They also didn't have the discipline which Jobs imposed to not market a product until the technological infrastructure was in-place to support it:

  - Apple waited on the iPod until there were enough machines w/ FireWire so that it could synch in a reasonable timeframe and they had sufficient content deals lined up to make it work --- Microsoft released the Zune before they could find a compelling reason for people to buy them.
  - Apple deferred on the iPad, instead first releasing the iPhone 'cause battery technology wasn't adequate to all-day usage, and processors made the machine larger than seemed reasonable --- Microsoft instead jumped on the bandwagon w/ Windows for Pen Computing (competing w/ Go Corporation's PenPoint)

I've actually been kind of surprised that someone hasn't worked up a single-board computer which plugs into USB and runs a Linux distribution which will archive a Windows drive, then install Linux, then restore everything but Windows into a user directory.

Actually, I can usually find HDMI cables at one of the local remaindering stores such as Five-Below, Ollie's Bargain Outlet, or Big Lots.

Problems w/ that business model:

  - have to compete on price-point w/ on-line since your customers are tech savvy
  - have to have a lot of SKUs, since precision counts and when someone comes in for a 50mm M3 SCHS, they're probably not going to be able to make do w/ a 45mm
  - some elements of the stock are subject to obsolescence, so stocking levels are an issue

I've tried going to Radio Shack for things for my ShapeOko (open source CNC milling machine) and they've never had anything I could use at a price I'm willing to pay (and I've been willing to be gouged by Lowes and Home Depot on metric washers and aluminum spacers).

Failure to have filled out that one is beginning to use the equipment in the log book is grounds for immediate dismissal.

How can they keep earning money on government contracts when such contracts are resulting in lawsuits and getting them fired?

http://spectrum.ieee.org/riskf...

::raises hand::

That's me --- I can't move off of Mac OS X 10.6.8 until I find a replacement for Macromedia FreeHand --- I suppose at some point in time I'll just have to resort to running it in a virtual machine (there was a recent post about doing that: http://www.freehandforum.org/f... ), but for now, it's simpler to just stick w/ 10.6.8

An interesting point. Supporting math in ``Exponential Economist Meets Finite Physicist'':

https://physics.ucsd.edu/do-th...

Another option would be to use a monochrome LCD instead of e-ink --- almost as good on the power department --- look into the Asus EEE Note and the free software for it: http://www.freeenote.org/pages...

You want a device w/ an active stylus and decent software support for that --- unfortunately, these haven't faired well in the market.

The Icarus Excel is one which seems to still be available --- 9.7" E-Ink Pearl screen, for a paperlike reading experience
Supports handwritten notes and annotations with Wacom technology: http://blog.the-ebook-reader.c...

I just always use a Tablet PC as my main machine --- I do have a Sony PRS-600, but it's not easy to get the annotations off of it.

Given that what 20 years ago wasn't even a notable winter is being treated as the end-of-the-world-winter-storm, one can instead use it w/ a bit of perspective to see how global warming has crept up on us:

http://www.xkcd.com/1321/

William
(who made it into work in south-central PA w/o difficulty in a front-wheel drive Cavalier w/ all-season radial tires, but only saw 4-wheel drives and snow plows and vehicles w/ tire chains on the road)

Not if you look at the history of this --- the reason to mandate a dealership presence was to prevent car manufacturers from pulling out of a locality, leaving vehicle owners w/o a local warranty/repair option.

It was easier back in the day when a given city had multiple newspapers, but you should be able to still find two different publications w/ two different size/versions of the horoscope page for a given day.

that astrology is intended as nothing more than entertainment --- the ``forecasts'' in a given newspaper each day are chosen from a set of a number of different forecasts, each of which is intended to fill up a different amount of space, e.g., if newspaper A has 1/2 a page to allot to them, they use the 1/2pg. filler version, if newspaper B only sold a 1-col ad for the astrology page, then they use the 5/6pg. filler version.

Show me a vector drawing program as:

  - elegant
  - efficient
  - productive
  - intuitive

as FreeHand and I'd be willing to say no --- until then, I have to have Windows or Mac OS X 10.6.8 or NeXT/OPENstep running either FreeHand or Altsys Virtuoso.