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Comment Re:Jesus, we're fucked. (Score 1) 351

In this case, I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of the 80% who were confused actually know perfectly well what DNA is, and fully understand that most of our food contains it because most of our food is made from living organisms. And they understand that children get their DNA from their parents, including their mother.

Sadly that's not true. The average American, although supposedly schooled, has no idea what DNA is. Try to parse that. They passed their science tests by multiple choice without understanding anything, and retain nothing from their schooling. I don't mean this is as a "look how stupid they are, we are better because we know more" kind of thing, just a level set of what you should expect from Americans. This country is fucked. There is no way to recover. If you are looking for a culture that still respects education, try Japan, UK, Germany, or a few others. I expect the next hundred years to be a great diaspora of the American intelligentsia to better lands where they can be respected.

Comment Re:Why would you want this? (Score 1, Interesting) 178

All of this would be much better known if nicotine wasn't such a political bogeyman.

Denial does not change reality. Nicotine is in the top three most addictive substance we know. It effects dopamine, serotonin, acetylcholine, and nor-epenphrine. It is well studied, and not politicised, except for people and corporations denying the scientific evidence.

Comment Re:Cognitive Dissonance (Score 1) 324

The cognitive dissonance in the posts today is amazing. (A lot of plain old stupid too).

There are cameras in every bar and restaurant filming you all the time. But nobody will acknowledge this fact. If they did, they would have to a) accept that they are ok with being filmed and that they are being total hypocrites about google glass, b) decide that it is not ok and not go to bars and restaurants any more.

The guy with the Google glass may or may not be filmiing you. The restaurant certainly is, and every person in the the place has a smart phone with a camera. If I hold my phone up at face height am I taking a selfie or filming you?

But we all hate to accept uncomfortable truths about ourselves, so we will deflect our mental stress on someone else. Lets de-humanize them first. They are not a person with smart glasses, they are a "Glasshole", and therefore we can punch them. You guys make me sick sometimes.

There is a very simple saying that covers this. Two wrongs do not make a right.

Comment Re:It all comes down to payroll (Score 1) 271

This. I've actually seen this practice in action. My division is always in the red because we do not directly make money, we build the products, services and tech that another division then sells. So we end up looked down upon as a money sink while they are heralded as the saviours.

That's a severe management problem, which is solved by internal billing.

And then they fire the entire IT group since they cost too much money, and replace them with a cheap outsourcing company.

Comment Cute (Score 1) 165

Pros:
Cute

Cons:
Too heavy to move around
No bluetooth for keyboard (I suppose you can get one of those USB dongle ones)
HDMI cable restricts movement
Can't throw out and get a new one when the mouse part breaks
Forget upgradability
Forget peripherals
How hot does this thing get? Sound uncomfortable for your hand.

Nope, this is all a joke. Would never pass usability testing.

Comment Re:I hope not (Score 1) 489

Not trying to start a flame war, but what would companies use instead? Lotus Notes? Open Office? (Although LibreOffice is my primary suite at home, I don't see how it fits into a business environment as well as MS Office)

I don't think any of it is perfect, but they really are pretty much the best solution for business at this time. I don't see anything better to switch to.

Because of 30 years of predatory and destructive behavior by the 300 pound gorilla. Any company that tries to compete in a Microsoft market was either destroyed or bought out. When there is no way for anyone to compete, then there are no better products available.

Comment Re:Microsoft needs to undercut the competition (Score 0) 489

Right now, as the underdog, their focus should be marketshare. But right now, their mobile stuff is too damn expensive. I looked at a Surface tablet over Christmas. Nice piece of tech, but at $800 I just laughed and walked away. Similar Android tablets are less than $200.

They need to be pretty much giving this stuff away right now to pry the market away. Maybe do something like when they gave all MSDN subscribers a Pocket PC (I think that was around 2002) to get it out there. But they also need to make it competitive with Android stuff. Cheaper even.

After they capture market share, then there will be more people developing for it which will lead to more apps for it. But first they've got to get it into people's hands. That's not happening right now. There's a huge potential for Windows on all devices, PC and mobile, but they are acting like they already own the mobile space and instead they are a weak third party in the mobile game. They really should be questioning the wisdom of cannibalizing their desktop OS in a mad gamble to build mobile marketshare. I think they are going about it backwards.

You realize that what are you are suggesting is to abuse their (steadily shrinking) monopoly status? No, the solution is to produce a better product, full stop.

Comment Re:Didn't happen in Garage happened in Woz's room. (Score 1) 77

Woz may be tactfully reclaiming his role in creating apple. It didn't happen in the garage that was communal. It happened largely in Woz's room likely. Woz is an engineer and Jobs is a businessman.

Woz built the first apple computer largely alone.

Moving the location to his room is a subtle way to say what needs to be said.

Apple is a company, not a device. Even if the Apple I was not created in the garage, it sounds like the beginnings of the company Apple started there. The packaging, selling, marketing, planning, may have all happened there. It's like saying that you can't preserve Lincoln's log cabin because it didn't make him president.

Comment Re:Spirit (Score 3, Informative) 77

You say "spirit," I say "myth."

The idea is indeed powerful stuff. It wouldn't be so inspiring to realize that Apple didn't pull itself up by the bootstraps from a garage and that the real brains of the operation got a pittance compared to the smooth-talking asshole boss. Who wants a STEM education now?

B.S. Woz and the original team were rewarded very well. However Woz wanted more spread around, so he gave various employees who he thought deserved more some of his shares. Sure Jobs and the board could have spread the wealth around more, but Woz in particular made a fortune.

Comment Re:Apple is what MS always wanted to be (Score 3, Interesting) 327

It always amazes me that people still try to bash Microsoft over the (bad) things they did in the 90s.

Let me state this yet again for the business concepts challenged. Apple is NOT A MONOPOLY. When Apple gets to the point that 90% of all devices run their OS, then we can talk. Until then, there is no comparison.

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