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2251
Living Room / Re: Apple Rejecting Apps That Use Dropbox
« Last post by KynloStephen66515 on May 02, 2012, 05:12 PM »
But there is a viable competition.
Apple has a dominant market position in only the market for "Apple products". Not in smartphones, not in laptops, not in desktops, and given market trends, not in tablets (at least not for long).
Do you really want government to intervene because Apple has a monopoly in producing iphones or ipads?
Apple is no more dominant in any product category than General Motors is dominant in cars.
But General Motors has a dominant market position in making Cadillacs. Should government intervene to foster competition?

When they are blocking things purely because users might signup for an alternative service...yes...Apple must die.  That is my one and only opinion on this, nobody (And you can ask anybody on DC who knows me) will EVER change my mind about apple.
2252
Living Room / Re: Apple Rejecting Apps That Use Dropbox
« Last post by KynloStephen66515 on May 02, 2012, 04:59 PM »
Mine may be a technically ignorant rant but I don't see how Apple has a dominant position in any market. (OK, yes maybe in the tablets market, but it should be eroding fast, now that competition is really churning out android tablets).

Asking government intervene on Apple's policies is like saying "Daddy, Mike won't let me play with his ball."

The better (and more dignified) stance would be telling Apple (or Mike for that matter), take the gadget (or the ball), and use it for a "thoroughly personal" function.

There are other gadgets (and balls) you know.

The government CAN interfere when you call "Anti-competition" laws into play...no company can completely lock itself out like this without governments and laws getting involved...its getting fucking stupid now, and I cannot wait to laugh in the faces of people with hardware that will no longer work, because its made by Apple who will get shut down very quickly.
2253
Living Room / Re: Apple Rejecting Apps That Use Dropbox
« Last post by KynloStephen66515 on May 02, 2012, 04:43 PM »
I hereby declare, the day Apple dies a HORRIBLE death (and that day IS going to come VERY SOON) is the day I get "HAHAHAHA FUCK YOU APPLE" tattooed on my forehead!
2254
When it comes to this, I am somewhat OK with it...anything that promotes it, can only be a good thing. - Again though, your not forced to do this, it just gives you the ABILITY to do so :)
2255
Just found this on Facebook, thought it worth the share...

When I was a puppy I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?" - but then you'd relent and roll me over for a belly rub.

 My house training took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed, listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs," you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

 Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love.

 She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" - still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love."

 As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them, especially their touch - because your touch was now so infrequent - and I would have defended them with my life if need be.

 I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams. Together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway. There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being your dog to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.

 Now you have a new career opportunity in another city and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family.

 I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog or cat, even one with "papers."

 You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a goodbye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too.

 After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?"

 They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you - that you had changed your mind - that this was all a bad dream...or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.

 I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table, rubbed my ears and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood.

 She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?"

 Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said "I'm so sorry." She hugged me and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself - a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. With my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not meant for her. It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of. I will think of you and wait for you


The moral of the story...

Love your pets like they love you, and never dismiss them as "Just an animal" ... They are part of our families and part of our lives...and if you have committed to getting a pet, you should treat them as good as you would a child.
2256
"All it takes" to avoid the "Cheap Chinese Crap" image is some smart advertising, maybe using words like "old time quality at old time prices", calling on the days when everything was made better or such.

Assembled with pride in the USA! ...Would definitely get my attention.
-Stoic Joker (May 01, 2012, 11:56 AM)

But but but, I don't wanna move to the USA :( lol  ;D
2257
When it comes to linux support, that is something I cannot do, due to my complete lack of understanding on how to do even the most basic task in any distro lol

Support in the store will come wish a 'If we can't fix it, we won't charge you a penny' type view, and if we can fix it, we will do, for the least amount of money possible, without bankrupting ourselves.

I am trying to stick away from 'Support' based business due to the sheer knowledge I would have to have.  We will be providing in-store support, and full returns/refunds policies (We aim to only sell NEW products, so will always have a manufacturer warranty to fall back on)

Our customers, first and foremost, will be the local community, who, currently pay, WAY more than they need to be doing, for the ability to be able to go in store and purchase (A lot of people in my area are still against online purchasing) - Through basic research (Past and recent needs to visit local computer stores) I know full well, I can sell products they sell, for a LOT less, and still turn a pretty decent profit. (The cheapest you can buy a stick of 2GB DDR3 RAM here in shops, is about £25...which...is ridiculous!)

On another note, when I say 'Low Budget' I do not want that to be mixed up with 'We supply crappy Chinese imports with odd brand names you will find no support for" - When we say 'Low Budget' we simply mean, if you want something good, but don't have a big budget (Who does these days?!) then we will be able to offer you KNOWN brands (nvidea, gigabyte, OCZ, Kingston etc...) for a fraction of what you are able to buy them elsewhere (OFFLINE - LOCALLY) - I have no intention, and no possible way to undercut online stores that buy all their stock in quantities of 1000+ per item (Which...I COULD do, but...really...where would I store it all...and it would also mean I have a HUGE amount of "Dead Stock" as offline selling will never reach the quantity of sales that an online distributor can handle)

We will also ALWAYS provide after-sales support either in the store, or over the phone (Obviously depending on what the question is...if somebody says something like "How do I connect to a porn website on this thing", then, I won't feel very inclined to help (Although, that will basically mean your guaranteed to have to clean that computer of who knows how many viruses, which, yeah, I could charge for) - Again though, if they called up asking things like "How do I get online" or something reasonable, then yeah, I would be more than happy to provide that information for nothing (At the end of the day, it doesn't cost me anything to answer a question if they called me).

Where we can reasonably NOT charge a customer, we will do exactly that.

I more than understand the implications and complications of doing everything I want to do with this business, but...why start with a "Charge stupid sums, just so I have to sell less to cover the most basic costs" - I would much rather people know I am low priced, reliable, and fair...because...at the end of the day...all that will get me good 'Word of Mouth' advertising, which, almost always leads to more customers.
2258
By build, I mean "Sell"
2259
Stephen, did you pick the "ad copy" for the perks, or is that standard from Indiegogo? "Free Gift", "Free gift of a higher value", and "Amazing gift"? What are those?

And what are the specs and prices of a "Low Budget PC"? See my adventures with Linux vs Drivers over on the other thread. Turns out, some of the specs of that box were on the casing doubling as sales copy.

Survey says:
AMD Sempron 3400+
NVidia GeForce 6150 LE
512 Megs Ram
120 GB HD
2007 price about $350 with sales floor discounts from Best Buy.

Business plan wise I'd love to know what you will be able to do that Best Buy/your big chain can't.


By Low Budget, I am trying to figure out how to let people know that this doesn't actually mean "We build low spec only" - We literally mean, we will build to the best spec we can, for as little money as possible (just enough profit to pay the bills)

For Example - We could build the following system, for around £300 GBP (Inc VAT) - No OS (Or a OS with no COA {30 Day Trial thing})

AM3 Soc Motherboard - mATX Form - 6 Channel Audio - VGA
AMD Athlon II X4 640 Socket AM3 3GHz 2MB L2 Cache
8GB 1333MHz DDR3 RAM  (2x 4GB)   
ATI Radeon HD3000 Graphics, On Board Graphic Max. Memory Share Up to 512 MB
450W PSU   
DVD R+RW     
500GB 3GB/s SATA HDD  (OR) OCZ 60GB SSD
Case Included

Obviously that is just an example (not something we actually stock, but could if requested)

Anybody think £300GBP is overpriced for that?
2260
One other thing that I thought of that you want to keep in mind- if the funding doesn't reach your goal in an open-ended funding drive, the assumption is that you have the funds to make it succeed- so you still have to fulfill the rewards for people that donated.  Something else to keep in mind.

Yes, this is one thing I considered, and is not a huge problem as finding the funding if this fails, shouldn't be too much hassle :) I figured it was worth experimenting with this, and if it works, all the better  :D
2261
hehe Thanks for all the well wishes and constructive criticism guys.

On the ideas given, I shall certainly try implement some of them as they are things I didn't really think about, so certainly some food for thought.

Somebody asked about perks, they are all what I wrote, nothing there is stock :)
2262
I have decided to get back into business, and I am hoping to do this via funding through my IndieGoGo project.  IndieGoGo is a great alternative to Kickstarter for people who do not live in the USA.  It also allows people to fund small business ideas.

About IndieGoGo
over the world are passionate about and how to get involved.
Who uses Indiegogo?

People all over the world are using Indiegogo—both to raise money and to contribute to other people’s passions. There is no limitation on who can use Indiegogo as long as you have a valid bank account.
Why do people contribute to campaigns?

People contribute to campaigns for many reasons, but usually it’s because they want to be involved in what the campaign is doing or because they want the perks that are part of the campaign.
How much does Indiegogo cost?

Indiegogo is free to join. There is a fee on any money that is raised, which is 4% of the money you raise if you meet your goal or 9% if you do not meet your goal. For more on fees, see our article: Pricing & Fees
Are contributions tax-deductible?

Most contributions are not tax-deductible. Campaigns may offer tax deductions on contributions only if they are set up as a 501©(3) non-profit and only receive funds into their non-profit PayPal account. For more information on how to set up your campaign to offer tax deductions, see our article: PayPal Set-Up for Nonprofits.
Who do I contact if I have a question about my contribution?

If you have a question about a perk, shipping address or need to provide additional information for your contribution, contact the campaign owner. For all other questions, refer to our Contributor Happiness page or email us.
How do I get featured on the homepage?

Indiegogo is a merit-based platform where the most active campaigns are featured based on a unique algorithm called the gogofactor. Click here to learn more about gogofactor.
Can I cancel my account?

You can cancel your account as long as you have not raised any money. Accounts that have raised money must remain active. Contact [email protected] to cancel your account or campaign.
Is anyone in the world able to create a campaign?

Indiegogo is an international platform, so anyone with a bank account can start a campaign. We do not, however, allow campaigns from countries on the U.S. OFAC sanctions list. For more information on which countries are included in this list, see our article on International Campaigns.
What if I don’t reach my funding goal?

If your campaign is set up as Flexible Funding, you will be able to keep the funds you raise, even if you don’t meet your goal. If your campaign is set up as Fixed Funding, all contributions will be returned to your funders if you do not meet your goal. Flexible Funding campaigns that meet their goal are only charged 4% as our platform fee, whereas campaigns that do not meet their goal are charged 9%.
How do I create a campaign?

It’s easy and free to create a campaign. We don’t have an application process, so you can get started right now. Click here to create your campaign.
What do I need to do to have a successful campaign?

There are many factors that contribute to a successful campaign. Learn more about how to create a campaign here.
Can I raise money or contribute in my currency?

At this time, Indiegogo only accepts and disburses funds in U.S. Dollars.


Short Summary

In this economy, we understand that upgrading your computer is difficult, as finding the funds to pay retail prices, is close to impossible for most people.  We understand this, and are able to setup a Discount Computer Store, allowing people in our area (And online once we open)
What We Need & What You Get

We need to raise $5000 in order to buy our stock and pay for the lease on a retail outlet. Those who contribute will get a discount via our online store (For Life!) and anybody who lives close enough can pop in, and receive the same benefits!

What Else?

 Well...We understand that sometimes, people simply cannot afford to own a PC, or getting a basic repair done...This is why we are going to be running a "No Fix, No Fee" service, so if we cannot fix your machine, we won't charge you for the time it took us to find out.

We also want to help our local community, so when we get hardware we don't need, or could be useful to somebody, we will provide them to local organizations that help people who have nothing!

We Love Our Community!

We love our local community, which is why, every few months, we will be GIVING AWAY FREE STUFF to people who truly deserve it! 

If we reach enough funding (Enough for the property we know has enough room), we will also be providing on-site computer training with free introductory courses and programming lessons!

Free Wi-Fi will be also available during our opening hours!
Help us fulfill our dream by contributing today!

I have plenty of perks available for people to claim! :D

http://www.indiegogo.com/lbpcs

Any comments or contributions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
2263
Living Room / Do we have any Musicians on DonationCoder?
« Last post by KynloStephen66515 on April 29, 2012, 03:23 AM »
Just curious if anybody on here is musical.

I am bored of listening to 'Radio Music' so would love to hear what any DC members have made! :D
2264
General Software Discussion / Re: free antivirus
« Last post by KynloStephen66515 on April 29, 2012, 01:43 AM »
Have you never opened the AVG window? Usually adverts there.

I also hate AVGs regular scans that seem to grind your system to a complete standstill.
-Carol Haynes (April 28, 2012, 11:45 AM)

No ads in the main window, and all my scans are set to "User Aware" which means it only uses minimal resources so I've never noticed lag
-Stephen66515 (April 28, 2012, 11:55 AM)

Strange every version of AVG Free I have seen has had ads in it, and popups at the most annoying moments. Are you running some sort of OS level ad blocker (like AdMuncher) ?
-Carol Haynes (April 28, 2012, 02:49 PM)

Nope, none at all
2265
General Software Discussion / Re: free antivirus
« Last post by KynloStephen66515 on April 28, 2012, 11:55 AM »
Have you never opened the AVG window? Usually adverts there.

I also hate AVGs regular scans that seem to grind your system to a complete standstill.
-Carol Haynes (April 28, 2012, 11:45 AM)

No ads in the main window, and all my scans are set to "User Aware" which means it only uses minimal resources so I've never noticed lag
2266
Sorry!      :(
Link now fixed.      :)

 :D
2267
General Software Discussion / Re: free antivirus
« Last post by KynloStephen66515 on April 28, 2012, 11:09 AM »
Unfortunately AVG and Avira advertise heavily in their free offerings, Avast used to be better but that has started advertising too now, though I don't think it is as in your face as AVG and Avira.

Avast does require annual registration for the free version.
-Carol Haynes (April 28, 2012, 09:14 AM)

I have AVG free, and I don't see a single ad o_0
2268
So, today I followed the link in sciencetext and took a look at the Wuala site: [/b]l/KKB5A56HF4F7CMCJ7F4G]Wuala - FREE 6Gb offer.

 :huh:

Broken?
2269
General Software Discussion / Re: free antivirus
« Last post by KynloStephen66515 on April 28, 2012, 08:46 AM »
AVG?
2270
Living Room / Re: Selling Domain Names...Is it worth bothering?
« Last post by KynloStephen66515 on April 28, 2012, 07:36 AM »
It can be rewarding if you know what you're doing.  :Thmbsup:


I won't bother then :P
2271
Living Room / Selling Domain Names...Is it worth bothering?
« Last post by KynloStephen66515 on April 28, 2012, 04:32 AM »
Just curious...Is it worth the effort it takes to sell a domain name?  I have never really looked much into it, so I would like to know if anybody has done it...

Seems to be the reward is not worth the effort  :huh:
2272
Living Room / Re: Windows 8 reportedly set for October debut
« Last post by KynloStephen66515 on April 27, 2012, 05:25 PM »


HA
2273
You’ve always wanted a bit more privacy with your monitor (porn jokes notwithstanding) and if you’re willing to tear apart a spare LCD monitor and a pair of 3D theater glasses (thanks, Dreamworks and Pixar!), you’ll get it. In lieu of a thicker tinfoil hat, Instructables‘ dimovi suggests removing the LCD’s frame, cutting out its polarized film with a utility knife before removing the screen’s film adhesive with a combination of cleaner and paint thinner and reassembling the monitor. Once complete, grab the glasses, cut out the lenses and combine them with the plastic film removed from the monitor before inserting them back into their frames. The result is an LCD monitor that displays a white screen to anyone not wearing the customized glasses, your actions being confidential, no matter what they might happen to be. Check the how-to video embedded after the break, or hit the source link for full instructions

http://megadgets.inf...for-instant-privacy/




Hmm...Might try this xD
2274
Living Room / Play and Experiment with Code
« Last post by KynloStephen66515 on April 26, 2012, 05:01 AM »
Codecademy Labs is a place for you to program in Ruby, Python, and JavaScript online without downloading a code editor or IDE. Share your programs with friends and use your knowledge from Codecademy lessons

http://labs.codecademy.com/#
2275
Announce Your Software/Service/Product / Re: FastUnzip Snack
« Last post by KynloStephen66515 on April 25, 2012, 03:53 PM »
Just a quick note, it's   "attachthumb' not 'Attachthumb' (Case Sensitive)

Back on topic...Great Job!
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