely stop when the car in-front emergency brakes then you're driving too close. Yes it's an invite for someone to jump in front of you but that's not the point.
Almost never, If you get rear ended because you cut someone off or braked maliciously then it is your fault. But just driving normally and someone rams up your arse then it's practically never your fault.
As a person who fancies myself a programmer, I have to ask: What is "the Clipboard"?
Someone who hasn't been around long enough to remember it.
Lawn.. get off.. etc, etc.
Snakes,
Loud noises,
Social contact,
Drinks machine being out of soft drinks and/or chocolate,
Google being down,
This hysteria to have as wide screen as possible is limiting the usefulness when it comes to business applications and software development.
For software development your screen(s) needs to horizontally span three pages: One page for docs, one page for your editor, and one page for testing/debugger. You want a vertical resolution to display at least a full page of documentation. If you are going to do all that on a single monitor, then 2560x1600 is common and cheap enough, so I don't see why anyone would settle for the 2560x1080 in TFA. 1080 is insufficient vertical res.
Dang, I don't know how i survived programming C on a CGA monitor back in the late 80's.
What the GP meant to say is that modern developers need 3 windows open, an IDE, Google and the Clipboard.
Korean QHD (2560x1440) are going for A$300.
1080 is so 2005.
I'd rather have the extra vertical space.
In comparison typical 2000mAh alkaline AA cell can support 5mw for about 600 hours, but if you can't afford alkaline batteries (or are someplace where you don't have easy access to them), then this flashlight may be better than nothing. Though a crank-up generator flashlight might be brighter and more usable.
It's not a question of affording AA batteries in some scenarios, it's a matter of getting them or being certain they'll work.
Alkaline batteries have a shelf life. I once worked in a machine shop at a mine. As one of the lowest level peons one of my glorious tasks was testing all the battery powered devices in the shop and once every 2 months, replacing all the replaceable batteries in all the battery powered devices (regardless of if they worked) as if one torch (flashlight for the Americans) didn't work the safety inspectors would tear us a new one. Rechargeable were strictly verboten for safety devices as they had a terrible shelf life.
If the company replaced every single torch in the place with a version that didn't need batteries they'd save a mint. Hundreds of units per site.
Also, I can think of places that dont have regular supply or carrying spare batteries is wasteful like onboard ships or remote bases that get a resupply ship every 6 months where this would be useful.
The board hasn't fired Balmer because Balmer has stacked the board with his allies.
I don't think Ballmer is bad in every way, I think there are some teams he seems to have recognised know what they're on about and so he just leaves alone for the most part. Windows Server and SQL Server for example have just continued to get better.
Erm... You haven't used server 2012 have you... It's a usability nightmare.
I haven't had to use SQL2012 yet. I'm kind of scared to because MSSQL is one of the few MS products I'd recommend to people.
Steve Balmer has presided over the crappification of Microsoft. Starting from 2006, Server 2008 and SQL 2008 were started under Gate's leadership, the project we've seen come from Balmer are Windows 8, Server 2012, Windows Phone, all abysmal failures.
Quite the opposite I think.
If you look at what happened with the DRM fiasco, we had Don insulting his customers saying basically that DRM was for their own good but also importantly that it couldn't be removed, then within a couple of days you had it removed including detail of the implications that had on other systems and features which is not a mere couple of days work to evaluate properly.
Sorry XBox fanboys, it hasn't been removed, it's simply been "deactivated".
The system is still there, lying dormant... like a virus.
And does anyone honestly think that this system wont be re-activated in the future, I have a bridge to sell you. It also gets you the "Bridge Buyer(TM)" achievement.
Don Mattrick was the fall guy, given a golden handshake and told it's not personal, its just business.
I wouldn't be surprised if Balmer ordered the DRM system in the first place, it's in line with Microsofts anti-piracy policies on other systems. If he didn't order it, he would have known about it and approved it from its inception at the very least.
But if the Xbox wasn't doomed before, it is now.
...a series of chair throwing games.
A game of throwns?
So you dont understand patents, software or more likely, both.
Patents are meant to encourage innovation by providing a limited monopoly. The key words in there are "encourage" and "limited". Patents are not meant to provide a means of extorting other businesses nor are they meant to last for ever. The price of the limited monopoly is that the patent passes into the public domain after a set number of years. Patents are also required to be unique, code is too easily replicated by someone with no knowledge of the patented code to meet this requirement.
LoL, you also dont know your history.
Patent systems are radically different to the systems you claim "worked" and we haven't had the same system for 100's of years. The current iteration started around 50 years ago with most of the abusive changes added in the last 20.
Good luck paying your bills in cash in 2013.
Simple, deposit that cash into a bank account of your choosing.
or do what we do in civilised countries that gave up "cheques" decades ago, direct deposit into a bank account of my choosing.
In Australia if I want to pay a bill in cash, I can take it to any Australia Post office. If the bill provider does not offer the Pay at Post option, I can get a money order made out and sent to the biller at the post office. The money order is pre-paid and backed by the Australian Government, it cant be refused like a personal cheque can. This is how oldies who aren't familiar with those new fangled interents pay their bills.
or you know, I can pay by direct debit like normal people do.
So....pay them in cash...?
Shock. What a simple and sensible solution... This simply cannot be allowed to pass.
uh.. just live lighter for 4 weeks.
I think US companies just like to spend more on unnecessary paperwork.
monthly and directly to bank account is the norm over here.
You know, for as much as I see people from European countries bash on big corporations, you guys sure seem fine with letting them earn interest on your money for an extra 6 months a year.
The benefits to monthly payroll are purely for the employer- they don't have to spend as much processing payroll since it happens half as often, and they can earn more interest on the money before giving it to you.
What utter bollocks.
Bollocks spoken by someone who knows nothing about accounting. The costs of hiring extra accountants and bookkeepers to do weekly pay runs will take more out of your pay than the alleged 6 months of interest (which again is bollocks) would add in. And yes, your delusional if you think that cost wont come out of your salary.
As ABG points out, bills are issued in arrears, the same as your salary so it all balances out. If you're smart, you stay ahead of your regular bills (rents, repayments) by a few weeks or a month.
I'm willing to bet you're the same kind of idiot who thinks putting everything on the card is making them money when it is costing them money via merchant fees (banks charge merchants for accepting your card, merchants raise prices and pass this on to you). If you cant effectively budget for monthly salaries, you completely fail at money management.
uh.. just live lighter for 4 weeks.
I think US companies just like to spend more on unnecessary paperwork.
monthly and directly to bank account is the norm over here.
Same in Australia, direct debit (straight into my bank account).
Monthly is preferred, but not always the case. Some jobs I've been paid fortnightly, my current job is weekly. Businesses prefer monthly because doing 12 payruns a year is cheaper than doing 26 or 52 payruns, for many small businesses it means hiring one book keeper instead of two.
4. The person whining about this on a Sunday morning is a virgin
Or married, either or the sex is the same.
Texting should be OK. You do not need any noise to text. And in a pitch black room the screen brightness should always be minimal. yes a cell needs to pump out a lot of lumens to be readable in the noon day son, but there is no excuse for a cell with a camera attachment to be a noticeable detraction in a movie theater.
Texting does make noise, beep when they're received (cmon, you honestly expect us to believe that someone inconsiderate enough to text in a theatre isn't inconsiderate enough not to put it on silent) and the constant "tick, tick, tick" from pressing keys can be heard.
Finally, one particular popular brand of smartphone has terrible light sensing abilities. I used to have to carry an Iphone for work, when it beeped in the middle of the night it would fecking blind me at full brightness in pitch black darkness. So I dont phones will not automatically be at minimum brightness.