Every time I open the newspaper, turn on the news, or turn on the radio, I hear about some Third World country with not enough food or water or medicine.
Here is a cheaper, easier way that anyone can do, in any language, and requires no technical expertise:
Step 1) STOP HAVING BABIES!
Step 2) Repeat STEP 1 until a sustainable population is reached.
It sounds harsh and mean, but the main problem is that the populations of the countries is far higher than their current situation can sustain. The fewer people you have, then the less food, water, and medicine you need to sustain them and keep them healthy.
Nobody wants to say it, and someone will inevitably mod this TROLL since they feel that feelings and emotions are more important than logic, but that is the problem: Over-population of places that CANNOT support the large and increaing number of people who depend on insufficient sources of food and water.
Unfortunately, some people don't under stand the simple concept that 3 people consume less than 5, and nobody has the balls to either tell them that, or admit to it.
Ok... So there is more capacity. But, if you ask an ISP, there is *ALWAYS* a critical shortage that they use to justify exhorbitant rate increases, a decrease in shortage, throttling, packet spoofing, service interruptions, false advertising ("unlimited" -this and that), and use PUBLIC money for PRIVATE gain ( i.e. using public funds to build something and then charge the public to use it).
Anyways, public funds are used to fud more advertising and bottom lines, rather than being used to actually USE lines. All ISPs do is shift government money around inside, and use the funds freed up by subsidies to fund executive perks, Congressional payoffs, and advertising (advertising for more space that they knowingly CAN'T handle, because they don't use it to build infrastructure).
There should be a system where the government actually buys the assets needed by the provider, rather than just handing them a bucket of cash and hope they use it for infrasturucture, and then returns the new infrastructure to the ISP *after* it has been built. That way, it can be ensured that the funds go for infrastructure. If the infrastructure paid for by the government is then sold off, the money goes back to the government, so providers can't flip it and profit off of publicly-paid for infrastructure.
All the defendant needs to do is show that the RIAA has *systematically* dragged out lawsuits, and then dropped them when the defendant "calls their bluff", knowing full well it's chances of winning at trial are unfavorable, and the defendant has no intention of settling. The RIAA knows it will be liable for attorney's fees if they lose at trial, so they drag everything out to the very last moment, hoping to save money by dropping the claim when the defendant doesn't settle.
However, asking for dismissal at this point in procedure doesn't show the intent to save money from dismissal. The fact that the RIAA had done it *many* times over shows a clear, premeditated plan to shift wasteful costs for reckless prosecution to the defendent in the event that no settlement occurs and a legal victory is improbable.
The RIAA drops it suits when:
1) The defendant calls their bluff by refusing to settle and forces them to support a baseless claim at trial, which the RIAA knows it will lose.
To save money, the RIAA then asks for a dismissal without prejudice.
It might be a stretch, but a good legal beagle could probably argue that this constitutes Conspiracy To Defraud.
The tactic of going after a charitable organization with extreme claims is getting old. Someone as smart as Stallman claims to be should be able to recognize this as the hallmark of a desperate individual trying to "make their mark on the world".
Funny, I noticed this at the bottom of his personal page:
"copyright (c) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Richard Stallman Verbatim copying and redistribution of this entire page are permitted provided this notice is preserved. Verbatim copying and redistribution of any of the photos in the photos subdirectory is permitted under the Creative Commons Noderivs license version 3.0 or later. You can copy and redistribute the photo of me playing music to the butterfly under the Creative Commons Noderivs Nocommercial license version 3.0 or later. Any other photos of me in this directory may be copied and redistributed under the Creative Commons Noderivs license version 3.0 or later."
If Stallman is so damn benevolent and charitable, he should spend his time giving money to people, and not making extreme claims to get his face or name mentioned. The is a fine line between activism and self-glorification/self-publicization, and Stallman crossed it long ago.
Stallman is just a "techie" version of Michael Crook.
I agree, but he should also be appalled at the fact that he fought a country that is being perverted and bastardized by greedy, power-hungry Congressmen from both sides of the aisle. I'd be pissed if I saw the very thing I fought for being exploited by those with power over everybody else for their own personal self-interests.
I know my grandfather, who fought in the Battle Of The Bulge, and came back as a barely-living ice cube, is plenty pissed (though he's too nice to show it, but you sure can tell in his words) at how what he fought for, both in Europe and here in the U.S., is being exploited for the personal self-interests of greedy politicians. He still refuses to go to France ("They couldn't fight worth a damn."), or have anything else to do with them.
Congress buys and sells votes every day, to the point where they are pretty much running a "Congressional Vote Exchange". If they punish the kid and not themselves, that just adds to the irony of a "Double Standard".....and the sadness.
We, the Citizens of the United States, are not allowed to buy or sell *our* votes, even for $10.....yet..... Congress and elected officials are allowed to, in exchange for cash, golf trips, vacations, "fact-finding/goodwill missions" (vacations), "gifts", discounts, cars, fuel, and other luxuries?
If I were that guy, I'd tell that to the jury.
Chances are, this kid's more legit than the knuckleheads who are trying to lock him up.
This is just another one of AOL's death throes. They are so desperate for money that they'll now charge for help. AOL is nothing special anyways: It's just a platform to charge customers to view an endless barrage of sales pitches, promos, product plugs, and advertisements (hence the nickname, "Advertisements On-Line").
Charging for help is the perfect way to pump customers for cash as if they were ATMs:
1) Introduce "problem" into customers account (Billing error, not allowing their account to connect, slow speeds, errors, disconnect user at random times, etc.). 2) Customer calls support regarding problem. 3) Charge customer to "fix" problem. 4) After getting money from customer, fix the "problem". 5) Lather, Rinse, Repeat.
FTFA: "The company began to notify customers in June that their rates would increase $2 to $11.99 per month, unless they decide to give up technical support by phone."
-Translation: If you agree to never call us again, we won't charge you. However, we need money so bad were just going to fuck with you so you will have to call. You *WILL* call and you *WILL* pay.
Who would want to pay $45 per month to get faster speeds and more bandwidth, when they will be disconnected if they use it?
First we had dial-up. Then ISPs told us we could get faster speeds and more bandwidth if we switched to cable. Now, they are telling us we can't use the speeds and bandwidth that we upgraded to and that we will be disconnected if we do.
With all the double-speak, who would want to waste the extra money and go through the headaches just to check E-Mail, stocks, and the occasional news blurb?
What is the point of restricting the use and ownership of guns to state militias? I mean, the purpose of the amendment is to allow the people to fight back against the Government, so keeping guns in the hands of Government-run forces defeats the purpose.
I mean, the Government has a real incentive not to tread too hard on the rights of it's citizens if they are armed. Nowadays, with the increase of tighter restrictions, and a negative stereotype of guns, the number of weapons that the people have to fight back is dwindling, and, coincidentally, the Government is growing more and more powerful, overbearing, and invasive (mostly thanks to Bush, but this has been happening for a while now).
This reminds me of a case we had here in California a few years ago.
An older couple had their initials, RAP JAP, on their plate, and were cited by a Japanese police officer who felt that it was racist because it really meant "RAP(e) JAP", in reference to rapes of Chinese women by Japanese soldiers, and claimed that it meant that the Japanese should be raped back in retaliation.
This is just another byproduct of the "Group Hug" mentality espoused by "feel-good" hippies and daydreaming liberal nutjobs. These clowns feel that everything that is offensive, harmful, "racist" ("racist" in quotes due to the fact that everything that negatively impacts or affects someone who isn't white is automatically branded as "racist", even though there are technically only three races), dangerous, insulting, mean, or in any way negative.
They claim to be more "open-minded", accepting, intelligent, and benevolent than people they brand as "racist, close-minded conservatives", yet they don't realize that by removing any of the negative aspects mentioned above, they are in fact practicing the very things they claim to be working against.
Free speech is a double-edged sword. If you don't want to risk getting cut, go buy a spoon instead.
I think old science books make excellent "Time Capsules". It pretty fun reading about things that were cutting-edge for their time, and postulations and things that were mysteries back then.
When I was little, I went to a book fair in the town next to me and bought about 2 dozen old sets of encyclopedias, engineering, biology, chemistry, and physics books from the '40s, '50s, and '60s. My parents went absolutely crazy when they saw how much I bought, even though I spent $25 for them (but the sheer VOLUME of what I bought is what pissed them off). I managed to save one book from the garbage can: an old encyclopedia for the '60s, but was also given a book on steam engine engineering that my great-great-great (I can't remember exactly) from the mid-1800s by my mother.
Reading them, it makes understaning present-day material much more comprehensible.
Personally, I think old and out-of-date books are just as helpful, if not more helpful, than current editions, since when you read an old book, you are reading about things that are the basics and building blocks of what is taught today. Since you are reading about these "building blocks", you have a better grasp on what led up to present knowledge and discoveries.
Understanding a subject or concept is much easier when you start from the basics at the bottom, then jumping in at the middle, or starting from the top.
In autoshop, we learned about engines and their basic design evolution, and modern engines and cars. But you aren't able to understand why cars and engines are built the way they are, and what developments in metallurgy, mechanics, physics, and engineering led to prediscoveries and present-day technology.
By reading old publications, you can follow the full lifespan of a technology, concept, or idea from theory, inception, research, discovery, development, implementation, refinement, and either continued refinement, advancement, or termination. You are able to understand the mindset, thinking, and knowledge of the researchers of that particular time, instead of learing by being told "We use A instead of B because B was found to be better".
Modern textbooks teach from basic generalizations, and without understanding the evolution of the concept, and the different schools of thought with regards to different levels of knowledge from different time periods, you don't really understand that "A is better than B" because you don't know *why* it is, *how* it is, how the concept progressed from "A" to "B", and why the concept worked without "B" in the first place, and the reasons for progression from neither, to "A" and then "B".
Modern publications tech you what you know: Old textbooks tech you how you know it, why you know it, and how to understand it.
The problem with modern education is too much empasis is placed on knowing things, and way, way too little emphasis is spent on understanding things.
If you disagree with me, you either know more or less than I do, or you need to read an old book.
Customers: "XP is pretty good... It gets the job done."
Microsoft: "Here...Try Vista!"
Customers: "Uh, OK."
Microsoft: "Isn't Vista great?"
Customers: "Uh, no, it isn't. In fact, it's horrible."
Microsoft: "How can it not be great?"
Customers: "Well, my drivers are incompatible, some drivers crashed altogether, its full of nagware, sucks up my ram, legit DVDs won't play because of "DRM issues", too much glitzy eye candy, too many promo tie-ins, is full of software bugs, Internet Explorer is nothing more than a fancy promotional tool and has so many security problems it makes 1990's Bosnia look like Paradise."
Microsoft: "But Windows Vista is great! We're Microsoft and Vista is a great product."
Customers: "Uh, no, it's not."
Microsoft: "Yes it is! We spent so much ime and money developing it, how can it not be great?!"
Customer: *sigh* NO, it's NOT. The interface is horrible. The security is useless. Explorer is useless.
Microsoft: How could it be horrible? Look at all the helpful icons, animation, sounds, and 3-D images.....And look at all the features Explorer has - Where do you get your media content, and mail service, and news, and searches?! Explorer has all of that stuff built in!
Customer: Nobody cares about fancy icons. I get video from Netflix, Blockbuster, or YouTube, music from iTunes, mail from GMail, News from SlashDot, the BBC, Fox, CNN, Reuters, or other outlets, and I use Google for browsing. I don't need Explorer's built-in junk. I use Opera as my browser, so I can choose the services I want without extra clutter. Plus I don't get pop-ups like Explorer lets through.
Microsoft: You're supposed to care about it! Our research says so! Vista is great!
Customer: No, it isn't!
Microsoft: *YES*, it *IS*!
Customer: NO IT ISN'T.
Microsoft: YES...IT...IS! (using one hand to do a Jedi hand-wave)
Customer: Vista is a great big pain in the ass, like a ham-fisted bastard child who spends his time knocking himself unconscious.
Microsoft: YOU SAID VISTA'S GREAT! YOU SAID VISTA'S GREAT!
Customer: No I didn't. I said Vista was a great-
*SCREEEEEEEEEE!* (black van pulls up)
Microsoft: GET HIM!
(12-man tactiacal team dogpiles the customer, gags and handcuffs him, drags him into the van and leaves, taking him to the much-rumored "Redmond Re-Education Center")
It also makes it much more easier for "Highway Pirates" to target specific types of merchandise. Here in Claifornia, many truck drivers are targets of well-planned hijackings where criminals steal whatever the trucker is hauling for sale on the black market. A good RFID reader would allow gangs to easily discriminate profitable targets from unprofitable targets (i.e. iPhones and plasma TVs from spinach and brussels sprouts.).
Personally, I don't like the idea of tracking every single thing, including people, with RFID tags. Yes, they may be useful in tracking inventory, but far greater security needs to be used.
Whats especially troubling is the plan to line "International Corridors" in the U.S. with Chinese-monitored RFID readers.
My JC, Diablo Valley College, recently had a massive "grades-for-cash" scandal that shook the state to its core.
Long story short, some asshole was running a ring of student workers at the college who charged money for the changing of grades before they were entered by the student workers into the main computer system at the end of the year. They were caught, and the ringleader was charged with an number of felonies, and the resulting prison time and deportation. When his family learned he was going to be deported after serving prison time, they screamed "RACISM! RACISM! RACISM!" and the judge caved in and let hime post bail. Currently, the asshole is a fugitive after skipping court.
The kid in the article deserves to be charged with every single thing the cops can make stick, thrown in prison, and when his MAXIMUM TIME is up, kicked out of the country for life. These sorts of scandals affect *EVERYBODY* at the schools where they occur, since it adds a cloud of suspicion to their record, regardless if it is legit or not.
Call me insensitive, but they should send him to Leavenworth, Attica, ADX Florence, or San Quentin and scare the living shit out of them. Even Guantanamo Bay is starting to sound like a good destination for him.
His parents should be given a commentdation for refusing to bail their jackass son out of the slammer.
When you have a tally like this:
34 felony counts of altering public record 11 felony counts of stealing and secreting public records 7 felony counts of illegal computer access and fraud 6 felony counts of burglary 4 felony counts of identity theft 3 felony counts of altering book of records 2 felony counts of receiving stolen property 1 felony count of conspiracy 1 felony count of attempting altering of a public record.....AND you screw over everybody who attends your school, the notion of "cruel and unusual punishment" should be embraced, rather than detested. If he doesn't want to live by the rules, why protect him?
FROM ANOTHER ARTICLE:
"Mr Khans defence lawyer, Carol Lavacol, described her client as a really nice kid and said: Theres a lot more going on than meets the eye."
-Sure. It's not his fault. It's society's fault. It's everybody elses fault, but not his.
AND ANOTHER ARTICLE:
"Khan's attorney, Merlin Stapleton, told the local rag that the charges were too severe. He said it was not the first time a kid cheated and often they did these sorts of things to find out if they could."
-Awwwww..... Is somebody not happy with suffering the consequesnces of their actions? He's right though: It's not the first time someone cheated, and it sure as hell isn't the first time someone was punished for it.
""and often they did these sorts of things to find out if they could.""
-So they cheated and burglarized to find out of they could get away with cheating and burglary? Well, the definitely found out the answer to that question. Too bad it wasn't on the test.
Enough with the bleeding heart defense lawyers! This isn't exactly an off-the-cuff accusation: This was a completed and well thought out crime and conspiracy by Khan and his accomplice, with more than enough proof.
To hear Mr. Khans defense lawyers say such stupid claims makes me think that the defense team is as smart as the defendant.
Personally, I think a good, old-fashioned public beating is in order. I have a baseball bat I'm willing to donate to the cause!
"While speakers rejected that Comcast method, some said it was time to follow the lead of Comcast and begin implementing caps for individual users who are consuming disproportionately high amounts of bandwidth."
-GOD FUCKING FORBID we use the bandwidth we purchased.
Going through the trouble of counterfeiting Microsoft products is like throught the trouble of counterfeiting a Yugo.
BTW..... I thought Microsoft was supposed to have solved the problem of pirates with server-side authentication, codes, hologram discs, codes physically imprinted on discs, and Windows Genuine Advantage.
Your car resembles something like a cross between a roadster and a kit car, and a very nice one at that.
The downside is that you have to literally build it from the ground up, hence the name 'kit car'. Since they quite uncommon, you have to be either mechanically-inclined (a "Grease Geek") or rich enough to stock key parts when they break. However, if you don't mind getting dirt and grease under your nails, they are a *VERY* attractive vehicle, both in aesthetic value and operating costs.
I drive a 1993 F250 Extended Cab/longbed, and get about 20mpg, but it has:
1) A 7.3L International Harvester Navistar 185a diesel engine with NO TURBO 2) Automatic transmission 3) 4.10 gearing 4) Dana 80 rear axles 5) 4 wheel drive transfer case 6) and weighs about 8500lbs
The mileage is absolutely horrible (in the city) compared to anything else out there, but with the mechanical features listed, its decent. If I had the money, I could probably get another 10-15mpg by installing a turbo, 9 speed manual, over/underdrive, and 3 speed rear end. However, these improvenments are a dream, as being a student, I could not possibly pull that much money out of my ass. I would buy your car in a heartbeat if I didn't need a pickup (reminds me of old-school hot rods)! If I made those modifications, it would be just as efficient as a regular passenger car, but the previous owner built it for load/work/hauling capacity and not mileage.
I use it for the same thing, but everyday, I see people with even bigger, newer diesels that they use to go to the grocery store. The technology exists to make even very large vehicles, like mine, just as efficient as passenger cars. People where I live buy big trucks and SUVs to go to school, the store, or the office. I use mine for work (justifying the dents, scratches and size), and when I'm not working, I keep it parked. I see so many posers driving trucks THEY DON'T NEED, to do things their vehicles weren't designed for. What really tans my hide is when I hear these same people complain about the high cost of fuel.
You can tell a Small Penis Poser if they are driving a large 4x4 that is shiny, dent-free, and no dirt/mud stuck underneath it.
Contrary to what treehuggers will tell you, diesel engines are superior to gasoline engines in terms of mechanical efficency (especially considering I get 20mpg for an 8500 truck with the aforementioned mechniacal specs). However, they are noisier and don't allow people to drive as fast, but then again, who *needs* to go 120mph? A good 1.0L, 4 cylinder turbo diesel, like the ones found in Mercedes-Benzes and some Volvos would, with the correct gearing, be more than enough to serve as an exceptional powerplant for a sedan or coupe. The "smoke" from diesels can be corrected with a turbo, and since a smaller passenger car weighs less than a truck and isn't being used to haul thousands of pounds of load like bigger trucks, there would be virtually none on acceleration or under engine load.
I'm suprised that Toyota went with a 4 cylinder gas engine that needs to run at 5000RPM, when a smaller 2 or 3 cylinder turbo diesel would suffice, and with correct gearing, run a slower engine speed, since its being used an an electrical generator instead of mechanical drive.
Again, if I didn't need (yes, I said need) a truck, I'd buy your car in a heartbeat. What would be ideal is having a small kit car to get around, and a truck for work.
SUVs are *NOT* trucks: If you can't put 2,000 lbs of compost and lumber in the back of it, then it is a passenger car.
When citizens make it hard for Big Brother to see what's going on, it called "Obstruction Of Justice".
When Big Brother makes it hard for citizens to see what's going on, it's called "Privacy".
Ever notice how pissy and elitist congress gets when citizens what to snoop throught their business to see what they have their hands in? Yet, they have no problem going through our business, especially when there are far, FAR fewer of us actual working folk doing shady things.
Slashdot Mirror
Every time I open the newspaper, turn on the news, or turn on the radio, I hear about some Third World country with not enough food or water or medicine.
Here is a cheaper, easier way that anyone can do, in any language, and requires no technical expertise:
Step 1) STOP HAVING BABIES!
Step 2) Repeat STEP 1 until a sustainable population is reached.
It sounds harsh and mean, but the main problem is that the populations of the countries is far higher than their current situation can sustain. The fewer people you have, then the less food, water, and medicine you need to sustain them and keep them healthy.
Nobody wants to say it, and someone will inevitably mod this TROLL since they feel that feelings and emotions are more important than logic, but that is the problem: Over-population of places that CANNOT support the large and increaing number of people who depend on insufficient sources of food and water.
Unfortunately, some people don't under stand the simple concept that 3 people consume less than 5, and nobody has the balls to either tell them that, or admit to it.
Ok... So there is more capacity. But, if you ask an ISP, there is *ALWAYS* a critical shortage that they use to justify exhorbitant rate increases, a decrease in shortage, throttling, packet spoofing, service interruptions, false advertising ("unlimited" -this and that), and use PUBLIC money for PRIVATE gain ( i.e. using public funds to build something and then charge the public to use it).
Anyways, public funds are used to fud more advertising and bottom lines, rather than being used to actually USE lines. All ISPs do is shift government money around inside, and use the funds freed up by subsidies to fund executive perks, Congressional payoffs, and advertising (advertising for more space that they knowingly CAN'T handle, because they don't use it to build infrastructure).
There should be a system where the government actually buys the assets needed by the provider, rather than just handing them a bucket of cash and hope they use it for infrasturucture, and then returns the new infrastructure to the ISP *after* it has been built. That way, it can be ensured that the funds go for infrastructure. If the infrastructure paid for by the government is then sold off, the money goes back to the government, so providers can't flip it and profit off of publicly-paid for infrastructure.
All the defendant needs to do is show that the RIAA has *systematically* dragged out lawsuits, and then dropped them when the defendant "calls their bluff", knowing full well it's chances of winning at trial are unfavorable, and the defendant has no intention of settling. The RIAA knows it will be liable for attorney's fees if they lose at trial, so they drag everything out to the very last moment, hoping to save money by dropping the claim when the defendant doesn't settle.
However, asking for dismissal at this point in procedure doesn't show the intent to save money from dismissal. The fact that the RIAA had done it *many* times over shows a clear, premeditated plan to shift wasteful costs for reckless prosecution to the defendent in the event that no settlement occurs and a legal victory is improbable.
The RIAA drops it suits when:
1) The defendant calls their bluff by refusing to settle and forces them to support a baseless claim at trial, which the RIAA knows it will lose.
To save money, the RIAA then asks for a dismissal without prejudice.
It might be a stretch, but a good legal beagle could probably argue that this constitutes Conspiracy To Defraud.
The tactic of going after a charitable organization with extreme claims is getting old. Someone as smart as Stallman claims to be should be able to recognize this as the hallmark of a desperate individual trying to "make their mark on the world".
Funny, I noticed this at the bottom of his personal page:
"copyright (c) 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Richard Stallman
Verbatim copying and redistribution of this entire page are permitted provided this notice is preserved.
Verbatim copying and redistribution of any of the photos in the photos subdirectory is permitted under the Creative Commons Noderivs license version 3.0 or later. You can copy and redistribute the photo of me playing music to the butterfly under the Creative Commons Noderivs Nocommercial license version 3.0 or later. Any other photos of me in this directory may be copied and redistributed under the Creative Commons Noderivs license version 3.0 or later."
If Stallman is so damn benevolent and charitable, he should spend his time giving money to people, and not making extreme claims to get his face or name mentioned. The is a fine line between activism and self-glorification/self-publicization, and Stallman crossed it long ago.
Stallman is just a "techie" version of Michael Crook.
I agree, but he should also be appalled at the fact that he fought a country that is being perverted and bastardized by greedy, power-hungry Congressmen from both sides of the aisle. I'd be pissed if I saw the very thing I fought for being exploited by those with power over everybody else for their own personal self-interests.
I know my grandfather, who fought in the Battle Of The Bulge, and came back as a barely-living ice cube, is plenty pissed (though he's too nice to show it, but you sure can tell in his words) at how what he fought for, both in Europe and here in the U.S., is being exploited for the personal self-interests of greedy politicians. He still refuses to go to France ("They couldn't fight worth a damn."), or have anything else to do with them.
Congress buys and sells votes every day, to the point where they are pretty much running a "Congressional Vote Exchange". If they punish the kid and not themselves, that just adds to the irony of a "Double Standard".....and the sadness.
So let me see if I get this right.....
We, the Citizens of the United States, are not allowed to buy or sell *our* votes, even for $10.....yet..... Congress and elected officials are allowed to, in exchange for cash, golf trips, vacations, "fact-finding/goodwill missions" (vacations), "gifts", discounts, cars, fuel, and other luxuries?
If I were that guy, I'd tell that to the jury.
Chances are, this kid's more legit than the knuckleheads who are trying to lock him up.
This is just another one of AOL's death throes. They are so desperate for money that they'll now charge for help. AOL is nothing special anyways: It's just a platform to charge customers to view an endless barrage of sales pitches, promos, product plugs, and advertisements (hence the nickname, "Advertisements On-Line").
Charging for help is the perfect way to pump customers for cash as if they were ATMs:
1) Introduce "problem" into customers account (Billing error, not allowing their account to connect, slow speeds, errors, disconnect user at random times, etc.).
2) Customer calls support regarding problem.
3) Charge customer to "fix" problem.
4) After getting money from customer, fix the "problem".
5) Lather, Rinse, Repeat.
Or, for a more SlashDot-esque comparison:
1) Break customer's account.
2) Charge for help.
3) ???
4) Profit!
FTFA: "The company began to notify customers in June that their rates would increase $2 to $11.99 per month, unless they decide to give up technical support by phone."
-Translation: If you agree to never call us again, we won't charge you. However, we need money so bad were just going to fuck with you so you will have to call. You *WILL* call and you *WILL* pay.
Who would want to pay $45 per month to get faster speeds and more bandwidth, when they will be disconnected if they use it?
First we had dial-up. Then ISPs told us we could get faster speeds and more bandwidth if we switched to cable. Now, they are telling us we can't use the speeds and bandwidth that we upgraded to and that we will be disconnected if we do.
With all the double-speak, who would want to waste the extra money and go through the headaches just to check E-Mail, stocks, and the occasional news blurb?
I think Santa outsourced Naughty/Nice research to India, and manufacturing to China. It happened a long time ago.
Caucazoid, Negroid, and Mongoloid.
Has anybody realized that people need to die?
Put the "Happy" thoughts aside and realize the DYING AND AGING ARE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF LIFE.
Sometimes people just NEED to die. Get over it.
What is the point of restricting the use and ownership of guns to state militias? I mean, the purpose of the amendment is to allow the people to fight back against the Government, so keeping guns in the hands of Government-run forces defeats the purpose.
I mean, the Government has a real incentive not to tread too hard on the rights of it's citizens if they are armed. Nowadays, with the increase of tighter restrictions, and a negative stereotype of guns, the number of weapons that the people have to fight back is dwindling, and, coincidentally, the Government is growing more and more powerful, overbearing, and invasive (mostly thanks to Bush, but this has been happening for a while now).
Is it possible to not use ICANN or refuse to comply with their rules?
I'm not on the up and up when it comes to networking and IT and such so please try to keep that in mind!
This reminds me of a case we had here in California a few years ago.
An older couple had their initials, RAP JAP, on their plate, and were cited by a Japanese police officer who felt that it was racist because it really meant "RAP(e) JAP", in reference to rapes
of Chinese women by Japanese soldiers, and claimed that it meant that the Japanese should be raped back in retaliation.
This is just another byproduct of the "Group Hug" mentality espoused by "feel-good" hippies and daydreaming liberal nutjobs. These clowns feel that everything that is offensive, harmful, "racist" ("racist" in quotes due to the fact that everything that negatively impacts or affects someone who isn't white is automatically branded as "racist", even though there are technically only three races), dangerous, insulting, mean, or in any way negative.
They claim to be more "open-minded", accepting, intelligent, and benevolent than people they brand as "racist, close-minded conservatives", yet they don't realize that by removing any of the negative aspects mentioned above, they are in fact practicing the very things they claim to be working against.
Free speech is a double-edged sword. If you don't want to risk getting cut, go buy a spoon instead.
Tolerance tolerates intolerance.
I think old science books make excellent "Time Capsules". It pretty fun reading about things that were cutting-edge for their time, and postulations and things that were mysteries back then.
When I was little, I went to a book fair in the town next to me and bought about 2 dozen old sets of encyclopedias, engineering, biology, chemistry, and physics books from the '40s, '50s, and '60s. My parents went absolutely crazy when they saw how much I bought, even though I spent $25 for them (but the sheer VOLUME of what I bought is what pissed them off). I managed to save one book from the garbage can: an old encyclopedia for the '60s, but was also given a book on steam engine engineering that my great-great-great (I can't remember exactly) from the mid-1800s by my mother.
Reading them, it makes understaning present-day material much more comprehensible.
Personally, I think old and out-of-date books are just as helpful, if not more helpful, than current editions, since when you read an old book, you are reading about things that are the basics and building blocks of what is taught today. Since you are reading about these "building blocks", you have a better grasp on what led up to present knowledge and discoveries.
Understanding a subject or concept is much easier when you start from the basics at the bottom, then jumping in at the middle, or starting from the top.
In autoshop, we learned about engines and their basic design evolution, and modern engines and cars. But you aren't able to understand why cars and engines are built the way they are, and what developments in metallurgy, mechanics, physics, and engineering led to prediscoveries and present-day technology.
By reading old publications, you can follow the full lifespan of a technology, concept, or idea from theory, inception, research, discovery, development, implementation, refinement, and either continued refinement, advancement, or termination. You are able to understand the mindset, thinking, and knowledge of the researchers of that particular time, instead of learing by being told "We use A instead of B because B was found to be better".
Modern textbooks teach from basic generalizations, and without understanding the evolution of the concept, and the different schools of thought with regards to different levels of knowledge from different time periods, you don't really understand that "A is better than B" because you don't know *why* it is, *how* it is, how the concept progressed from "A" to "B", and why the concept worked without "B" in the first place, and the reasons for progression from neither, to "A" and then "B".
Modern publications tech you what you know: Old textbooks tech you how you know it, why you know it, and how to understand it.
The problem with modern education is too much empasis is placed on knowing things, and way, way too little emphasis is spent on understanding things.
If you disagree with me, you either know more or less than I do, or you need to read an old book.
Customers: "XP is pretty good... It gets the job done."
Microsoft: "Here...Try Vista!"
Customers: "Uh, OK."
Microsoft: "Isn't Vista great?"
Customers: "Uh, no, it isn't. In fact, it's horrible."
Microsoft: "How can it not be great?"
Customers: "Well, my drivers are incompatible, some drivers crashed altogether, its full of nagware, sucks up my ram, legit DVDs won't play because of "DRM issues", too much glitzy eye candy, too many promo tie-ins, is full of software bugs, Internet Explorer is nothing more than a fancy promotional tool and has so many security problems it makes 1990's Bosnia look like Paradise."
Microsoft: "But Windows Vista is great! We're Microsoft and Vista is a great product."
Customers: "Uh, no, it's not."
Microsoft: "Yes it is! We spent so much ime and money developing it, how can it not be great?!"
Customer: *sigh* NO, it's NOT. The interface is horrible. The security is useless. Explorer is useless.
Microsoft: How could it be horrible? Look at all the helpful icons, animation, sounds, and 3-D images.....And look at all the features Explorer has - Where do you get your media content, and mail service, and news, and searches?! Explorer has all of that stuff built in!
Customer: Nobody cares about fancy icons. I get video from Netflix, Blockbuster, or YouTube, music from iTunes, mail from GMail, News from SlashDot, the BBC, Fox, CNN, Reuters, or other outlets, and I use Google for browsing. I don't need Explorer's built-in junk. I use Opera as my browser, so I can choose the services I want without extra clutter. Plus I don't get pop-ups like Explorer lets through.
Microsoft: You're supposed to care about it! Our research says so! Vista is great!
Customer: No, it isn't!
Microsoft: *YES*, it *IS*!
Customer: NO IT ISN'T.
Microsoft: YES...IT...IS! (using one hand to do a Jedi hand-wave)
Customer: Vista is a great big pain in the ass, like a ham-fisted bastard child who spends his time knocking himself unconscious.
Microsoft: YOU SAID VISTA'S GREAT! YOU SAID VISTA'S GREAT!
Customer: No I didn't. I said Vista was a great-
*SCREEEEEEEEEE!* (black van pulls up)
Microsoft: GET HIM!
(12-man tactiacal team dogpiles the customer, gags and handcuffs him, drags him into the van and leaves, taking him to the much-rumored "Redmond Re-Education Center")
It also makes it much more easier for "Highway Pirates" to target specific types of merchandise. Here in Claifornia, many truck drivers are targets of well-planned hijackings where criminals steal whatever the trucker is hauling for sale on the black market. A good RFID reader would allow gangs to easily discriminate profitable targets from unprofitable targets (i.e. iPhones and plasma TVs from spinach and brussels sprouts.).
Personally, I don't like the idea of tracking every single thing, including people, with RFID tags. Yes, they may be useful in tracking inventory, but far greater security needs to be used.
Whats especially troubling is the plan to line "International Corridors" in the U.S. with Chinese-monitored RFID readers.
Why doesn't the Government start wokrng on making Congress work?
Oh, wait..... They already are robots.
Why, yes, I *DO* have an arc welder and a barrel of kerosene!
My JC, Diablo Valley College, recently had a massive "grades-for-cash" scandal that shook the state to its core.
Long story short, some asshole was running a ring of student workers at the college who charged money for the changing of grades before they were entered by the student workers into the main computer system at the end of the year. They were caught, and the ringleader was charged with an number of felonies, and the resulting prison time and deportation. When his family learned he was going to be deported after serving prison time, they screamed "RACISM! RACISM! RACISM!" and the judge caved in and let hime post bail. Currently, the asshole is a fugitive after skipping court.
The kid in the article deserves to be charged with every single thing the cops can make stick, thrown in prison, and when his MAXIMUM TIME is up, kicked out of the country for life. These sorts of scandals affect *EVERYBODY* at the schools where they occur, since it adds a cloud of suspicion to their record, regardless if it is legit or not.
Call me insensitive, but they should send him to Leavenworth, Attica, ADX Florence, or San Quentin and scare the living shit out of them. Even Guantanamo Bay is starting to sound like a good destination for him.
His parents should be given a commentdation for refusing to bail their jackass son out of the slammer.
When you have a tally like this:
34 felony counts of altering public record .....AND you screw over everybody who attends your school, the notion of "cruel and unusual punishment" should be embraced, rather than detested. If he doesn't want to live by the rules, why protect him?
11 felony counts of stealing and secreting public records
7 felony counts of illegal computer access and fraud
6 felony counts of burglary
4 felony counts of identity theft
3 felony counts of altering book of records
2 felony counts of receiving stolen property
1 felony count of conspiracy
1 felony count of attempting altering of a public record
FROM ANOTHER ARTICLE:
"Mr Khans defence lawyer, Carol Lavacol, described her client as a really nice kid and said: Theres a lot more going on than meets the eye."
-Sure. It's not his fault. It's society's fault. It's everybody elses fault, but not his.
AND ANOTHER ARTICLE:
"Khan's attorney, Merlin Stapleton, told the local rag that the charges were too severe. He said it was not the first time a kid cheated and often they did these sorts of things to find out if they could."
-Awwwww..... Is somebody not happy with suffering the consequesnces of their actions? He's right though: It's not the first time someone cheated, and it sure as hell isn't the first time someone was punished for it.
""and often they did these sorts of things to find out if they could.""
-So they cheated and burglarized to find out of they could get away with cheating and burglary? Well, the definitely found out the answer to that question. Too bad it wasn't on the test.
Enough with the bleeding heart defense lawyers! This isn't exactly an off-the-cuff accusation: This was a completed and well thought out crime and conspiracy by Khan and his accomplice, with more than enough proof.
To hear Mr. Khans defense lawyers say such stupid claims makes me think that the defense team is as smart as the defendant.
Personally, I think a good, old-fashioned public beating is in order. I have a baseball bat I'm willing to donate to the cause!
This is where the 2nd Amendment comes into play.
"Ballot. Jury. Ammo. Boxes in that order."
"While speakers rejected that Comcast method, some said it was time to follow the lead of Comcast and begin implementing caps for individual users who are consuming disproportionately high amounts of bandwidth."
-GOD FUCKING FORBID we use the bandwidth we purchased.
Going through the trouble of counterfeiting Microsoft products is like throught the trouble of counterfeiting a Yugo.
BTW..... I thought Microsoft was supposed to have solved the problem of pirates with server-side authentication, codes, hologram discs, codes physically imprinted on discs, and Windows Genuine Advantage.
Guess not.
That's a nice set of wheels!
Your car resembles something like a cross between a roadster and a kit car, and a very nice one at that.
The downside is that you have to literally build it from the ground up, hence the name 'kit car'. Since they quite uncommon, you have to be either mechanically-inclined (a "Grease Geek") or rich enough to stock key parts when they break. However, if you don't mind getting dirt and grease under your nails, they are a *VERY* attractive vehicle, both in aesthetic value and operating costs.
I drive a 1993 F250 Extended Cab/longbed, and get about 20mpg, but it has:
1) A 7.3L International Harvester Navistar 185a diesel engine with NO TURBO
2) Automatic transmission
3) 4.10 gearing
4) Dana 80 rear axles
5) 4 wheel drive transfer case
6) and weighs about 8500lbs
The mileage is absolutely horrible (in the city) compared to anything else out there, but with the mechanical features listed, its decent. If I had the money, I could probably get another 10-15mpg by installing a turbo, 9 speed manual, over/underdrive, and 3 speed rear end. However, these improvenments are a dream, as being a student, I could not possibly pull that much money out of my ass. I would buy your car in a heartbeat if I didn't need a pickup (reminds me of old-school hot rods)! If I made those modifications, it would be just as efficient as a regular passenger car, but the previous owner built it for load/work/hauling capacity and not mileage.
I use it for the same thing, but everyday, I see people with even bigger, newer diesels that they use to go to the grocery store. The technology exists to make even very large vehicles, like mine, just as efficient as passenger cars. People where I live buy big trucks and SUVs to go to school, the store, or the office. I use mine for work (justifying the dents, scratches and size), and when I'm not working, I keep it parked. I see so many posers driving trucks THEY DON'T NEED, to do things their vehicles weren't designed for. What really tans my hide is when I hear these same people complain about the high cost of fuel.
You can tell a Small Penis Poser if they are driving a large 4x4 that is shiny, dent-free, and no dirt/mud stuck underneath it.
Contrary to what treehuggers will tell you, diesel engines are superior to gasoline engines in terms of mechanical efficency (especially considering I get 20mpg for an 8500 truck with the aforementioned mechniacal specs). However, they are noisier and don't allow people to drive as fast, but then again, who *needs* to go 120mph? A good 1.0L, 4 cylinder turbo diesel, like the ones found in Mercedes-Benzes and some Volvos would, with the correct gearing, be more than enough to serve as an exceptional powerplant for a sedan or coupe. The "smoke" from diesels can be corrected with a turbo, and since a smaller passenger car weighs less than a truck and isn't being used to haul thousands of pounds of load like bigger trucks, there would be virtually none on acceleration or under engine load.
I'm suprised that Toyota went with a 4 cylinder gas engine that needs to run at 5000RPM, when a smaller 2 or 3 cylinder turbo diesel would suffice, and with correct gearing, run a slower engine speed, since its being used an an electrical generator instead of mechanical drive.
Again, if I didn't need (yes, I said need) a truck, I'd buy your car in a heartbeat. What would be ideal is having a small kit car to get around, and a truck for work.
SUVs are *NOT* trucks: If you can't put 2,000 lbs of compost and lumber in the back of it, then it is a passenger car.
When citizens make it hard for Big Brother to see what's going on, it called "Obstruction Of Justice".
When Big Brother makes it hard for citizens to see what's going on, it's called "Privacy".
Ever notice how pissy and elitist congress gets when citizens what to snoop throught their business to see what they have their hands in? Yet, they have no problem going through our business, especially when there are far, FAR fewer of us actual working folk doing shady things.