The Vent and Rant Thread

[beppe]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

This is better than day-time TV!




Stitchawl

Originally Posted by nohmi2

[/COLOR]

Who is?

If you are talking about the vacuous, brainless, bits of nonsense, then I
agree. Although, some of the nicest women that I have met, without hang-ups, are very attractive and well-groomed. Funnily, most of them are in the real-estate or beauty business and are self-employed. They seem to be quite happy in their own skins.

I seem to also attract gay men as friends, possibly it's because I can sense their sensitivity.

I don't think that any of us is in a position to judge any group.

Cheers

Stitchawl is absolutely right, nohmi2. Yesterday this thread became one of the most entertaining piece of MR ever. I found myself posting like I was in the hairdresser chair. Luckily before sending it away I erased most of the more obvious nonsense from it.
There must be a spell.

nohmi2 is absolutely right. Women are more attractive than man, not only they are more beautiful, like often in animals male are, but also their mental equipment could be more versatile.

Why and how is so is very interesting indeed.

Good morning everyone

[devilsadvocate]

*Sigh*

I tried, really I did.

Bought an iPad tonight. Shel and I couldn't decide where we really wanted to go with the whole tablet thing, and if we just got one to share we knew it would be a compromise. It got to the point where we were dreaming about the damn things when dozing off on the couch this afternoon. So, the idea occurred to me: Why not just get the iPad and compromise equally, since our previous experience with Apple products left us both feeling equally meh.

This thing fought me every step of the way. Didn't even wait for me to take it out of the box; *THONK* down it came off the desk, corner-first, into my foot. Yeah, they're light-weight when there aren't any tendons involved. Fired it up and it of course insisted I download iTunes which I actually have no other use for. Then I sign up for an Apple ID, giving it my PayPal account like it asked for instead of any of my plastic, and it...sends me back to sign up for an Apple ID.

Whatever. The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting different results, so I said the Apple ID could wait. Let's get the WiFi going and get this puppy online.

Or not. See, my passphrase is 256 bits of hex and deliberately a bitch to crack; generally wireless setup then involves opening a text file and copy/pasting because that's a lot of opportunities for a typo. Problem is I couldn't transfer the file, because Steve Jobs' disdain for the USB architecture meant that the iPad wouldn't function like any sort of storage device known to the other 99.99999999% of Western Civilization. Finally, merely by guessing that WiFi might be in fact working (after 4 or 5 tries and seeing no acknowledgement to that effect nor any response from the browser), we get it online only to find out that yes, Virginia, you HAVE to have an Apple account for iTunes to do anything with your iPad other than sync.

Durrrrrrr...

Ooooookayyyyyy-fine. So let's get around this POS Safari browser (one of the first things I do in any Mac install is get Firefox going). Shel finds something that appears Firefox-related in the App Store, both of us thinking "Really?" (we think the same stuff simultaneously. A Lot.) Nope, it's some link to what might be your bookmarks. Or something. All the browser options are basically what I had available on my Blackberry 2 years ago. Safari or bust.

Shel loves it. She loves iBooks. She found the piano app. YouTube does HTML5 or h.264 or whatever protocol Jobs has been threatening Adobe with for the last however-long. She swears there is a reasonable number of free apps available in the App Store.

I'm still struggling with the concept of having to invent a reason to use a US$500 device. In Android, I have apps that are actually useful to me. I'm also struggling with the concept of having to do things someone else's way after paying them. I understand there are multiple ways of going about various processes but good grief, I've had to work less to get files off a 4-year-old Motorola Razr.

This is not a matter of retarded technical evolution on my part: I'm typing this in front of an overpowered Linux workstation while my Droid X patiently keeps time for me in its dock. It may get a big brother if Moto makes good on its unofficial threat to release a WiFi-only Xoom (did you catch that, Kenny? ) at the same price point as the 32 GB iPad. This is also not a generic anti-Apple rant: I have a few Hackintosh installs and have used iDevices in the past...hell, I got my start on computers back in the '80s on an Apple IIe. I don't hate Steve Jobs; he's the greatest salesman since P.T. Barnum. We're not taking the iPad back; it just went from being "ours" to being "hers" (and since we'll be cashiering her Asus in the process, it's only right) and she's thrilled with it. I, of course, love it when my wife's happy. But after careful reasoning and thorough consideration it is my belief that the iOS designers can go do something unpleasant out the door and around the corner.

[phenomshel]

Originally Posted by devilsadvocate

*Sigh*

I tried, really I did.

Bought an iPad tonight. Shel and I couldn't decide where we really wanted to go with the whole tablet thing, and if we just got one to share we knew it would be a compromise. It got to the point where we were dreaming about the damn things when dozing off on the couch this afternoon. So, the idea occurred to me: Why not just get the iPad and compromise equally, since our previous experience with Apple products left us both feeling equally meh.

This thing fought me every step of the way. Didn't even wait for me to take it out of the box; *THONK* down it came off the desk, corner-first, into my foot. Yeah, they're light-weight when there aren't any tendons involved. Fired it up and it of course insisted I download iTunes which I actually have no other use for. Then I sign up for an Apple ID, giving it my PayPal account like it asked for instead of any of my plastic, and it...sends me back to sign up for an Apple ID.

Whatever. The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting different results, so I said the Apple ID could wait. Let's get the WiFi going and get this puppy online.

Or not. See, my passphrase is 256 bits of hex and deliberately a bitch to crack; generally wireless setup then involves opening a text file and copy/pasting because that's a lot of opportunities for a typo. Problem is I couldn't transfer the file, because Steve Jobs' disdain for the USB architecture meant that the iPad wouldn't function like any sort of storage device known to the other 99.99999999% of Western Civilization. Finally, merely by guessing that WiFi might be in fact working (after 4 or 5 tries and seeing no acknowledgement to that effect nor any response from the browser), we get it online only to find out that yes, Virginia, you HAVE to have an Apple account for iTunes to do anything with your iPad other than sync.

Durrrrrrr...

Ooooookayyyyyy-fine. So let's get around this POS Safari browser (one of the first things I do in any Mac install is get Firefox going). Shel finds something that appears Firefox-related in the App Store, both of us thinking "Really?" (we think the same stuff simultaneously. A Lot.) Nope, it's some link to what might be your bookmarks. Or something. All the browser options are basically what I had available on my Blackberry 2 years ago. Safari or bust.

Shel loves it. She loves iBooks. She found the piano app. YouTube does HTML5 or h.264 or whatever protocol Jobs has been threatening Adobe with for the last however-long. She swears there is a reasonable number of free apps available in the App Store.

I'm still struggling with the concept of having to invent a reason to use a US$500 device. In Android, I have apps that are actually useful to me. I'm also struggling with the concept of having to do things someone else's way after paying them. I understand there are multiple ways of going about various processes but good grief, I've had to work less to get files off a 4-year-old Motorola Razr.

This is not a matter of retarded technical evolution on my part: I'm typing this in front of an overpowered Linux workstation while my Droid X patiently keeps time for me in its dock. It may get a big brother if Moto makes good on its unofficial threat to release a WiFi-only Xoom (did you catch that, Kenny? ) at the same price point as the 32 GB iPad. This is also not a generic anti-Apple rant: I have a few Hackintosh installs and have used iDevices in the past...hell, I got my start on computers back in the '80s on an Apple IIe. I don't hate Steve Jobs; he's the greatest salesman since P.T. Barnum. We're not taking the iPad back; it just went from being "ours" to being "hers" (and since we'll be cashiering her Asus in the process, it's only right) and she's thrilled with it. I, of course, love it when my wife's happy. But after careful reasoning and thorough consideration it is my belief that the iOS designers can go do something unpleasant out the door and around the corner.

He did try. He gave it the old college try and then more. It did NOT make a good first impression when he dropped it on his foot and it actually hurt.
The big difference between us is that while he expects things to do things HIS WAY, I don't. I figure they built whatever-it-is to do it their way, so if I want X device to do Y task, I have to go by X device manufacturer's rules. Sometimes this involves more patience than Chris usually has to spare. This is why I am happy with it, and he is not.
Is it worth $500.00 for what I'm going to use it for? I don't honestly know yet. I will confirm that I LOVE the iBooks reading experience. I will also go on record as saying that I plan to never purchase anything from the iBookstore. I have enough unDRM'd ePubs to keep me busy for literally years.
On an entertainment note, it's pretty darn cool. I found the best mahjongg game I have ever, ever played. The YouTube app is neat, too. I downloaded MobileNoter, and as soon as I figure it out, I'll report back, LOL.
I can see myself getting a lot of use out of this. Did I need it? No. Will I use it and enjoy it? Yes.

Oh, and my son is going to absolutely KILL me when he finds out.

[devilsadvocate]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

The big difference between us is that while he expects things to do things HIS WAY, I don't. I figure they built whatever-it-is to do it their way, so if I want X device to do Y task, I have to go by X device manufacturer's rules. Sometimes this involves more patience than Chris usually has to spare. This is why I am happy with it, and he is not.

My level of patience regarding "their way" is inversely proportional to how much money I spend. That applies to everything though; if I sold my Chevy and bought a Lotus, I would expect fewer things to get in the way of the driving experience. The only time I ever want to deal with "X device manufacturer's rules" is if I have to do a warranty return. When I pay a premium for something which purports to make my life simpler, I expect it to "just work". I paid for the device, therefore it should work for me as opposed to those who designed it; I'm not part of a focus group.

[wyndslash]

bad Ipad, bad!

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by SolRaven

Look at yours...

Posts: 18,921
Karma: 990000
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Denver, CO
Device: PRS-505; Kindle2; Droid X

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by devilsadvocate

*Sigh*

I tried, really I did.

Bought an iPad tonight. ...

You didn't?

I guess I have to go get the xoom then. I woke up in the night considering it...and now this I think has pushed me over the edge.

Well actually it was that you-tube review I saw just before bed time I think...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvRXg5LQh3Y

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by phenomshel

...
Oh, and my son is going to absolutely KILL me when he finds out.

That's as good a reason to get one as anything!

Congrats Shel!

[wyndslash]

*sigh* time to finish reading Plato's Republic for class. My prof makes it so boring because he's not good at explaining. or at least, i don't think he is.

[desertblues]

Originally Posted by kennyc

That's as good a reason to get one as anything!

Congrats Shel!

I have one and I just love it. I have (free)Dropbox for it as well, so I can instantly synchronize my docs, books and photo's between PC and iPad.

[wyndslash]

uhm, just wanna ask a question. sooo an author offered the first ebook in her series as a freebie for the month. i really enjoyed the plot, loved the characters (i'm easy to please ). unfortunately, there were some annoying grammar errors; not really major, there were perhaps three. but the thing is that normally this book would not have been free, and if i had bought it before, i would have been upset. i was thinking of buying the rest of the series though, simply because i love the characters. but then there might be more errors...

so my question is if anyone here ever does a review of it and pointed out the errors? or directly emailed the author?

hmmm i know the lounge isn't for ebook topics, but i didn't want to post this in the other parts of the forum as i was afraid of snarky replies.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by wyndslash

... i didn't want to post this in the other parts of the forum as i was afraid of snarky replies.

What? That doesn't happen here?

Jeeze.

If you have the email/website, I'd think the author would be glad to know.

[wyndslash]

Originally Posted by kennyc

If you have the email/website, I'd think the author would be glad to know.

yeah, but some of them might not take criticism well. i mean, i can already think of some possible replies from them:

"don't tell me how to write!"
"if you're so good, then why don't you write?"

or worse, not reply at all @_@ or give the generic fake thank you then bash me off to her friends.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by wyndslash

yeah, but some of them might not take criticism well. i mean, i can already think of some possible replies from them:

"don't tell me how to write!"
"if you're so good, then why don't you write?"

or worse, not reply at all @_@ or give the generic fake thank you then bash me off to her friends.

Not if they are real authors.

[Freeshadow]

just keep going its a highly amusing read here.

@devilsadvocate
I'm with you there: esp' in the cases when I know there is a better way of doing something and the device doesn't let me i could go walls up.
one doesn't get a device to tell you it knows better what you want than yourself do.

@wyndslash
as commitment in relationships goes I think you re right:
am not quite sure how to say it but - it seems a lot of people don't check if they fit together but merely if they part-timely glue to each other.
not taking it serious enough, they consider the wrong reasons for a partnership.

I sometimes ask myself if humans actually need wars and deseasters to wipe the clutter out they think of as important before they realize what really is.