Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...

[vansmack]

Nice that you have the in common, as much as you do!

Invaluable, sir.  I'm probably impossible to marry but for someone both enjoying sports and tolerating my overindulgences.

[vansmack]

I went looking for a new ipod, and they weren't onsale at all.

Apple sets the prices for those (and most Apple products).   Retailers have very little leeway in changing the prices of Apple products but for using gimmicks (free non-apple accessories is usually the hook).

All other MP3 players were 10% off though.

[sonickteam2]

the Director

why doesnt he post here anymore? is he just lurking these days???

[vansmack]

the Director

why doesnt he post here anymore? is he just lurking these days???

He's hanging out with Tom Waits, working on some new material.  I'm pretty sure, but can't be positive, that The Director is the inspiration for Tom's next project.  I'm not saying it's going to be the next Tommy, but I don't think Quadrophenia is out of the question.

[sonickteam2]

the Director

why doesnt he post here anymore? is he just lurking these days???

He's hanging out with Tom Waits, working on some new material.  I'm pretty sure, but can't be positive, that The Director is the inspiration for Tom's next project.  I'm not saying it's going to be the next Tommy, but I don't think Quadrophenia is out of the question.

  on the homepage, it says  he's online in this forum.......come out come out wherever you are!!!

[vansmack]

  on the homepage, it says  he's online in this forum.......come out come out wherever you are!!!

Nice.  How time consuming can this page be?

[sonickteam2]

  on the homepage, it says  he's online in this forum.......come out come out wherever you are!!!

Nice.  How time consuming can this page be?

ha. i never noticed it before.  creepers.

[vansmack]

  I've tried to spread out my processing power and have started to purchase less powerful computers in an attempt to utilize my other more powerful devices. 

The Economist has finally written an article that I should have written back in January or July.  It succinctly sums up my thoughts on the death of the desktop, spreading out processing power, and my newest adventures into virtualization.

Less is Moore
Jan 15th 2009
From The Economist print edition

There is strong demand for technologies that do the same for less money, rather than more for the same price

"Suddenly there is much more interest in products that apply the flip side of Moore?s law: instead of providing ever-increasing performance at a particular price, they provide a particular level of performance at an ever-lower price" and the rise of "good enough" computing.

[godsshoeshine]

from the footie thread

i picked spurs precoffee this morning, completely forgetting that it was a second leg, after completely forgetting that the man u match yesterday was a second leg too

i was all set to go out on a limb and pick the wiz to win on the road too. watch them do it

it worked and i was right. awesome

[vansmack]

I stumbled on these brilliant videos from MarketPlace explaining some of the how and the why using very simple examples.  Enjoy.

Crisis Explained (or what exactly is a CDO ; Why "Fallout" for the Financial Crisis ; Untangling Credit Default Swaps ; Leveraging and Deleveraging ; How Credit Cards become Asset-Backed Securities ; Getting Naked in Short Selling ; Margin Calls and the Financial Markets Decline ; Over the Counter, over the top

Toxic Assets explained like bad wine...

[vansmack]

I've discounted all tangible media in my equations, so I won't pay a premium for Blu-Ray (or HD-DVD).  I haven't purchased a DVD or CD in over a year, maybe two, relying solely on rental models and downloads.  The first company to allow for a $20 license for unlimited downloadable movies that expire (a Netflix meets Xbox Live Marketplace model) has my allegiance for the next 5 years...I agree with Sony, Blu-Ray's dead in 5 years.  It's already dead to me. 

Streaming video cannibalizing DVD rentals, says Netflix

Netflix says that DVD rentals are down for subscribers who make use of the company's online streaming service. Though it doesn't hurt Netflix's bottom line, the trend certainly spells bad news for physical media, including Blu-ray.

"We are seeing early signs of less DVD usage with some subscribers who are also watching instantly as compared to subscribers who only receive DVDs," said Hastings. "Time will tell whether this substitution effect is an attribute of early adopters or a mainstream behavior."


As Smackie so eloquently pointed out - it will be mainstream behavior soon, so work to drop the DVD model, or at least create a cheap online only subscription model and put your resources behind increasing your online catalog.

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

I'll stick with the dvd thanks.

The image on my pc sucks compared to what I get on my tc screen.

[vansmack]

I'll stick with the dvd thanks.

The image on my pc sucks compared to what I get on my tc screen.

Whatever floats your boat, Rhett, but just to be factually correct, the rest of us are watching the downloaded stuff on our TV's, not our PC screens and in better quality than a standard DVD (1080 or 720 vertical lines per screen as opposed to 480 lines, which is the limit of a typical DVD).

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

That sounds like too much work.

[godsshoeshine]

i think rhetts been drinking