Righto. My bad.
Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...
Originally posted by vansmack:it was my birthday yesterday! i wasnt around and i was so damn excited i had VIP tix for coldplay that well …. i didnt post about it. sorry!
I think telling me yesterday would have been more efficient…. ;)
I did DVR the Today Show this morning for smackette who was already at work when this was on.
and yes - they were really fucking up at 6;30 in the morning. all the songs were messed up but it was pretty amusing at points. i still have viva la vida in my head. and lost and 42… oohhhh man i might become a guy (berryman) junkie :eek:
in ireland i saw maybe 2 "yes" to lisbon signs and "no" to lisbon signs and stickers quite frequently, especially in the cities
Originally posted by vansmack on January 23rd:Bam. Just like that it hits you!
What I really want is a ~$300-$500 wireless internet-only device the size of an ultraportable laptop with longer battery life. It should be flashed based with limited storage no thicker than an inch, touch mouse and full qwerty keyboard. It doesn't need an expensive processor or much RAM as it's only going to do one thing - surf the net. No fancy game graphics driver because it only has to deal with streaming quality video. I don't need any drives, no gadgets or goodies, no extra software other than reader plug ins.
It would stream all media but not allow for on-device storage (other than simple OS and browser plugins). That's what the one USB port would be for - flash drives for file storage.
If all of this can be packaged in a device the size of the iPod Touch, why can't I get one the size of the ultra-portable laptop?
The Eee PC. Starting at $298.
Store everything on my Home Server or on an web drive. Beautiful. Only took 5 months to get there…
Originally posted by vansmack:Zimbabwe and the African Union
Sad, sad, day today.
Getting away with murder
Jul 1st 2008 | JOHANNESBURG
From Economist.com
To their shame, African leaders fail to act against Zimbabweâ??s Robert Mugabe
Originally posted by vansmack:Too bad it doesn't have bluetooth so you could use with a mobile phone with bluetooth modem capabilities. There are going to be times with wlan isn't available but mobile phone service is.
The Eee PC. Starting at $298.
Store everything on my Home Server or on an web drive. Beautiful. Only took 5 months to get there… [/QB]
Originally posted by kosmo:True, but I use my USB cble for EVDO modem access anyway. I'd imagine a bluetooth connection can't be good for battery life either.
Too bad it doesn't have bluetooth so you could use with a mobile phone with bluetooth modem capabilities. There are going to be times with wlan isn't available but mobile phone service is.
I have not had very good experience with Bluetooth Modem connections, but could always try a Bluetooth USB Dongle for that.
Just a quick endorsement to the folks at Newegg.com. I used them to buy the parts for my home server, and in the process of dropping $350, the one thing that didn't work was a silly 2 GB USB Flash drive ($8), which was fine. Of all the things that could have gone wrong, if it's just the USB drive I got off easy.
I decided it wasn't worth my time or money to send it back (it would have cost me two bucks and taken a week but I needed the drive last night), so I didn't send it back.
I did however, post a review of the bad drive, and more importantly in my eyes how bad the manufacturer support was for the drive (pqi.com.tw had a program to re-format the drive that couldn't have been any less user friendly). I recommended that folks not buy buy the drive because if it's bad, the money you tried to save would be spent on seeking a replacement.
Got an email from newegg.com today telling me that a new drive with the same specs from a different manufacturer is on it's way gratis and that I can discard the other one. Now that's customer service! And I will be shopping there again and again.
I decided it wasn't worth my time or money to send it back (it would have cost me two bucks and taken a week but I needed the drive last night), so I didn't send it back.
I did however, post a review of the bad drive, and more importantly in my eyes how bad the manufacturer support was for the drive (pqi.com.tw had a program to re-format the drive that couldn't have been any less user friendly). I recommended that folks not buy buy the drive because if it's bad, the money you tried to save would be spent on seeking a replacement.
Got an email from newegg.com today telling me that a new drive with the same specs from a different manufacturer is on it's way gratis and that I can discard the other one. Now that's customer service! And I will be shopping there again and again.
Originally posted by vansmack:yup. once you shop newegg, you never go back. best prices, ultra-fast shipping for cheap, and i too have had only great experiences with their customer service dept. truly a superior retailer.
Just a quick endorsement to the folks at Newegg.com.
Should have happened 2 years ago, but better late than never….
Fiber Access Gains on Cable for Broadband Access
For the first time, fiber-based broadband access is expanding faster than cable: 4.2 million compared to 2.5 million subscribers were added during the first quarter, according to the analysts at Point Topic.
"It's a significant milestone for fiber-optic broadband; where it is available consumers will take fiber over other broadband technologies," said Oliver Johnson, CEO at Point Topic.
…..The cost for fiber can get as low as US$0.50 per megabit per month, compared to US$20 for DSL and US$12 for cable, taking global averages.
__________________________
The key to that is "global averages." Internet connections are a lot cheaper in many other countries (especially in Asia and Scandanavia) than they are here in the US, but bit for bit, Fiber is still cheaper than cable or DSL in the US.
Fiber Access Gains on Cable for Broadband Access
For the first time, fiber-based broadband access is expanding faster than cable: 4.2 million compared to 2.5 million subscribers were added during the first quarter, according to the analysts at Point Topic.
"It's a significant milestone for fiber-optic broadband; where it is available consumers will take fiber over other broadband technologies," said Oliver Johnson, CEO at Point Topic.
…..The cost for fiber can get as low as US$0.50 per megabit per month, compared to US$20 for DSL and US$12 for cable, taking global averages.
__________________________
The key to that is "global averages." Internet connections are a lot cheaper in many other countries (especially in Asia and Scandanavia) than they are here in the US, but bit for bit, Fiber is still cheaper than cable or DSL in the US.
Honestly, what took them so long? The Open License way has been the only way to go…
Microsoft to sell Office, security software subscription for $70 a year
Of course, the $70 price tag means they're bundling One Care, which is useless. Should have been $50.
Microsoft to sell Office, security software subscription for $70 a year
Of course, the $70 price tag means they're bundling One Care, which is useless. Should have been $50.
Originally posted by kosmo:In following up on my reaserch, the higher end models (900 & 1000) have built in Bluetooth. They sell for around $549.
Too bad it doesn't have bluetooth so you could use with a mobile phone with bluetooth modem capabilities. There are going to be times with wlan isn't available but mobile phone service is.
So I mentioned a while ago that I was going to share my experiences with secondspin.com, a web site that will give you a quote on your CDs and buy them from you.
So I entered all the UPCs for the CDs I listed on this site a few pages ago. They offered me about $1000 for the set. They break it down by disc so you can see how much per disc. I agreed with some of their prices but thought that others were off, so I decided I would only send them some of the CDs I wanted to sell and get a quote from Amoeba as well.
I put three packages together and here's why: secondspin will reimburse you for shipping, but only at a fraction of what it will cost you to actually ship them, and the increases in reimbursement stop at 25 CDs. For example, I sent a package of 25 cds to them and they reimburse for ~$5 (the supposed rate for 25 or more CDs shipped media mail). Well, the media mail price for that package was over $11. The Flat Rate priority was only ~$9 so I went with that. I figured when your dealing with items that you're getting a $1 or so for, losing $4 in shipping is a pretty big loss.
Anyway, so I sent three packages to secondspin as a test run. All three were approximately 25 Cds and each was quoted between $90 and $125 dollars. All three were in priority boxes, taped and clearly labeled. I sent one with insurance (arrived) and one with a return reciept (arrived) and one with nothing extra other than priority shipping.
I received confirmation of the first two packages within a matter of days. They sent me a message of which CDs they were rejecting (they don't except advance CDs and I intentionally sent them 2 just to see) and said a check was in the mail for the rest. About three days later I had two checks in my mailbox for about $200. A week after that they sent me back my Advance CDs (which they said they wouldn't do on the web site, so that was cool). Amoeba gave me $4 for each of those CDs….
Anyhow, so what of the third package? No idea. Secondspin claims to have never recieved it (though I have 30 days for it turn up). Guess which one has apparently not arrived? Yep, the one that I didn't insure or ask for return reciept.
You see the things I test for you guys? So 2 out of 3 and I'm out about $110 right now. That's a FAIL in my book. I couldn't recommend secondspin.com right now unless you are really willing to lose on shipping. Their quotes aren't that much more than taking your CDs to your local shop. As a matter of fact I took about 50 Cds into Amoeba on Saturday and walked out 20 minutes later with $220 bucks. Lesson learned.
So I entered all the UPCs for the CDs I listed on this site a few pages ago. They offered me about $1000 for the set. They break it down by disc so you can see how much per disc. I agreed with some of their prices but thought that others were off, so I decided I would only send them some of the CDs I wanted to sell and get a quote from Amoeba as well.
I put three packages together and here's why: secondspin will reimburse you for shipping, but only at a fraction of what it will cost you to actually ship them, and the increases in reimbursement stop at 25 CDs. For example, I sent a package of 25 cds to them and they reimburse for ~$5 (the supposed rate for 25 or more CDs shipped media mail). Well, the media mail price for that package was over $11. The Flat Rate priority was only ~$9 so I went with that. I figured when your dealing with items that you're getting a $1 or so for, losing $4 in shipping is a pretty big loss.
Anyway, so I sent three packages to secondspin as a test run. All three were approximately 25 Cds and each was quoted between $90 and $125 dollars. All three were in priority boxes, taped and clearly labeled. I sent one with insurance (arrived) and one with a return reciept (arrived) and one with nothing extra other than priority shipping.
I received confirmation of the first two packages within a matter of days. They sent me a message of which CDs they were rejecting (they don't except advance CDs and I intentionally sent them 2 just to see) and said a check was in the mail for the rest. About three days later I had two checks in my mailbox for about $200. A week after that they sent me back my Advance CDs (which they said they wouldn't do on the web site, so that was cool). Amoeba gave me $4 for each of those CDs….
Anyhow, so what of the third package? No idea. Secondspin claims to have never recieved it (though I have 30 days for it turn up). Guess which one has apparently not arrived? Yep, the one that I didn't insure or ask for return reciept.
You see the things I test for you guys? So 2 out of 3 and I'm out about $110 right now. That's a FAIL in my book. I couldn't recommend secondspin.com right now unless you are really willing to lose on shipping. Their quotes aren't that much more than taking your CDs to your local shop. As a matter of fact I took about 50 Cds into Amoeba on Saturday and walked out 20 minutes later with $220 bucks. Lesson learned.
Originally posted by wanderlust j. marshmallow:Fuck. Can't the Gang of Four and J&MC play a gig at the Fillmore instead or something?
ARE YOU IN?
I might fly for this, vansmaaackk
http://www.downloadfestival.com/lineup/san-francisco/
smackie, ready for some more going-out-of-business shopping for electronics?
Is Circuit City Headed for a Blowout?
Blockbuster's decision not to buy the retailer sent the stock tumbling. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing may be in the offing
Will Circuit City (CC) join the long list of electronics retailers, like Tweeter Home Entertainment and Harvey Electronics, that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the past year? Given that shares of the Richmond (Va.) company are trading at just over 2, Wall Street is betting that could be a possibility. "Circuit City is in very serious trouble, and any scenario is possible today," says Nick McCoy, senior consultant at TNS Retail Forward, a research firm.
continued
Is Circuit City Headed for a Blowout?
Blockbuster's decision not to buy the retailer sent the stock tumbling. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing may be in the offing
Will Circuit City (CC) join the long list of electronics retailers, like Tweeter Home Entertainment and Harvey Electronics, that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the past year? Given that shares of the Richmond (Va.) company are trading at just over 2, Wall Street is betting that could be a possibility. "Circuit City is in very serious trouble, and any scenario is possible today," says Nick McCoy, senior consultant at TNS Retail Forward, a research firm.
continued
thanks for the second spin story, very good to know.
Originally posted by sweetcell:I was holding out for a gig switch, but finally caved and bought one with a rebate last week.
smackie, ready for some more going-out-of-business shopping for electronics?
I may do a full N wireless rebuild if they do go out of business, though.
Come on chapter 11!
Originally posted by sweetcell:While a bit of a bummer, I'm glad the gaming co's are holding out for Master Recordings. I've been burned by a couple of really bad covers.
no Zep for Guitar Hero, Rock Band, etc
:(
But seriously, no Bonzo's Monstreaux? Would have been epic.