How do pedestrians get across roads with rotaries? With traffic lights there is a clear system for pedestrian traffic. As I approach a rotary as a driver I am looking for space between traffic to merge into the circle. I am not looking for pedestrians.
In Australia, roundabouts with high pedestrian traffic have an island in the middle of each connecting road allowing the pedestrian refuge and the pedestrian to cross one lane at a time.
I can't for the life of me understand why anything in the picture you've linked as "fscked up beyond hope" is difficult to navigate.
But I'm used to roundabouts.
Time for you americans to get used to them too. They are _way_ more efficient.
For medium traffic secondary routes roundabouts are easily twice as fast as traffic lights. On arterial roads, traffic lights are better but on collector roads (here in Oz we just call them secondary routes) a roundabout reduces the need to stop for a lot of people. Nothing annoys me more then sitting at a red light only to watch an empty road crossing in front of me.
When people learn to drive on roundabouts properly, you can have all four lanes entering and exiting at once as opposed to having three or four stopped at any one time.
Not to mention the lower wear on my brakes as you enter the roundabout in 2nd or 3rd depending on how big it is, just treat it like an ordinary corner you have to give way (yield) at.
Roundabouts are not just good traffic control devices, they are simply fun to drive around.
One of the big reasons Telstra and Optus are doing this is because they want to restrict traffic on their mobile networks. Optus and Telstra are our oldest ISP's so they have a large historical customer base but their landline services are so expensive they have been haemorrhaging customers to other ADSL providers for years, so most of their customers are mobile. Mobile services are so horribly oversubscribed in Australia due to lots of new customers signing up for cheap data plans but no new investment in infrastructure. Vodafone already had a massive crisis last year when it's data network fell in a heap, now it seems Telstra and Optus are headed for the same thing so they want to restrict users from using what they've paid for (as retroactively changing the contract enables customers to leave with no penalties).
Obviously the only reason you'd want to would be to circumvent a legal restriction
But it's not a legal requirement to filter (it's voluntary), so there is no impetus to restrict changing DNS.
Besides, if you wanted to avoid Optus and Telstra's voluntary filtering, you'd just go to Internode or iinet who have flatly refused to volunteer for this scheme. In fact, the fact it wont work is why iinet expressly said it wouldn't implement it.
Oh, you'd also save some money by going with iinet or Internode.
all the ISP's saying they "voluntarily" apply the mandatory filtering state its easy enough to bypass, doesn't affect P2P traffic, only websites. I'm in Australia and have been using OpenDNS for years. the ISPs DNS servers really do suck and some even use custom error pages.
Thing is,once the NBN is setup, the gov will have complete control over the data, and where to route it.
No it wont,
Stop getting your info from News Limited (Limited News).
NBNco is a corporatised entity and not under government control.
NBN's mandate is to provide layer 1 and 2 services only. Layer 3 services are provided by RSP's (Retail Service Providers) which will be today's existing ISP's such as Internode, iinet, Adam and even Testra and Optus.
So any filtering will need to be done at the RSP level, iinet and Internode as well as several other ISP's are committed not to do it. Remember that this scheme is voluntary because it failed to pass in parliament, last time it was even bought up Labor faced a revolt from it's own back bench.
I'm guessing no-one on this thread owns an Android tablet.
There is not a shortage of Honeycomb applications. The vast majority of 2.x Applications will run on 3.0 with no trouble. Some of the UI's are not made for 10" screens but that does not make the applications difficult to use at all. The TFA is just trolling for page hits (it's ComputerWorld, did you expect anything different).
Although I think Google does need to work on a resolution independent API for Android, the reported "dearth of applications" is vastly overblown for the reasons mentioned above. I've got a Honeycomb based Acer Iconia Tab and have got more applications on it then my HTC Desire Z (runs 2.3), but the ones I use most often are the inbuilt Google applications (Gmail, browser, Maps, Navigation) with the exception of flash (which absolutely flies but that's because it's connected to fast DSL via WiFi).
Probably WYSE would be the most used application that is not from Google but the web browser on Honeycomb is good enough that it eliminates the need for a lot of applications..
Almost all applications that run on 2.x also run on 3.0 because it's the same JVM.
Apple used the same trick with the Ipad by including the number of Ipod applications that would run on the Ipad without modification. Why does Google not get this free ride.
looks like Zironic has corrected my statement, so I suppose all campaigning is banned, but I have heard that almost every election season is violent. What is different now than every Thai election in that sense?
A recent history of violence Bangkok 2010 protests
86 dead, over 2000 injured, large tracts of Bangkok's Silom district burned including Asia's largest shopping centre. There have also been ongoing protests although, not as large as the May 2010 protests but a few have made the news such as forcing the government to cancel an ASEAN summit due to protests.
The conflict between the Red shirts (Pleu Thai and Former Thai Rak Thai party) and the Yellow shirts (supporters of the current regime). The Reds have the numbers, but no real leadership or support. The Yellows are much smaller but have the support of the army. Lines are really drawn on socio economic backgrounds, the majority of Thais are poor and predominantly live in the North and East of the country, they support the Red shirts and Pleu Thai party, the rich and middle class Thais predominately live in the south and Bangkok itself support the Yellow shirts and the current government, the Democrat party.
Whoever wins really doesn't matter, any result will leave a lot of people pissed off, so what everyone is afraid of happening is a repeat of the last 2 years, Protests by the Yellow shirts that shut down the Bangkok international airport forcing a military coup against the remnants of the TRT party. Then the Red shirts that turned Bangkok's business district into turmoil. This is really just the beginning, Thai politics can make US politics look sane, honest and extremely productive in comparison.
if this were true wouldn't all campaigning for the last 24 hours be banned instead of "hurr lets block facebook/twitter"? Sounds pretty specious to me.
They do,
This is to try to prevent vote buying before the election, not that it works, 100 to 500 Baht (US$3.50 to US$16 approx) is all it takes for a lot of Thailands poor to be convinced to vote one way or another.
The bigger issue that everyone on/. is overlooking is the real potential for violence during the election.
Lots of nations have an advertising blackout before elections, particularly in some Nordic nations that rate more free then most nations.
This blackout is to allow people to think who they are voting for, of course if you had of complained that this is pointless because the election is drawn up upon socio economic lines with the poor (majority of Thai's) being supported by the corrupt Pleu Thai party and the rich Thais being supported by the corrupt Democrat party that would be justified. Or if you complained about the rampant vote buying (US$5 will buy a vote in Issan) then you'd also be justified. But complaining about a ban on political advertising, that's just ridiculous.
Not that it really matters, shortly we will be welcoming in Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra as the new leader of Thailand, then wait a week or two for the inevitable coup and welcome back Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. If we're really lucky, deposed and exiled former PM Thaksin Shinawatra (brother of Yingluck) will make a special guest appearance. Once again, complaining that the military really rules Thailand would have also been more relevant then what you whined about.
As a lot of Ex-pats would say, "TiT" (This is Thailand.). This is really par for the course.
The current government (The Australian Labor Party) has been trying to push through this form of censorship
You mean Conroy, not the Labor party. Deputy comms minister Kate Lundy has been an outspoken critic of filtering and this keeps failing on Labor's back bench, not on the opposition or the Greens (In other words, the filter failed in the house when Labor had a majority, it didn't even make it to the senate where the Greens would have blocked it).
At the same time Telstra started to censor the internet, they were awarded a very large favourable contract,
Uh, no.
Telstra owns 100% of the pits and ducts used for the copper (they own all of that too) that currently makes up our broadband infrastructure. The contract was to buy that. Please keep up.
Additionally, ISPs like Internode, which are the nerds choice of ISP, who also own a significant amount of infrastructure, and were active in dissenting against the prior censorship plans, have been told flat out that they will not be offered such favourable contracts for their infrastructure
This is because they own 0% of the pits and ducts (or copper) that make up the last mile which is where the NBN is operating.
They have nothing NBNco needs to buy. Further more, they have the same ability to become RSP's as Telstra. Nothing is actually being denied to Internode, iinet, Optus or anyone else.
You dont actually understand what's going on here and should never have been modded up.
No, it's more like forcing pavement (sidewalk for you american-english speakers) makers to rip up the street to prevent you from going to a gun shop.
It's more akin to suing Voxhaul for selling a Vectra that could be potentially used to take a sports shooter who will never shoot anyone to a gun shop.
This is obviously a false scenario mind you, as no one in their right mind would be caught dead driving a Vectra.
It's nothing more than the digital version of Payola, but instead of air-time, the content producers get flattering reviews.
I've said this about Trip Advisor for years. Who pays for the advertising, I've got the site open without AdBlock and I see the likes of Ibis, Novotel, Pan pacific (I'm looking at Singapore here), reviews that the hotels dont want on there get deleted or never posted because they dont meet "review guidelines".
People just dont check their sources any more, let alone consider who is paying for it (a free service).
Lets not even consider the suitability of most people to make a balanced review, "this is the best hotel I've ever stayed at" means nothing if it's the only hotel you've ever stayed at.
Getting into a patent war with Apple is a really bad idea. Apple's portfolio can no doubt put Samsung out of business. Payback is a bitch here.
I dont think so,
It's not the number of patents but the type that counts. Considering Apple patents everything regardless of who invented it and Samsung patents actual innovations as well as almost all Apple patents are software and involve the words "with a phone/touchscreen" whilst Samsung corp owns a crapload of original hardware patents, Apple will quickly find out how badly a patent war with Samsung will hurt.
If you really think that Apple didn't know they used Samsung parts, and they didn't expect counter-suits, then you really don't understand businesses in general and Apple especially.
If you think Apple aren't betting that Samsung is not a vindictive company you dont understand law suits in general.
Apple are suing because Samsung smart phones are taking sales away from Apple phones. Apple derives over 50% of it's income from phone sales (a single product) so they've got a lot to lose if phone sales are threatened, namely their astronomical share price.
The suit was an act of a desperate company, if you cant see that you dont understand how tech business work. Those at the top dont worry about others, those who fall behind sue everyone (and that children, is how bubbles burst).
Samsung hold all the power here, if Apple becomes too bothersome, they'll just find a way to get rid of all their current contracts. Apple does not make up that much of Samsungs sales and the products they sell to Apple can be sold to many other customers (Sony, HTC, HP, Dell).
Lets see some data for such a claim.
If they really were such a big buyer they would be stuck with buying from samsung since they produce most of the flash.
Considering the market for NAND flash is very competitive now with every man and his dog making smartphones, memory cards and solid state drives, Samsung does not stand to lose 2.6% of sales if it cuts Apple off completely as there are other customers that buy the same products from Samsung.
It seems Apple needs Samsung products more then Samsung needs Apple as a customer. Suing them and hoping Samsung is not a vindictive company could be a really dumb move.
You haven't been to Japan, then. I have four U.S. issued credit cards (personal MC, business MC, personal AMEX, personal VISA), and I've been to plenty of establishments where only one of them works, and to some where none of them go through in spite of VISA/MASTERCARD logos displayed on the doors.
First off, I said ATM, not business.
And secondly,
I have been to Japan, as well as Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Philipines, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore in Asia, My Visa card has worked everywhere.
If your card has a problem, I suggest you check with your issuing bank as some will stop you from making international transactions, this is why you notify your bank you are going overseas.
Also I take it you never did much research before your trip, otherwise you'd know cash is king in Asia. As a seasoned traveller, I use cash wherever possible and withdraw what I want to spend from ATM's and banks.
Can't you do the same thing as Canadians can do in the U.S.? That is, in your non-native country, go to a 7-11 and purchase a VISA gift card that is preloaded. Use that card to purchase your data plan.
--jeffk++
Wont his US Visa card work in Canadian ATM's.
Did they stop exchanging the US dollar at Canadian banks?
Because everywhere I've been, my AU issued Visa card has been accepted and my AUD bank notes have been exchanged for the local fare without question.
Pre-paid Visa cards attract a lot of unwanted fees.
The Slashdot definition of monopoly seems to be "making more money than I think they should have."
The thing is, Google is a monopoly by the measurements of most regulatory agencies (controlling a sufficient percentage of the market).
The thing that the alarmists get wrong is that unlike certain other IT monopolies, Google is a natural monopoly, maintained by natural means (I.E. better products, not vendor lock in). Monopolies are not intrinsically bad, they can occur simply because the competition is not good enough. This is the case with search, Google has blocked no one from entering the search market.
Why the hell is Conroy still pushing for this? He has a face saving excuse to drop it with the hostile parliament so why doesn't he just drop it?
Because like most politicians, he has pandered to some influential individuals to get them to use their influence to get people to vote for him. Thus he owe's them favours. Conroy buddied up with the Church who are in favour of censorship. Most others have aligned themselves with unions, business/industries, educational institutions for the same purposes. Few politicians get in on their own merits unfortunately.
Not defending Conroy, I think he's an utter twunt but it's not hard to see why he's trying to push censorship even if it's as useful and effective as rolling a wet dog turd up a hill with a sharp stick.
Also, it doesn't matter what kind of filter it is, even an easily bypassed DNS filter will show the churchies Something(TM) is being done which to a polly, is more important then doing something that works.
Plus if you don't change they will think that their actions are acceptable. If at the point you contact them to cancel their service you tell them why and enough other people do likewise they may realise that filtering isn't acceptable and stop doing it.
Churning DSL takes all of 4 hours of service disruption (changing DSLAM operators may take up to 10 days though) which only indicates the whingers need to harden the fuck up the bigger issue is the fact most ISP's try to force you into 24 month contracts (Internode does not, signed, happy Internode customer).
This would definitely constitute a change of contract, under Australian law allowing customers to terminate the remainder of their contract, so this is actually a good thing for people who dont want to be censored.
Slashdot Mirror
How do pedestrians get across roads with rotaries? With traffic lights there is a clear system for pedestrian traffic. As I approach a rotary as a driver I am looking for space between traffic to merge into the circle. I am not looking for pedestrians.
In Australia, roundabouts with high pedestrian traffic have an island in the middle of each connecting road allowing the pedestrian refuge and the pedestrian to cross one lane at a time.
Wow... Just Wow... That's an argument against roundabouts?!? I personally find that one of the most sad statements I've read in a long time.
I was hoping that the submitter had a British sense of humour and was using a little known concept called sarcasm.
I can't for the life of me understand why anything in the picture you've linked as "fscked up beyond hope" is difficult to navigate.
But I'm used to roundabouts.
Time for you americans to get used to them too. They are _way_ more efficient.
For medium traffic secondary routes roundabouts are easily twice as fast as traffic lights. On arterial roads, traffic lights are better but on collector roads (here in Oz we just call them secondary routes) a roundabout reduces the need to stop for a lot of people. Nothing annoys me more then sitting at a red light only to watch an empty road crossing in front of me.
When people learn to drive on roundabouts properly, you can have all four lanes entering and exiting at once as opposed to having three or four stopped at any one time.
Not to mention the lower wear on my brakes as you enter the roundabout in 2nd or 3rd depending on how big it is, just treat it like an ordinary corner you have to give way (yield) at.
Roundabouts are not just good traffic control devices, they are simply fun to drive around.
One of the big reasons Telstra and Optus are doing this is because they want to restrict traffic on their mobile networks. Optus and Telstra are our oldest ISP's so they have a large historical customer base but their landline services are so expensive they have been haemorrhaging customers to other ADSL providers for years, so most of their customers are mobile. Mobile services are so horribly oversubscribed in Australia due to lots of new customers signing up for cheap data plans but no new investment in infrastructure. Vodafone already had a massive crisis last year when it's data network fell in a heap, now it seems Telstra and Optus are headed for the same thing so they want to restrict users from using what they've paid for (as retroactively changing the contract enables customers to leave with no penalties).
But even I know that you'll get better Internet access to anything by not using a terrible provider like Optus or Telstra.
Fixed.
Anyone with an ounce of technical or financial acumen knows to avoid Optus and Telstra like the plague.
But it's not a legal requirement to filter (it's voluntary), so there is no impetus to restrict changing DNS.
Besides, if you wanted to avoid Optus and Telstra's voluntary filtering, you'd just go to Internode or iinet who have flatly refused to volunteer for this scheme. In fact, the fact it wont work is why iinet expressly said it wouldn't implement it.
Oh, you'd also save some money by going with iinet or Internode.
all the ISP's saying they "voluntarily" apply the mandatory filtering state its easy enough to bypass, doesn't affect P2P traffic, only websites. I'm in Australia and have been using OpenDNS for years. the ISPs DNS servers really do suck and some even use custom error pages.
Thing is,once the NBN is setup, the gov will have complete control over the data, and where to route it.
No it wont,
Stop getting your info from News Limited (Limited News).
NBNco is a corporatised entity and not under government control.
NBN's mandate is to provide layer 1 and 2 services only. Layer 3 services are provided by RSP's (Retail Service Providers) which will be today's existing ISP's such as Internode, iinet, Adam and even Testra and Optus.
So any filtering will need to be done at the RSP level, iinet and Internode as well as several other ISP's are committed not to do it. Remember that this scheme is voluntary because it failed to pass in parliament, last time it was even bought up Labor faced a revolt from it's own back bench.
I'm guessing no-one on this thread owns an Android tablet.
There is not a shortage of Honeycomb applications. The vast majority of 2.x Applications will run on 3.0 with no trouble. Some of the UI's are not made for 10" screens but that does not make the applications difficult to use at all. The TFA is just trolling for page hits (it's ComputerWorld, did you expect anything different).
Although I think Google does need to work on a resolution independent API for Android, the reported "dearth of applications" is vastly overblown for the reasons mentioned above. I've got a Honeycomb based Acer Iconia Tab and have got more applications on it then my HTC Desire Z (runs 2.3), but the ones I use most often are the inbuilt Google applications (Gmail, browser, Maps, Navigation) with the exception of flash (which absolutely flies but that's because it's connected to fast DSL via WiFi).
Probably WYSE would be the most used application that is not from Google but the web browser on Honeycomb is good enough that it eliminates the need for a lot of applications..
Almost all applications that run on 2.x also run on 3.0 because it's the same JVM.
Apple used the same trick with the Ipad by including the number of Ipod applications that would run on the Ipad without modification. Why does Google not get this free ride.
looks like Zironic has corrected my statement, so I suppose all campaigning is banned, but I have heard that almost every election season is violent. What is different now than every Thai election in that sense?
A recent history of violence
Bangkok 2010 protests
86 dead, over 2000 injured, large tracts of Bangkok's Silom district burned including Asia's largest shopping centre. There have also been ongoing protests although, not as large as the May 2010 protests but a few have made the news such as forcing the government to cancel an ASEAN summit due to protests.
The conflict between the Red shirts (Pleu Thai and Former Thai Rak Thai party) and the Yellow shirts (supporters of the current regime). The Reds have the numbers, but no real leadership or support. The Yellows are much smaller but have the support of the army. Lines are really drawn on socio economic backgrounds, the majority of Thais are poor and predominantly live in the North and East of the country, they support the Red shirts and Pleu Thai party, the rich and middle class Thais predominately live in the south and Bangkok itself support the Yellow shirts and the current government, the Democrat party.
Whoever wins really doesn't matter, any result will leave a lot of people pissed off, so what everyone is afraid of happening is a repeat of the last 2 years, Protests by the Yellow shirts that shut down the Bangkok international airport forcing a military coup against the remnants of the TRT party. Then the Red shirts that turned Bangkok's business district into turmoil. This is really just the beginning, Thai politics can make US politics look sane, honest and extremely productive in comparison.
if this were true wouldn't all campaigning for the last 24 hours be banned instead of "hurr lets block facebook/twitter"? Sounds pretty specious to me.
They do,
/. is overlooking is the real potential for violence during the election.
This is to try to prevent vote buying before the election, not that it works, 100 to 500 Baht (US$3.50 to US$16 approx) is all it takes for a lot of Thailands poor to be convinced to vote one way or another.
The bigger issue that everyone on
Lots of nations have an advertising blackout before elections, particularly in some Nordic nations that rate more free then most nations.
This blackout is to allow people to think who they are voting for, of course if you had of complained that this is pointless because the election is drawn up upon socio economic lines with the poor (majority of Thai's) being supported by the corrupt Pleu Thai party and the rich Thais being supported by the corrupt Democrat party that would be justified. Or if you complained about the rampant vote buying (US$5 will buy a vote in Issan) then you'd also be justified. But complaining about a ban on political advertising, that's just ridiculous.
Not that it really matters, shortly we will be welcoming in Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra as the new leader of Thailand, then wait a week or two for the inevitable coup and welcome back Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. If we're really lucky, deposed and exiled former PM Thaksin Shinawatra (brother of Yingluck) will make a special guest appearance. Once again, complaining that the military really rules Thailand would have also been more relevant then what you whined about.
As a lot of Ex-pats would say, "TiT" (This is Thailand.). This is really par for the course.
You mean Conroy, not the Labor party. Deputy comms minister Kate Lundy has been an outspoken critic of filtering and this keeps failing on Labor's back bench, not on the opposition or the Greens (In other words, the filter failed in the house when Labor had a majority, it didn't even make it to the senate where the Greens would have blocked it).
Uh, no.
Telstra owns 100% of the pits and ducts used for the copper (they own all of that too) that currently makes up our broadband infrastructure. The contract was to buy that. Please keep up.
This is because they own 0% of the pits and ducts (or copper) that make up the last mile which is where the NBN is operating.
They have nothing NBNco needs to buy. Further more, they have the same ability to become RSP's as Telstra. Nothing is actually being denied to Internode, iinet, Optus or anyone else.
You dont actually understand what's going on here and should never have been modded up.
You opt out by joining an ISP that doesn't implement this voluntary filter such as Internode, Adam or iinet.
BTW, the filter is voluntary because it failed in parliament twice. The system actually works sometimes.
Signed, Happy, unfiltered Internode customer.
No, it's more like forcing pavement (sidewalk for you american-english speakers) makers to rip up the street to prevent you from going to a gun shop.
It's more akin to suing Voxhaul for selling a Vectra that could be potentially used to take a sports shooter who will never shoot anyone to a gun shop.
This is obviously a false scenario mind you, as no one in their right mind would be caught dead driving a Vectra.
Just because it's on the Internet?
It's nothing more than the digital version of Payola, but instead of air-time, the content producers get flattering reviews.
I've said this about Trip Advisor for years. Who pays for the advertising, I've got the site open without AdBlock and I see the likes of Ibis, Novotel, Pan pacific (I'm looking at Singapore here), reviews that the hotels dont want on there get deleted or never posted because they dont meet "review guidelines".
People just dont check their sources any more, let alone consider who is paying for it (a free service).
Lets not even consider the suitability of most people to make a balanced review, "this is the best hotel I've ever stayed at" means nothing if it's the only hotel you've ever stayed at.
Getting into a patent war with Apple is a really bad idea. Apple's portfolio can no doubt put Samsung out of business. Payback is a bitch here.
I dont think so,
It's not the number of patents but the type that counts. Considering Apple patents everything regardless of who invented it and Samsung patents actual innovations as well as almost all Apple patents are software and involve the words "with a phone/touchscreen" whilst Samsung corp owns a crapload of original hardware patents, Apple will quickly find out how badly a patent war with Samsung will hurt.
If you really think that Apple didn't know they used Samsung parts, and they didn't expect counter-suits, then you really don't understand businesses in general and Apple especially.
If you think Apple aren't betting that Samsung is not a vindictive company you dont understand law suits in general.
Apple are suing because Samsung smart phones are taking sales away from Apple phones. Apple derives over 50% of it's income from phone sales (a single product) so they've got a lot to lose if phone sales are threatened, namely their astronomical share price.
The suit was an act of a desperate company, if you cant see that you dont understand how tech business work. Those at the top dont worry about others, those who fall behind sue everyone (and that children, is how bubbles burst).
Samsung hold all the power here, if Apple becomes too bothersome, they'll just find a way to get rid of all their current contracts. Apple does not make up that much of Samsungs sales and the products they sell to Apple can be sold to many other customers (Sony, HTC, HP, Dell).
Lets see some data for such a claim.
If they really were such a big buyer they would be stuck with buying from samsung since they produce most of the flash.
Apple makes up 2.6% of Samsung's sales, Sony makes up 3.7% and Dell makes up 2.5%.
Considering the market for NAND flash is very competitive now with every man and his dog making smartphones, memory cards and solid state drives, Samsung does not stand to lose 2.6% of sales if it cuts Apple off completely as there are other customers that buy the same products from Samsung.
It seems Apple needs Samsung products more then Samsung needs Apple as a customer. Suing them and hoping Samsung is not a vindictive company could be a really dumb move.
You haven't been to Japan, then. I have four U.S. issued credit cards (personal MC, business MC, personal AMEX, personal VISA), and I've been to plenty of establishments where only one of them works, and to some where none of them go through in spite of VISA/MASTERCARD logos displayed on the doors.
First off, I said ATM, not business.
And secondly,
I have been to Japan, as well as Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Philipines, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore in Asia, My Visa card has worked everywhere.
If your card has a problem, I suggest you check with your issuing bank as some will stop you from making international transactions, this is why you notify your bank you are going overseas.
Also I take it you never did much research before your trip, otherwise you'd know cash is king in Asia. As a seasoned traveller, I use cash wherever possible and withdraw what I want to spend from ATM's and banks.
Can't you do the same thing as Canadians can do in the U.S.? That is, in your non-native country, go to a 7-11 and purchase a VISA gift card that is preloaded. Use that card to purchase your data plan.
--jeffk++
Wont his US Visa card work in Canadian ATM's.
Did they stop exchanging the US dollar at Canadian banks?
Because everywhere I've been, my AU issued Visa card has been accepted and my AUD bank notes have been exchanged for the local fare without question.
Pre-paid Visa cards attract a lot of unwanted fees.
Pashtun to Pashtun networking?
Not including Afghans, Tajiks or Uzbeks? Seems like a very racists protocol.
The Slashdot definition of monopoly seems to be "making more money than I think they should have."
The thing is, Google is a monopoly by the measurements of most regulatory agencies (controlling a sufficient percentage of the market).
The thing that the alarmists get wrong is that unlike certain other IT monopolies, Google is a natural monopoly, maintained by natural means (I.E. better products, not vendor lock in). Monopolies are not intrinsically bad, they can occur simply because the competition is not good enough. This is the case with search, Google has blocked no one from entering the search market.
Why the hell is Conroy still pushing for this? He has a face saving excuse to drop it with the hostile parliament so why doesn't he just drop it?
Because like most politicians, he has pandered to some influential individuals to get them to use their influence to get people to vote for him. Thus he owe's them favours. Conroy buddied up with the Church who are in favour of censorship. Most others have aligned themselves with unions, business/industries, educational institutions for the same purposes. Few politicians get in on their own merits unfortunately.
Not defending Conroy, I think he's an utter twunt but it's not hard to see why he's trying to push censorship even if it's as useful and effective as rolling a wet dog turd up a hill with a sharp stick.
Also, it doesn't matter what kind of filter it is, even an easily bypassed DNS filter will show the churchies Something(TM) is being done which to a polly, is more important then doing something that works.
Plus if you don't change they will think that their actions are acceptable. If at the point you contact them to cancel their service you tell them why and enough other people do likewise they may realise that filtering isn't acceptable and stop doing it.
Churning DSL takes all of 4 hours of service disruption (changing DSLAM operators may take up to 10 days though) which only indicates the whingers need to harden the fuck up the bigger issue is the fact most ISP's try to force you into 24 month contracts (Internode does not, signed, happy Internode customer).
This would definitely constitute a change of contract, under Australian law allowing customers to terminate the remainder of their contract, so this is actually a good thing for people who dont want to be censored.