YMMV, but after I was contacted about breaking the 250g limit a second time (was not disconnected since it was >1yr between overages) I played dumb* and told them that I had recently bought "a server off craigslist" and that maybe it was related to old software leftover on that. Ever since, if I have an overage I receive an email suggesting I download their security tools because I may have a bot operating on one of my machines.
I have no idea if this is simply coincidence or if they in fact have a flag for "less knowledgable users"/"malware affected users". Could just be luck on my part, but I would say give that technique a try if you find yourself in that situation.
*This part was entertaining. After countless times trying to provide customer service reps with complete details and explain things only to be met with confusion on their end, it was fun to use my knowledge to intentionally sound like I had no idea how computers/internet worked.
This article is a bit sensationalist, I would definitely enjoy having such a feature if I was driving through an unfamiliar city... from what I can tell it simply rates areas based on crime stats. However, I can appreciate the point that if this sort of application becomes widespread it could potentially perpetuate crime/poverty etc. in already struggling areas.
Just this week I started looking into similar ideas. At the moment I've been experimenting with a Wacom tablet and screen capture software... I looked up the Khan Academy methodology and started there.
But if anyone has recommendations for and iPad app that offers a shared whiteboard experience please let me know. We already use Skype on iPad as our sort of virtual office so that would be perfect.
First time I saw Google Street View, I was sitting on my balcony with my laptop. I looked at the Google image for my street, and it was me sitting on the balcony with my laptop. I had to do a double-take before I realized the picture was taken a few weeks prior.
There are certain skills that are considered to be necessary over others. Literacy is a good example. Math is another.
There are other skills that might have less of an impact than literacy, but have a direct impact on society and the quality of life for everyone. History and science are good examples here. History because being knowledgeable about the politics of yesterday helps in framing political decisions today. Science because our lives have been affected by (and improved by) science for the past few hundred years.
Having a populous that's informed about the benefits of science and technology and how they affect all of our lives should help everyone make better decisions regarding the two -- from a mom who mixes ammonia and bleach to clean her floor to the congressman who brushed off Vint Cerf's testimony during the SOPA hearing with a comment about nerds.
So, while we should encourage people to follow their passions and explore interesting topics, I'm comfortable saying that we should encourage certain things like math, reading, science, and history over game design, running a business, or basket weaving.
FTA
>“I knew all these things about her, but I’d never even talked to her,” said Mr. Balcomb, a pre-med student in Oregon who had some real-life friends in common with the woman. “At that point I thought, maybe this is a little unhealthy.”
I agree with this, but I think it says more about how one USES Facebook. I use it for organizing events and as a digital replacement for a rolodex. If I wasted my time flipping through a rolodex, learning details about people who were only acquaintances, I would consider that unhealthy too.
I think that's an unfair statement though because Facebook can do a lot more than a Rolodex. I think we need to know more about how people spend their time on Facebook.
If they're spending time on games like Farmville, that's quite different from spending time looking at photos/profiles/statuses
Based on the tone of Louis CK in his description, I would try sending some feedback on the problem... he appears receptive. It's only been available for one day so far, so I imagine he would appreciate a chance to improve the system.
Somewhat in the same vein... a friend of mine teaches ESL classes for foreign US university students. He made a pretty basic app - it's not polished but it's perfectly functional - to help his students study vocab/tenses/etc. I forget now if it was free or $0.99, either way he didn't actually have that many downloads since it was only designed for his class.
That said, the students loved it. And, he could also update the app as the course went along. Finally, although he only made enough through App Store sales to maybe go out for a nice meal, it translated into promotions, bonuses and the like. So ultimately, it paid off.
My main point is: in addition to selling niche apps at a premium, there's also the opportunity to develop cheap/free apps that otherwise help you move ahead within a niche market.
That was my initial reaction... I mean it's no mystery that for $100, it simply cannot compete with the iPad and also be profitable.
That said, for only $100 I would be willing to give up a rich multimedia experience/gaming like the iPad for something that did an acceptable job browsing/email.
That was my initial reaction... I mean it's no mystery that for $100, it simply cannot compete with the iPad and also be profitable.
Not everyone in the world earns $120k/year at a Silicon Valley technology job. For much of the world, $500 is a lot of money to spend on a tablet, especially for those outside the United States. In Brazil, for example, after accounting for import taxes on electronics and difference in incomes, spending $500 on a tablet is similar to spending $5,000 on a new tablet in the US. And if you're comparing to a high-paying tech job, that might be more like spending $15,000 on a tablet.
If the iPad was $15,000, would you buy it?
Wherever there's a successful high-end product, there's an even larger space for a lower-priced, lower-end version of that product for the billions of people who can't reasonably afford it. Those who look outside the Silicon Valley bubble realize this, and know that there's a lot of money to be made, even if it's at low margins.
I completely agree on the overpriced gadgets front.
For example, here in New Zealand an IPad will set you back about NZD$800-$1300 depending on your model (16GB Wifi->64GB Wifi+3G). Our currency is currently trading at around 87 US cents, so someone is making a huge amount of money off gadgets in this country.
If tablets reached our shores at something like a reasonable price, people might buy them. Plus this tablet would make a nice testing/development tablet if it can deliver decent performance for the price.
But maybe people would actually be better off buying nothing than a frustration-inducing $100 tablet. A tablet is a luxury, so why buy a non-luxurious one?
Also, for $100 this might be nice (read: "nice enough") for home automation and home theater control. Even if you also have a better tablet that you would always pick up given the choice, that better one might very well go with you when you leave the house. This would be the cheap one that stays at home for others to use and the kids to play with.
Or a quick and dirty POS system using Square (or whatever other payment processing people like these days).
Cheaper opens up more applications, ones that "also crappier" doesn't always preclude.
I have no idea if this is simply coincidence or if they in fact have a flag for "less knowledgable users"/"malware affected users". Could just be luck on my part, but I would say give that technique a try if you find yourself in that situation.
*This part was entertaining. After countless times trying to provide customer service reps with complete details and explain things only to be met with confusion on their end, it was fun to use my knowledge to intentionally sound like I had no idea how computers/internet worked.