I think Google Checkout does pretty much what you're asking for. I've already seen a couple of 3rd-party sites (eg dabs.com) supporting it. I thought I saw it on Amazon too, but I think I must have imagined that.
Your first two points are essentially the same and assume that they're trying to tell kids not to use the internet at all. They aren't - they're just trying to tell them how to use it safely.
Your third point has some validity, but kids aren't stupid - they will still be aware that there could be other dangers, even if they feel safe from the ones they've been warned about.
And how exactly does a company "squash innovation" by discouraging people from pirating things? The only innovation that piracy encourages is new and nastier DRM.
Indeed. In my experience with getting water on electronics, they go a bit funny for a while, but then they go back to normal once they dry out thoroughly. I guess how long that takes depends on how complex they are and how many internal nooks and crannies they have.
Wine on the other hand, or anything else that leaves a sticky residue, will kill things stone dead.
What company would you recommend then for good quality music playback?
I can't say that I've ever really followed developments in sound hardware, so I'd always assumed that Creative must be pretty good, given their market dominance. Stupid mistake, now I think of it.
Someone else in this thread said something about Ensoniq - I think I have an ES1371 based card lying around somewhere...
And miss the opportunity to Rick-roll everyone in the country simultaneously?
Shame on you - your Internet citizenship is hereby revoked. Please de-solder your network interface and throw it into the nearest Emergency Intel® Incinerator.
Do they give you any sort of kickbacks if I say you referred me?
I don't think so. I used to use PlusNet, who do, but they've gone downhill in recent years - they're in with the "fair usage" crowd now, like almost everyone else.
Almost all the DSL services you can buy are still over BT's hardware
Be that as it may, my point is that (unless I'm mistaken) BT only has the option to play with your traffic if it's your actual ISP. If another ISP is using BT's hardware to provide your internet, then it's up to them (not BT).
Your assertion that Iraq was not invaded for its oil because America isn't profiting from it assumes that the orchestrators of the war are/were in some way competent.
Out of those, only the Microsoft products are actually used regularly by non-nerds - and they've either been around since the dawn of time (Excel), they arrived at a time when there was nothing like them already in the marketplace (PowerPoint), or the non-nerd users are forced to use them by the company they work for (Outlook, maybe Access?).
If you introduce a new app and want Joe Public to use it instead of what he's using at the moment, a good name is going to be very helpful.
And I guess by that logic, "Firefox" is a good name that people like, rather than a dorky name that people are confused by.
Except that a lot of tech is very nearly dollar-for-pound. So yes if you work in the UK you might have problems, but if you're in the US it could cost as little as $150.
The US does get a bad rap a lot of the time, and I think that for the most part, it isn't deserved. I'm from the UK, and I flew over last month to go skiing in Colorado with some family who'd emigrated a while ago - and one thing that struck me was how friendly everyone was. It took me a week or so to adjust to strangers saying "hi" to me, and store assistants seeming to genuinely care how I was doing. Then when I came home I had to adjust back so that people didn't think I was weird. The other thing that struck me is that Texans are both numerous and crazy. Next chance I get to go back, I'll jump on it.
You can always disable that. The admins at my University have done so, and I'm very thankful for it. There are few things more annoying than urgently needing to access your files, but finding the only free terminal in a packed computer lab has been locked by somebody and then abandoned.
Slashdot Mirror
I think Google Checkout does pretty much what you're asking for. I've already seen a couple of 3rd-party sites (eg dabs.com) supporting it. I thought I saw it on Amazon too, but I think I must have imagined that.
Your first two points are essentially the same and assume that they're trying to tell kids not to use the internet at all. They aren't - they're just trying to tell them how to use it safely.
Your third point has some validity, but kids aren't stupid - they will still be aware that there could be other dangers, even if they feel safe from the ones they've been warned about.
And how exactly does a company "squash innovation" by discouraging people from pirating things? The only innovation that piracy encourages is new and nastier DRM.
Indeed. In my experience with getting water on electronics, they go a bit funny for a while, but then they go back to normal once they dry out thoroughly. I guess how long that takes depends on how complex they are and how many internal nooks and crannies they have.
Wine on the other hand, or anything else that leaves a sticky residue, will kill things stone dead.
What company would you recommend then for good quality music playback?
I can't say that I've ever really followed developments in sound hardware, so I'd always assumed that Creative must be pretty good, given their market dominance. Stupid mistake, now I think of it.
Someone else in this thread said something about Ensoniq - I think I have an ES1371 based card lying around somewhere...
And miss the opportunity to Rick-roll everyone in the country simultaneously?
Shame on you - your Internet citizenship is hereby revoked. Please de-solder your network interface and throw it into the nearest Emergency Intel® Incinerator.
Could that be why music players tend to have flash storage, while most PCs still have hard drives?
Posters need to stop regurgitating other people's humour to get +5 Funny.
There's nothing worse than an incorrect pedant.
Steven Hawking is a professor.
I don't think so. I used to use PlusNet, who do, but they've gone downhill in recent years - they're in with the "fair usage" crowd now, like almost everyone else.
Isn't that quoting Tony Blair? (Around the time he first get elected)
Nice if you can get it. But only one static IP as standard? Pah!
Be that as it may, my point is that (unless I'm mistaken) BT only has the option to play with your traffic if it's your actual ISP. If another ISP is using BT's hardware to provide your internet, then it's up to them (not BT).
I'll be sticking with UKFSN. No throttling, no traffic shaping, no "fair use" - and no stream tampering for the foreseeable future, I'll bet.
I'd recommend them to anyone.
Actually DSL competition is excellent in the UK. Cable, on the other hand - you're pretty much stuck with Virgin.
Still, big ISPs starting to do this is a worrying trend...
Well I was going for "Funny", but +5 Insightful... fair enough, I'm not complaining!
Your assertion that Iraq was not invaded for its oil because America isn't profiting from it assumes that the orchestrators of the war are/were in some way competent.
Out of those, only the Microsoft products are actually used regularly by non-nerds - and they've either been around since the dawn of time (Excel), they arrived at a time when there was nothing like them already in the marketplace (PowerPoint), or the non-nerd users are forced to use them by the company they work for (Outlook, maybe Access?).
If you introduce a new app and want Joe Public to use it instead of what he's using at the moment, a good name is going to be very helpful.
And I guess by that logic, "Firefox" is a good name that people like, rather than a dorky name that people are confused by.
Except that a lot of tech is very nearly dollar-for-pound. So yes if you work in the UK you might have problems, but if you're in the US it could cost as little as $150.
So probably best not to get into the habit of pinging av.com, either...
P.S. Nice subject line
But that's OK, 'cos now the whole world tastes like Skittles! Yaaaaaayyyyyyy! *vacant grin*
But I agree that if they do rename it, "Adder" would have to be the way to go.
That isn't irony.
It would be irony if, for example, he was inadvertently echoing previous posts saying "redundancy is pointless". I wish people would figure this out.
The US does get a bad rap a lot of the time, and I think that for the most part, it isn't deserved. I'm from the UK, and I flew over last month to go skiing in Colorado with some family who'd emigrated a while ago - and one thing that struck me was how friendly everyone was. It took me a week or so to adjust to strangers saying "hi" to me, and store assistants seeming to genuinely care how I was doing. Then when I came home I had to adjust back so that people didn't think I was weird. The other thing that struck me is that Texans are both numerous and crazy. Next chance I get to go back, I'll jump on it.
*whoosh*
You can always disable that. The admins at my University have done so, and I'm very thankful for it. There are few things more annoying than urgently needing to access your files, but finding the only free terminal in a packed computer lab has been locked by somebody and then abandoned.