Comment Learn2Link (Score 1) 444
Next time post the link to the FIRST page, not the LAST page.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Comment Re:It's not only programmers vs bosses (Score 1) 469
I think its rather an interesting point you make. I have made a career out of taking 'technical' people and teaching them to be sales people. Its stunning how well this works especially when I advise the tech's not to say they are a salesperson, instead they need to keep their technical perspective.
This allows many people to relax better and think they are the ones making 'informed' decisions since our tech's simply 'advise' and not 'push'.
This allows many people to relax better and think they are the ones making 'informed' decisions since our tech's simply 'advise' and not 'push'.
Comment Re:"Cahoots", not "cohorts" (Score 1) 231
Kettle, meet pot.
My credit card company's treats ANY complaints about charges as fraud and replaces the card immediately.
There is no other option.
My credit card company's treats ANY complaints about charges as fraud and replaces the card immediately.
There is no other option.
Submission + - Facebook Is Most Hated Social Media Company
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "Inc. reports that Facebook, the most visited site on the Internet, is also among the most hated, scoring 64 on a 100-point scale, which puts the company in the bottom five percent of private sector companies and in the same range as airlines and cable companies, "two perennially low-scoring industries with terrible customer satisfaction," according to the results of a survey by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. "Customers have shown that, so far, they have been willing to suffer through a poor user experience in order to enjoy the benefits Facebook provides," according to the report. "For companies that provide low levels of customer satisfaction, repeat business is always a challenge unless customers lack adequate choices, as in the case of near monopolies." Overall, social media is one of the lowest-scoring industries measured by the ACSI—only airlines, newspapers, and subscription television services score lower. However, among social media companies, Wikipedia tops the list with a score of 77. "Like Google, Wikipedia’s user interface has remained very consistent over the years, and its nonprofit standing means that it has not been impacted by commercialization and marketing unlike many other social media sites.""
Comment Re:Honestly... (Score 1) 282
After reading this comment, I think this should be ranked a 6: The truth.
Comment Re:It's pretty simple (Score 1) 516
What pipeline?
Answer: There isn't one.
There goes your theory up in the air.
Answer: There isn't one.
There goes your theory up in the air.
Comment Article Not Available (Score 1) 505
How can anyone evaluate this when the Article Is Not Available. (Page 404)?
Isn't it kinda stupid to post stories from sites that don't keep anything up for more than a couple days?
Isn't it kinda stupid to post stories from sites that don't keep anything up for more than a couple days?
Comment Re:Lone Wolf (Score 1) 346
Not at all, as already stated IE gained market share because at the time it was the better browser. Netscape was in a perpetual state of decline and cost money. Sure the Anti-Trust issue became apparent later when it was stated that MS was abusing it's privileges but most of 'over 20's were actually there, and know that IE raised the bar in web browsing from versions 1-5.
Submission + - Debtors Sue Medical System over Privacy Breach (jsonline.com) 1
BarneyRabble writes: "If you go bankrupt in the State of Wisconsin--make sure your ass is covered, literally! Patients who are in
bankruptcy court are finding out their personal medical information is being placed in a public record database
thanks to Aurora Health Care, one of the state's largest health systems. Their electronic medical records not only
disclosed the amount the debtor owed, but what kind of care they recieved, in direct violation of pattent privacy laws.
In a class action lawsuit, the state is suing Aurora for $25,000 per violation."
bankruptcy court are finding out their personal medical information is being placed in a public record database
thanks to Aurora Health Care, one of the state's largest health systems. Their electronic medical records not only
disclosed the amount the debtor owed, but what kind of care they recieved, in direct violation of pattent privacy laws.
In a class action lawsuit, the state is suing Aurora for $25,000 per violation."
Security In the Ether 93
theodp writes "Technology Review's David Talbot says IT's next grand challenge will be to secure the cloud — and prove we can trust it. 'The focus of IT innovation has shifted from hardware to software applications,' says Harvard economist Dale Jorgenson. 'Many of these applications are going on at a blistering pace, and cloud computing is going to be a great facilitative technology for a lot of these people.' But there's one little catch. 'None of this can happen unless cloud services are kept secure,' notes Talbot. 'And they are not.' Fully ensuring the security of cloud computing, says Talbot, will inevitably fall to emerging encryption technologies."
Critics Call For NASA TV To "Liven Up" 305
An article in the LA Times calls NASA out for failing to make broadcasts on their dedicated television network as entertaining as they can be. The author, David Ferrell, complains that fascinating subject matter is often fraught with boring commentary and frequent, extended silences, making most people quickly lose interest. Quoting:
"Witness one recent segment about the recovery of a Soyuz capsule upon its return to Earth. The dark, bullet-like object landed in the featureless steppes of Kazakhstan, about 50 miles outside the unheard-of town of Arkalyk. Coverage consisted of video shot from an all-terrain vehicle approaching it — mostly soundless footage of tall grass going by — with an occasional word by an unnamed commentator. 'You can see the antenna that deployed shortly after landing,' the commentator said in that deadpan tone shared by scientists and golf announcers. The camera chronicled the tedious extraction of three crew members weakened by spending six months in orbit; they were loaded one by one onto stretchers. 'Again, a rather methodical process,' the commentator noted, as if grasping for something — anything — to say. Later: 'The official landing time has been revised to 1:15 and 34 seconds a.m., Central Time. The official time was recorded at the Russian Mission Control Center . . . by the Russian flight-control team.' ... Where is Carl Sagan when you need him?"
World's First Production Hybrid Motorcycle To Hit Market In India 128
bluemanlines writes "The Indian company Eko Vehicles has announced the development of the world's first production hybrid motorcycle, called the ET-120. In a short time this motorcycle will run on the Indian streets, offering about 280 miles per gallon with a top speed of 40 miles per hour."
Submission + - Body Heat Energy Generation (physicscentral.com)
BuzzSkyline writes: Researchers in Belgium have developed devices to harvest the waste heat our bodies throw off in order to convert it to electricity to run devices such as a wristband blood oxygen sensor and an electrocardiogram shirt. As a side benefit, the power sources help cool you down and keep you looking cool, all while running sundry micropower devices. In fact, the researchers mention that the energy harvesting head band works so well that it can get uncomfortably cold. In that case, they say, "This problem is solved in exactly the same way as someone solves it on the body level in cold weather: a headgear should be worn on top of the system to limit the heat flow and make it comfortable." But it would be such a shame to cover up the golden heat-harvesting headband with a hat. The research was published last month in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy.
Comment Re:First pirate! (Score 1) 762
Agree mostly with your point, but the developer failed on one dataset; the conversion rate. He shows that no one bought the app that pirated it. Well thats moot. If you've jailbroken your iPhone, you obviously don't buy the app via Apple since you don't have the ability to get the app onto your phone. Since the developer doesn't offer the app for sale via other non-Apple sites, the statistic is quite meaningless. Of course no one bought it, since they would probably have to reverse-jailbreak the phone and then re-establish the App Store with the unit. Or they could have a second iPhone (this would not surprise me) and in turn buy a copy for a couple bucks.
Regardless this particular statistic is still worthless since it's never going to show anyone converting from a pirate copy to a legit copy.
Comment Re:First pirate! (Score 1) 762
I agree, 'Try Before You Buy' is a reason "some" folks pirate, but not the majority. I'd say less than 5% of the pirates really believe this. Besides there are two other points missed out in this concept. Many games 'are not worth buying', and the majority of pirates don't want to spend money.
Developers have to understand that many of their offerings simply are not worth the money they as asking and since it's impossible (for very obvious reasons) to get a refund on software, it's just easier to copy it and play it without risk. But to say this is the main reason is absurd. Sure some folks may actually try a game out and then buy it. But usually the motivation is not clearly based on 'quality'.
What developers should do is focus on is the 20% who DO buy their software as these are really their customers, ignore the other 80% who are not contributing to their success and continue to provide a value added service. Many however think they are selling physical goods when in fact they are selling a concept in code, this can and should change and morph into more and more value for the paying clients.
The funny thing is that over all the time software games have been around, 80% of the users have been pirates and this has always been the case. However when you give the game away for free and then micro-sell addons, extras etc. in game to those that will spend the money (like many of the games you find today) or offer a subscription service, you can assure that your model will actively draw upon your actual market. The pirates then have nothing to take since they cannot 'steal that which is freely given', or steal from a subscription model (at least directly). This diffuses the entire scenario and puts the developers attention back at the paying customer.
I think developers who've learned that they cannot stop piracy and to quit focusing so much attention to it, become far more successful in the long run. It's like thinking you can solve all the worlds evils, by just talking rational about it. Pirates don't want to talk rational, they want your warez...
