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A Third Strike for AppleJanuary 02, 2004
Let's review:
- I bought my G3 iBook in September. My first Mac purchase ever.
- One week after, Panther's release date was announced. I'm still on Jaguar.
- Two weeks after, Apple announced an upgrade to the G3 iBook line: G4s for the same price.
- Now it's coming out that the logic board on my particular model is flawed, to the point where there are rumblings about a class action lawsuit.
Apple has an upgrade program that gives users who buy before a certain date a cheap upgrade. I'd have been prefectly happy to pay for one, but I bought a week and a bit before the cutoff date. I called. It was recommended I submit a letter. I submitted. It was denied. I called again. Sorry, no chance.
Given the above list, the least I'd expect is Apple throwing me a coupon or a gift certificate or an OS upgrade or something. Apple is famous for poor customer service/appreciation, but I think this is crossing the line. I'm not a happy customer.
Listen, I know all this sounds like sour grapes. But I really want to like Apple. The operating system is excellent, the products are insanely well-designed, and the subversive anti-Microsoft sentiment is fun. They're just making it really hard for this first-time buyer to stay enthused.
I'll most likely be buying again in the near future and selling this iBook, since my needs have changed and it's not nearly powerful enough for what I need to do with it. The choices on the table are a 15" PowerBook (which, rumour has it, features an ugly spotted screen in some cases) and a cheaper Windows machine that will run circles around the PowerBook, performance-wise, and cost at least a thousand dollars less.
It's not looking good for Apple at the moment.
Reader Comments
I don't have the personal experience to refute the charge that Apple has poor customer service, but there are exceptions to that.
In fact, I know somebody who emailed the big man, Steve Jobs himself, about a gripe he had. Within a week this friend received a call from somebody very high up (president, vice president…) within the division in question, who said that he'd been asked by Steve to discuss my friend's concerns.
Seems that may be the exception rather than the rule, though, unfortunately.
From my experience with Apple, if you go to one of their stores and talk with a tech about your problems they might actually be able to help or at least point you in the right direction. They all seem to know people up higher and can give you a reference number to use when you talk farther up the ladder.
However, I've had similar things happen. Last March I bought a second generation 10g iPod, and a month later the new third gen pods came out. Yes, I was a little pissed - I could have saved $100 and gotten a newer model, or paid the same price and gotten double the storage, but the thing was that either way it was worth it.
Six months later I dropped $800 on a refurbished 700mhz G3 iBook, only to have the G4 'books announced the next month. I even paid for Panther. But I still saved money, and it was basically my 'intro' to the mac os. When a G5 powerbook comes out I'll probably eventually break down and buy one. I really like how apple works, and while it's more expensive, I personally feel that it's worth the expense, just like an Audi would make more sense in terms of a nice, performance car than a VW.
Oh - one more thing. About the logic board - if you bought your iBook in October or whenever right before the G4 announcement, you've got 'iBook' written on the screen in a sans-serif font, right? As far as I understand, the logic-board error applies only to the older '2001' iBooks - the one I own and I presume you own is a 2002 model and doesn't seem to suffer the same problem.
I might just be blowing smoke here and there, though.
the difference between a happy i-will-buy-from-apple-again customer and a disgruntle i'm-still-going-to-buy-from-apple-again customer is that … wait… there is no difference. LOL! sorry dave, not to make plight of your situation, but apple just doesnt care. so long as you continue to buy stuff from them, theyre not going to pay attention. being a mac user myself, i feel for you.
I enjoy mac products, but my iBook has crapped out on me going on 3 times now. The power cord has broken twice, the power supply inside the computer has broken once, and the screen has broken once as well. I have to call and get it replaced before my 1 year is up. It's frustrating because I don't want to have to keep sending it back to get fixed. So I feel your pain.
First off, I would like to say that I am a total Mac geek. I love 'em. Some of my opinions may be a little altered by this view.
Alright, so let me try to sort out what you are saying… You bought a seemingly nice computer, only to watch in dismay as Apple released a bunch of deals + upgrades that you could've gotten. Am I right? It seems that this is not Apples fault for any of these things. It is simply chance. You happened to buy at the wrong time. You did. It's more your fault than Apple's.
After that is said, I would like to make a point that I have believed in for a long time. I have a four year old laptop, and It works great! I have had no trouble with it what so ever. It is a very old G3. What is the problem with having an old computer? Nothing. They work great. Get 'em hooked up on the internet and your good to go. Sure, you may not be able to get the latest software upgrades, but like Tom said, keep it as "a road machine".
Personally, I really don't care that I can't get all the newest programs. I'm not professional though. Maybe you have needs that I don't have. I can produce pretty high quality stuff with the some what outdated software I have currently.
Ta ta!
Dave, I too know how you feel. I bought a 12" PowerBook at the end of summer just to have Apple upgrade a month or two after. Now I can't really say much about their costumer service since I haven't had any big issues; however, the people at the university store have always been helpful.
Having said that, I've come to terms with the fact that this is just how things are. Electronics move at such a fast pace that we can't try to keep up all the time.
So what if Apple upgraded their lineup just after you bought your iBook. The computer you have hasn't just lost all it's value, it's still the same computer. For example, I just bought a cell phone not long ago just to have Fido upgrade it's low-end phone to a new Sony-Ericsson with Bluetooth and a color screen for the exact same price as mine (no Bluetooth or color screen). Now would anyone consider contacting Fido and asking for an upgrade, no. Granted a laptop seems move expensive but considering its uses both are worth about the same, correct?
I think everyone tends to to share horror stories more often then they do happy ones and this can lead one to believe things are worse then they actually are. Of all the people I know personally, all the Mac users are more then happy with their machines and nobody has ever had a single issue. I guess we're just lucky though.
Now just to give my two cents on the price-value issue. First of all, I think everyone is entitled to their opinion and if you believe that an x86 laptop is better value I won't really try to force my views onto you. What I will do is share my experience and let you decide for yourself.
I know that it's cheaper to build a system yourself but the same is not true for a laptop. You can get a 12" PB for $1,999 (Canadian w/ student discounts) and in my opinion this is worth every cent. I'm not going to waste everyone's time going into details about this issue as everyone's situation and needs are different but if you'd like to discuss it personally I'll be happy to abide.
Most people realize that, near the end of the year, the next year's car models are announced. Every manufacturer has a slightly different schedule, and research (including web forums, asking the salespeople, etc.) will reveal a lot.
So if you buy a car in September, you might realize you're purchasing something that will momentarily be replaced by something newer.
You know this because you know about the automobile industry.
If you've chosen to purchase a computer, it would only make sense to research that industry - and your chosen manufacturer - before making your purchase.
Panther was announced and previewed in June (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/wwdc03/ ) so it's not as if it came out of the blue when it finally hit store shelves. Rumour sites reported that the iBooks were due for an upgrade a couple of months before the new models appeared. You probably don't have any rumour sites in your bookmarks given that this is your first Mac, but you should get some and check them often. Here's a few to get you started:
There has to be a cut off point some time, and you can't know which side you'll be on. There will always be new models which are faster and cheaper than the one you just bought. That's the ways things work in a consumer driven society.
If your iBook develops a fault within 12 months Apple must repair or replace it (at least under UK consumer law.) And if you buy the AppleCare package within your first 12 months of ownership Apple will have to repair your iBook if it develops a fault for a further 24 months. Yes, faults are frustrating, but no manufacturer is immune.
Most PC laptops can probably run circles around iBooks and are often cheaper. But a great computer isn't about just hardware or just software, it's a balance between the two.
The good part of this experience is that you'll know what to do next time… keep your finger on the pulse if you want the best buy.
Anyway, I hope your next Mac experience is a more enjoyable one. ;)
I've had my own struggles with Apple's customer service in the past, but it's usually been solved.
For example, a few months ago, I was having some problems with my Airport Base Station. I called up Apple, but was informed that because I didn't purchase a (very expensive) support membership, I simply wouldn't receive any advice. The whole membership thing kinda gets me fumed, but I digress.
The next day, I issued a very angry protest with some people over the customer service line. Eventually, I got transferred to a woman in public relations. A few protests of the support I'd received coupled with reiterations of the products I'd bought and support I'd given the company over the years, and I was given the advice I needed. On top of that, I'd be getting my iPod repaired at warranty cost, though I was told it was out of warranty.
Usually complaining loudly has worked for me (and others) when it came to Apple. Sorry to hear about your struggles with their customer service. Definitely not the way a company should represent itself to a new customer.
Sounds like you chose to buy at just the wrong time! I'm a new Apple owner as well, just bought an eMac and a 12" Powerbook and couldn't be more pleased. Both came with Panther preinstalled, etc. But if they didn't I really wouldn't be mad at Apple for it. I mean if you bought a 2003 Lexus a week before the 2004 model comes out, they're not going to "upgrade" your purchase to the new model for free… and I seriously doubt Dell or HP or anyone else would do that either. It just seems to be expected of Apple since they are more model-based. Like with HP you never really think "Hm, I really want an HP 6300x" or whatever the model number is. You think, "Hm, I want this P4 3ghz processor and this 120gb hard drive, so I'll go with this model. But with Apple it's more like, "I want model X". So when they upgrade something the next week people seem to get upset. If HP came out with a 3.2ghz model the next week for the same price, no one would even notice. Seems silly to go with a sub-standard OS and computing experience (Windows) just because Apple didn't upgrade all of your purchases for free.
I'm sympathetic to your story, but consider the following:
1. The best times to purchase Apple hardware are always right after the Expos (July and January). That is when speed bumps and new models usually come out, so buying in September is a bit of a risk. Now, would I expect a first-timer to know this? Probably not. But in the future, you should always try to time your purchases around new hardware announcements. My personal strategy is to always buy the most recently announced bottom-of-the-line product. So, for instance, as soon as they announced the bottom-of-the-line 12 inch Powerbook, I placed my order. That way, you always get a new model at a great price and you don't take such a big depreciation hit.
2. As for Apple customer service, there are always good and bad stories about every company's customer service, but Apple generally ranks very high in this department. They rank very high in quality control as well. Your particular case is unfortunate, but it's definitely not the norm. That said, I never buy extended warrantees for any products *except* laptops. Laptop manufacturing is such an exacting process these days that a mistake of 1mm in production can mess a lot of stuff up. If you lay a laptop down the wrong way, something can bust loose. Not just Apple… any laptop. Always buy the Applecare warrantee.
3. As for buying a PC laptop for 1000 dollars less which will run circles around a Powerbook, show me this laptop. The 15 inch Powerbook is $2000. Any PC laptop for $1000 is going to be more or less, a piece of crap. And for $2000, you can get a nice Sony which will perform very well, but considering all the crap you have to deal with on Windows XP, you could hardly say it "runs circles around the Powerbook".
My advice is to either keep your iBook as a "road machine", or sell it on eBay. Then get yourself a 12 inch or 15 inch Powerbook right after this month's Expo. You are a professional and the iBook is not really ideal for the professional market.
It seems silly to have such a problem with a company and then go back to them so immediately.
Let's sum it up:
bad product (logic board or spotty screen things)
bad customer service
more expensive
I'll keep playing around with our eMac here in work, but I doubt I'll ever switch myself.
Oh no. What have I done? Please, no OS sparring.
"The 15 inch Powerbook is $2000. Any PC laptop for $1000 is going to be more or less, a piece of crap."
Let's step outside the U.S. for just a second. The 15" model I'd need runs $3,699CDN before tax, just over 4 grand after. Even the high end Sonys are more than a thousand dollars cheaper up here.
Say you bought 10 days before the cutoff date, and Apple is generous and says "okay, we'll let you upgrade".
Now everyone who bought it 11 days before wants an upgrade.
They have to set a cutoff date, and they have to stick to it. Some people are gonna be in the sucky position of being a day before it… but Apple just doesn't have another option.
MJH, Dave hasn't had a problem with his actual iBook as far as I can tell, so there is no reason to say it is a defective product in his case until something actually happens to his machine. Unless I misread and he had actually had trouble with his machine, and was not just mentioning the possible law suit.
I've had some bad customer support from Dell and Compaq as well, that doesn't mean everyone in the world does though. It really just depends on who you end up talking to that day, for any company.
Sounds like they are more expensive up in Canada though…
Ha, I just spent the past couple minutes trying to build comparable systems (unsuccessfully, btw), and it never dawned on me you are in Canada.
Derek - My opinions on Mac and Windows put aside, if its gonna be a possible class-action lawsuit, I would call that grounds for a bad product. Or at least that piece of the product.
I happen to like the eMac in work. Good operating system, good design. Good test machine.
Just curious - Tom mentioned to always buy the Applecare warranty. What warranty does apple give without that? In other words, whats the standard warranty from Apple?
A friend got a new 15" powerbook a couple weeks ago, and we compaired to it another friend's powerbook which was bought as soon as they came out. The screen actually looks different when you put some pressure on it.
Since the white spots were caused (I think) by the screen's supports, I would venture to guess that the problem has been fixxed.
Even, if it isn't, Apple was replacing powerbooks that developed the white spots with no other questions asked.
Just read your apple story. I bought a G3 couple of years ago. I couldn't do what I wanted…I had to buy an external cd burner…could find the audio cards I needed, not for under $500 at least. Anyway, I had been an apple person for years. My first computer was my dad's Mac Plus and I had worked with just about every model after that, but I ended up selling the G3 and went to the darkside: Microsoft. Built my own box., because it was cheap and I could all the audio work I needed. Now I've turned that original MS box into a linux server. I experimented with a mini-itx system, but I didn't like that. So, I decided to try Apple again. I had some money, so I bought a 15" G4 powerbook in Novemener. I got the educational discount so it was a pretty good deal, and I also did get the protection plan for the same reason Tom R. mentioned.
I'm very happy with the powerbook…but I wasn't happy with my first G3. So I'm 1 for 1, and I'm also 1 for 1 with my XP box experiments.
I'm sorry that your apple experience was so bad. I had thought they were trying to really boost their image and from what I gather it was working, but there are still the unfortunate cases like yours.
To each his/her own. As far as the OS sparring goes, I have one of each XP, Linux, Apple. But I'm using the Apple the most. The reason I went back to apple, incidentally, is beacuse of all the native Unix code…and since I'm a bit of a unix geek, that was a big sell for me….it just depends on what you want.
Two things –
1.By my calculations, a $2000 (US) 15" Powerbook would be $2575.40 in Canadian dollars. If you guys are getting the shaft up there on prices, why not driving an hour southward to the border and buy it there? If you can show you're not from Washington, or Montana, or wherever you might drive to, you will pay no tax on it at the store.
2.Who pays taxes on computers anymore? Order it online from anyone except Apple, and you pay no tax.
I am also sympathetic, and was in somewhat of the same boat as you a few years back when I bought a shiny new iMac G3 600mhz. Just weeks later in september, apple unveiled it's charming new beautiful G4 iMac. I was stunned, and disappointed, and as much as I wish I could have doubled back and returned my iMac for the iMac, I knew I couldn't. But the fact of the matter is I bought my computer to fufill my needs. If going into the purchasing process you knew that you needed a G4 processor, why didn't you get a powerbook? I'm sure that a lot of thinking went into your decision and you settled on an iBook for a reason.
And about panther, http://www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate/ says that if you bought a qualifying mac system (mainly meaning that you can't buy a used G4 tower off ebay and claim free upgrade) on or after October 8, 2003, you are given the opportunity to upgrade to panther for the price of $19.95 US. If you did in fact purchase your iBook after 10/8, just go to the above site and download the application pdf and mail it in! Otherwise you are in much the same situation, and you just got unlucky because apple had new products in the pipeline that were released at a time inconvenient to you.
And about the faulty logic board problem - are you experiencing any problems with your display or video output? Becuase if you aren't, and your iBook is working just fine, then just dont worry about it! Here's a site that claims to have the lowdown on the problem, look into it, but don't get too worried - http://blackcider.com/. I have an iPod, and a few weeks back some dummies went around complaining that their iPod's battery died and it's impossible to replace, but the fact is they were dead wrong. A battery never lasts forever, and probably will run out at some point. But when taken care of, the iPod battery lasts just fine. My friend has the original iPod - 5Gb, weighs about a pound, and it still works great and has more battery life then my third generation 15Gb. Just read this - http://daringfireball.net/2003/12/alternative_stencils .
I just wanted to tell you that your previous posts about the iBook (one you were amazed with it's technical abiilities, and one you were enamored that you could work next to the fire on a beautiful machine all wirelessly) reminded me of using my computer, which has lasted, been taken care of by apple whenever a problem came up, and very much served my needs, if at a slower pace then the G4 iMac I could have had if I had just waited.
A related story at the Register..
Old marketing saying …
"Never an early adopter be" … unless you are time poor and cash rich enough to simply move on to the next glittering product or update.
Hope it all gets better sooner than later
Dave, I really feel for you hear. I totally see where you are coming from.
It was not more than a few days ago when my long time best friend asked me for advice on a computer purchase. In specific: a Mac or Dell laptop. We went to the Mac store that recently opened here in Portland, and then we went to the Dell Direct store.
Both sales people had valid points. Both systems had their benefits and weaknesses. When it came down to the U.S Dollar (I have no idea what they charge in Canada for these things), it was pretty clear that you got more bang for your buck going with the Dell laptop. The only thing that came within my friend's price range was an iBook, but he really needed the performance of a Powerbook.
Add to the fact that this friend is a student. Even with the Mac student discount the price for performance was still favoring the Dell laptop. A lot of people say that PCs break down 'more frequently' (yes, Macs break down too) but I have yet to see any significant issues with Dell desktops and laptops.
I too would love to purchase a Mac, I love the design (both visually and technically), I love the UI, the performance of the Powerbook and the tools it comes with. But you know, people wouldn't buy a Lexus if it was priced like a Ferrari.
A Mac may be a Lexus of the computer industry, but it is over priced. Now, a Dell may not be a Ferrari, but at lest it's priced reasonably.
"…a cheaper Windows machine that will run circles around the PowerBook, performance-wise, and cost at least a thousand dollars less."
the windows machine will definitely be cheaper, but unless you're using it to play games, it will /not/ run circles around a powerbook.
price and performance are important factors, but you mustn't forget ease of use, product design, etc. i've found powerbooks better designed and sturdier-feeling than comparable notebooks from sony or something. you can't say that what the hardware looks like doesn't matter, we're designers after all ;).
if i were in the market for a new notebook right now (which i'm not, i bought one last year), the factor that would tip the scale for me is this: would i rather use windows xp or panther?
"but you mustn�t forget ease of use…"
Usability is 9/10ths familiarity. For the time being, I'm still far faster on XP than on OS X because I've been using Windows for a decade.
Mainly what I'm reading here is that a) I should have waited before buying, and b) I shouldn't complain about the rules. Fair enough, but surely you can see how the overall experience dissuades me from buying Apple next time around? This is what I'm getting at. Poor service of existing customers reduces chances of them being repeat customers.
It sucks, but as everyone else has pointed out, crap happens. Apple is no different in this respect than any other manufacturer.
If you still want a Mac around, maybe you *should* go portable with Windows and stick an eMac on your desk. It's a touch cheaper than the iBook - you could get a PC laptop and an eMac for the cost of a PowerBook.
> If you buy a Dell laptop just prior to the release of Longhorn
You mean they're actually planning to /release/ longhorn eventually…
Which is, at a certian extent, I suppose, the point. Microsoft doesn't realese new operating systems more frequently than once every three years, and sometimes rather less often than that. In the interim, they release service packs which could be considered point upgrades. Apple, on the other hand, releases a vew version every year, and expects people to pay up one year in two (I think?), helpfully encouraging them by not making new products compatible with the old system. You can decide for yourself which is the better deal.
For the record, the "cheap" UK 15" Powerbook is �1,600 (i.e $2400 or so US) and the model with the superdrive is �2000 or about $3000 - so these things are 50% more expensive or so in the UK than in the US. Also, I own a (three or so year old) Dell laptop, and I really wouldn't recommend one to anyone. The power saving features have never worked consistently (even when I used Windows), the battery is under 2 hours, the lettering on the keyboards is coming off and sometimes rows of keys stop working properly. Apparentley, this latter problem is quite well known - the "solution" is to press down hard on the keyboard. It also makes a noise like a 747 taking off*. Were it not for the hefty price, I would quite happily replace it with a powerbook, although I can't help but wonder if I would end up with a Power PC Linux distribution on there, so that I could be assured of free operating system upgrades.
*Well not quite like a 747, but you can't have it on and try to do anything that requires quiet.
> The only �surprise� was that the new version of Safari would not be back-ported to Jaguar
That surprise is exactly what pisses me off. Safari is probably the most important browser to test in on the Mac. Its market share is increasing rapidly, and the obsolete Safari 1.0 isn't going to be the version that gets all those new users.
With Longhorn, it's known *years* in advance that there is a new browser that won't be back-ported. The same *wasn't* true of Apple, I had a reasonable expectation that it would be useful for its intended purpose well after I bought it. I don't care that there's a faster processor now. I don't care that there's a slight upgrade* to the OS available now. I care that the most important application is a dead end until I pay more money to Apple.
* From the amount of hype over Expose, I find it hard to believe that Panther is anything more than a minor version bump. Sorry, but a slight interface change is not what I call revolutionary or worth �100.
Dave S.,
I'm pretty sure the Sony you mention isn't comparable … I'm here in Canada too and the models that I've found in that price range have 1024x768 LCDs, slower NVidia graphics card (versus the ATI 9600 Mobile), half the disk space and a battery life of 1.5 hours tops. Yeah, it's a faster processor, but not when you run it off of a battery. And it uses XP Home which I wouldn't inflict on someone I hated … so the upgrade to XP Pro would add another CA$300 or so.
As for the OS upgrade costs … yeah, Apple has more upgrades, but it costs me CA$185 for a full installation of the OS, while Microsoft has upgrade installer which will set me back CA$300 while a full installation disk (in case I don't feel like re-enacting my entire installation history when re-installing the OS) sets me back CA$475. Every upgrade disk from Apple is a full installation disk.
And if you've got several computers at home, you can buy a family pack license and have valid licenses for up to 5 computers. However since Apple doesn't have evil DRM like Microsoft, you aren't required to enter Proof of Purchase numbers every time you upgrade your computer's hardware.
And my luck with Dell is far worse than your history with Apple …
Fwiw - We had to buy a new machine for our group and decided to go with a Dell laptop. That was one and a half years ago - the machine has been so good that I dove in and bought another for me.
I'm not sure what your needs are (we do standards based web design), but I've got a fully set-up apache server with all of the software I need on my machine - that way I can develop locally or on the team's dev server. I run many programs at once (grphx, css, html editors, browsers) and have never had a problem with my p4 (that at only 1.7 gigs, 512 ddr).
Bottom line, I was an apple freak in university, still am, but *economics* dictate our work decisions (btw-all machines bought in Canada, at least a year ago). We've had zero down time, and I'm never left there waiting for my computer (I only wish I was that good!). I'd love a pearl-white latest-and-greatest apple (and a condo in whistler-creekside…) but my Dell is doing the job quite well.
Dave, did you try using the line …
" Do you know who I am?? I'm f'n Dave Shea!
Thousands of designers read my site almost daily, they will hear of your incomeptenance Carl … if that is your real name!"
You probally would have gotten somewhere with a line like that. Maybe.
James Graham wrote:
"Microsoft doesn�t realese new operating systems more frequently than once every three years, and sometimes rather less often than that. In the interim, they release service packs which could be considered point upgrades. Apple, on the other hand, releases a vew version every year"
Damned if they do, damned if they don't. (Does anyone remember Copland?)
For better or worse, Apple has been releasing annual upgrades to OSX (10.1 was, IIRC, free; 10.2 and 10.3 were paid upgrades). Each constituted a *significant* improvement, both in performance and in new features over its predecessor.
I don't think they should have to apologize for their tight development schedule.
As to Service Packs, over the space of the year, Jaguar went from 10.2.0 to 10.2.8, with a few additional Security Updates as well. All these were free and – if you left the checkbox checked (the default) – were automatically downloaded and installed by the Software Update application.
Jim wrote:
"From the amount of hype over Expose, I find it hard to believe that Panther is anything more than a minor version bump. Sorry, but a slight interface change is not what I call revolutionary or worth �100."
You can't *both* complain that Panther sported new FrameWorks – making Safari 1.1 not backwards compatible with Jaguar – *and* that it was nothing but a slight interface change.
Of course the latter is simply incorrect:
Totally new Finder.app
Vastly improved Mail.app
Fast User Switching
iChat AV
Safari 1.1
gcc 3.3
FreeBSD 5.0
IPv6 (which works, this time!)
X11 (with a very "mac-like" default window-server)
And did I say it was significantly faster? I actually thing it well worth $129 (and the grief I went through
) to upgrade.
But, then, I might feel differently if my primary use of the machine was to preview the occasional web site.
did you use the PR from your local dealer or did you go straight to the top and tried to squize the service out of HQ?
My advise is to keep it locally, use the force of your supplier (their leverage with HQ is by far better than yours), bring out your charm, swap the ibook for an upgrade and trade with your design skills to upgrade their website.
"Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition."
Good luck!
My story is *exactly* the same as Dave's, except with one difference: I only bought the iBook to test the websites I create in Mac browsers. Now Apple have released a new OS, and a newer version of Safari that won't work on my OS. I understand that computers are eventually obsoleted, but to find that the laptop I bought is useless for its intended purpose just a matter of weeks after I bought it leaves me thinking very little of Apple.
"Now Apple have released a new OS, and a newer version of Safari that won�t work on my OS. I understand that computers are eventually obsoleted, but to find that the laptop I bought is useless for its intended purpose just a matter of weeks after I bought it leaves me thinking very little of Apple."
Well that's a rather strange attitude.
The release of Panther was well-known pretty far in advance. It was also pretty well-known that a new version of Safari would be released concurrently. The only "surprise" was that the new version of Safari would not be back-ported to Jaguar (though that, too, was broadly hinted at on the rumour sites).
If you buy a Dell laptop just prior to the release of Longhorn, do you promise to bitch as loudly when they don't offer you a free upgrade to the new OS and to the new version of IE?
My feeling is that if you don't like your Mac, then get a PC. What's the big deal?
I happen to like mine – and I'll never buy the cheapo consumer model. But that's just me. I'm crazy.
Here's how it works (the Gospel According to Bat):
Microsoft is a marketing company. Apple is a technology company that's trying to become a marketing company. Linux isn't actually a company, but if it were it would be a technology company that doesn't want to be a marketing company.
So: customer support, testing, user interface development and so on are Microsoft's domain, and will remain so. (This is a good thing, since their technology is bad enough that they really need good testing just to keep up!) Bells and whistles are Apple's and Linux's domain. Gradually, Apple will improve in their customer service, because it's a priority for them to do so, but for the moment they're still in a Californian garage building 80-column hacks for the ][e… damn pretty ones, but never mind that. They'll get there.
Short form: if you buy the hype, buy a Mac. If you don't, you get a choice. Anyone who tells you there's no choice has already bought the hype.
> Damned if they do, damned if they don�t.
I was really serious when I said "You can decide for yourself which is the better deal." Whether you think that getting a new operating system every 3+ years, with a big fanfare and /years/ of hype about it revolutionising computing is better than getting new operating system every year and getting new technology as it is developed, but having to pay for it every year, is really a personal choice. If Apple threw in a couple of point upgrades with every purchase made (like 10.2 buys you 10.3 but you have to buy 10.4), that might be the best of both worlds. But maybe they make less money that way. Maybe the whole situation will improve if a little competion develops in the OS sector. At the moment both MS and Apple are basically free to do what they like since ~100% of hardware purchases in their chosen architecture contain their OS.
James Graham wrote:
"If Apple threw in a couple of point upgrades with every purchase made (like 10.2 buys you 10.3 but you have to buy 10.4), that might be the best of both worlds. But maybe they make less money that way."
Probably the best policy would be an extension to the current UpToDate program: give *every* purchaser of a new machine a hefty discount on the purchase of the next release of the OS, whenever it occurs.
– No more uncertainty (or whining) about having purchased a new machine just before the cutoff date.
– There's a certain percentage of users who would never think to upgrade the OS that came with their machine. This will get them to purchase that first OS upgrade. Who knows? Maybe they'll like it so much they'll pay the full $129 the following year.
For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure the PowerBook's white spots have been fixed; at least, my screen's been fine since got it back from AppleCare.
Didn't read the discussion, just the post, but if you are going to go the PC route with your next laptop, I've been happy with my Dell 600m. If you are doing a lot of graphic intensive stuff, you may want to get one of the beefier models, but it's been doing good for my needs.
If you really want to get a good PC laptop, you won't save quite $1000 over the Apple equivalent, but you will save a pretty penny.
I think either machine will get the job done (in most cases).
I think the problem arises with Apple when they don't actually announce many new products until they go on sale. When I bought my iPod, I looked on Apple.com about three days later and the new ones were there…I was like 'Where the HELL did THEY come from?!'.
Sorry to hear that your experience was less than ideal. We need people like you in the Mac camp, and it's a shame you've run into problems.
I completely agree with "Web" (Eric Webster) in that mentioning who you are can certainly help out.
About a year or so back, I was having hardware issues with a Mac portable. I called them and, after describing the issues, mentioned that I was a long-time Mac user, that the machine in question was critical to my business, and that I was a frequent contributor to a several well-known Mac-related publications. I did this without indicating that I expected special treatment, just giving them additional information.
They handled the situation very well - perhaps no better than the would have if I hadn't been semi/demi/pseudo/almost-famous - but perhaps they did treat me better.
What people have said here is true: Timing is everything when you make an Apple purchase, and it's critical that you do the research ahead of time, as far as product-life-cycles go. Buying something near-term after the Keynote today is a good idea.
MacRumors has an excellent page entitled "Buyers Guide" ( http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ ) which offers a bit of guidance in this regard.
Regarding your other comments:
- There was a short-lived, bad batch of 15" Powerbook screens. All of them were replaced quickly. This is certainly a bad mark for Apple's quality-control, but a reason not to buy Mac? To me, this says that Apple will make good on a known issue.
- It's true that you can purchase a less expensive Windows laptop. It probably won't run circles around a new Mac laptop. If you wouldn't mind using a Windows machine regularly (and relying on its OS), you've got some good options.
Contact me if you'd like to chat about this a bit more via email, Dave.
Good luck.
It's hit or miss in my opinion. I had a piece 'o shite Ibook (ever so slightly earlier model), fried the logic board twice. TWICE. Repaired at about $600 each time.
Moved to new zealand. On the way to work, somehow several droplets of liquid made their way into the inner working of the ibook and POOF. Another logic board gone. I've saw several bad spills in college and saw them come out better. Logic boards of that make ran $2500NZ so a new laptop it was.
Bought a G4 12" powerbook and I've never been happier. WAY less flimsy.
I bought my G3 800 Mhz iBook in April. A month later they announced the 900Mhz at the same price. Now we have a G4 at the same price. Bad luck.
So far, my iBook hasn't suffered from any malfunctionn at all. We already had a 12" iBook that's a year older and it did get a battery replacement – no questions asked.
I have been a Windows user all my life, still forced to be one at work, but working on my Mac is so much more productive somehow. At work I need to restart my win98 (brand new) machine twice a day….
You got burned by the Apple product cycle and hush-hush launch tradition. I did as well with my first Mac purchase (though the net effect wasn't as bad). Lesson: Don't buy a Mac before a keynote (or, uhh, you will get exactly what you ordered).
That said, you should contact Apple and see if you qualify for the Panther upgrade for free.
Err, I will read more closely next time. Disregard my post.
My apple iBook (1ghz 256mb) is great, it has a very good battery life and the Panther OS is fantastic but it still lacks functionality, when I want to rename a file in finder I cant right click and click on a rename button I have to go press return. When I am in safari, I cant right click a picture and set as background, oh no! I have to save the image. When I right click a file in finder, it takes at least 5 times the amount of time than it does on Windows. iTunes is most probably the worst application, it slows down my mac and is greedy. Ironically, iTunes is faster on my pc (2.5ghz, 256mb ram). I think that Microsoft has done a lot of effort to stop the freezing, bugging by producing windows xp which has never crashed on me. Only problem is, I was fed up of viruses and Microsoft security holes so meh I'm staying on my iBook.
BTW APPLE if you are reading this, stop spending so much time on the design and please start providing hardware which can compete with the PC world. (30gb hard drive for a £800 laptop is pathetic and two usb ports is pretty poor)


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PPG Commercial Coatings has launched its third generation of COLOR ACCURATE software, CPC Color Accurate G3. The announcement was made by Steve Podlas, brand manager for PPG Commercial Coatings. The color formulation and management software provides a suite of powerful tools designed to increase the efficiency and productivity of paint operations at the distributor or with the end user.
"We've expanded and enhanced the features ofColor Accurate to make color matching easier for our customers," said Podlas. "Color Accuratehas always been a trusted tool, and now this new-generation software makes searches for color formulations and matches simpler and faster than ever. CPC Color Accurate G3 is straightforward, easy to learn and easy to use; our customers can make the right color call quickly. Customer management and color storage functions are also designed in the software, and Commercial Performance Coatings customers will find CPC Color Accurate G3 software makes the entire color support process much more productive."
New features in CPC Color Accurate G3 software include a broad range of preformulated color matches corresponding to the colors in the CPC two-volume color book set and intuitive formula searching. The software includes more than 40,000 preformulated colors in 20-plus qualities. Color information resides in the software, lessening the need to call the PPG Color Library or go online to find color formulas. Searches are easier because the software's database can be accessed for preformulated colors by OEM, national fleet, RAL, competitor code and other criteria.
CPC Color Accurate G3 also facilitates importing a customer's custom formulas and WIPs into the software, includes tintable primer options for CRE, HBA and VAP primers and provides two color formulation methods—sample mode and batch mode.
In addition CPC Color Accurate G3 provides the means to improve management efficiency with several customer job management reporting functions. The software lets the user input items critical to optimizing profitability on mixes, allows electronic scale and spectrophotometer compatibility, tracks VOC and HAPS and stores tech data sheets.
PPG Commercial Coatings offers a full range of coating technologies for the commercial transportation and light industrial markets, including polyurethanes, alkyds, epoxies, polyurea, waterborne, pre-treatment chemicals and powder coatings. PPG Commercial Coatings products are marketed under several brand names including DELFLEETEvolution, DELFLEET ESSENTIAL, Commercial Performance Coatings and AMERCOAT.

subset: commoncrawl


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Date(s) - 24/07/2019
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
seaside community hub
Through previous experience we have been made aware of the difficulties local residents have in accessing the internet either due to the lack of skills, equipment or wifi.
This makes it difficult for people to engage with other services such as housing, benefits, applying for jobs or attending events as many of them have now become digital by default
By providing training in basic IT we are giving people the opportunity to not only access these services but also provide them with the means to communicate easier with each other such as assistance with using emails and social media in order to stay in contact with friends and family.
There is a social element to this project that is needed and we have often become the only people that those living alone see on a weekly basis.


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Juniper gobbles Altor Networks in $95m startup snack
Now the beefening of virty cloud firewalls can begin
Juniper Networks has acquired partner Altor Networks for $95m in cash, to beef up the security of networks and virtualized servers using its switches.
Altor, which was founded in 2007, is located in Redwood Shores, California, and has created a firewall and intrusion protection system combination that was designed from the ground up to be used in virtualized networks linking virtualized servers to each other.
The company was founded by Amir Ben-Afraim, the former head of business development at firewall maker Check Point Software and a few companies back the lead software engineer at mainframe maker Amdahl, which was devoured by the gaping maw of Japanese server giant Fujitsu many years ago.
Altor lured away Moshe Litvin, who was formerly chief architect at Check Point, to be vice president of engineering on the Altor Virtual Firewall, which plunks into a virtual machine on an x64 server and is used to secure VMs as they flutter around a network using live migration features in server hypervisors.
While there are plenty of server workloads that are not currently virtualized and some that may never be virtualized, Web, application, email, and collaboration servers are being aggressively virtualized. A physical hardware appliance that doesn't understand virtual machines (whether it is a firewall/intrusion protection system or an application caching accelerator) is not something that is going to appeal to customers in this new virtual world.
Juniper said in a statement that it bought Altor not just for its virtualized firewall and intrusion protection system, but also because of the monitoring and compliance tools wrapped around the firewall. These features are important to companies implementing cloudy infrastructure, whether it is for internal clouds or among service providers transforming themselves from traditional hosters (where they sell whole or partitioned servers) to peddlers of flexible cloud capacity (which has workloads scaling up and down and moving around, making many customers especially concerned about security and monitoring).
The Altor virtual firewall runs atop VMware's ESX Server hypervisor, just like rival Cisco Systems' Virtual Security Gateway, which was announced back in September. VMware is, in fact, a partner of Altor's, as is Juniper, which participated in the virtual firewall maker's Series B funding back in March through its Junos Innovation Fund.
Altor raised $10m in that second round, with Juniper and DAG Ventures as well as Accel Partners and Foundation Capital, Altor's founding sugar daddies, kicking in dough. Altor raised $6m from those two equity firms in April 2008 as well as $1.5 in initial seed money as Altor was founded. The company has not divulged its sales and profits, if it has any, nor the number of customers it has.
Juniper has not yet said how it will make use of the Virtual Firewall that it gets from the Altor acquisition, but it would be interesting to see the company deploy the software inside switches (where appropriate) as well as within the server infrastructure. Juniper already sells appliances for intrusion detection and prevention as well as integrated security gateways, SSL virtual private networking appliances, and access control gateways.
It may turn out that Juniper doesn't need Altor for its Virtual Firewall so much as it needs the expertise to turn these physical hardware appliances into virtual ones that run atop ESX Server, so it can sell both physical and virtual security devices.
The Altor acquisition closed today, so the deal is done. ®
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Beltsville, MD (PRWEB) May 05, 2012
Vocus, Inc. (NASDAQ: VOCS a leading provider of cloud marketing software, announced today a revised schedule for their company presentation at Baird's 2012 Growth Stock Conference. Rick Rudman, chief executive officer will present on Tuesday, May 8, at 9:35 am ET.
Interested parties will be able to listen to Vocus' presentation by logging on through the Investor Relations section of Vocus' website at http://onlinepressroom.net/vocus/ir/.
About Vocus
Vocus, Inc. is a leading provider of cloud marketing software that helps businesses reach and influence buyers across social networks, online and through media. Vocus provides an integrated suite that combines social marketing, search marketing, email marketing and publicity into a comprehensive solution to help businesses attract, engage and retain customers. Vocus software is used by more than 120,000 organizations worldwide and is available in seven languages. Vocus is based in Beltsville, MD with offices in North America, Europe and Asia. For further information, please visit http://www.vocus.com or call (800) 345-5572.
Forward-Looking Statement
This release contains "forward-looking" statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are predictive in nature, that depend upon or refer to future events or conditions or that include words such as "may," "will," "expects," "projects," "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," "intends," "plans," "should," "seeks," and similar expressions. This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, Vocus' expectations and assumptions concerning future financial performance. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future results to differ materially from those projected or contemplated in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be significantly impacted by certain risks and uncertainties described in Vocus' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The risks and uncertainties referred to above include, but are not limited to, risks associated with possible fluctuations in our operating results and rate of growth, our history of operating losses, risks associated with acquisitions, including our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses, risks associated with our foreign operations, interruptions or delays in our service or our web hosting, our business model, breach of our security measures, the emerging market in which we operate, our relatively limited operating history, our ability to hire, retain, and motivate our employees and manage our growth, competition, our ability to continue to release and gain customer acceptance of new and improved versions of our service, successful customer deployment and utilization of our services, fluctuations in the number of shares outstanding, foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates.


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California vies for new space industry
California is racing other states to woo new private companies planning to take people on trips to space.
State legislators are debating a bill that will shield spaceship manufacturers and parts suppliers from lawsuits if someone gets killed or injured on a voyage.
The state enacted a law last year protecting space tourism companies like Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic.
Space industry advocates expect such private ventures to be lucrative investments.
Texas, Florida, Virginia, and New Mexico already have similar laws in attempts to lure the business.
Several lawmakers say the state should not relax its liability standards since tourists should expect space ships to be safe.
Explore further
© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


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how is it possible to convert a SNDH sound file into a VGM (Megadrive) one?
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20% off all wall art! Today only! Offer ends tonight at midnight EST.
This product is currently out of stock.
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The image is near the edges of the product but doesn't cover the entire product. Some of the background color may appear around the outside edges of the image.
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Here it is... the towel that's taking the internet by storm. Our round beach towels are 60" in diameter and made from ultra-soft plush microfiber with a 100% cotton back. Perfect for a day at the beach, a picnic, an outdoor music festival, or just general home decor. This versatile summer essential is a must-have this season!
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Charles Rogers
August 29th, 2018
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July 28th, 2018
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July 27th, 2018
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July 19th, 2018
Wow - I didn't realise it was going to be that big! It's a gift for a young member of the family - I think he'll be thrilled as he's a tractor fanatic at 6 years old. A practical gift too. The towel has a smoother upper side so it'll be more comfortable to sit on at the beach. It seems to have a thick absorbent power so no usual skinny beach towel.
Charles Stuart SCHOOL OF ART Is interested in Abstract Art, Beach Art, Naive Art, American Art, Survivor Art, and Photography. uBABE Art is a digital project. Charles has created a school of artists who each represents one individual theme, idea, medium, or style. Being influenced by the massive art books in the village library of Wollaton in Nottingham, UK, Charles Stuart was lost in a dream world of adolescence without a plan � just following his passion for colour. At 17 he entered his painting for the prestigious John Moores Liverpool Exhibition certain of first prize. Unfortunately for Charles, this was the moment in art history when painters were losing their way and wondering if �Painting Is Dead.� Large blank canvases...
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Nov 15 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Join the Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science at our annual GIS Day event.
This is an opportunity for students to show off work to peers, colleagues, professors, and the many others that attend our GIS Day Event. In an effort to reward and stimulate the presentation of research, we hold an annual poster contest with $$MONEY$$ prizes for the winners. The GGS department will even print your poster for you!
This year's competition is open to 3 categories of posters:
- Undergraduate Individual Poster
- Undergraduate Group Poster
- Graduate Individual Poster
Posters must include a geographic theme, but we welcome students from all disciplines engaged in spatial research. Contact Dr. Leslie (firstname.lastname@example.com) by October 27th to compete. All welcome at the showcase.
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It might be from a low-quality cameraphone, but here are the first images of the brand new 2010 Chevy Camaro SS-bodied Bumblebee from the upcoming Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen movie. In addition to the side shot we saw yesterday, this new shot gives us some full frontal muscle car action via a much improved look at Bumblebee's newish nose — which may very well be actual SS styling. And then there's the video — we can barely make out the sweet up-powered Camaro engine music. But the taste is all we need. More pictures below the jump.
[via TransformersLive]


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David M. Bressoud September, 2009
On Tuesday, September 22, I will be joining Sylvia Bozeman of Spelman College and Carlos Castillo-Chavez of Arizona State University to appear before the Congressional Diversity and Innovation Caucus to make a presentation on "Diversity and the Future of STEM: Filling the Undergraduate Mathematics Education Pipeline." I will be making the case that we are losing women, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans from the undergraduate mathematics education pipeline. In this month's column, I will explain the situation with regard to women. Next month, I will share the data I have uncovered on minority representation in undergraduate mathematics.
The first graph (women as % of Math majors) shows the percentage of bachelor's degrees in Mathematics or Statistics awarded to women. The data come from the US Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) [1]. My graph is a bit deceptive since I am only showing the band of 40%–50% in order to accentuate the trends. The drop-off since 2001 is not as dramatic as this graphic suggests, but that does not change the fact that there has been a real and significant decrease.
The percentage of bachelor's degrees in Mathematics earned by women grew steadily throughout the 1970s and early '80s, surpassing 40% for the first time in 1973 and reaching 46.1% in 1985. It then held very steady within the narrow band of 46% to 48% until the early years of this century. Since then, we have seen a slow but unmistakable decline, dropping to 44.1% in 2007, the most recent year for which there is data.
The next graphic (Math majors by Gender) provides more detail of what has been happening. The early '80s saw significant growth in the number of all Mathematics majors, following a decade of precipitous decline from 27,442 majors in 1970 to only 11,078 in 1981. Women in particular were being drawn into the major in the early '80's, reaching their all-time peak as a percentage at 48.3% in 1988. The Mathematics major then entered a long period of decline that ended in 2001, during which time the numbers of men and women decreased at roughly the same rate. Since 2001, there has been a sharp rebound in the number of men majoring in Mathematics, a rebound that is echoed but much more weakly among women.
The Conference Board of the Mathematical Sciences (CBMS) [2] numbers show a similar decline in the percentage of women since 2000. According to their data, the percentage of bachelor's degrees in the mathematical sciences earned by women were 42.2% in 1990, 43.6% in 1995, 42.3% in 2000, and 39.9% in 2005. The discrepancy is the result of differences in how these degrees are counted. Both NCES and CBMS numbers reflect degrees in Mathematics or Statistics. Only the CBMS numbers include Actuarial Science and Operations Research. And the NCES only assigns one major per graduate, so that if a student picks up a second major in Mathematics, that is counted in the CBMS numbers but not for the NCES data.
The CBMS data provide some additional insight into what has been happening in this century. From 2000 to 2005, the number of Mathematics majors at undergraduate colleges and comprehensive universities continued its decline, dropping a further 9%. The growth has come from research (doctoral-granting) universities, where the number of Mathematics majors has increased by 41%. As the CBMS data also show, the representation of women at research universities is much less than at other types of colleges. In 2005 under the CBMS counts, women accounted for 35.7% of the Mathematics or Statistics majors at research universities (see Disturbing Trends in CBMS data [3]).
It is interesting to compare the trends in Mathematics with what has happened to women in other mathematically-intensive majors (see Women as % of Total Degrees).
*For 1980 through 1989, Engineering includes Engineering Technologies.
Relatively speaking, Mathematics looks pretty good, though it is discouraging that over the period 1990 to 2007, as the percentage of all bachelor's degrees that went to women increased by four percentage points (from 53.2% in 1990 to 57.4% in 2007), the percentage of bachelor's degrees in Mathematics that went to women decreased by two points (from 46.2% to 44.1%). Computer and Information Science has been a disaster for women, dropping from a peak of 37.1% in 1984 to only 18.6% in 2007. Perhaps the most discouraging figures are for women in Engineering. After steadily building participation by women from 15.4% in 1990 to 20.8% in 2002, the next five years saw this slip back to 18.4%.
The brightest spots have been in the Biological and Physical Sciences. Women have been well-represented in the Biological Sciences since the late '80s, but the graph shows a real success story in the Physical Sciences. Admittedly starting from a very low rate of 23.7% in 1980, the Physical Sciences have steadily increased the participation of women to peaks of 42.2% in 2002 and 2005 before coming down just slightly to 40.9% in 2007. Even more impressive is the steady growth in the total number of women majoring in the Physical Sciences (see Physical Science Majors by Gender).
It is worth observing that while in 1990 Mathematics was a more popular major among women than the Physical Sciences (6,701 to 5,035), the situation was reversed by 2007 (6,594 in Mathematics versus 8,618 in the Physical Sciences) (see Women in Mathematics and the Physical Sciences). In fact, the impressive 30% growth in enrollments in the Physical Sciences from 1990 to 2007 is mostly the result of a 71% increase in the number of women. In contrast, the number of Mathematics majors grew by only 3% over this period as the number of women decreased.
I do not believe that the success in the Physical Sciences has been the result of happenstance. The period in question has been one of intense work in undergraduate physics education, from the Force Concept Inventory of Hestenes and Halloun [4] to Eric Mazur's work on clickers and Peer Instruction [5] (also see my column, Should Students Be Allowed to Vote? [6]). It was aided by the realization within the physics community that the situation was intolerable and had to be improved. While Physical Science is more than Physics, also including Chemistry, Geology, and Earth Science, all share a course in Mechanics as a prerequisite, and this is the course on which the physics education community focused.
There is a vibrant community of researchers who are seeking to apply to Calculus some of these hard-won insights into how to teach Mechanics. The problems are different and in many ways less tractable for Calculus, but progress is being made. Jerry Epstein has estimated that this task is ten years behind what those in physics education have accomplished. The important question will be whether or not there is the will within the mathematical community to learn from this research.
Acknowledgment. Thanks to Cathy Kessel for many helpful comments and suggestions.
[1] National Center for Education Statistics. 1990–2009. Digest of Education Statistics. US Department of Education. nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/
[2] Lutzer, D. J., et al. 2007. Statistical Abstract of Undergraduate Programs in the Mathematical Sciences in the United States, Fall 2005. American Mathematical Society. www.ams.org/cbms/cbms2005.html
[3] Bressoud, D. 2008. Disturbing Trends in CBMS Data, MAA Online, June. www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_06_08.html
[4] Halloun, I., and D. Hestenes. 1985. Common Sense Concepts about Motion, Am. J. Phys. 53, 1056-1065. modeling.la.asu.edu/R&E/Hestenes_CommonSenseConcept.pdf
[5] Mazur, E. 2009. Farewell, Lecture? Science. 2 January. 323:50–51. sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/323/5910/50
[6] Bressoud, D. 2009. Should Students Be Allowed to Vote, MAA Online, March. www.maa.org/columns/launchings/launchings_03_09.html
Access pdf files of the CUPM Curriculum Guide 2004 and the Curriculum Foundations Project: Voices of the Partner Disciplines.
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David Bressoud is DeWitt Wallace Professor of Mathematics at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and President of the MAA. You can reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com. This column does not reflect an official position of the MAA.


text:
about seven years ago
A display of weird and creepy antiques is on display at the Metamora Courthouse Historic Site, just in time for Halloween.
The "Strange, Weird and Unusual Antiques" exhibit includes a metal instrument used to open veins for bloodletting. Another item is a tooth key, which was used to pull bad teeth.
The exhibit also presents artifacts from the nation's tragic history of slavery. Visitors can see slave shackles and a slaver's whip woven from wood.
On Halloween, children in costumes can take a tour with their parents and get free candy and snacks. The Halloween event is from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
"Strange, Weird and Unusual Antiques" runs through Nov. 8 at the courthouse. It's 1 of 2 surviving courthouses on the historic Eighth Judicial Circuit traveled by Abraham Lincoln.
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YesGirl wrote:He looks cute! Very handsome. I like his hair that way. I almost thought it was 2003 again lol
If you look at his interview with our Johnathan Ross In the UK, it's on www.jimcarrey.com, tv section, 2003, he looks exactly the same, catch the video anyhow it's great.


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The high school basketball season is just past the mid-point and there are some great storylines developing. Fairfield Prep is the top-ranked team in the state and looks to be unstoppable. Jerermiah Livingston of Westhill put on a show-stopping perfomance on opening night when he lit up the scoreboard for 41 points.
On Friday night, a few other performances highlighted what has been terrific year in high school basketball
5. Wilton girls basketball team beat Greenwich (9-4) to raise it's record to 12-o. Erica Meyers led the way with 20 points in the 49-40 victory.
4. Rachel Garnter led the Danbury girls basketball team to its 10th straight win. The Boston College-bound star scored 17 points in the Hatters 49-43 win over Warde
3. After beating city rival Stamford, Mike Walsh of Trinity Catholic quoted Mark Twain in the post-game speech. "The demise and death of Trinity basketball has been greatly exaggerated," the long-time coach of the Crusaders told his team. Trinity beat Stamford 66-52 for its fourth consecutive win.
2. Bridgeport Central continues to roll. The Hilltoppers beat Darien 82-69 to run their record to 10-0. Marcus Blackwell led the way with 25 points.
1. C.J. Byrd and Greenwich. Byrd is emerging as one of the best players in the FCIAC. The senior guard has been red-hot in January. On the 6th, Byrd scored a career-high 32 points against Warde. On Friday night, Byrd nailed six 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 30 points in the Cardinals 63-38 thrashing of Wilton. At a perfect 10-0, the Cardinals are off to their best start in school history.


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|Jan 08, 2013
Shareholder responsibility could spur shift to sustainable energy
|(Nanowerk News) Allowing shareholders to be held liable for the damages that companies cause to the environment and people could help transform the worlds energy system towards sustainability, according to new research published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ("Energy systems transformation").
|The research carried out at IIASA in collaboration with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research demonstrates that there is fundamental rigidity, known as lock-in, within the energy economy that favors the use of fossil fuels and nuclear power despite their large environmental and social costs. The researchers identify that this rigidity of the existing energy economy could be considerably reduced by introducing new rules that hold shareholders of companies liable for the damages caused by the companies they own. Allocating the liability between the company and its shareholders could spur a shift toward a sustainable energy system.
|The worlds energy system today relies heavily on fossil fuels and uranium, and its output regularly causes damage to the environment in the form of pollution, oil spills, or nuclear leaks, says Jérôme Dangerman, lead author of the study and Research Scholar at IIASA at the time of writing the article. But while companies can be penalized for damages to the environment, their owners are not. As a shareholder you are generally speaking never liable for those damages, says Dangerman.
|The paper examined the historical transitions of the energy system, examining the factors that led to previous transitions in energy use, for example from wood to coal, and then from coal to oil. The researchers argue that the 1970s represent a time period in which a new large-scale transition towards renewable energy may have been kick-started by the then unfolding technological revolution.Instead, since the early 1970s the global system has frozen, with fossil fuels and nuclear remaining the major energy sources. From a healthy resilience point-of-view you would normally expect a system to adapt to a situation which is causing so much damage, says Dangerman. But its not fundamentally changing.
|In the study, Dangerman and co-author Prof. Dr. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, explored the reasons for the rigidity in todays energy system. Its dominant positive feedback, says Schellnhuber. Heavy investments in fossil fuels have led to big profits for shareholders, which in turn leads to greater investments in technologies that have proven to be profitable. While, in parallel, the chances of success for sustainable alternatives diminish. Its called Success to the Successful, says Dangerman.
|The profits and advantages for shareholders dont include a reckoning for environmental and social damage, so there is little impetus for shareholders to consider those factors.In order to change the system, says Schellnhuber, something needs to alter the damaging positive feedback cycles. Dangerman says, The paper suggests that you could change this system by allowing a form of negative feedback:by stopping the current block on shareholder liability and holdingshareholders co-responsible for the damage that their companies cause.
|Dangerman points to the Deepwater Horizon explosion as an example, If shareholders were held liable, then next time they might consider the risk before investing or reinvesting.
|The study builds on forty years of energy and technology research at IIASA. Researchers at IIASA have pioneered studies into how lock-in into dominant technologies results in a major barrier to achieving a transformation to sustainable energy systems, comments IIASA Deputy Director Prof. Dr. Nebojsa Nakicenovic.
|Source: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
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MUK and Ek Deewana Tha from February 17
Atharva and Amala Paul starrer Mupphozhuthum Un Karpanaigal is ready for release on February 17th. The same day will also see Prateik and Amy Jackson starrer Ek Deewana Tha, which is the Hindi remake of super hit Tamil film Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaayaa. Also both Muppozhudum Un Karpanaigal and Ek Deewana Tha have been produced by […]Read the Full Story here


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Events Calendar
Peer Support Group
Thursday 3 March 2016
Start: 10:30
Finish: 12:30
Redbridge Concern facilitates a Peer Support Group every Thursday from 10.30am to 12.30pm at 98-100 Ilford Lane, Ilford, IG1 2LD
The Peer Support Group is based around hope, support, encouragement and sharing experiences amongst people with lived experience of mental health issues.Peer support means people supporting each other on an equal basis, to offer something based on shared experiences. It has a long and honourable history in mental health - people with mental health problems and service users have always provided invaluable support to each other, both informally and through self-help and activist groups. It can happen in all sorts of places, informally and formally, in one-to-one settings and in groups.
Peer support offers many benefits, for example: shared identity and acceptance, increased self-confidence, the value of helping others, developing and sharing skills, improved mental health, emotional resilience and wellbeing, information and signposting, challenging stigma and discrimination
Venue: Redbridge Concern for Mental Health, 98-100 Ilford Lane, IG1 2LD
Contact: Regina Byrne
Organisation: Redbridge Concern for Mental Health
Tel: 020 8925 2435
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
www: www.rcmh.org.uk


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Alzheimer's disease ravages the brain, robbing its victims not only of their memories but often their ability to do things as basic as swallowing.
Now, a study of aging patients suggests its true toll may top half a million lives a year -- a figure that would put Alzheimer's just below heart disease and cancer on the list of America's top killers.
The incurable, degenerative brain disease was blamed for 83,000-plus U.S. fatalities in 2010, making it the sixth-leading cause of death that year.
But its true toll may be as much as six times that, said Bryan James, an epidemiologist at the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago.
"Death certificates are well known to underreport deaths from Alzheimer's and other types of dementia," said James, the lead author of the study published Wednesday. "The more immediate causes of death, such as pneumonia or heart attack, are usually listed, and the underlying causes of death are usually left off."
The eight-year study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Neurology, followed more than 2,500 people over 65. Of those, nearly a quarter developed Alzheimer's, and the disease was the cause of death in about 400 people, James said.
James and his colleagues -- co-workers at Rush University in Chicago and at two California institutions, the University of California-San Francisco and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center there -- then statistically extrapolated their results to arrive at their estimate of 503,000 Alzheimer's deaths a year.
By comparison, heart disease was blamed for nearly 600,000 deaths in 2010 and cancer about 575,000 -- but those numbers are going down, while deaths from Alzheimer's are going up.
"I couldn't say when, but in the next 20 years, it could catch up to cancer," James said.
The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and the Illinois Department of Public Health. Dallas Anderson, who oversees population studies of Alzheimer's and dementia at the NIA, called the findings "eye-catching."
"People who I think are knowledgeable about the death registration system in the U.S. would not be surprised that the official number is low, but it is somewhat of a surprise to see that kind of a difference," Anderson told CNN.
Similar studies are under way, and similar results would bolster the findings of James and his colleagues, he said. In the meantime, the results might encourage more doctors to note Alzheimer's when filling out death certificates -- something an increasing number of physicians have been doing already.
"It's just another reminder that Alzheimer's is really an important public health problem, and we need to work on it," Anderson said.
Keith Fargo, the science program director of the Alzheimer's Association, said the new study's mortality estimate is "much closer to the true number."
"The Alzheimer's Association has been saying for a long time that that 80,000 figure is a gross undercount," Fargo said. The new figures may help Americans realize that Alzheimer's isn't "just about forgetfulness," but "a universally fatal brain disease."
"We think this is a solid paper that really puts the true impact of the disease into perspective," he added.
The Alzheimer's Association, which supports more research into causes and treatments, estimates that 5.2 million Americans had Alzheimer's disease in 2013. Alzheimer's deaths went up by 68% over the past decade as mortality from other major diseases declined, and the association expects the number of people over 65 with the disease to climb to 7.1 million by 2025.
In 2012, the Obama administration announced plans to pour another $156 million into Alzheimer's research. The National Institutes of Health has about $560 million currently budgeted for the work.
But the Alzheimer's Association estimates the disease costs more than $200 billion per year -- and since the patients are mostly elderly, much of that is paid by the federal health programs Medicare and Medicaid. The promised increase in research funding is "a step in the right direction," but not enough, Fargo said.
"Scientists have told us we need to invest $2 billion a year for 10 years if we are truly going to move the needle on Alzheimer's disease," he said.


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Say what you want about former Equinox Executive Creative Director Bianca Kosoy. At the very least, she is sticking to her famous "fitness is a fraud" statement.
Kosoy, who left Equinox in September, made her first tweet in nearly two months last Friday. At the time, the New York City Marathon had not yet been canceled despite criticisms that the marathon was diverting much-needed resources from homeowners and businesses hit hard by Hurricane Sandy.
One of those criticisms came from Kosoy, who tweeted: "NYC Marathon is using generators for the race while people have no power. If I didn't say it before, I'll say it now, 'fitness is a fraud.'"
Kosoy first uttered that statement in a New York Times profile that ran in August. It is not known whether or not the statement got Kosoy in hot water, but just two weeks later, she was no longer with Equinox.
The New York City Marathon was canceled late in the afternoon on Friday, not long after Kosoy's tweet. Several participants had already arrived in New York for the event, including Karen Jayne Greenwood, who was recently promoted at Life Time Fitness to serve as the head of publicity and promotions for Life Time Athletic Events. Greenwood, an avid tweeter (@LTSportsPR), ran the Boston Marathon last April, finishing that race in a shade under 5 hours.
The day after the New York City Marathon was canceled, Greenwood was headed back home. Before she left, she told Club Industry: "Suffice it to say, it was the right decision to cancel the marathon, but it was made extremely too late after wasting copious amounts of the city's resources all week long."
Greenwood re-tweeted links to Red Cross fundraisers upon returning home. Other marathoners stayed in the New York area over the weekend to volunteer in relief efforts.
As we mentioned last week, fitness clubs in the New York/New Jersey area are still doing their part to help their communities, opening up their clubs to nonmembers for hot showers and power charging. Deirdre Whalen, general manager of HealthQuest of Hunterdon, NJ, told us Monday that to date, more than 1,200 nonmembers have walked through her club's doors.
Many other fitness organizations are doing their part to support the Hurricane Sandy relief effort.


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New York Knicks fire coach Mike Woodson
One month after Phil Jackson was hired as New York Knicks president to turn the flagship franchise into a winner again, coach Mike Woodson has been fired.
The move had been expected since Jackson's arrival, with the notion of a long and unexpected playoff run likely Woodson's only hope for being retained. But with the Knicks finishing 37-45 and missing the playoffs one season after going 54-28 and reaching the second round, Woodson — who had one year left on his contract — is out, along with his entire staff.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mike Woodson and his entire staff," Jackson said in a news release announcing the move. "The coaches and players on this team had an extremely difficult 2013-14 season, and blame should not be put on one individual. But the time has come for change throughout the franchise as we start the journey to assess and build this team for next season and beyond.
"Everyone in this franchise owes a great deal of gratitude to what Mike and his staff have done. We wish him the best."
FTW:Many faces of Mike Woodson
RETIRING:T'wolves Rick Adelman
And now the Steve Kerr watch begins.
The TNT analyst who won three of his five championships as a player with Jackson's Chicago Bulls is known to be a top candidate for the job. It's unclear how many other candidates may be considered, but Kerr is widely seen as the frontrunner if he wants to take on the challenge. He has consistently declined comment on the matter since Jackson's hiring.
Jackson faces several other issues this offseason as well, starting with All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony, who can become a free agent this summer. Even if Anthony chooses to re-sign, the Knicks will be stuck in a salary-cap predicament in 2014-15. With Anthony ($20 million-plus), Amar'e Stoudemire ($23.4 million), Tyson Chandler ($14.5 million) and Andrea Bargnani ($11.5 million) on the books, New York will be limited in free agency this summer.
Initially named Knicks interim head coach with 24 games remaining in the 2011-12 season, Woodson compiled an overall record of 109-79 with the team, including two postseason appearances and an Atlantic Division title last season.
GALLERY: Everything to go wrong for the 2013-14 Knicks


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A guest post from the Medical Director of FMH's Regional Cancer Therapy Center, Dr. Mark Soberman:
At FMH, we're committed to the multidisciplinary care of our cancer patients. No one physician can provide all of your cancer care; it takes a team!
Nowhere is this more evident than at the Monocacy Health Partners Center for Breast Care at FMH Crestwood. When a patient is diagnosed with breast cancer or is told he or she has a suspicious mammogram, life changes in an instant. Various doctors' appointments, tests and procedures must be scheduled. In many communities, this is the start of a game of "patient pong", where the patient runs from office to office and facility to facility, trying to get the necessary care. Different imaging facilities and various medical specialists are often located in multiple locations, aggravating an already stressful situation and delaying treatment. At the same time, surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and radiologists play telephone tag, trying to compare notes and come up with a coherent, unified treatment plan.
At the Center for Breast Care, all services are co-located in a single facility, maximizing convenience and minimizing stress. Our two board-certified breast surgeons, nurse practitioners and nurse navigator are laser focused on caring for patients with breast disease. When new patients call, they are referred to our navigator, who guides them through the entire care process, providing an experience that minimizes stress and the time from diagnosis to treatment.
Imaging and biopsies are done on site in our state-of-the-art breast imaging center. An imaging navigator coordinates with the Center for Breast Care navigator, ensuring seamless diagnosis and treatment. Newly diagnosed patients are evaluated in our multidisciplinary clinic on Friday afternoons, where they see a fellowship-trained breast surgeon, radiation oncologist and medical oncologist all at the same time. Our specialists then meet, discuss the case and come to a consensus regarding the best treatment plan. That plan is communicated to the patient before he or she leaves the clinic that afternoon.
Our navigator, with the help of our administrative staff, takes care of all scheduling and provides education regarding treatment. The Center for Breast Care also provides support services, addressing patients' non-medical needs. Cancer affects people emotionally as well as physically, and impacts the entire family. Social work, pastoral care, financial counselors and other support services are available as needed.
As a final check, all diagnosed breast cancer patients are discussed at the Breast Tumor Board on the Tuesday immediately following Friday's multidisciplinary clinic. This conference includes oncology specialists in addition to those directly caring for the patient, pathologists, radiologists, social workers, cancer registrars and others. The tumor board serves as a form of "quality control", providing additional perspectives and review of every patient's diagnosis, staging and treatment.
In addition, the Center for Breast Care is the only program in our area to offer immediate breast reconstruction. Women who undergo mastectomy may choose to have immediate breast reconstruction. Many centers are unable to offer this option, but we do. Working closely with our community's most respected plastic and reconstructive surgeon, our breast surgeons can offer a single stage solution, when appropriate. This is just one more way that the Center for Breast Care addresses all of the needs of our patients.
We provide total care, not just for the breast cancer patient under active treatment, but for those who are at high risk for developing breast cancer and for patients who have completed their treatment. When treatment is complete, patients receive a survivorship plan spelling out a long term follow up surveillance strategy as well as resources for maintaining wellness, fitness and nutrition. We are launching a wellness program at FMH Crestwood that will incorporate exercise and nutritional counseling, all overseen by an oncology certified exercise physiologist and licensed dietician. Later this year, we will also offer a high risk clinic for women who are at risk for developing breast cancer or who wish to learn more about their cancer risk. Genetic counseling and testing, risk modification and surveillance services will be available.
Breast cancer is, unfortunately, a common disease. At FMH, our approach to breast care is decidedly uncommon. We've built a team that is dedicated to the care of patients with breast disease. We do it because it's best for our patients and our community. We do it because it's the right thing to do.


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Swiftlet nests command a high price for the thick texture they give bird's nest soup. But how does one go about farming birds' nests? By building imposing concrete towers, of course.
"This drab, windowless concrete facade does not conceal an electricity substation, data servers, or a high security detention center," Nicola Twilley writes over at GOOD. It is, instead, a living birds' nest factory, an emerging building type that has "spread across Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and even Cambodia, towering above traditional one-story structures and transforming the urban landscape." Their purpose? To foster the production of swiftlet nests, used in Chinese bird's nest soup.
Nicola explains that these nest farms are, in effect, surrogate geological formations: "the buildings are intended to mimic caves," she writes, where the swiftlets would normally live, "with a carefully spaced matrix of wooden rafters replacing the ledges and crannies of a cave ceiling, and detailed attention paid to internal temperature, humidity, and even sound."
They are, in effect, part of what could be called a saliva industry, as the nests are made from swiftlet saliva. A spitshop, say, instead of a sweatshop. Mechanize this one step further, and full-scale 3D saliva-printing might not be far off...
This post originally appeared on BLDGBLOG. Photo: A swiftlet nesting house in Thailand; photo by Alexander S. Heitkamp, courtesy of Wikipedia.