This year I went online, found things the people who live in other states will probably like, and put their name in the shipping information.

One has worked out quite well, except that she didn't exactly know it was from me. Email fixed that.

Still waiting to see if the others got their parcels..

I was going to say "Build your own CPU, mothervboard, daughter cards, write your own code OS applications and all and never allow it to connection to another device" but let's go with your answer :-)

Like this:
http://www.livestockemissions.net/user/file/32/d1_Vlaming%20Current%20methane%20measurement%20techniques.pdf

http://www.ehow.com/how_7834233_measure-methane-gas.html

http://phys.org/news/2011-03-methane.html

I love the blurb on that page:

Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas. Wetlands, gas hydrates, permafrost, termites, oceans, freshwater bodies, non-wetland soils, are all natural sources of atmospheric methane; however, the majority of methane presence can be accredited to human-related activities.

You ask good questions. Here is the answer: Money

Most likely you'd like a longer answer.

1) The marketing people generally will have a 'final say' as they are 'closest to the customer'. Depends. All it takes is for any person who is deemed to be higher in the food chain to trump those lower down and chaos can ensue.

People like marketing generally don't get on the ground floor because there is nothing to see. No product. Nothing to toss around, perhaps there might be mock ups or diagrams.

What *should* happen is that the UI should be mocked up and flagged with any group with an interest. Problem there is that sometimes the UI doesn't exist until the software is half written because the functional requirements determine what is on the UI and the functional requirements were not completed until the coding was 1/4 done.

Google why the Waterfall Model is no longer in use outside big business. You need the whole spec up front, business spec, tech spec, functional spec, you get the idea. This costs MONEY. It is expensive to do and expensive to change. In the real world you need code up running and out the door as fast as possible.

I lost count of how much code I've seen in Production with no specs at all.

2) Mostly because there is nothing to see
Unless you are designing the next Photoshop, the UI is not the first thing to be designed, and can change. Also, these people tend to be visual and don't always respond without images or a good specification in front of them.

Now imaging this and comment on it... oh no, it's not build yet, and there is no prototype.. just imagine it.

As it happens, I've seen a board put together to stop this sort of problem from happening. What happens then is that programmers, business people, project managers, test managers and anyone else with a stake on getting this code into production yesterday complains about the extra layer of red tape needed to release code.

Sigh.

See also: Money

Lack of organisation, lack of coordination, lack of methodology, not adhering to the agreed methodology, bad management, good management, bad programmers, good programmers, coding in the real world can be "very interesting" in the manner of 'may you live in interesting times'.

I've ranted it before.. so won't go again.. but.. all I want is to but something once, be able to download it whenever I need to, and be able to play it whenever I want to.

One day it will be like that. Quite possibly first in the illegal realm, then later in the legal realm. Until then we just have to do what we can with what we have where we are.

$1000 Cdn? Geez. And I thought excess data charges were terrible

Americans have a similar situation.
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones

Funny you should say that... I do take back alleys to work and yes, there are a few shady people around.

No, I am not kidding.

Back to the topic at hand though... what I was saying boils down to that only G+ users can now comment on apps which represents only a part of the app using population.

Yes, I know that the old system could be gamed, and I don't doubt that there's probably quite a few fake or useless reviews. However, for android software I have installed I've generally found the old system to be quite good.

On that: It would take quite a bit of effort to game the old system. Possible, but is it really worth it? For paid apps perahps, but that can backfire.

Why not go for a cycle around Chenobyl?

http://www.kiddofspeed.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elena_Filatova

Good point and I'll back that theory a way to reduce Microsoft's success potential.

Agreed on the work point too, but then, anyone issuing a Windows phone to their employees has already chosen a technology stack away from google.
Or hates their employees :P

No, really, serious question. I've played with Windows 8. I fail to see any reason to install it while Windows 7 is available.

So. Does anyone care?

If you know nothing of Gillard and what she has done there is some hilarious reading in store. Backstabbing, scandals, lies, There will be no carbon tax under a government I lead.

Do check out her 'misogynist' speech. I've never seen a politician go so low.. just when you thought that Pauline Hanson had set the bar low she manages to dig a little deeper. Which is such a pity as Gillard had the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that a female can lead this country just as well as any man but has ended up only in proving that anyone can get to the top of the public service using the same method upon which the rest of the public service is infamous for.

Here's a recent one: http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillard-may-be-forced-to-pull-the-teaparty-tony-lever/

There are comments around slashdot that Assange won't really have much effect on Gillard. It's that 'much' which is the kicker. Have fun reading. Be thankful you're not in the middle of it :P

Ack. My bad, thanks for pointing it out.

Actually, I just lump them all together into the Liberals and everyone else 'not Labour, not greens, not independent' :P

So, yes, not a slip a mind but more of care factor of zero :-)

Thank you, no I'd completely forgotten about Turnbull. Like the idea of the bargaining chip. As it is Gillard appears to be losing ground - http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/gillard-may-be-forced-to-pull-the-teaparty-tony-lever/

I'd say that at some point the Greens will be forced to make a decision - for him or against him. Now that the Slipper case is settled and he isn't getting his job back you'd think things were brightening up for the ALP.

I'll wait and see if the Libs or Greens throw the 'Assange' stone at Labour. Meanwhile, will be very amusing and interesting if 1) his party gets the 500 members required and 2) he gets in

Grab some popcorn, sit back and watch the fireworks. 2013 politics may very well be more interesting than the sport.

The short version then.
Australian politics is currently divided between ALP (Labour party) and The Coalition (Liberals, Democrats) with a third party, the Greens, in the middle. Scatter in some independents and other minor parties.

The next election is going to be a decision between ALP / Gillard, who is seen by many to be a back stabbing liar (google it if you are interested - especially on the Carbon Tax and deposing of Kevin Rudd) and Liberals (coalition) / Tony Abbot who tends to rub people the wrong way. The Greens put their foot in it when they refused to take action on the boat people problem and are now in bad odour.

So, yes, there is opportunity here. Gillard has publicly embarrassed herself in regards to Wikileaks and Assange and Abbot or the Greens could well score some political points out of this.

While it is true that "Enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy, no more, no less" Gillards opponents could well use the situation with Assange to make yet another dent in Gillard's credibility - something she is running out of.

Unless something changes, the Libs, and perhaps the greens, are going to tear Gillard to ribbons for all of the things done and not done in the last term, starting with te backstab of Rudd. Every stone in the arsenal helps.