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Why the Fuck?

raganwald.posterous.com

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Re: Why the Fuck?

#441

Post by nirvana »

statictype wrote: post #268
nirvana wrote: post #130

I can't speak to the other companies, though I know google want's "all the worlds info at your fingertips" which is a reasonably high ideal... I can speak to what Apple is doing as someone whose followed the company closely for a couple decades. Apple doesn't care whether you buy the 3.5", 4.0", 7.85", or 9.8" screen. Apple is bringing the personal computer to the 6 billion other people who weren't able to get in on…

Instead, Apple put a $50 computer in peoples hands- the iPod shuffle. Sure, it might not be as full featured as a laptop, but you have to walk before you can run. This is the type of out-of-touch-with-reality comment that tech nerds make that make people laugh at us.

It's a shame that you chose to ignore the point I was making, and instead post this snide, narrow minded response. Alas, this is typical of the anti-intellectualism that pervades hacker news these days.

Of course the reason you did this is that you know what I say is true. You just are an apple hater and can't even admit that this is what they're doing.

Re: Why the Fuck?

#442

Post by nirvana »

vacri wrote: post #349
nirvana wrote: post #130

I can't speak to the other companies, though I know google want's "all the worlds info at your fingertips" which is a reasonably high ideal... I can speak to what Apple is doing as someone whose followed the company closely for a couple decades. Apple doesn't care whether you buy the 3.5", 4.0", 7.85", or 9.8" screen. Apple is bringing the personal computer to the 6 billion other people who weren't able to get in on…

The Shuffle is absolutely nothing new. We had a device that did everything the Shuffle does in the 80s, and it was widespread, and at around the same pricepoint. The only things it lacked was capacity (though you could change tapes) and on-the-fly shuffling of songs. Plenty of them had radios, so there's a function the Shuffle doesn't have. The Shuffle is not a 'computer', it's a 'portable media device'. An LCD does…

You're not even trying to understand my point, are you? I never the shuffle was anything like brave new world. I pointed out that it was an exercise in low cost mass manufacturing.

Do you hate apple so much that you're going to claim that the walkman proves that they aren't innovative with the shuffle, when that isn't even the point of discussion?

Re: Why the Fuck?

#443

Post by nirvana »

joe5150 wrote: post #173
nirvana wrote: post #130

I can't speak to the other companies, though I know google want's "all the worlds info at your fingertips" which is a reasonably high ideal... I can speak to what Apple is doing as someone whose followed the company closely for a couple decades. Apple doesn't care whether you buy the 3.5", 4.0", 7.85", or 9.8" screen. Apple is bringing the personal computer to the 6 billion other people who weren't able to get in on…

As much as I agree that it can be a pain to edit a document or watch a video or, god forbid, write a computer program on a netbook, I can't help but feel that it would be more difficult on an iPod Shuffle.

It's a shame you chose to ignore my point and make a response that is this dishonest.

An iPod touch is a great device for editing documents, watching videos, or even creating videos.

Re: Why the Fuck?

#444

Post by statictype »

nirvana wrote: post #443
joe5150 wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As much as I agree that it can be a pain to edit a document or watch a video or, god forbid, write a computer program on a netbook, I can't help but feel that it would be more difficult on an iPod Shuffle.

It's a shame you chose to ignore my point and make a response that is this dishonest. An iPod touch is a great device for editing documents, watching videos, or even creating videos.

You called the Shuffle a $50 computer. My $5 calculator has more utility as a computer than a shuffle, buddy.

Re: Why the Fuck?

#445

Post by LatvjuAvs »

One day I killed few children, few days later I happen to kill about two children. Week later I killed one...

And so day by day, I kill few, mostly children, of course sometimes I kill adults too, but most targets are children.

Yet, I feel perfectly fine.

Every time when I walk past charity advertisement person.

Re: Why the Fuck?

#446

Post by TeMPOraL »

Evbn wrote: post #140
pekk wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That makes sense. And I am sure engineers working on cool problems at Facebook and other large companies can say the same. But there has to be someone thinking about how to get people to click on ads at these companies, because selling ad clicks is their bread and butter. Right?

There are ads and there are ads. Spamming you with Brand awareness billboards so that you buy Frobulous instead Snaztacular (both produced in the same assembly line and recipe) at the grocery store is one thing, helping you find a good deal on a product you are searching for (even if you don't know its name) is another

The former is done by ads. The latter by communities and volunteers.

I'm yet to see an ad that wants me to find a good (for me) deal on a product I want.

Re: Why the Fuck?

#447

Post by scottjad »

ramanujan wrote: post #426
belorn wrote: post #423

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a other point of view, if one looks at who is paying the cost of the medical research: The public. How is medical research founding supported? In order of prominence: Tax money from NIH. State granted and enforced monopoly in the form of patents. State granted extended monopoly (after the patent is expired) which is granted by the FDA, including exclusivity to the data from testing. There is also affects fro…

Lot of important points to engage there, and generally agree with the spirit of the comments. I think many biotech startups would instantly take a deal that gave them and their patients the ability to opt-out of FDA, in exchange for some demonstration that they aren't using public funds (e.g. committing to not use some fraction of the research literature, ineligibility for all govt grants, etc.). Regarding patents, t…

> Finally, regarding funding, yes, NIH spends about $31B per year, which is a lot. However, drug companies spend $4B per drug approved[1], which is an incredible amount of money when multiplied across all drugs.

I think this $4B number is the Research & Development line off a financial report. I am not an accountant but I believe this number can include tons of things that people don't normally think of as R&D but just regular cost of doing business, and what we do think of as research is often a very small percent of it. Perhaps tax laws incentivize companies to put as many expenses in this category (of like 3 categories) as possible.

On a related point, people used to quote a number like it cost $500 million to bring a new drug to market, often as a justification for patents. I remember reading an academic article that showed how the real cost was almost always 1/20 of that, but drug companies were including the construction of optional new plants that were used for existing drugs too, 20 year leases on specialty tree farms and other supplies, and huge "present value" calculations that would take $2 million spent by a university 20 years ago, use the companies cost of capital (maybe 14%), and even though the company only paid $500k for the rights a few years ago they would calcuate some number in the tens or hundreds of millions that was never paid by anyone.

Re: Why the Fuck?

#448

Post by josefresco »

haberman wrote: post #80

In my five years at Google, I am not sure I have met a single engineer who is "trying to figure out how to get Scott Hanselman to click on ads." I have met tons of engineers who work on interesting problems like building models of query patterns to detect spiking queries (Google Trends and Google Hot Trends, all publicly accessible: http://www.google.com/trends/ ), Gmail, Maps/Directions/Traffic, improving (machine)…

The revenue made from advertising funds all of the programs you mention. Surely there's at least a few engineers working on the ad platforms.

Re: Why the Fuck?

#449

Post by LatvjuAvs »

Draiken wrote: post #192
shazow wrote: post #28

Why do we play videogames? Why do we create art? Why do we eat tasty unhealthy foods? Why do we go on hikes or climb rocks? Why do we write posts complaining about other people not saving the world? We do things we enjoy, things we're passionate or curious about, things we care about or have no choice but to do them. Glamour is a factor. Money too. Perhaps if I had diabetes, or someone very close to me was suffering…

But this just states what this generation lacks the most... Empathy. I couldn't care less if Facebook didn't exist because humanity focused it's work into solving real problems. But some people just don't care. As long as they are living their good life... who cares about diabetes? The biggest problem IMHO is our generation's goals. Money, money and more money. If the world provided better ways for us to help each ot…

How do others feel?

Is Empathy possible?

Who are they?

And what is Money that you make such a fuss about?

Why humans should care about others?

If someones not-well being is affecting my well-being then I will care.

If someone is suffering and that is making me feel bad, I will help, because then I will feel good, It have nothing to do with knowing how they feel or wanting to help them.

Realize that you are ultimate cause and driver. You do not have empathy, you have selfish selfish needs to feel good, and you invent all sorts to put yourself in a way of distress, so you could find a way back to nirvana, and then you could throw more trouble in your way.

Distractions, I see no difference between playing video games till you die or discovering cure to aids/cancer and find out the meaning of life. It is just something that helps get rid of boredom.

There is no higher goals, causes. You make up words. And sometimes you will be disappointed when a man next to you do not live by your standards. Then you can engage him in healthy discussion, or war, to come to some sort of conclusion :D

Re: Why the Fuck?

#450

Post by jacquesm »

brudgers wrote: post #378

My son doesn't trust my recommendations in books. It's justified. He'd been reading a fantasy series. I recommended Sword of Shanara . He thought it sucked. Fair. I thought it sucked when it came out. I was the same age. Yet, when I pulled Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy off the library last month, the title pulled him in. "Flying is the art of throwing yourself at the ground" is a hit in middle-school. But that's…

You forgot about the electrician.
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