Please create an account to participate in the Slashdot moderation system

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror

Comment Even annoys my teen (Score 5, Interesting) 594

This ad even annoyed my teenage daughter. We are a very pro-Apple family, so itâ(TM)s not because we dislike Apple. But she feels that of course the kid knows what a computer is, and that the ad makes kids look stupid or oblivious to the world around them and she doesnâ(TM)t like that stereotype. Even if you donâ(TM)t use a âoecomputerâ - you certainly can know what one is. A better response would have been something witty about progress, maybe like âoeThis is more than a computerâ or âoewho uses computers anymore?â or something. This is all even before we get into the fact that from a technological standpoint, an iPad *is* a computer...

Comment Re: Has been fixed in iOS 8.4.1 (Score 1, Offtopic) 13

While ï£Music is a steaming pile of poo - and ï£Music certainly has raised havoc with my personal music library - I would say that " They flat-out break the device in order to push Apple's streaming music service." is not even close to true. I have 6 devices functioning perfectly fine on 8.4.1 (for everything except playing music via Apple's apps).

Comment Re: Wrong! (Score 1) 374

"Solar is important. Biggest advantage is that it requires very little infrastructure. In the southern US, solar may not be as usable since it won't run an A/C, but in cooler climates, it would provide enough power for a house, assuming a decent fuel source for heating. Wind is also similar." This is one of the weirdest things I have seen written about this subject. Places with heaviest AC use benefit the most. The time when AC usage is the highest is also the time when solar energy is generating at its peak. In addition, solar panels on the roof reduce the heat load dumped into the attic for another very slight benefit. Sure, it's best in arid climates that don't need as much AC at night - humid areas need AC mostly all day. But the highest drain on AC in the hottest time of the day is when the utilities struggle to generate enough juice to keep up. This is why they will pay you $$$ to install a smart thermostat which is connected to the smart grid - so they can turn off your AC for short periods to help with the load spike. Solar is a huge benefit at that time because it can be a huge reduction in the AC spike for a couple hours a day - regardless of if the owner comes out ahead or not. Anywhere that is hot generally also has a lot of sunshine. That's good for solar. However - in many parts of the Midwest and Deep South USA - you will want to make sure you get hail resistant solar panels...

Comment Aluminium (Score 5, Interesting) 187

"In the mid 1880s, aluminium metal was exceedingly difficult to produce, which made pure aluminium more valuable than gold.[51] So celebrated was the metal that bars of aluminium were exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1855.[52] Napoleon III of France is reputed to held a banquet where the most honored guests were given aluminium utensils, while the others made do with gold." http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki...

Comment Re: 2 Questions (Score 2) 294

Can't believe that to be the case, because that would mean the people in charge of Tesla's Marketing Department are complete morons - never has a new car salesman tried to "steer" a potential sale to their competitors.

Remember - most dealerships sell multiple makes. If one of their makes gives the dealership more kickback - the dealership pushes that make. Also, dealerships sell many models. They push the models they want - instead of simply answering questions, informing the consumer, and helping the consumer into an appropriate configuration. Finally - dealerships make a ton of money on "add ons". If a particular model has fewer available after sale add ons available - a dealership will avoid that model. This is all before considering the profits they make on service. Can't sell oil changes to Tesla buyers - so let's push the BMW or Porsche instead... Look. Tactics like these laws are simply fear. Dealerships suck. Everyone knows they suck. The only people I know who defend dealerships are people who work there.

Comment Re: Instagram didn't replace Kodak (Score 1) 674

"At that time Ford and the other US car companies were still building in Detroit," My 1973 Chevy was made in Canada. Manufacturing in Canada started in the early 1900s. For the "US" car industry - Canada was just considered part of the Midwest. I know people who lived in the US and worked in a Canadian plant and vice-versa. So calling anything that crossed a border an import is not as easy as it sounds... In my opinion "closing" the borders up there had had as bad an impact on the US states as it has on Ontario..

Comment Re:Who needs free voice? (Score 1) 134

There are still lots of places with voice cell service but practically no data.

As we found out in the Presidential election, there are not many people there.

Wait, there is possibly a correlation to be had!

There are not many people using BlackBerry.

Therefore my conclusion is that rural residency causes BlackBerry use.

**Yes, I know this poor attempt at humor is US centric. Forgive me, I will work on my international humor for my next appearance.

Slashdot Top Deals

In practice, failures in system development, like unemployment in Russia, happens a lot despite official propaganda to the contrary. -- Paul Licker

Working...