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Filed under: Capitalism, Economy, Health Care, Law | Tags: big government, Consumer-Driven Health Care, Mandates Make Things Worse.
We are a nation of something around 310,000,000 people. How many people do you know with whom you agree completely on everything? Yes, I thought so. To me that suggests that there is something deeply wrong with the assumption that you can fix everything with lots of rules and mandates established by wise but faceless bureaucrats in Washington DC. We have a hard enough time enforcing the laws that everybody pretty much agrees on.
The Liberals' theory is that a big and encompassing government can protect all the stupid and vulnerable people from their own folly and the troubles they encounter with wise and careful laws and regulations. Republicans consider that to be folly, and think people will do fine on their own with only a minimum of laws that are fully enforced. Liberals think that is mean and hard and unfair and Republicans should stop eating babies and let the people who know better run things.
Well, I drifted off there a little, but you get the general drift. My Grandfather was a doctor, horse and buggy type, who did the best he could to take care of people who, accustomed to the wide-open spaces and vast mountains of the West, were generally pretty healthy except for the usual amount of sprains and breaks, wounds and babies. Which was just as well because his supply of palliatives to deal with illness and disease was not large. Antibiotics and diagnostic machines were unheard of, aspirin was new and sulfa and penicillin were far in the future. He was a good diagnostician, and fixed what was fixable at the time.
So how did we get here, with all sorts of miraculous medicines, tests and diagnostic machines to determine what might be wrong. Within a few blocks of my house you can find an acupuncturist, two drug stores, a chain store that sells only dietary supplements, a couple of chiropractic offices and a foot doctor, and eye doctor and a couple of dentists. Three hospitals are about fifteen blocks away, with all the medical practices and supporting businesses that accompany hospitals.
The problem with ObamaCare is that it has no proven ways to keep health care costs down. So what happens when it goes into effect in 2014? The best guide we have is Massachusetts, whose 2006 health-care overhaul was the model for ObamaCare. RomneyCare attacked the problem of "the uninsured" by fining them and their employers for their lack of being insured. It also subsidized premiums to make it possible for the uninsured to avoid paying the fine.
Costs have skyrocketed far beyond 2006 projections. The administrators' solution is to raise taxes, increase fines on employers, and put price controls on insurance premiums, which would force the insurers to further cut their reimbursements to hospitals and doctors. The flood of new patients and the government's underpayment for treating them has resulted in a critical shortage of doctors. And patients who cannot find doctors head to the emergency room.
The Harvard School of Public Health has issued a report on the urgent need for a comprehensive, unified, enforceable, inescapable tax-financed system to control every component of health care that a state can realistically control. An "independent board" should define the benefit packages and provider payments, set the budget that will determine the payroll tax rates. This all powerful board will include all the major players. There, that will fix everything. It is the inevitable liberal solution to a mess that they have created.
We really have quite a bit of experience with top down systems of control. Imposing an all-controlling and all-embracing system to control the lives and behavior of large numbers of people has never worked well. We already have a critical shortage of doctors, particularly those who are willing to treat Medicaid patients. So ObamaCare plans to add another 18 million uninsured to the Medicaid rolls. Medicaid is a shared a shared state-federal program created in 1965 designed as a limited safety-net program for low-income Americans.
At the state level, Medicaid spending consumes nearly a quarter of state government budgets. One in four Americans in on Medicaid. Federal mandates often preclude alternatives developed by states to save costs. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services make it impossible for states to innovate. The proponents of ObamaCare do not consider state flexibility and innovation to be useful for effective reform.
It always seems to the fixers that everything could be made better with the proper set of regulations. And it never, never works. How about a bottom-up consumer-driven system? A what? You could call it freedom, surely that is a familiar term.
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By John Galt
June 19, 2011
The crisis of the drought causing massive problems within Chinese agriculture in the central and northwestern portions of the country are now being complicated further by floods in the Southern part of the nation. Meanwhile, as outlined in a story from Xinhau this morning, Heavy Downpours damage farmland, inflates food prices in Eastern China, a substantial portion of production has already been impacted with little relief in sight. From the story:
"This is the biggest flood I've ever seen in 20 years," Fu said, who has more than 25 hectares of rice fields in Longyou County. "The crops were looking good, but now they're under about two meters of water."
Fu is working day and night, trying to drain away the water. "I can only save 20 percent of the crops at most, and the flood will at least lead to an economic loss of 500,000 yuan (77,279 U. S. Dollars)," Fu said with a sigh.
Fu's frustration is shared by many farmers as several rounds of torrential rains have swept the province since June 3, flooding vast swaths of farmland and driving the Qiantang River to the highest flood peak since 1955.
The Zhejiang Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said that by Saturday the disaster had afflicted about 2.59 million people and caused an economic loss of nearly five billion yuan.
According to statistics released by the agricultural department of Zhejiang Province, the rainstorms have reduced the vegetable production by about 20 percent.
The deepening flood crisis has also pushed up the prices of vegetables, fruits and grains in Zhejiang.
At the Wanshouting food market in Hangzhou City, the provincial capital, the prices of the green vegetables have risen by 40 percent on average.
Jin Changlin, an official of the Agricultural Department of Zhejiang, said, "The heavy rains have ruined much farmland, which has brought up the food prices, and it's estimated that prices will continue to rise for about two weeks."
With CPI already continuing to march upwards in China:
the resulting double hit of massive flooding and a drought will certainly force China to immediately deploy its massive foreign reserves to start purchasing foodstuffs on the open market across the board, putting a further squeeze on consumers not just in third world nations, but in the United States as well. With the Chinese already forward purchasing production from American farmers, as their nations sees the food shortage crisis expand, look for our corporate agriculture juggernaut to exploit this and increase prices dramatically since they now have a guaranteed buyer in lieu of the U.S. consumer.

subset: commoncrawl


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WOCCU to address ACH gateway's effect on CUs
CUNA News Now Reprint
February 19, 2004
MADISON, Wis. (2/19/04)--The lack of access to financial service in Mexico and developing countries may be a hindrance to the Federal Reserve's new "gateway" service, which lets banks and credit unions use the automated clearing house (ACH) to send money to Mexican financial institutions.
The Fed introduced the service Tuesday after piloting the project for a year.
However, unlike Western Union wire service run by First Data Corp. or World Council's international remittance program, IRnet, the Fed's program requires that both sender and recipient have a bank account.
According to Dave Grace, senior manager, international trade association at WOCCU, "The requirement of having a 'bank' is absolutely a hindrance, as 65% to 85% of Mexicans in Mexico are unbanked." He said he'll address the issue of the lack of access in a presentation to the World Bank staff later this week.
WOCCU and CUNA have been working with the Fed "for some time. WOCCU/CUNA helped move this along via our Senate banking committee testimony in February 2001 and discussions with Senate staff," says Grace.
"We also provided Fed staff names and contacts of credit unions as potential users of the service," says Grace.
"One of my biggest concerns with the system, however, is that Mexican credit unions do not have direct access to this payment system in Mexico. In the U.S., it's unimaginable that U.S. credit unions should have access to central bank clearing and settlement systems."
However, "we continue to work with the Fed and Banco de Mexico on this issue," says Grace.
According to American Banker (Feb. 18), the Mexican and Canadian services are one-way channels of funds flowing out of the U.S. The Fed had planned two-way flows in service to five European countries, but last fall the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control and NACHA, the electronic payments association, raised concerns about screening controls.
World Council of Credit Unions is the global trade association and development agency for credit unions. World Council promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. World Council advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach.
World Council has implemented 300+ technical assistance programs in 89 countries. Worldwide, 68,882 credit unions in 109 countries serve 235 million people. Learn more about World Council's impact around the world at www.woccu.org.


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Reports of anti-semitic abuse by West Ham fans has prompted an FA probe
Reports of anti-semitic abuse by West Ham fans has prompted an FA probe
The Football Association has launched an investigation into reports of anti-Semitic abuse by West Ham fans towards Tottenham supporters.
The chants from a section of West Ham supporters during Sunday's Barclays Premier League match against Tottenham have been reported to the police by the Society of Black Lawyers.
The FA said in a statement: "The FA can confirm it has begun investigating reports of abusive chanting at the Tottenham versus West Ham United fixture. The FA governance department has this morning contacted both clubs and will continue to make enquiries into the matter in the coming days."
The statement continued: "We note the statement issued by West Ham and encourage clubs to identify and ban for life any individuals involved in incidents of abusive chanting. There is no place for anti-Semitism or any form of discrimination in football. The FA is committed to working with the clubs, leagues, fans groups, the police, CPS and community stakeholders to play our part in addressing this unacceptable behaviour."
Tottenham will be submitting video evidence as part of their report to the FA. A club spokesman said: "We are currently compiling a full report for the Football Association and shall be submitting this with all our evidence including relevant CCTV footage."
Peter Herbert, the chairman of the Society of Black Lawyers, confirmed his organisation had already notified police after some Hammers supporters appeared to mock the gassing of Jews in the Holocaust during the match at White Hart Lane.
The reported abuse came four days after Spurs fan Ashley Mills was stabbed in an anti-Semitic attack before Tottenham's game in Rome. West Ham supporters sang "Viva Lazio", "Can we stab you every week?" and hissed on several occasions, apparently mocking the mass execution of Jews during the Second World War.
There were also reportedly chants about Adolf Hitler during the match which Spurs won 3-1. West Ham insisted they will take the "strongest possible action" including life bans for any fans found guilty of anti-Semitic chants at Tottenham.
West Ham said in a statement: "West Ham United will take the strongest possible action against any of their supporters, including enforcing life bans from the club, that are found guilty of behaviour which is categorically not condoned by West Ham United."
Police confirmed that two West Ham supporters were formally cautioned by officers after singing anti-Semitic chants during Sunday's match. The pair of fans were arrested during the game and accepted the police cautions, Scotland Yard said. One of those was a Hammers season ticket holder who has since been banned.


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Seven betting interests and about as many different ways to go here, what with the recent Mike Maker claim of State Flag (5-2), Hardest Core (4-1), who's perfect in his debut under today's conditions while getting first-Lasix in last, and Ready To Taunt (5-1), going second-time out for Jacobson, a profitable angle.
However, we'll take Stormy Len (2-1), cut out to be a good horse at 2 but now seems to do his best racing on turf. He raced well in both starts on this course, including a tough-trip third last out, but now will stretch out to 10 furlongs with distance blood on both sides of his pedigree. Turf ace David Donk tabs, go-to man Johnny V. for the riding assignment,
Taking Stormy Len to win at early line odds or greater and key boxing him first and second in exotics with his rivals listed above.
Number of Selections since May, 2007: 1341
Number of Win-Place-Show Finishers: 409-254-206
Amount Wagered: $2,682 [to win only]
Total Dollar Return on Investment: $2,808.30
Profit to Date: $126.30


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|Perl: the Markov chain saw
Size of @+by merlyn (Sage)
|on Oct 03, 2002 at 15:49 UTC ( #202550=perlmeditation: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
OK, I've seen this go by (incorrectly) in the CB twice in a week, so I'm going to post a note on it so I can refer to it again and again.
After this code:
the size of @+ is three elements, since it records only the most recent complete regex match, with ending position info for $&, $1, $2 (3 elements total). The values are (8, 7, 8).
The size of @x is indeed eight elements: the cumulative total of how many different memories matched for all matches (four matches, two apiece).
There. Let's please have no more advice in the CB that the way to get the "number of matches" is to look at @+. Thank you.
-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker
Back to Meditations


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Does the Israeli Gov't care?
Communications Ministry spokesman Dr. Yechiel Shabi said in response, "The research materials relayed to us paint a picture which arouses the need for thorough examination. After we become familiar with the study's findings, we shall consider the need for interference, supervision or regulation of the matter."
The MoC declared their commitment for the principle of Network Neutrality after a previous case of VoIP blocking by one of the cellular operator in Israel. However, beyond declarations actions are yet to be seen.
The Ministry of Communication regards such malpractices with an unfavorite eye:
The Ministry of Communication speaks out of both sides of its yamaka.
Dr. Yechiel Shabi said in response, "The research materials relayed to us paint a picture which arouses the need for thorough examination.
I was told our p2p throttling mechanisms were untracable!
After we become familiar with the study's findings, we shall consider the need for interference, supervision,...
The Signals Intelligence geeks are not going to get any sleep for the next couple of weeks. Then someone is getting transferred to the Israeli Embassy in Siberia.
Bigger questions:
* Why would the Israeli government be less likely than ISPs to regulate P2P traffic, especially when governments are susceptible to lobby groups? "Net neutrality" is a sham.
* Why isn't an ISP allowed to regulate its own traffic? If there's a lot of P2P traffic interfering with the rest of its network, it's allowed to regulate it. College networks do it all the time.
* Why is this under "Your Rights Online?" You don't have a right to internet traffic. It's a commercial service you pay f
If they think they are entitled to kill people because of the unprovable fantasy being they worship - do you think they give one crap about their spooks snooping on everybody else?
Who is going to police the Israeli gov....the US?...doubt it.
FWIW I heard from a wireless provider's salesperson that all of the major Internet Service Providers in Japan have a policy that after 300GB traffic per month connection speed will be throttled down.
I calculate this means that a 1Mbps video connection 24x7 would barely fit under this threshold.
1 mbit/sec *3600 = 3600 mbit/hr
3600 / 8 = 400 MBytes/hr
400 * 24 * 30 = 288000 MB/mo. = 288 GB/mo.
I wouldn't mind paying more if the companies would just stop adding all kinds of crazy rules.
The worst is the huge amount paid for access speeds which while respectable themselves, are being sold at many times the effective rate. ISPs should be required to sell unfettered access at the same rate they pay for it, plus a fixed rate (say 5-10%) to ensure market growth.
ISPs should be required to sell unfettered access at the same rate they pay for it
That would be interesting, but quite impossible, because the price depend on the destination and what kind of transit/peering/paid peering the isp have. And you don't want to sell the service with 10 different prices/GB depending on which route your isp use to get data from A to B.
btw: 300GB/Month is a lot of transfer for a private user. I have a 5/1 mbit connection, and I don't think I have ever used even 1/10 of that for a single month. Maybe I just don't watch enough video online.
I can disprove the 30GB upload cap;
When Ubuntu 8.04 was released I was one of the first to download it and I helped seed. The speeds never dropped and I uploaded around 120GB.
Japan = Fiber Optics = No Limits = Jealous Readers
My own data is from what the iPhone salesman told me. He said all providers in Japan silently start throttling down at 300GB/month not per day. I have not heard this anywhere else yet myself.
150gb and lower limit here in Australia for 10mbit+ connections.
I pay $70AUD/month for this...
It is way past time for the public to get outraged and act up in regard to the entire utilities industry. Whether it is power, phone or cable it is high time to vastly reduce both the charges from the providers as well as taxes placed upon the end users.
You can't have everything. Internet connections are cheap because they are shared. People don't have dedicated bandwidth, they share it with everyone else. Works out, because normally you don't use all your bandwidth all the time. As such you can oversubscribe the links. You see this in offices all the time. I have a gig to my desk, however the switch in your area only has a gig back to the floor switches. Those only have a gig to the building switch, that only has a gig to the core switches and so on. However, all in all I still get blazing fast speeds on the network because people aren't all using it at the same time. Thus we can afford to roll out gig. We couldn't if we had to do dedicated bandwidth. We'd need two 10gig connections just from our switch to the floor switches, the building would probably need OC-768, maybe more than one. I shudder to think what the core switches would have to have.
Ok well same deal but larger on the Internet. So unless everyone wants to have rather slow, pricey, connections the only option is some limits to make sure people share.
In Japan, it doesn't at all surprise me that they'd have limits like this because the trend seems to be to sell connections with allegedly massive speeds with low prices. All the time on Slashdot we see stories about how in Japan you can have 100 or 1000mbit Internet for cheap. Ya well ok, here's news for you: You can't really have that. Yes the physical signaling rate might be that high, but you aren't getting that kind of speed all the time everywhere. They couldn't afford the links required for that. For that matter you generally don't even get your peak speeds except to others on the same ISP. I've seen people from Japan talk about how fast tehy get a file, but when you do the math it works out to 10-20mb/sec, same kind of thing you get on US cable connections.
Where I live at least, you have a choice to a large degree because you can buy business class connections. My cable company (Cox) sells both residential and business connections. They follow the same bandwidth tiers, though in a given tier business connections usually have a little more upload speed. However, business connections are a whole lot more expensive. Well why is that? They can't make you buy a business connection.
Well the reason is business connections don't have restrictions, residential ones do. You can't run servers on residential connections, you can on business connections. If you do too much traffic on a residential connection they'll call you and/or throttle you. On a business connection you can do as much as you like and you'll hear not a thing. The tradeoff is that max speeds you'd get for like $40-50 on a residential connection, you'll pay $120 for on a business connection.
So if you really want to pay more, look in to it because you probably can. However, don't then cry that it is in fact a good bit more. Also, you probalby don't really want ISPs selling you access for the prices they pay. High grade lines are very pricey. That is why they get that, and then oversubscribe it. They can resell it for lower cost since they have more customers. On OC-3 circuit (155mbps) to a Tier 1 provider is generally in the realm of $10,000 and up per month. Means if they were to sell you a 15mbps cable connection at "their rates" you'd be paying like a grand a month. Better perhaps that you then share with a few people and get a more reasonable price.
Now, granted, you're correct in that it would be very difficult indeed to achieve that if every single customer used as much, but the point is that they don't, which is why you *can* really have that - the isp in question just needs to not oversell *too* much.
The more they oversell, the lower they can keep their prices (whether or not they do so is another matter). Simple economics. For almost all usage patterns, overselling is fine as traffic is bursty (stochastic sharing is effective) but when you've got people doing bulk downloads and bulk uploads 24/7, that's a different pattern. What's worse is when people are playing tricks to raise the priority of bulk traffic.
Of course, you can pay more to reduce the level of sharing. This is what a business class connec
I'm sure there are lessons that can be learnt by comparing internet supply with the electricity industry.
If everyone ran their ovens/plasma screen tvs/heaters at the same time the system wouldn't be able to cope. So as the system approaches this situation the spot price of electricity goes up. Residential users aren't exposed to this, since most are on a fixed price.
However a few things happen. Large users that are exposed to the spot price (mostly industrials) reduce their usage. Lines companies turn off p
That's great math, but even as a heavy user living in Japan myself, I couldn't feasibly use that amount of data in a month. Frankly, there are very few servers I can connect to that can hold up their end of the transfer.
Bless those that have guts and integrity. I wish that ISP was here in America, I would buy from them on principle.
Not all Aussie ISPs are doing it. Mostly its the smaller ISPs that are doing it, the big boys like Internode and iiNet and TPG dont.
Not all Aussie ISPs are doing it. Mostly its the smaller ISPs that are doing it, the big boys like Internode and iiNet and TPG dont.
So Optus and Telstra aren't big to you?
Granted I'd never buy broadband from them but they are not small, Optus is off the phone provider list too until it pulls it's arse into line with Android.
I said "mostly"
I didnt even think to check the policies of Optus or Telstra, mostly because I (like you) have completly blacklisted all products from Optus and everything from Telstra except the minimum home phone I need to get my ADSL
I have a 20Mbit "unlimited" connection with Virgin Media, and if I download a large amount of data in one go, say 5GB+, the bandwidth drops to 5Mbit after 4GB's or so, then goes back upto 20MBits after a few hours of not downloading.. Coincidence? I dont think so.
Virgin is actually one of the mainstream ISPs that are doing caps for all users (as compared to BT, who only do caps on congested areas at peak times), maybe you should have investigated a bit before going with them? http://allyours.virginmedia.com [virginmedia.com]
Is bandwidth really that expensive? I am administrating a connection for 300 college student, which is run without any limitations whatsoever. The connection is 100Mbit/100Mbit, which is seldom fully used.
The bandwidth costs are $4/person. Maybe $8/person if you include establishment costs for laying the fiber.
So when you hear about ISPs adding limitations, I think it is often a question of them trying to squeeze the last dime out.
restrict pvp users
No wonder the Battlegrounds have been so laggy lately...
While arguably laudable, what really irks me is that these plans were largely sold to users (including pvp users) as non-capped unlimited bandwidth plans.
I'd be very much surprised if your contract for broadband service at the mass market price includes any quaranteed quality of service whatever.
The adds will promise an "always on" connection and speeds up to X - when and as available. Nothing more.
Pretty much the same deal the telephone company was offering in 1886.
The adds will promise an "always on" connection and speeds up to X - when and as available. Nothing more.
Yes, but there's two versions of that:
1) Most of the time, under normal circumstances, you typically get what's advertized
2) Under extremely ideal conditions on a quiet night you might get what's advertized
I do have a 20 Mbit residential connection, and I have the former. My ToS is as wooly as everybody else's, there's no guaranteed QoS but there are consumer protections in place to make sure you know what you get. If it'd been 20 Mbit burst and lower sustained, they'd have to say so. If there's a cap they
First off, it was unlimited when I first got signed up. Forget some translation of the word years later, unlimited meant just that, at my speeds I get all I can eat. Not that I had unlimited connection time. Which even still really means the same thing, I have unlimited connection time at the speeds signed up for... It was understood that if I interfered with others though, through hacking the main box down the street, etc. that I would get cut off and eventually ISPs had to throttle to some extent for thos
No! We're not gonna take it! We're not gonna take it, anymore.
Stop paying them and you'll indeed not have to put up with it for very much longer.
Stop paying them and you'll indeed not have to put up with it for very much longer.
That is not a good thing to do. I would just be giving them what they want. Me to leave since I use my service. That is just laying down, and giving other ISPs reason to do the same. Then I am merely facilitating it.
Haven't you heard about our obesity epidemic in the US? There's plenty of ass for everyone to kiss.
The article has some other problems. The authors are very indignant about caching, but this actually *helps* the users get a faster download. What's wrong with caching?
Very inconclusive other than on the caching point, and they have it backwards.
Yes they should be sued for actually advertising exactly what they are delivering.
What, an 'unlimited' plan which has limits?
Please show me where the word unlimited it used in reference to that plan (by the ISP obviously, not by a random slashdot poster).
Or are you just making shit up?
The "study" in question was performed in an extremely amateurish, non-scientific way.
http://2jk.org/english/?p=153 [2jk.org]
Read it for a good laugh or too, but don't give it any weight because it deserves none.
"or too" --> "or two". I need some sleep...
I read the paper with increasing incredulousness.
While we were unable to review the Switzerland logs, mostly due to our failure to coordinate between volunteers' time to run the scripts, Switzerland assisted us in finding some interesting conclusions. We left a server to seed a
So they didn't get anything from Switzerland...
The Glasnost tests appeared to be more rigorously done, but 8 samples is a very low population, and there appeared to be no control.
Plus the out-of-context:
However, after a massive number of attempts, we found out that another user is seeding our torrent, from the IP address 22.214.171.124 and not from the libTorrent Client we used (screenshot, screenshot ). We found a mention of such IP address in an Israeli Hardware forum describing it as one of Netvision's caching servers (HWZone, 2009).
And no attempt to ascertain and eliminate alternative causes for the results.
Oh, and the spelling mistakes.
Like Kickasso said...this is worthless.
For the last year or so I've been in Israel, so naturally my ISP is Israeli.
I've spent countless hours with them on the phone trying to get around this thing. I told them bittorrent was acting ridiculously slow, but they gave me the old excuse of "not our fault, it's p2p" which I was willing to accept for a while.
Then I noticed skype started messing with me, giving me ridiculous dial-up quality sound. Fun fact, my ISP is also a phone provider.
Makes you wonder.
Try a vpn
Try changing ISP.
I'm using 013 and I can't say that I notice any slowdown in skype or bit-torrent.
- Gilboa
I'll shop around and see what they can offer me.
Will try!
OT, where are you from and how do you like living there? It seems like a place with a fairly solid tech industry and a completely different culture from the US, which sounds like a place I might want to experience, but I haven't really researched it much.
There's two kinds of people I can't stand. Those who are intolerent to other peoples cultures
No one likes the Dutch.
Given that:
1) the ISP situation is completely wacko in this country you pay first for a physical line connection (from Phone Monopoly or from Cable Monopoly) and then extra for a completely separate ISP (who are the ones investigated here) where both need extra payment for faster connections
2) the physical line companies are upgrading their infrastructure to give 50 mbps level speed and movie/TV content service and/or also provide VOD services
I would be surprised if this is NOT happening.
Israeli telecoms/utilities companies are not renowned for good value for money and there are plenty of IP-traffic related companies looking for cheap pilot installations which they can leverage as references when they go to sell in global markets.
Aside from Israelis not liking to pay for anything unless they have to, there are few legal purchasing outlets for digital content and if you want music/movies your choice is pretty much:
1) buy a CD (remember them!)
2) download it from P2P
3) have a credit card and bank account in a foreign country that does have an iTunes Music Store (for example)
Thufir's a Harkonnen now.


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The Dallas County district attorney says he's not surprised that Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent failed two drug tests while out on bond for intoxication manslaughter.
Brent is charged in a December car crash that killed practice squad player Jerry Brown. Court records show his bond was revoked after he tested positive twice for marijuana.
District Attorney Craig Watkins told a KRLD-FM of Dallas and Fort Worth last week that it's clear to him that Brent is struggling with addiction. Watkins says that Brent "still uses alcohol and illicit drugs," and he wants him jailed for the crash.
Those comments drew protests from Brent's attorney, George Milner, who on Tuesday called Watkins' comments inappropriate. Milner says he'll ask a judge to force Watkins to comply with ethics rules.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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I put some nonstandard queries to the two nominees in the Senate special election, hoping their answers might be illuminating — or at least unexpected.
Here are Gabriel Gomez's responses:
1. Are TV shows getting better or worse?
Better! I'm a "Criminal Minds" kinda guy. I don't keep up with the Kardashians.
2. Is there a popular political aphorism or rule of thumb that you consider egregiously wrong?
"No one in this world has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby" – H. L. Mencken I think people, and voters in Massachusetts, are smarter than cynics give them credit for. That's why my campaign is focused on the issues.
3. Lord Acton famously warned that "power tends to corrupt." Do you feel that his warning applies to you?
That's why I support term limits as part of my "Reboot Congress" plan: two terms for Senators and three for Representatives. I agree with our forefathers that legislators should be citizen-servants. Congressmen should represent their constituents and come home to live under the laws they created.
4. Did you ever read a book that changed your way of looking at the world?
Yes. "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide," by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.
5. Do too many people go to college?
I wouldn't discourage anyone from going to college, but there are many vocations you can train for, be happy in, and make a good living at without going into the massive debt kids do today. I had a chance to visit Assabet Valley Vocational High School, where most of the kids are focused on learning a given trade, and I saw first-hand that some students can flourish outside of a college environment.
6. Former presidents get a hefty annual pension; lavish staff, office, and travel allowances; round-the-clock security; health care for life. Given such generous taxpayer support, is it appropriate for ex-presidents to pocket tens of millions of dollars in speaking fees?
I think that being President is a tough job, and I think there are more substantial areas we can cut.
7. Is every problem in society something government should address? Can you name a troubling social concern that does not require government action?
We don't have unlimited resources, so we can't address every problem with government. We have to prioritize. That being said I think we need to do whatever we can to ensure everyone has access to the American Dream that I did.
8. Which senator in Massachusetts history would you say was most overrated? Most underrated?
I'm not going to attack a former senator, so I wouldn't classify any as being overrated. Picking an underrated one is easy: Senator Ed Brooke. He's my favorite Massachusetts senator and I think his election, as not only a Republican, but an African American during the 60's helped break down many barriers and was key to making the type of civil rights progress our nation needed.
9. What's the best blunder you ever made?
Ha, so many choices! My best blunder would be deciding to try out for the SEALs even though it meant risking my status as a pilot. My friends thought I was stupid, but betting on myself has always worked out fine.
10. Thomas Jefferson said in 1787: "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter." Do you agree?
As we've seen with the recent scandals in Washington, we need government to be held accountable and the media has done a good job of that. A free democracy and a free press are fortunately not mutually exclusive.


text:
Create Support Ticket
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We put a lot of effort offering the best possible support for our customers. You are not alone when you face problems or have general support questions.
Sometimes small things will cause big things to stop working. Check out our common microwave problems, easy fixes and how to narrow down your diagnostics.
Our Quality is backed up by our Warranty.Enjoy your home appliance longer and give it a second life with our certified parts. We make the appliance care easy and stress free. From locating the model number to troubleshooting, we do it all to make sure you getting the best parts at affordable price.
Read more about certified-parts mission.


text:
Harsh words from Senator Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, "the senior Republican on the banking committee, [who] said he would not support legislation to aid the auto companies and seemed prepared to let one or all of them collapse."
Representative Jeb Hensarling of Texas, chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee [said]... "They are producing high-cost products that consumers don't want to buy. And so now we have Washington on the verge of giving them a bailout simply because we have all heard of them and they have high-priced lobbyists."Fortunately, it looks as though there will be no auto company bailout. At least not until Obama and the new Congress take over.


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Credit: deadspin.com
Las Vegas – The UFL is cutting its season short, moving up its championship game to Friday. UFL founder and owner Bill Hambrecht said in a statement today that the league would turn its focus to "building a blueprint for the long-term success of the league" and that there were plans to expand from four to six teams in 2012. Each team has played four of its six regular-season games in a league that has lost more than $100 million the last two years. The Las Vegas Locos will visit the Virginia Destroyers in the championship game. The Sacramento Mountain Lions will visit the Omaha Nighthawks on Friday in what the league calls the consolation game.


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|2009-05-18, 15:34
|Link #821
Yuuki Aoi
Join Date: Jul 2004
The many characters are getting interesting, too. However, my favorite image of ep7 is this one of Taco Girl (far left):
More and more good seiyuus are joining the fray: Horie Yui, Kaida Yuki, Chihara Minori, Shimizu Ai, Morinaga Rika, Saiga Mitsuki, Asano Masumi, et al.
|2009-05-18, 16:53
|Link #822
Tsukkomi power!
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: For great justice!
This must be the biggest gathering of good seiyuu up until CANAAN rolls around, or is it Queen's Blade? :3
That aside, does Hisa's ahoge only pop up when she's being crafty? Also, it wasn't in the manga, was it?
|2009-05-18, 18:29
|Link #824
Join Date: Oct 2006
This show sure does like to O.D. on the background commentary of the random audience crowds doesn't it though...We get it their super amazing awesome fantastic...If they weren't playing mahjong I'm sure they'd be curing cancer...Just stop already...
|2009-05-18, 19:27
|Link #825
Knowledge is the solution
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: St. Louis, MO
Age: 33
One thing I really love about Saki is that it explores a niche that has been left alone by almost every action, adventure, fighting or sports anime, series or japanese media:
1v1's are cool and all, but they have been overused to hell. It will become all the cooler in the finals where the 4 schools are well matched.
|2009-05-18, 22:38
|Link #826
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
I found episode 7 to be quite fun. Everything from the way the tiles are played to the commentary to the prominence of net games (and identities ) reminds me of Hikaru no Go, and that's a very good thing. Yuuki's antics and Touka's reactions in particular amuse me to no end. I'm really liking the way this season's three sports anime are turning out.
|2009-05-18, 23:38
|Link #827
Kira_Naruto, the ecchi
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: http://www.exciting-tits.com/
The way Koromo are hyped up so far, it seems that we are going to reach the final of this tourney at the very least.
Although that lessen the suspense of knowing which 2 school advancing to the final .. and who meet who at semis All that left is to see how they play out.
I dont read the manga, nor do I play mahjong, ask DK, I been pestering everyone on my msn list about mahjong and I still find this series enjoyable at least for me.. It still inferior compared to Hikaru no Go or Shion no Ou for me, TBH.. but then those 2 are ranked quite high in my list of anime, maybe a higher tension episode will rank this series higher later on, we'll see.
I am still Etopen.. so Bonta, you can quit it go eat tacos or something >.>
Anyone find that one scene.. I forgot the timing, where Touka ojousama was cleverly drawn in such a way that made me think.. WTF pussy in my anime?
|2009-05-19, 00:29
|Link #828
Fax Caelestis
Join Date: Apr 2006
As for knowing who's going to advance to the finals... They practically gave out three of the four in the first episode at the start of the tournament.
The semis are already over. At the end of ep. 7, the Kazekoshi captain asks who are the other 3 schools in the finals and the names of the schools are given.
|2009-05-19, 02:19
|Link #831
Fax Caelestis
Join Date: Apr 2006
24 episode run so there's 17 more. Everyone will get their chance to shine in the last round. I think every one of the Ryuu team has some interesting talent, there's Geass Girl and Kitty Girl from Kazekoshi, mystery people from the last school, and of course, Kiyosumi team.
I predict at least 2 episodes each if not more for Taco, Mystery President who gets pros to owe her favors (?! I want this back story), Nodoka and at least 4-5 for Saki since every person at her table is sort of crazy good.
BTW, does anyone know why Geass Girl doesn't play the Captain round (different from being the captain of her team)? She says outright at the end of ep. 7 that the Kitty Girl is the 2nd best player on the team - presumably, the best is her - and we know that Kitty Girl plays the last round. So if she knows that Amae is going to play the captain round, why match up Kazekoshi's 2nd best player instead of the 1st?
|2009-05-19, 02:54
|Link #833
A Proud Lolicon
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: In front of my computer
Age: 31
No, the Geass girl (the name is Fukuji Mihoko ) play the first round, while Kitty girl (Ikeda Kana) play the last one. I don't know her strategy over that, so I have no comment, not to mention she let Kana facing Koromo and Saki....
|2009-05-19, 03:28
|Link #835
Beautiful fighter.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: England, UK
Age: 31
|2009-05-19, 04:01
|Link #837
Fax Caelestis
Join Date: Apr 2006
|2009-05-19, 04:18
|Link #838
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Ah ok i just watched that part again and i misunderstood because some bystander said they won in a flash or something.
Anyway, not pitting strongest against strongest is a legitimate military tactic. To ensure victory, it is better to pit your best against their second best, your second best against their third and so forth. But i don't really think thats their plan though seeing the the kitty girl is their second best. It is probably more because the one eye girl choose to let kitty girl fight Koromo again as she did last year.
|2009-05-19, 05:37
|Link #839
A Proud Lolicon
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: In front of my computer
Age: 31
But I guess you're right, she may try to let Kana go against Koromo to revenge their last battle.
|2009-05-19, 05:46
|Link #840
Anime Hobbyist
Join Date: Dec 2004
This anime makes me want the obviously-to-come Saki game. I think I heard rumors about a DS game (preferably a Mahjong game. duh) and I guess there won't be any problems importing it since it's region free.
Anyway, I wonder how scary it'd be to go against Nodochi myself.
|competition, mahjong, moe, seinen
|Thread Tools


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Hello, two wishes for the list.
First, could it be possible to specify page dimensions in units like cm, mm, inches, or even selecting some standard page formats like A4, A3 and such? Also with horizontal or vertical orientation?
Second, saving to PDF each page or a range of pages would also be very useful. I know there is saving to bmp but...
From time to time I need to make flyers and sent them as PDFs for printing. This last time I wanted to do it with my Amigas, so Designer came to the rescue. With those two options Designer can be a very useful kinda DTP program also
HW rocks!


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American Forces Press Service
Nov. 19, 2009 - Afghan and international forces killed several militants and detained terrorism suspects in two Afghanistan provinces yesterday, military officials reported. A combined Afghan-international force detained several suspected militants in northern Kandahar province while pursuing a senior Taliban commander. The force targeted two vehicles near the village of Sahabey in the province's Ghorak district after intelligence indicated militant activity. One of the vehicles contained a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and several rounds, as well as a machine gun and ammunition. The vehicles' occupants were detained for further questioning, and the force safely destroyed the RPG launcher and other munitions.
In a separate operation, an Afghan-international force detained a key Taliban explosives facilitator and another militant while searching a compound in Kandahar province. This facilitator maintained direct contact with several senior local Taliban leaders and maintained supply lines to other militant elements in the area.
The force targeted a compound near the village of Rigwa-i Olya in the province's Panjwayi district where intelligence sources reported the facilitator to be located. After the force searched the compound without incident, one militant surrendered and identified himself as the facilitator.
In another operation, an Afghan-international security force killed several enemy militants and detained a sought-after al-Qaida bombing network facilitator and another militant in Ghazni province while searching a compound suspected of militant activity. This facilitator is reported to have supplied roadside bombs to other militant elements operating in the area and kept direct contact with local al-Qaida and Taliban leaders.
The force targeted the compound on the southern side of Ghazni City where intelligence sources reported the al-Qaida facilitator to be located. The force shot and killed the enemy militants after they demonstrated hostile intent, and searched the compound without further incident. One of the detainees was identified as the al-Qaida facilitator.
No civilians were harmed in the operations.
(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Forces in Afghanistan Kill Militants, Detain Suspects
Posted by Raymond Foster at 4:22 PM
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Small packed, light, and under $200...sounds like a Yeti from Warbonnet to me.
Small packed, light, and under $200...sounds like a Yeti from Warbonnet to me.
Trust nobody!
If I rarely hike in thing below the teens would a 0* UQ be too much? I only backpack/hike and I am concerned about weight and size packed. I ask because I could get a 0* for a really good deal.
Last edited by toadz; 10-13-2012 at 18:28. Reason: spelling
I may be lost but I am making great time.
It was so cold that If the thermometer had been an inch longer, we'd have frozen to death. ~ Mark Twain
A general rule of thumb for many folks is to go for a UQ rated for a lower temp and vent if it's too warm. I would go for a 0* if I got into the teens rather than a 20* and sleep in everything, but that's my preference. For warmer weather a summer quilt would be that much smaller and lighter.
Water Monkey, thanks for sharing that vid--very helpful.
no problem here to help.
"If you give a monkey a gun and he shoots someone, you dont blame the monkey"
The end of the world is not coming in December, it is happening now in my living room. - TFC Rick
Youtube Channel:
i am glad to see the use of sleeping bag used as "pea-pod" mentioned here. it is almost never discussed it seems. i use this self same system (as do the rest of my family) on my winter outfit. an ENO doublenest, down bag zipped up around it, lighter synthetic bag zipped over that (moved dew point away from down and protects down from splash, etc.) i have sewn tabs on all four corners of the bags to which shock cord or laces can be tied to keep bag/s in position. this works wonderfully well. no need for all these pads, or expensive underquilts. if it is really cold i put my wool blanket in the hammock with me, and dress accordingly with socks, hats, etc. be sure to leave a space unzipped by your face to vent your breath (or moisture can build in there with you.) this set up is great for after the bug season, or all year if bugs don't bug you. ) i just use the light bag in summer. oh, and a tarp of your choice over you is a given. even in Canada one can get rain in winter...esp. the last few years.
the four tabs on the down bag i also use to perfectly snug it up against my HH in summer, for that warm as toast feeling against the back. no pads to shift, bunch or compromise your hammock comfort. wraps around the shoulders, too.
i did this because i cannot afford the price of the UQs that are out there, beautiful as they may be. also, i needed four of them, since my hubby, and two children also sleep in hammocks (we all hammock in the house as well...who would choose otherwise? lol)
and that would be my two cents.


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AML Golf Championship secured for Punxsy
PUNXSUTAWNEY — The course was covered. The wind was blowing. The rain clouds were threatening.
But despite all that, the Punxsutawney Chucks' won the Allegheny Mountain League Championship, 363-374, over the Elk County Catholic Crusaders.
"Weather was an extreme factor," Punxsy head coach Josh Conrad said. "We were the only people on the course because the wind was so bad. Hitting a green in regulation was an incredible accomplishment."
Conrad also said the two teams had to deal with the large amount of fallen leaves, which had flooded the course.
"No. 12 was completely covered with leaves," Conrad said. "Ian Miller had to search for a ball that was on the green because the leaves were several inches high on the green. I've never seen conditions like that."
Ryan States was the medalist for the day, notching a 90 to lead the Chucks. Ian Miller, Micky DeChurch and Mike Blose followed, all earning 91s on the 18-hole challenge. Brandon Mancuso and Logan Reed both golfed for the Chucks but were not scored. The two hit 92 and 102, respectively.
ECC's top golfers were Eliott Struble and Michell Struble, who both notched 93. Brandon Schlimm and Bruno Cavalline were also scored, both with 94s, to round out the Crusaders' 374.
The non-scorers for ECC were Drew Meyer (94) and Jess Jaynes (99).
"ECC played well; they are a great team, and they're great kids," Conrad said. "We can only hope that they'll be hosting us at their home course next year."
The Punxsy Chucks' next stop is regional competition, which will take place at Tom's Run Golf Course Tuesday in Blairsville.
"I went into (AML) thinking it was a good practice round for Regionals because it was good competition," Conrad said.
Conrad said he and the Chucks are looking forward to Regionals and is hoping they will be able to put up good competition.
"We're due for a good round of golf," Conrad said. "We haven't had that since districts, (but) the competition is just incredible down there."
Conrad said he is looking forward to better course conditions but is also nervous about Punxsy's chances.
"It's a great course, and we had a good practice round overall," Conrad said. "Just like at districts, we're the underdogs. We'll see what happens."
Six teams will compete, and only two advance to States.


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The funeral for Army Sgt. Joshua Michael, who died Thursday saving his wife during a tragic train accident in Midland, will be held in Amarillo, according to the family's spokesman.
Cory Rogers on Saturday said the funeral will be in Amarillo, but didn't disclose the exact time or location of the services.
He said the funeral will likely be after Thanksgiving.
Sgt. Michael and his wife, Daylyn, lived in Amarillo when he joined the Army shortly after 9/11. Joshua was a Hereford native, and Daylyn graduated from Tascosa High School in 1996.
Michael, Daylyn and their two children were living in the San Antonio area when a parade float carrying wounded veterans was struck by a Union Pacific train, killing four and injuring 16.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday the warning bells and signals at the track were activated 20 seconds before the accident.
The float didn't go onto the track until several seconds later, just after the guardrail began lowering.
Michael threw Daylyn from the float before impact, saving her from harm, said Daylyn's mother, Mary Hefley.
Friends, family and supporters will have a chance to honor Michael before the funeral.
America Supports You Texas will hold a prayer vigil for Michael and the other victims of the Midland parade accident at 2 p.m. Sunday at Texas Panhandle War Memorial, 4101 S. Georgia St., where Amarillo Mayor Paul Harpole is scheduled to speak.
"It's important to honor Sgt. Michael and his family here in Amarillo because Hereford is part of our local family," acting America Supports You Texas president Larry Lewis said. "Whenever we lose a service member, we feel a need to honor that family and reach out and support them."
Rogers said the family had no official comment on the prayer vigil, but Daylyn said in a comment on the Amarillo Globe-News Facebook page, "He (Michael) would have been so honored that his hometown is going to honor him like this. He was a wonderful man and He will be greatly missed!"


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Eric P. Newman Numismatic Education Society - Heritage 11/2014:3377, $258,500
Heritage 6/2014:4917, $28,200
Heritage 4/2006:2163, $28,463 - Heritage 8/2006:5643, $34,500
Stack's/Bowers 4/2016:13229, $13,512.50
Ron Guth:
Though the 1867 $20 is available by the hundreds in Mint State, it rarely comes as nice as Akers suggested years ago. He wrote that a number of "choice or gem quality" examples existed, but they simply have not shown up yet -- certainly not at auction or in the population reports at PCGS or NGC. In fact, the best certified examples are a few pieces of MS63 quality. Thus, this date should now be considered under-rated in top condition.
© 1999-2018 Collectors Universe NASDAQ: CLCT


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Summer Hours Begin: Central Library will close at 6 pm on Thursdays and will be closed Sundays until September. Enjoy your summer!
Log in
Last week the downtown library hosted a show by the Aerial Angels for the third year in a row and the crowds keep getting bigger and bigger as over 500 people enjoyed the incredible acrobatic skills of the Angels in this one of a kind venue.
I met some members of the Aerial Angels in Bronson Park about four years ago as we were wrapping up our Ready to Read sponsored Party in the Park. They were starting to attach ropes and other things to the trees to practice their acrobatic skills which caught my attention.
As children's programming librarian, I was curious and I must have looked most curious to them, too, since I was still in costume as the character from the classic children's book, Caps for Sale, balancing a stack of 17 hats on my head. I think it took a few minutes before we took each other seriously.
I found out the Aerial Angels are a group of female acrobats that perform all over the world and just happen to be based in Kalamazoo. I know they perform all over the world, because in the process of booking them the last three years, I have sent emails to Dubai, Singapore, Australia, and Alaska. They were performing in Barcelona just ten days before the show at KPL this year. Having a show during winter break at the libary works out great for everyone.
The Angels enjoy having a show close to home during the holidays, the library enjoys having the crowds arrive for the program and then stay to take advantage of the other great materials the library offers, and Kalamazoo Public Library patrons like to have something so unique and exciting to do during the break. After the first year they performed, the Angels also mentioned how great it was to perform in a space where people were at their eye level and even above them, instead of just being down below them.
We hope to have the Aerial Angels back again in the library next winter break, so if you have never made it to one of their shows at the library, don't miss this spectacular event next year.
Posted by Steve Siebers at 01/07/2009 12:50:22 PM
Books for: Kids, Teens & Tweens


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|2012-12-03, 15:38
|Link #481
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 60
Much as I personally like Linux - ditto what npal said -- though 90% of my remaining aggravation is with the failure of the wireless vendors to provide their own drivers leaving users to play "whats my chipset?" with wireless cards that can be different chipsets within the same models depending on release date. Derail.
IF Steam solves the "works on Linux" problem and the gamers make the leap, that leaves Microsoft with Office as their desktop app flagship.
(and yeah, though I use OpenOffice as much as I can - moving documents back and forth to MS Office is almost always a disaster)
|2012-12-03, 18:16
|Link #482
Pretentious moe scholar
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Age: 31
I'd rank Adobe Lightroom as being among the tricky to replace apps - granted, being a non-destructive editor it doesn't touch the original pictures but all any edits and cataloguing done aren't going to easily transfer to anything else.
Personally though, I'm inclined to wait and see if the whole Metro thing actually catches on before I start to worry Microsoft is going to cripple the desktop on X86 Windows. I'm not necessarily sure I should hold my breath.
|2012-12-04, 13:39
|Link #483
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: event horizon
On the topic of metro. Metro is actually pretty cool. No sophisticated effects, just nice and tight with good animations (the classic theme that doesn't suck you've *I* always wanted). The idea of being very open and working with full screen rather then windows is also a leap forward, especially these days when a lot of the time you're not sitting in front of the computer to press buttons, you just have this one app you're looking at for hours.
THE problem is that it's got "I'm designed to be a anti-everything-you-use, and pro-everything-you-dont" + "welcome to the walled-garden" (which is not really related to metro if you think about it) is just such a load of nonsense to market your OS with; and added to that this thing is aimed at gamers? ohrly, pretty sure PC gamers don't give a shit for touch controls.
You'd think people at MS would have learned by now... you are not teaching people how to use computers (anymore), people know what they want, and expect you to give it. If you want to innovate, do it in a way that doesn't piss everyone off. I'm no marketing person but I'm pretty sure a more modest solid upgrade would sell a lot more then this circus attraction, I mean just look at win7.
I can just see it now, window 9 or 10 "the dev friendly windows": you expect something like "multi-monitor support, files now use \n, paths use /, filenames are case sensitive, a new linux-like console, some photoshop-esque application". What would you most likely get: "Hey guys you can now touch type with your toes! And windows is now natively capable of interfacing with your dish washer!"
|2012-12-09, 23:47
|Link #484
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
The strategy taken with Windows 8 is one of desperation. In the consumer space (not Microsoft's traditional focus, but strategists always say that brand loyalty starts with consumer products. A kid begins with an iPod, followed by an iPhone. In university, he buys a MacBook or iPad, and years later, he becomes a manager who insists on everything Apple), market trends predict a long-term decline in laptop/desktop PC sales, whereas mobile devices have seen fast adoption over the past 2-3 years. Some pundits also predict that for employees who don't need heavy computing power, enterprises may replace desktop PCs with cheaper tablets. Considering Microsoft's inability to gain ground in the mobile segment, there's real fear that they might lose the market dominance they've enjoyed for so long - should those trends prevail.
The proposed solution? Get desktop users accustomed to a MS-flavoured mobile UI, so they'll choose Windows the next and presumably first time they buy a tablet.
We're seeing the same panic from Intel, who are unable to keep up with ARM when it comes to power efficiency (a problem inherent to the x86 architecture, which is geared toward high performance at the expense of efficiency). Intel is a giant among giants right now, but there's some fear that their world may come crashing down if tablets become dominant computing devices.
|2012-12-10, 08:47
|Link #485
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: HONEY~
Microsoft can't win over Apple's fanboys. Most people buy Macbook for looks. I mean half those people who own a Mac don't even know how to use it properly. I mean who'd seriously buy a machine where you need to completely replace it if the harddrive breaks down? Their using industrial-strength superglue to glue the harddrive onto the motherboard. Glue and electronics.... thats like something Dell would do and people would flame them for it. But if apple does it its cool. I use a iTouch cause its convenient and it has games to distract me, while also doubling as a music player. My cell phone on the other hand is so old that I can't even find it online.
Tablets won't replace computers. They lack the computing power. No matter how high-tech it'll get it won't replace computers. It might be useful for schools or work places but when it comes down to it we'll always have computers. Why? Its simple. It runs on a battery so it'll always having a time limit on how long you can use. Whens the last time you heard of a tablet with a graphics card? A tablet is a simplified version of a laptop. The people I know who use tablets use it to read epubs or pdfs.
If your buying a processor you'll either buy it form intel or amd. The best processor from AMD is the worst processor from intel. Thats speaking volumes. Intel isn't worried at all they have a monopoly on processors and their only competitor is only AMD who isn't even close. And people complain that a i7 is slow when its practically overkill.
Microsoft can try, but a lot of people prefer the old version of windows. Awhile back I saw a chart with data with what os people used. A lot of people like roughly 44% where still using XP. What does that honestly say? It says that microsoft is trying too hard. Instead of getting customers their only deterring them. I've always hated macs because A) I couldn't right click. B) I need to eject everything and C)Finding a specific program to work with a mac in a pain in the ass. The only edge i ever saw Macs having over a PC was the fact that the write speed was so fast. Now that we have SSDs that problem is solved.
|2012-12-10, 12:48
|Link #486
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
The desktop segment won't disappear. Nevertheless, some wonder how its market share will look 5-10 years down the road, as well as whether the dominant players (Intel and Microsoft) will maintain such a lead in the industry.
The future is speculative, but my point is that recent directions have everything to do with a perceived paradigm shift (hence the need to "catch up" or "be prepared" for the shift, or else be eaten by progressive, consumer-savvy competitors) as opposed to an intentional bid to transform desktop computing. Companies like Microsoft thrive on stability and incremental change, and they wouldn't go out of their way to "revolutionize" for the sake of it. Their failures to make inroads into the mobile market have forced their hand.
|2012-12-10, 19:59
|Link #488
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
The (optional) Aero interface was included so they could catch up to a competitor in terms of desktop experience, while the new utilities, power management features, and improved security were long overdue.
I'd say that Vista was an example of incremental, predictable change.
|2012-12-11, 13:52
|Link #489
Join Date: Dec 2005
About the reasons behind the new Windows version I'd like to recommend to read this.
Yes is long and a bit in the technical side but it's a must read to understand the big picture.
|2012-12-11, 18:12
|Link #490
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 60
From the article:
It wasn't a bad article (though I've lived through the whole history so no new news), it was fluffier than I'd expect from Ars Tech.
This article about exactly WHERE the API libraries they're calling "RT" sits in the stack tier is a fun read.
|2012-12-12, 17:41
|Link #491
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 32
A lot of PC users don't have any idea how to use their computer properly. The Mac side gets plenty of those types, too. They're just ordinary people who own a computer and don't care to learn much more about it.
As to who would buy it - well, quite a few people. When I was in college I had the time to build my own computer and swap out major parts whenever I wanted (or rather, when I could fund them). Now, not so much. I can swap out RAM and a hard drive, but when things turn massively sour it's a huge relief to be able to bring the computer to an Apple store and have it taken care of. If you don't value that, that's perfectly fine - it's just a plus to Apple products that you wouldn't appreciate.
I came across a Microsoft booth at a mall recently and tried out the Surface. While I still prefer my iPad, I was really impressed by the Surface and the hard keyboard option (the soft keyboard was rubbish - zero tactile feedback). The keyboard even has a little trackpad built into it. Input aside, the Surface also has a USB port, and one or two other ports if I remember correctly. Clearly this won't become the primary device for any "power user" but it has the possibility to be more functional than an iPad (by acting like a regular computer), yet it can also be used exactly like an iPad. Shifting between the "Metro" and standard Windows interfaces didn't seem too bad, either. I've heard many complaints about it, though, and I'm sure it all plays out very differently when you're using it for day-to-day things.
There's a lot of backlash against Windows 8, but I think that Microsoft was very smart with their strategy. Their major problem, as I see it, is that they moved too quickly and weren't device-specific enough. The Metro interface works nicely on a touch-based device (although my wife thought it looked messy, and preferred the layout of the iPad), but seems really out of place on a regular computer. Still, hybridizing tablets and computers (excluding their fudging of splitting into ARM and x86 devices) seems like a natural progression of sorts. It will be interesting to see where it leads.
|2012-12-12, 19:50
|Link #492
Also a Lolicon
Join Date: Apr 2010
Laptops are more powerful than tablets because they have a real keyboard, a real mouse, ports to connect it to various peripherals, and have an OS that is built with multitasking in mind.
The iPad as a tablet is defined of what it can't do, not what it can.
|2012-12-13, 02:27
|Link #493
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 60
Desktops that *break down* into modular components -> tablet ... now that would be somewhat useful, especially if you could upgrade the important stuff. A Windows 8.1 that realized whether it was in tablet mode or desktop mode would be shinier, imo.
|2012-12-13, 17:40
|Link #494
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 32
|2012-12-14, 01:05
|Link #495
Pretentious moe scholar
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Age: 31
Correct me if I'm wrong on this, but iOS is essentially designed around fullscreen app use, correct?
The Metro UI in Windows 8 and RT has a couple features that make multitasking a little easier, including the ability to pin an app to the left or right 20% of the screen, the ability to cycle through the 80% (or fullscreen) app with a simple gesture (which reminds me of how you can move between Spaces with a four finger swipe on OS X laptops), and an easily accessible app switcher. This is probably great for your average home user. Realistically though, I feel like this setup would become unmanageable if you had more than a few apps open at a time, and the "20%" app is going to have quite limited screen space.
It's much easier to managed large numbers of apps in a traditional desktop environment. In addition, in desktop Windows 7 and 8, I can quickly split a monitor between two apps 50/50 using aero snap.
Now, I recently had to study for a university exam, which was open book. However, open book in my faculty basically means "have some quick references ready, since you won't have time to reread stuff". Creating my reference sheets involved:
-24 powerpoints of slides from classes, of which I often had more than one open at once
-Two words documents of notes from students who took the course previously (my faculty encourages students to upload their old notes for use by future students)
-Course syllabus/reading list in word format
-A OneNote notebook of notes I took in class, arranged by topic
-A few OneNote pages of "stuff to remember later" that I had arranged by subjects
-Occassionally looking at PDFs from the internet
-Occassionally looking at relevant websites
- A file manager window to give me quick access to whichever powerpoints and PDFs I needed.
-And finally, a Word document where I was writing what was to become my "reference sheet" since, like most of the exams in my faculty, the exam I was studying for was open book
Most of this was open at the same time and was swapping between it all on a regular basis. I can't imagine doing it using a current tablet UI and I honestly don't know how the people I see use iPads in class manage to study on them.
The Surface might have been usable, but only because of it has a full desktop mode. Aside from the fact I don't think the Surface's app switcher is really designed to handle having that much stuff open at once, the ability to split screen 80/20 just isn't as useful as the ability to split screen 50/50 when I want to look at both what I'm writing and what I just read at the same time, which I can do on a Windows desktop.
It's worth noting, too, that the desktop in Windows RT can only be used to run Office, IE, and a few other built in apps. It's not like the desktop in X86 versions of Windows where you can run whatever you want on it. This is a lot of geek types are waiting for Windows 8 tablets based around Intel's next generation Atom chip, which can run full X86 Windows but is supposed to have similar power consumption to the ARM CPUs in the Surface and other Windows RT tablets. Unfortunately I don't think that Microsoft will offer an Atom based Surface, as it appears their objective with the Surface is to reduce Window's dependence on Intel for CPUs and to encourage people to use the new UI, with the desktop mainly being there because the Office team isn't going to have a Metro version of Office ready anytime soon. Yes, I know they're making the X86 based Surface Pro but the pricing and battery life on that won't be competitive with the regular Surface like the Atom based tablets.
For reference, BTW, Motorola actually makes a few Android phones that switch to a "desktop mode" when placed in a dock. It seems to me that Microsoft could totally do this with Windows phone - particularly as Intel is starting to make smartphone class CPUs, which would be neat as it would essentially allow you to take your regular apps with you and save your big honking desktop for stuff that really needs the processing power like gaming or Adobe Lightroom. But of course, this isn't really where Microsoft appears to be headed.
|2012-12-14, 09:36
|Link #496
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 32
Personally, I certainly maximize most windows that I work with (although I don't use the "full screen" feature of Mac OS X as often as I probably should). What makes multitasking on a computer vs. the iPad isn't the screen size of the fact that I can display more windows at once on the computer; it's the speed of switching between applications. Alt-tabbing (or technically, command-tabbing) is faster than making gesture-based swipes.
This isn't to say that there's no good reason to have the ability to view multiple applications at once - there certainly is. Philosophically and psychologically it seems that we're moving away from the old idea that we could be ultra-productive by working on a million things at once, and technology is reflecting this by making it easier to work on a single thing with no other distractions.
(Also, a little tip for multitasking on the iPad - in addition to the four-finger swipe from side to side to move between application "panes," if you four-finger swipe upward you will bring up the list of most recently used applications and can tap one to go directly to it. This is the same action as quickly double-pressing the Home button, but it may be faster if your fingers are already at the screen. Since the gesture can be performed at any speed, it may also be better for people who have difficulty double-tapping the home button fast enough, or limiting their taps to two taps.)
So once again, it's not that one interface is inherently better than another, it's a matter of whether the software can be designed to make good use of it.
|2012-12-14, 13:23
|Link #497
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: event horizon
The only people for whom your argument holds true are the ones for who the complexity of using their phone and their computer is virtually the same (with the only difference that desktops open "bigger" apps). I'm not going to argue the people who might as well be sitting on their toilet while using the computer aren't some kind of "majority," but this whole argument of systems designed for real work needing to be dumbed down to the lowest idiot-index is absolute nonsense.
|2012-12-14, 14:01
|Link #498
Love Yourself
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Northeast USA
Age: 32
I used to use dual monitors as my standard setup when I was using Windows as my primary operating system. I stopped with Macs because the software support just wasn't there (although if anyone knows of an UltraMon equivalent, please let me know!). While in research I began to utilize three monitors purely because it sped things up, but all applications were full screen on each monitor. Tiling them wasn't feasible given the type of work I was doing (signal pathway analysis). Or rather, I didn't have a single screen that was large enough to allow me to panel.
Just to be clear, I'm not trying to say that touch-based input is inherently superior to keyboard and mouse, or that full-screen applications are inherently superior to windowed applications that don't take up the full space. Certain tasks most definitely benefit from one over another, but a lot of the trashing of touch-based input and full screen applications seems a bit misguided to me. People talk about it as if these really are inherently inferior, but I think it has more to do with the software utilizing them efficiently. The users themselves are another factor: most of us are used to working a certain way, and these newer methods and styles are different. That takes some getting used to, as well as figuring out how best to integrate it into your own workflow.
|2012-12-14, 15:37
|Link #499
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 60
Even my wife (whom I'd characterize as an average computer user) will have several windows open at once in non-maximized mode. She'll be writing letters, looking things up, shopping, and even skyping all at once.
The main complaint about a touch-oriented system is the ergonomic failure. Vertical screens and touch are painful after a few hours.
|2012-12-14, 16:41
|Link #500
blinded by blood
Touch is wonderful for small devices with limited room for input methods (i.e. smartphones and even tablets). I don't see touch having any point at all in specialized devices (i.e. MP3 players, cameras) or in full-blown computers. Tactile switches will ALWAYS be ergonomically superior to touch controls--always.
Apple's new iPod Nano is stupid. Why does it need touch controls? It doesn't. It is an MP3 player. It doesn't do anything but play MP3s and videos. Actual buttons would be vastly superior on the device. Touch-enabled desktops are stupid, too. Using a touchscreen on a vertically-oriented monitor is a major ergonomic fail--it's just not comfortable.
|Thread Tools


text:
US Chamber Of Commerce: Communicating With Woman Whose Sad Story We Manipulated Is Harassment
from the um-no dept
Of course, the folks in the Techdirt community quickly pointed out numerous other problems with the propaganda campaign, including the fact that the "example" in the video took place in Canada, meaning that a US law wouldn't have meant anything at all. Separately, and more importantly, it was pointed out that the Operation in Our Sites effort by ICE, which was the basis for PROTECT IP, has yet to target a single online drug site. They just use the scare factor of fake drugs to go after websites based on questionable reasons and evidence.
One of our regular commenters, Prometheefeu, suggested that the woman in the video might not know that she was being manipulated this way by the US Chamber of Commerce and suggested that the community here team up to draft a letter to explain why her friend's tragic story is being exploited by the US Chamber of Commerce to support a law that's really focused on an entirely different issue. Prometheefeu mentioned that he had found the woman's address and phone number, but he did not give that information out. He just suggested that we write her a letter. He even explicitly told people not to harass (or, as he said, "prank/lulz") the woman, noting (correctly) that this would make you a "counterproductive idiot."
All of this is perfectly reasonable. Unless, of course, you're the US Chamber of Commerce.
They called us and left a voicemail specifically calling out that comment, and saying that our commenter was calling for people to "harass" the woman in their video and asking us to delete the comment. Now, it seems that we're all in agreement that harassing this woman would be idiotic. But, apparently the US Chamber of Commerce feels that writing a reasoned letter to someone to explain why the Chamber of Commerce is manipulating your story counts as "harassment."
Now that strikes me as something of a double standard. After all, the Chamber of Commerce itself runs campaigns asking people to send "20,000 letters in 20 days" in order to flood Congress in support of certain bills. But, someone wants to draft a single letter to someone who appears in a ridiculously misleading US Chamber of Commerce video... and it's harassment?


text:
NEW YORK (AP) - H.J. Heinz Co. says it agreed to be acquired by an investment consortium including billionaire investor Warren Buffett in a deal valued at $28 billion.
The ketchup company said Heinz shareholders will receive $72.50 in cash for each share of common stock they own. The deal value includes the assumption of Heinz's debt. Based on Heinz's number of shares outstanding, the deal is worth $23.3 billion excluding debt.
The per share price represents a 20 percent premium to Heinz's closing price of $60.48 on Wednesday.
Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital say Heinz will remain headquartered in Pittsburgh.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


text:
A former justice of the peace has been charged with capital murder in the slayings of a North Texas district attorney and his assistant who prosecuted him for theft.
Authorities announced Thursday that Eric Lyle Williams is charged in the shooting deaths of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, last month, and assistant prosecutor Mark Hasse in January.
Williams has been in jail since he was arrested Saturday and charged with making a terroristic threat. Authorities say the 46-year-old emailed an anonymous threat to law officers one day after the McLellands were found dead.
Williams' wife was arrested Wednesday and charged with capital murder in the killings.
An arrest affidavit alleges she confessed to taking part in the killings and told her investigators her husband was the gunman.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Previous Story
Authorities have announced that the wife of a former judge is being charged with murder for the slayings of a North Texas district attorney, his wife and an assistant prosecutor.
Kim Lene Williams was arrested early Wednesday. Kaufman County sheriff's spokesman Lt. Justin Lewis said Williams is being charged with all three deaths and being held on $10 million bond.
Her arrest is the latest twist in an investigation that has also focused on her husband, who was prosecuted for theft by Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and one of his prosecutors, Mark Hasse.
McLelland and his wife, Cynthia, were found dead March 30, two months after Hasse was slain outside the local courthouse.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


text:
Times: NFL provides own type of MBA program
Talk about the Washington Redskins here. Do you bleed burgundy and gold?
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Times: NFL provides own type of MBA program
NFL provides own type of MBA program
From the Sports section
Jody Foldesy
Once there was a time Louis Riddick didn't know or care to know what happened in the business of football.
Riddick, now a pro scout for the Washington Redskins, intentionally ignored marketing, finance and club operations during his seven seasons as an NFL player. The psychological barrier between football and business, known to all who have worked in the league, was particularly strong in his mind.
"I didn't want anything to do with the business side of it," Riddick recalled. "All I wanted to know was what time was practice, when we were meeting, who we were playing and what the game plan was."
Times have changed. Now Riddick, in between film sessions, meetings and practice, dreams of running his own personnel department. And last month he finished tearing down his wall at the second annual NFL-Stanford Program for Managers, where he was taught many of the broad fundamentals he once ignored but now needs to maximize his career.
At one of the world's premier business schools, Riddick and nearly 40 other mid-level NFL officials underwent what one participant dubbed a "boot camp for managers." Coming from disciplines as diverse as coaching and community relations, they studied cases, attended classes, listened to seminars by high-powered league executives and tapped each other's knowledge and experiences.
Both years' attendees lavished praise on the program, and its future appears strong. The product of a serious effort by the league to boost minority and female representation in the executive ranks, the program also represents further recognition that what occurs on the field is increasingly linked to teams' business operations.
"It's not football ... business," Riddick said, making a slicing sound and cutting his hand through the air. "It's trying to find a way to mesh it together without stepping on each other's toes. Football people want to deal with football, and business people want to deal with business, but you have to understand that one hand kind of scratches the other's back."
'Awesome experience'
This year's participants arrived on a Sunday at the picturesque, 8,180-acre campus about an hour south of San Francisco. Immediately they were thrown into case studies. They discussed the cases in groups that night and then again at class the next day.
Areas of study ranged from salary-cap management to branding to globalization. Stanford professors, led by the program's co-director, George Foster, and a variety of NFL executives, including commissioner Paul Tagliabue, taught and gave speeches.
Classes ran the bulk of each day, Monday through Thursday. By the time the students took a breath Friday and received their certificates, they were amazed at how much they had learned and how differently they had begun to think.
"It was an awesome experience," said Ricky Hunley, an assistant coach on Steve Spurrier's 2002 Redskins staff who now works under the Cincinnati Bengals' Marvin Lewis. "You get a broad-based knowledge of the workings of the league, how it all fits together."
Some pupils, such as Hunley, lobbied to attend. Others, such as Riddick, were singled out by team management. All seemed to return with more confidence to boost their careers.
"My next goal is to be a head coach," Hunley said. "Going to a program like this really gives me an opportunity to understand what the other side does."
The idea of the program, like that of business school, is to give somewhat accomplished pupils exposure to the "big ideas" that shape organizations. Executives want visionaries among their peers; no matter how much film a scout watches, he won't climb the ladder unless he understands his club's more general goals.
"It's stuff you don't think about a lot of times," said Tampa Bay Buccaneers personnel executive Doug Williams, a former Super Bowl-winning Redskins quarterback who attended this year's program. "You come to work, turn on the film projector, do your thing and then go home. And then there's Susan in marketing who's working her buns off to keep the owner happy and keep the lights on."
These days, marketing and finance mean more than paying electric bills -- they increasingly mean the difference between winning and losing. Owners are aggressively milking revenue sources. Suite leases, stadium advertising and team stores help generate the cash to pay big bonuses and lure top talent.
Growing revenue disparity between large- and small-market clubs is leading to a tug-of-war over the NFL's future financial structure. Regardless of who wins, up-and-coming employees like Riddick know they must be at least conversant in business operations.
"I found myself gravitating toward finance people, toward marketing people, toward people who run stadiums and negotiate stadium leases," Riddick said. "Those are the kind of things that, if you really want to have your finger on the pulse of an entire organization, you have to know."
Boosting diversity
The program evolved from the NFL's bid to create more minority opportunities and Foster's sports business research at Stanford.
NFL director of football operations Gene Washington and former Stanford and NFL coach Bill Walsh had talked for much of the past decade about how to boost minorities' odds of becoming head coaches and executives. When Washington, a Stanford graduate, spoke at a class taught by Foster and Walsh in early 2003, hope turned into reality.
Washington left impressed with the studious efforts of Foster and Walsh. Two weeks later he came back to them with the green light for an executive program.
"What we thought was that not everybody has the full scope of the organization," Washington said. "Sometimes you get pigeonholed. So the idea of taking a page from the executive training programs came about."
Foster and Walsh's interest in the dynamics of sports business is no fling. Besides co-teaching a course in sports business management, the pair is writing a book on the subject, and Foster teaches courses in sports marketing and sports finance.
"I think that's why the NFL felt a little more comfortable," Foster said. "We had poured a lot of intelligence resources into this."
Although minority opportunities motivated the program, the final product was expanded to include people of all races and both genders. Each team sends one representative, and the league office in New York sends several officials. Three players attended in 2003 (though none this year because of scheduling problems) and the NFL Players Association expects more players to be on hand in the future.
Hunley, who is black, noted the strong diversity at this year's program, counting 14 women, two of whom were minorities, about a dozen black men and "12 to 16" former players.
"When we started to put this together, we realized that we need all types of managers, not just minorities," Washington said. "But the program still retained aspects for minorities and women."
Staying in touch
Foster lists three goals for the program: to improve participants' basic business skills, expose them to the league's economics and "build the cohort group."
The last area -- networking -- has enjoyed particular success. The class of 2003 remains in close contact via e-mail. Brian McCarthy, the NFL's director of corporate communications, noted how he and his classmates track and congratulate each other's accomplishments, such as cornerback Troy Vincent's signing with the Buffalo Bills and election as NFLPA president.
Hunley compares the experience to training camp -- participants go away, endure an intense experience together and form a bond. He and other members of the class of 2004 see networking as a big long-term asset.
"Now I'll see these people on the road, see them when they come here," Riddick said. "Talk to me a year from now and see whether or not I've tapped into their resources. I'm sure I'll have hit a whole bunch of them."
Washington plans to judge the program's success over the long term despite two years of raves. Only when he sees more minority head coaches, general managers and team presidents will he be satisfied.
"There's a certain amount of success we know it has attained," Washington said. "But there's a certain amount we won't know until we're a couple of years out."
Perhaps providing validation one day will be Riddick, the former player who once saw a wall between football and business and now sees his future.
"Going to a seminar like that, you really realize that it's a big, big, big machine," Riddick said. "Even in this little building, it's a big machine with a lot of moving parts."
http://insider.washingtontimes.com/arti ... 3945-6621r
RIP Sean Taylor 1983-2007
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RIP Justin Skaggs 1979-2007
RIP Sammy Baugh 1914-2008
RIP JPFair
RIP VetSkinsFan
#60 Chris Samuels: 6-time 6-time 6-time 6-time 6-time 6-time Pro Bowl left tackle!
RIP Kevin Mitchell 1971-2007
RIP Justin Skaggs 1979-2007
RIP Sammy Baugh 1914-2008
RIP JPFair
RIP VetSkinsFan
#60 Chris Samuels: 6-time 6-time 6-time 6-time 6-time 6-time Pro Bowl left tackle!
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