Poudresteve
Jul 21, 02:17 PM
This is not what I needed to maintain a productive Friday afternoon! My excitement level was already at "11" with new Mac Pro's coming out. I'll have to see what else I can cut out of the ol' budget to get all of these new toys... :D
mr.barkan
Aug 12, 10:31 AM
I think we will see the upgrade the Tuesday after they have enough supply to meet the demand. These laptops are selling great and they don't want to have to interrupt the supply. I think this is especially true at the stores.
Are they really selling that great??
Is there anyway to know??
I wonder how much people is waiting for the Merom MBP's.
I mean, in general like a couple o guys said here the ones available today are great. But I use Final Cut Pro ALOT, and I'm sure the 64bit will be VERY useful on that. So for me is worth the wait... as for alot of other Final Cut, Logic Pro, Aperture users...
I'm quite curious about those MBP sales... :rolleyes:
Are they really selling that great??
Is there anyway to know??
I wonder how much people is waiting for the Merom MBP's.
I mean, in general like a couple o guys said here the ones available today are great. But I use Final Cut Pro ALOT, and I'm sure the 64bit will be VERY useful on that. So for me is worth the wait... as for alot of other Final Cut, Logic Pro, Aperture users...
I'm quite curious about those MBP sales... :rolleyes:
rwilliams
Mar 28, 10:43 AM
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7E18 Safari/528.16)
I'm on a 3G with a contract that ended in Feb. Why are people fliping out that their contracts are ending and a new phone is not available? From what I've been told, my contract is now month-to-month until I upgrade my phone. Even if it was under two years, I can still upgrade my phone. Granted, that locks me down for two more years, but I'm happy with AT&T and the iPhone. What's the worry?
Thank you for posting that. I was wondering if you could go month-to-month after your contract expired. So now all of the complaining about expiring contracts seems to be nothing but noise.
I'm on a 3G with a contract that ended in Feb. Why are people fliping out that their contracts are ending and a new phone is not available? From what I've been told, my contract is now month-to-month until I upgrade my phone. Even if it was under two years, I can still upgrade my phone. Granted, that locks me down for two more years, but I'm happy with AT&T and the iPhone. What's the worry?
Thank you for posting that. I was wondering if you could go month-to-month after your contract expired. So now all of the complaining about expiring contracts seems to be nothing but noise.
iansilv
Mar 29, 12:44 PM
Great move by amazon to bring out a service that competes legitimates with Apple in this space. In fact, on paper at least it destroys it.
Really, really stupid move to not let iOS devices connect. that is an idiot move.
Really, really stupid move to not let iOS devices connect. that is an idiot move.
rhsgolfer33
Apr 14, 04:12 PM
I'll bet he moved on to forums where his ideas were more warmly accepted.
On the issues of taxes ... tax me more!
Sure, tax the rich more too.
But every American should be chipping in to solve the issues that we're facing.
We're in the lifeboat, and the water's rising. Everybody pick up a pail and start bailing.
I never thought I'd see the day, but I agree with you. Everyone has to see a tax increase in order to solve the budget problems.
The non-tax accountant part of me (the tax accountant part of me wants the tax code as complicated as humanly possible) would love it if the corporate tax code was simplified and the tax rates reduced so that corporations actually paid taxes in line with other nations - we'd still probably see more revenue even with the decreased rates because the base would be broadened and corporations would actually pay. We should probably broaden the tax base for individuals by eliminating deductions and then eliminate the Bush tax cuts for everyone (which will increase tax rates across the board, more so at the upper two brackets). I'm not opposed to adding a VAT with a low rate either.
I'd like to see plenty of spending cuts too - stop the three wasteful and pointless wars we are fighting would be a great start, then cut defense spending. Like it or not, I think we need to acknowledge that social security needs changes - a decrease in benefits and removing the limit on payroll taxes for social security would be a good start.
But then again, I'm a moderate (though I am generally fiscally libertarian) and I understand the urgency with which we need to eliminate our deficit and decrease our national debt. I don't have much hope for any of this happening, since neither side can seem to acknowledge that we need a combo of what they both propose.
One thing I don't hear in the raising taxes discussion is what we should do with capital gains. That's the reason billionaires pay a paltry 15%. Almost all of their income comes from the selling of assets rather than a salary. Their money works for them, rather than the rest of us who have to work for our money. And for that, we reward them with a super low tax rate. :rolleyes:
It's time to raise the capital gains rate and make it progressively tied to income taxes.
I tend to agree - I have no problem giving someone who actually makes their money via salary or wages a capital gains break (it encourages investing and most of the time those gains will be from investments for retirement), but it is kind of silly that someone who derives most of their income from capital gains gets to pay at the same low rate. Possibly it could be linked to amount of income and percentage of gross income that comes from capital gains - for instance, if you are in the top income bracket and more than 50% of your gross income is from capital gains, you must include all income at the standard ordinary income rates. Of course it would have to be refined (too easy to get around right now), but it would insure that higher income individuals that make most of their money via capital gains pay appropriate taxes, while keeping most retirees and lower/middle/upper middle income people from being hit with ordinary income rates on capital gains when the a lower rate is more appropriate.
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1999 Lamborghini Diablo VT
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1998 Lamborghini Diablo VT
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Lamborghini Diablo VT ROADSTER
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Lamborghini Diablo VT 1993
On the issues of taxes ... tax me more!
Sure, tax the rich more too.
But every American should be chipping in to solve the issues that we're facing.
We're in the lifeboat, and the water's rising. Everybody pick up a pail and start bailing.
I never thought I'd see the day, but I agree with you. Everyone has to see a tax increase in order to solve the budget problems.
The non-tax accountant part of me (the tax accountant part of me wants the tax code as complicated as humanly possible) would love it if the corporate tax code was simplified and the tax rates reduced so that corporations actually paid taxes in line with other nations - we'd still probably see more revenue even with the decreased rates because the base would be broadened and corporations would actually pay. We should probably broaden the tax base for individuals by eliminating deductions and then eliminate the Bush tax cuts for everyone (which will increase tax rates across the board, more so at the upper two brackets). I'm not opposed to adding a VAT with a low rate either.
I'd like to see plenty of spending cuts too - stop the three wasteful and pointless wars we are fighting would be a great start, then cut defense spending. Like it or not, I think we need to acknowledge that social security needs changes - a decrease in benefits and removing the limit on payroll taxes for social security would be a good start.
But then again, I'm a moderate (though I am generally fiscally libertarian) and I understand the urgency with which we need to eliminate our deficit and decrease our national debt. I don't have much hope for any of this happening, since neither side can seem to acknowledge that we need a combo of what they both propose.
One thing I don't hear in the raising taxes discussion is what we should do with capital gains. That's the reason billionaires pay a paltry 15%. Almost all of their income comes from the selling of assets rather than a salary. Their money works for them, rather than the rest of us who have to work for our money. And for that, we reward them with a super low tax rate. :rolleyes:
It's time to raise the capital gains rate and make it progressively tied to income taxes.
I tend to agree - I have no problem giving someone who actually makes their money via salary or wages a capital gains break (it encourages investing and most of the time those gains will be from investments for retirement), but it is kind of silly that someone who derives most of their income from capital gains gets to pay at the same low rate. Possibly it could be linked to amount of income and percentage of gross income that comes from capital gains - for instance, if you are in the top income bracket and more than 50% of your gross income is from capital gains, you must include all income at the standard ordinary income rates. Of course it would have to be refined (too easy to get around right now), but it would insure that higher income individuals that make most of their money via capital gains pay appropriate taxes, while keeping most retirees and lower/middle/upper middle income people from being hit with ordinary income rates on capital gains when the a lower rate is more appropriate.
Eddyisgreat
Apr 26, 02:15 PM
If the iPhone were buy one get two free as well then I bet those numbers would be different :D
Josias
Sep 15, 05:28 PM
I know this is half off topic, but I posted my predictions for Photokina in another thread here (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=2836900#post2836900).
I would gladly bet my MacBook that they announce new MBP's on the 25th.;)
I would gladly bet my MacBook that they announce new MBP's on the 25th.;)
LightSpeed1
Mar 27, 03:58 PM
I think apple has even more of a lockdown on iOS 5 and because there are no leaks they are reporting delay.
Durendal
Nov 26, 12:44 PM
Not. Gonna. Happen. The tablet market is very small, and for good reason. Why use a tablet when a laptop fits the bill? Or a PDA? It's a glorified scribble toy. Apple's not going to try and grab such a miniscule market. There's no reason to even try.
Duke&tank
Mar 27, 01:01 AM
I'm starting to wonder if a Iphone 5 is even going to come out this year i mean with the Verizon IPhone launched in February "kinda close to June - July IMO" so they might wait tell june of next year where we get AT&T and a Verizon IPhone upgrades.
just my thoughts on it. of course Apple is a secret company so we won't know tell it happens:)
just my thoughts on it. of course Apple is a secret company so we won't know tell it happens:)
teme
Apr 20, 03:22 AM
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-gb) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8H7 Safari/6533.18.5)
I think Apple needs to concentrate more on improving iOS rather than adding a faster processor. Tbh I'm pretty fed up of my iPhone 4 as the is just looks boringly simple. Not everybody wants the same old os on every device. I think it's the omnia 7 next for me so I can have a change.
I agree. iOS is #1 reason why I haven't bought iPad yet - Android 3.0 looks so good on tablets that I haven't decided yet wheter to buy iPad or Android tablet. I'm not that interested in new iPhone models either, because iOS has basically looked the same since the first iPhone, and it's beginning to look very old and dated. I know it's simple to use, and for many people that's the biggest reason to choose iOS, but personally I like to try new things.
I think Apple needs to concentrate more on improving iOS rather than adding a faster processor. Tbh I'm pretty fed up of my iPhone 4 as the is just looks boringly simple. Not everybody wants the same old os on every device. I think it's the omnia 7 next for me so I can have a change.
I agree. iOS is #1 reason why I haven't bought iPad yet - Android 3.0 looks so good on tablets that I haven't decided yet wheter to buy iPad or Android tablet. I'm not that interested in new iPhone models either, because iOS has basically looked the same since the first iPhone, and it's beginning to look very old and dated. I know it's simple to use, and for many people that's the biggest reason to choose iOS, but personally I like to try new things.
DHagan4755
Aug 11, 10:32 PM
I believe there a an entirely new iMac in the works. The current design can't handle the heat Conroe will want to throw at it. And the Kentsfield 4-core processor will want even better cooling. Currently the iMac looks like it has a G5 inside. Apple doesn't like their Macs to look the same over too long a time.
I disagree with you on this. I agree with you on the MBP. Apple just revved the specs of their displays and they also released the education iMac. I think the iMac is a homerun for Apple on the desktop. Obviously the strongest Apple product right now is the MacBook. But while I think you're right on with the MBP, I think they will find a way to update the iMac for new, faster processors while retaining the current design/enclosure. Even if it has Merom inside. After all they could rev it to Merom 2.1 and 2.3 and some nice new features and I don't think many people will complain. (Alright some will complain, they always do, but that's beside the point).
I would bet Conroe is the single processor option for Mac Pros to fill out the mid-range desktop line. The Mac Pro starts at $2,499 and that's way too expensive. I'm thinking there's going to be something to fill the gap between $1,499 and $2,499. That's where Conroe comes in.
I disagree with you on this. I agree with you on the MBP. Apple just revved the specs of their displays and they also released the education iMac. I think the iMac is a homerun for Apple on the desktop. Obviously the strongest Apple product right now is the MacBook. But while I think you're right on with the MBP, I think they will find a way to update the iMac for new, faster processors while retaining the current design/enclosure. Even if it has Merom inside. After all they could rev it to Merom 2.1 and 2.3 and some nice new features and I don't think many people will complain. (Alright some will complain, they always do, but that's beside the point).
I would bet Conroe is the single processor option for Mac Pros to fill out the mid-range desktop line. The Mac Pro starts at $2,499 and that's way too expensive. I'm thinking there's going to be something to fill the gap between $1,499 and $2,499. That's where Conroe comes in.
baleensavage
Nov 8, 10:09 AM
Blah blah blah. Lack of AV software makes Macs very unattractive to business settings.
One of the barriers to integrating Macs into corporate and business environments is the lack of anti-virus tools. Yeah, you can dismiss this as FUD (and maybe there's some truth to that) but the fact remains--someday, one way or another, there will be a Mac OS X virus. I defy you to find one IT dept. in the country that wants to be caught off-guard by that. If you're going to have Macs in a business environment, the IT staff needs to know that they're protected in the event of an OS X virus outbreak. Whether any OS X viruses exist now or not and whether AV companies are trying to sell products with FUD is irrelevant in that context.
Those of you who want to see wider adoption of Macs in business environments ought to be happy to see this kind of thing showing up, regardless of whether you personally need it or not.
Exactly! Another thing that is becoming a big part of the business world is security compliance. Try getting your business certified compliant by saying "there have been no Mac viruses so far, so we don't need antivirus." No IT out there worth anything relies on "security through obscurity."
One of the barriers to integrating Macs into corporate and business environments is the lack of anti-virus tools. Yeah, you can dismiss this as FUD (and maybe there's some truth to that) but the fact remains--someday, one way or another, there will be a Mac OS X virus. I defy you to find one IT dept. in the country that wants to be caught off-guard by that. If you're going to have Macs in a business environment, the IT staff needs to know that they're protected in the event of an OS X virus outbreak. Whether any OS X viruses exist now or not and whether AV companies are trying to sell products with FUD is irrelevant in that context.
Those of you who want to see wider adoption of Macs in business environments ought to be happy to see this kind of thing showing up, regardless of whether you personally need it or not.
Exactly! Another thing that is becoming a big part of the business world is security compliance. Try getting your business certified compliant by saying "there have been no Mac viruses so far, so we don't need antivirus." No IT out there worth anything relies on "security through obscurity."
chris7777
Apr 23, 09:28 PM
I remember gettign the original unibody 15" MBP and feeling like i couldnt read text cause it was blurry and just off for lack of a better term.
I returned it (and no it was not for the screen, it was the portability) and got the 13" 2 years later, and I dont recall the same problem.
I also recently got the 4th gen ipod touch, and have just fallen in love with the screen, I have tried to look at my friends iphone, and my kids previous gen ipod touch, and they just don't look right. So while yes it may be overkill for the human eye it is appreciated. I suspect moreso on laptops and devices that are meant to be viewed at close range.
I returned it (and no it was not for the screen, it was the portability) and got the 13" 2 years later, and I dont recall the same problem.
I also recently got the 4th gen ipod touch, and have just fallen in love with the screen, I have tried to look at my friends iphone, and my kids previous gen ipod touch, and they just don't look right. So while yes it may be overkill for the human eye it is appreciated. I suspect moreso on laptops and devices that are meant to be viewed at close range.
bleachthru
Aug 7, 05:56 PM
I find it funny that the online apple store has the Quadcore G5 still listed at $3299. $800 dollars more than the default MacPro which has 1GB ram as opposed to the meger 512MB in the G5, Quad 2.66 vs Quad 2.5, a GeForce 7300 vs the Geforce 6600, not to mention the many other bad ass features like 4 HD bays etc. Is it just me, or should the G5 price come down a bit, at least lower than the new MacPro...But then what do I know, I am still running a 500Mhz G3 as my primary machine, by the time all my student loans are paid perhaps the Quad Quad core will be out : )
Grokgod
Aug 7, 08:29 PM
well I called back and upped the ram to 2 gigs which is what i consider the base really.
I just didnt want to go running around looking for ram to get to work.
Crucial doesnt have anything for the MacPro yet and I was fooled by the strange new words and the "you will have heat problems if you buy other ram from other makers that dont have heat sinks!"
What the??
So I feel for it and bit another 300 offa my wallet.
figure that with this base i can then search at a somewhat leisurely pace to get the other 4 gigs kits that will fit in the remaining slots.
Please someone tell me it was a smart move?
TIA
I just didnt want to go running around looking for ram to get to work.
Crucial doesnt have anything for the MacPro yet and I was fooled by the strange new words and the "you will have heat problems if you buy other ram from other makers that dont have heat sinks!"
What the??
So I feel for it and bit another 300 offa my wallet.
figure that with this base i can then search at a somewhat leisurely pace to get the other 4 gigs kits that will fit in the remaining slots.
Please someone tell me it was a smart move?
TIA
rtharper
Sep 16, 06:14 PM
It's always the next "event" apple holds. Oh, I swear it's coming! I just know it! That powerbook g5 is coming, I can smell it. :p
Not to jump on your claim, because everyone has been making the comparison, but there is a bit of a difference. It was well known the G5 was a large, power hungry furnace and we had seen no evidence of a successful miniaturization. We were waiting on engineers to overcome a pretty difficult set of problems.
This time, there is already a chip. It's in machines. Even Apple machines. I could touch it, look at it, even use it in other models. Never was this the case with a mobile G5.
Not to jump on your claim, because everyone has been making the comparison, but there is a bit of a difference. It was well known the G5 was a large, power hungry furnace and we had seen no evidence of a successful miniaturization. We were waiting on engineers to overcome a pretty difficult set of problems.
This time, there is already a chip. It's in machines. Even Apple machines. I could touch it, look at it, even use it in other models. Never was this the case with a mobile G5.
aswitcher
Aug 6, 07:03 AM
If new monitors are introduced with built in isights, does this mean Apple will discontinue the standalone isight as all macs will now come with built in isights ? (presuming you buy Apples monitor)
Its certainly possible. I hope though that they upgrade the isight to higher res for pros and include an IR receiver in it. That way I can mount it anywhere around my big TV and dont need my mac visible to use it.
Another possiblity is that they will put out a smaller model designed to be used with an iPod as well turning the ipod into a camera/video camera.
Its certainly possible. I hope though that they upgrade the isight to higher res for pros and include an IR receiver in it. That way I can mount it anywhere around my big TV and dont need my mac visible to use it.
Another possiblity is that they will put out a smaller model designed to be used with an iPod as well turning the ipod into a camera/video camera.
marksman
Apr 7, 01:03 PM
Ehh, purposeful or not (as a sabotage)...not good news for iPad competition:( Which isnt good news for us iPad users...Apple needs constant pressure to release revolutionary products.
People keep saying this like if they say it enough it will make it true.
The iPad and iPad 2 were designed, created, released and supported with ZERO Competition.
Apple creates products and experiences for their customers. I know it is hard to believe that everyone is just not as lazy as they need to be, and only do something if someone else pushes them but it is possible.
What people don't seem to realize is APPLE is the COMPETITION that pushes the others, not the other way around. Apple destroyed the MP3 player market made with sucky products. They destroyed the smartphone market made with sucky products, they created the tablet market. They don't need competition, but all these other companies need Apple to steamroll them I guess.
People keep saying this like if they say it enough it will make it true.
The iPad and iPad 2 were designed, created, released and supported with ZERO Competition.
Apple creates products and experiences for their customers. I know it is hard to believe that everyone is just not as lazy as they need to be, and only do something if someone else pushes them but it is possible.
What people don't seem to realize is APPLE is the COMPETITION that pushes the others, not the other way around. Apple destroyed the MP3 player market made with sucky products. They destroyed the smartphone market made with sucky products, they created the tablet market. They don't need competition, but all these other companies need Apple to steamroll them I guess.
Stevamundo
Dec 14, 10:25 PM
I don't, either. That's why I'm polite enough to make sure my PC friends are running anti-virus software, to protect them from malware, no matter where it may come from.
Eventually Macs will get viruses too.
What's the big deal? It's free and it runs well on my Mac. It's just extra protection for my Mac and for my PC friends.
Eventually Macs will get viruses too.
What's the big deal? It's free and it runs well on my Mac. It's just extra protection for my Mac and for my PC friends.
AppleMacFinder
Apr 10, 02:01 PM
The official Mac answer is: 2
We are at MacRumors! Finder says 2, that's why we should accept 2.
We are at MacRumors! Finder says 2, that's why we should accept 2.
ravenvii
May 3, 11:41 AM
Yet more of Don't panic's questions:
you spoke about motivations, does that imply that the "end game" is different between the couple, the wizard and the adventurers? or is it just color?
Yes, their end-game goals are slightly different.
more: how long are the rounds? how large is the map? how long do you envisage this game lasting? is there a built-in clock of any sort?
The rounds are as long as you make it. That's why I require active participation - otherwise they could take forever. There is no built-in clock.
in the original post it said 2 points/turn, 2 turns/round, but in reality it is 1 point/turn? which is forfaited if the villain uses any action in the turn (place monsters/traps, heal, move)?
Every round, the villain gets 2 turns/points. If he moves, he uses one turn. Then he decides to heal, that takes another turn. Then the round is over for him, and when the next round comes, he gets another two turns. If in the previous turn he decides to do nothing, then the next round he will have four turns to play with.
Plutonius' questions:
1) Will it be real time or will it be 2 turns / 24 hours or something in between ?
No, it is two turns. No time limits or any kind of built-in clock.
2) What will our turn orders consist of and do we PM or use the thread (could you please post an example of a couple turns.) ?
The heroes use the thread, the villain PMs the GMs.
Example round:
Turn 1: Heroes discuss amongst themselves and decide to explore the room. They discover a trap that the villain placed and a treasure. They disarm the trap, and grab the treasure (automatic), and because they found a treasure, they level up.
Turn 2: Heroes discuss amongst themselves again, and decide on a door to take. They move to the next room, and meet a level 1 goblin. They fight and easily kill the goblin. The wizard takes one hit because random.org says so.
In the meanwhile, the villain has 3 turns - he has one turn remaining from last round, plus two turns from this round. The villain PMs the GMs saying he wants a lvl 4 gargoyle in that room. The gargoyle costs 3 turns. The villain now has 0 turns, and the gargoyle is placed in the said room.
Round ends.
3) Do we talk to each other through the thread or PMs ?
Everyone talks in the thread. Only the Villain uses PMs.
you spoke about motivations, does that imply that the "end game" is different between the couple, the wizard and the adventurers? or is it just color?
Yes, their end-game goals are slightly different.
more: how long are the rounds? how large is the map? how long do you envisage this game lasting? is there a built-in clock of any sort?
The rounds are as long as you make it. That's why I require active participation - otherwise they could take forever. There is no built-in clock.
in the original post it said 2 points/turn, 2 turns/round, but in reality it is 1 point/turn? which is forfaited if the villain uses any action in the turn (place monsters/traps, heal, move)?
Every round, the villain gets 2 turns/points. If he moves, he uses one turn. Then he decides to heal, that takes another turn. Then the round is over for him, and when the next round comes, he gets another two turns. If in the previous turn he decides to do nothing, then the next round he will have four turns to play with.
Plutonius' questions:
1) Will it be real time or will it be 2 turns / 24 hours or something in between ?
No, it is two turns. No time limits or any kind of built-in clock.
2) What will our turn orders consist of and do we PM or use the thread (could you please post an example of a couple turns.) ?
The heroes use the thread, the villain PMs the GMs.
Example round:
Turn 1: Heroes discuss amongst themselves and decide to explore the room. They discover a trap that the villain placed and a treasure. They disarm the trap, and grab the treasure (automatic), and because they found a treasure, they level up.
Turn 2: Heroes discuss amongst themselves again, and decide on a door to take. They move to the next room, and meet a level 1 goblin. They fight and easily kill the goblin. The wizard takes one hit because random.org says so.
In the meanwhile, the villain has 3 turns - he has one turn remaining from last round, plus two turns from this round. The villain PMs the GMs saying he wants a lvl 4 gargoyle in that room. The gargoyle costs 3 turns. The villain now has 0 turns, and the gargoyle is placed in the said room.
Round ends.
3) Do we talk to each other through the thread or PMs ?
Everyone talks in the thread. Only the Villain uses PMs.
CalBoy
May 4, 07:01 PM
So what is a third of 13/16th of an inch? :)
Easy. 13/48ths of an inch.;)
A child's mind is amazingly attuned to learning language. Given the fascinating cultural and linguistic diversity in the world, I am envious. I would love to have learnt more than one language as a kid. It's so much harder to learn as an adult.
But I am not at all envious of you having to learn two systems of measurement. That kind of cultural diversity I can do without! Sure, your kids will be able to handle it, but why should they have to? Because your generation was too stuck in its ways to embrace positive change?
I really don't see much functional difference between a language and a system of measures. Both express specificity using prearranged syntax and values.
The one point you may have is that most households don't teach both to their kids because most households only use one or the other.
Even beyond that, if we were to adopt the metric system 100% starting tomorrow, the transition would have to last for decades not only to encompass those who are too old to be educated, but also to deal with the infrastructure changes that would have to take place. At the very earliest it would be my grandchildren who would see a fully metricized US.
The long-term advantages are:
1) Less freaking-out of kids who are weak in math. "If you have a stick that is 3' 7 13/16" and need to divide it into 3 equal sections, what is the length of the each section to the nearest 1/64 inch?" as opposed to "If you have a stick that 1233 mm long....." - and no, I didn't check to see if they are the same -
2) Same idea as above.... "If you have a tank filled with 450 cubic yards of water, and it is flowing out at a rate of 3 gallons a minute, how long does it take to empty?" as opposed to the metric system where 1000 litres of water is 1 cubic meter which is 1 tonne (approximately - since altitudes and temperatures affect the density of water).... but it's close enough for horseshoes....
This isn't an economic gain. It's a purely convenience gain for kids who probably should do some "difficult" math so they can get a strong grasp of the basics. They can use calculators and apps when they need to use their skills for larger applications.
3) Manufacturing. As the last industrialized country in the world still non-metric, do people really believe that there isn't a cost when a US factory has to retool to provide a product for export? Or understand that the cost of goods being imported from off-shore includes the cost of retooling for an non-metric customer? Do people not think that some small factories in the US have lost contracts to off-shore customers because they couldn't afford to switch to a metric size? And that some US factories have probably been forced to retool anyway when the sole supplier of a component wouldn't make a special run of non-metric fasteners?
And I don't dispute this element of the argument. Many manufacturers have already done this (why just yesterday I purchased cereal and chips in metric quantities), and they should keep switching to improve their bottom line.
Easy. 13/48ths of an inch.;)
A child's mind is amazingly attuned to learning language. Given the fascinating cultural and linguistic diversity in the world, I am envious. I would love to have learnt more than one language as a kid. It's so much harder to learn as an adult.
But I am not at all envious of you having to learn two systems of measurement. That kind of cultural diversity I can do without! Sure, your kids will be able to handle it, but why should they have to? Because your generation was too stuck in its ways to embrace positive change?
I really don't see much functional difference between a language and a system of measures. Both express specificity using prearranged syntax and values.
The one point you may have is that most households don't teach both to their kids because most households only use one or the other.
Even beyond that, if we were to adopt the metric system 100% starting tomorrow, the transition would have to last for decades not only to encompass those who are too old to be educated, but also to deal with the infrastructure changes that would have to take place. At the very earliest it would be my grandchildren who would see a fully metricized US.
The long-term advantages are:
1) Less freaking-out of kids who are weak in math. "If you have a stick that is 3' 7 13/16" and need to divide it into 3 equal sections, what is the length of the each section to the nearest 1/64 inch?" as opposed to "If you have a stick that 1233 mm long....." - and no, I didn't check to see if they are the same -
2) Same idea as above.... "If you have a tank filled with 450 cubic yards of water, and it is flowing out at a rate of 3 gallons a minute, how long does it take to empty?" as opposed to the metric system where 1000 litres of water is 1 cubic meter which is 1 tonne (approximately - since altitudes and temperatures affect the density of water).... but it's close enough for horseshoes....
This isn't an economic gain. It's a purely convenience gain for kids who probably should do some "difficult" math so they can get a strong grasp of the basics. They can use calculators and apps when they need to use their skills for larger applications.
3) Manufacturing. As the last industrialized country in the world still non-metric, do people really believe that there isn't a cost when a US factory has to retool to provide a product for export? Or understand that the cost of goods being imported from off-shore includes the cost of retooling for an non-metric customer? Do people not think that some small factories in the US have lost contracts to off-shore customers because they couldn't afford to switch to a metric size? And that some US factories have probably been forced to retool anyway when the sole supplier of a component wouldn't make a special run of non-metric fasteners?
And I don't dispute this element of the argument. Many manufacturers have already done this (why just yesterday I purchased cereal and chips in metric quantities), and they should keep switching to improve their bottom line.
MacbookSwitcher
Mar 29, 03:57 PM
Well, the US spends 20 billion a year on agriculture subsidies as well, so we're in about the same boat. At least Japan uses agriculture subsidies to support small farmers. We use them to support DelMonte.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_subsidy
Sorry, there is no comparison. US agriculture does not have anywhere near the level of protectionism as Japanese agriculture. Nor does any US industry, with the exception of defense contractors.
And what makes you think a small farmer is somehow superior to DelMonte?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_subsidy
Sorry, there is no comparison. US agriculture does not have anywhere near the level of protectionism as Japanese agriculture. Nor does any US industry, with the exception of defense contractors.
And what makes you think a small farmer is somehow superior to DelMonte?
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