Tuesday, May 31, 2011

poems for friends

poems for friends. poems for best friends
  • poems for best friends



  • AhmedFaisal
    Mar 4, 10:12 PM
    Ironic that a western country with one of the highest levels of unionization, including public sector unions, and all the evil evil socialized stuff such as pensions, healthcare etc. has the highest growth rate, best unemployment rate and most balanced budget. Germany.
    Kinda defeats your argument, fivepoint. Also, considering the level of unionization, Germany has in percentage points double the industrial production jobs that the US does. And all these companies are world leaders in their segments.
    Americans are diluded if they think ultracon vulture capitalism will save them, it is exactly what got them into this mess to begin with.
    Cheers,

    Ahmed





    poems for friends. friends/poemsest-
  • friends/poemsest-



  • MorphingDragon
    Apr 30, 07:22 AM
    Image (http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/4656/alarma.png)


    The Graphics design artist in me just had an aneurysm.





    poems for friends. poems for friends. poems for
  • poems for friends. poems for



  • BBEmployee
    Apr 8, 02:42 PM
    I'm a current employee at Best Buy and thought I'd offer my two cents on a few issues.

    First, I don't really like Best Buy. I got a job there to work for around 4 hours a week to get the generous discount. It's particularly generous when dealing with open-box items. Even so, I am miserable leading up to heading in and I do not enjoy the time that I spend there. Thankfully, I have a good full-time job plus a lot of side work and I'm planning on quitting in the next month or so as the thrill of the discount has long worn off.

    That said, I have no problem being very open and honest about Best Buy and my experiences there.

    In regards to the iPad situation, I haven't been in since this issue came up and won't be in for awhile, so I don't really know what the buzz is on this matter exactly. I do know that they wouldn't put a freeze on selling new iPad 2 stock if they regularly had it for a random promotion, if only for the very reason that many think caused the initial problem: quota.

    I'm betting 1 of 2 things happened:

    1) They did indeed get in trouble with Apple for something. Sure, it's possible, and it's the easiest reasonable conclusion. I don't know why this would be though, and I'm skeptical about the whole hording thing. And again, this is coming from someone who has access to the inventory systems and all the places that would hide "horded" iPads. Plus, I have a good enough relationship with multiple managers (ones who know the score about Best Buy in an objective world...) who would be honest about this with me.

    Generally speaking, when they say there are no iPads for sale, there are no iPads for sale. It's really that simple. Demand is real, and supply is lacking. When we have them for sale, they're in the cages, and this would occur after passing through the pre-order system. White Verizon iPads tend to be the ones most often available, usually just a couple, and they're gone almost immediately all the same.

    Another factor in the equation though is processing shipments. I saw someone noted that after an open-box controversy between two customers, the manager was able to procure a new iPad 2 for a disappointed customer when apparently there were none for sale. Well, there probably weren't. He either bumped someone back on the pre-order list to be nice to the pissed off customer in the store or perhaps a shipment came in on the truck that had yet to be processed and he worked it out with the ops team to get them to process one so he could get it out. Oftentimes the managers do actually try to make the customer happy, even if it's somewhat unreasonable. The ops guys have their procedures, and it's rarely slimy in intent so much as rooted in overall efficiency, so sometimes a shipment won't go to the floor for sales until the next day because the processing takes time. If the manager pushes to work something out in that situation, the manager is doing you a favor and pissing off some ops guys to do so.

    Anyways, on to the 2nd scenario...

    2) This is what I'd really venture to bet is the problem: the pre-order system is a huge mess. It was a rush job authorized by corporate at the last minute and handled by less-than-informed employees who were also in a rush. From day 1 it was clear that problems were going to creep up, and they absolutely have. Nobody in store is happy about it. The employees don't like telling customers that they have to wait on a pre-order list, they don't like the 48 hour pickup window, they don't like having to deal with customers pissing and moaning and crying about conspiracy theories when only a 64 GB white Verizon iPad 2 is available once in a blue moon when a pre-order turns it down. It's not fun, for anyone, and unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it.

    So what I'm guessing is really happening is that Best Buy is just digging out of this pre-order mess as fast as possible and skipping anything else until they get past the ramifications of a stupid decision. Considering there's little to skip seeing as supply is so low and we rarely have the most in-demand models available anyways, it's easier for them to just bow out of this for a couple of weeks and in a sense re-launch the normal sales when supplies are less constrained and they don't have a stupid pre-order process hanging over their heads. It's a cut and dry move that will allow them to gear up again in a more normal, focused way. Considering how things have gone there in the last month in dealing with anything iPad related, this might be the best decision for them.

    All in all, Best Buy is Best Buy: a brick and mortar retailer lost in an internet-connected world. Best Buy isn't nearly as evil as they are lost and longing for the 20th century. Sure, there's a lot of margin on accessories, but it's because there's more often than not no margin on anything else. They don't make much money at all on TV's and Computers anymore. If they're on sale, and at Best Buy, almost everything is always "On Sale," it's likely at cost or within a few dollars of cost. There's little margin in the shrinking physical media world either. The only departments with major products that have margin still are appliances and for certain stores, musical instruments. This is why Best Buy will likely be dead in 5 years if they don't drastically change their business model. They did a better job at adapting to the new world than other electronics chains, but they haven't done nearly enough. It's not an easy business at this point though as it has as much to do with dealing with suppliers suffering the same pinch and customers who want to have it all but don't want to pay for it.

    Also, in regards to stupid employees and sleazy mangers, yeah, they do exist. But more employees know their stuff than you might think. And there are quite a few managers who actually do care about trying to do a good job and help the customer.

    As far as the employees, the biggest shock to me after working at Best Buy was realizing that so much of the supposed employee ignorance has more to do with incessantly having to dumb things down to the most absurd of levels with customers. 90% of the people who come in are nice people who just don't know much of anything about what they're buying. You have to learn to communicate on their level and not over-complicate things for them. It's easy to get stuck in that default mode and you have to actively snap yourself out of it on the rare occasion when you get customers who can actually hold their own in a conversation about the technology. And make no mistake, it's a huge relief for most of us when that happens because most of us that work there actually are pretty excited about the technology.

    Now on the other hand, sleazy managers and supervisors can screw so much of this up. While most of the employees aren't making a career out of working at Best Buy, the sups and managers typically are on some level at least, and it takes a certain, umm, level of person to get, err, stuck, yes, at that level if you know what I mean. There's a lot of inconsistency in these types of people. If you get good ones though, they tend to hire good employees and foster a good environment for customers. My store has good management. It's the only thing that makes it remotely tolerable to me. The employees actually know their stuff and are honest with the customers. They also work as a team because the management pushes it and thankfully we don't have commission to muck things up. And customers do love us for it. You'd be shocked by how often a selling relationship turns into a friendship practically at our particular store. We get invited out after work all the time. Honesty goes a long ways, and when you're helping people save money by making sure they make a smart decision for their needs, it goes a long ways. And our managers are objective enough (and not locked into Best Buy corporate brainwash mode) to know that the only thing Best Buy has to offer over Amazon is the possibility of a good customer service experience. They do all they reasonably can to ensure that it happens.

    But again, this simply isn't the case everywhere at all, and it so often boils down to the luck of the draw on management. Good managers hire good people leading to good teams leading to generally happy customers and good sales. Bad managers hire their dumb friends, play games with customers, lie, cheat, and usually they don't put up good numbers.

    At the end of the day though, the good stores and the bad stores are equally screwed because the industry is a mess, the world is changing, and Best Buy corporate utterly and completely lacks the talent and leadership to be innovative in the 21st century. They refuse to reasonably acknowledge change, they're too scared to piss off manufacturers who have lines all across the store that vary dramatically when it comes to success and quality, and they're wildly inconsistent and disorganized with their processes and as they put it, "solutions." As said, if things don't drastically change, and I don't believe they will without a major shift in leadership, they'll be dead in 5 years. It's a sinking ship. I'll be happy to be out of there.

    Again, I don't think they're near as evil and corrupt as they are just lost. When you're lost, things can get confusing real fast. Bear in mind that oftentimes when employees appear aloof, they're probably confused because corporate changes things all the time and does little to help keep us informed of these changes. Also, don't mistake conspiracy theories for sheer stupidity. Like we saw in this whole conversation, people will say some wild things. It's easy to think it from the outside. I can assure you from the inside, that oftentimes what looks like scheming and maneuvering is really just disorganization, stupidity and/or confusion due to the muddled processes and the ever-foggy way in which corporate outlines these processes.

    I don't blame people for not liking Best Buy. I don't like them either. Just go easy on the guys on the floor and in the back. Unless they're the total goof-off employees which do exist, what you're pissed about is probably not their fault at all.





    poems for friends. poems for friends forever.
  • poems for friends forever.



  • Defender2010
    May 4, 03:10 AM
    Good ad , but if only FaceTime looked as clear and well defined in real usage as it does in the ad.....what a shame!



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    poems for friends. Here#39;s another poem by Adad:
  • Here#39;s another poem by Adad:



  • Aperture
    Jan 15, 10:06 PM
    My Thoughts:

    A nice iPhone update, I wasn't expecting a new iPhone.. yet I wasn't surprised considering the entire firmware was leaked

    The $20 on the Touch doesn't really matter to me because it seems like you are getting quite a bit of functionality out of it. Apple did a similar thing with the upgrade to wireless N on some notebooks, right?

    iTunes movie rentals, Apple TV, & Time Capsule sound like a good idea but none of them truly appeal to me

    Macbook Air: I'm really not sure I'd ever recommend this.. I know I am not the targeted audience but I'd much rather go for a MB and save a bunch of money or spend a few more hundred and get a MBP. I know it is an ultra portable and it therefore has limited ports, but they are just too limited for me. I don't think I could justify spending that much for so little. Edit: I've thought about it and I understand this is a niche market, it is meant to compete against the comparable IBM & Sony. In that regard, it is quite good.

    I'm also not a fan of the black keyboard, it doesn't look right to me. The curvature of the design is excellent, though.

    Either way, Macworld 08 was alright.. a little underwhelming compared to last year but I wasn't expecting anything groundbreaking. One thing that did annoy me is that the entire keynote was almost laid out for us prior to Steve Jobs taking the stage.. No surprises. Apple needs to do a better job keeping rumors low and leaks to a minimum.





    poems for friends. best friends forever poems
  • best friends forever poems



  • ezekielrage_99
    Jan 10, 06:30 PM
    I live in Australia and am on the Next G network and, to be honest, it's very disappointing. Coverage drops in and out even in very built up areas. I can't comment very much about the internet because I try to avoid using it as much as I can due to the insane amount of money Telstra charges.

    Hopefully Telstra introduce this at a reasonable price. But, I wouldn't be surprised if it was between $600 - $700.

    It's Telstra they wont place a reasonable pricing structure, plus their NextG network sucks. As I said before I want an iPhone but I wont buy if it's with Telstra.



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    poems for friends. Love Poem for Friends.
  • Love Poem for Friends.



  • twoodcc
    Apr 11, 03:26 PM
    well i'm about to leave my apartment tonight again for the next 2 months. this time i'll only be 2 hours away, so i can come back on the weekends if something messes up again. we'll see.

    oh, and i had to restart my VM before i left to take out the -oneunit flag, and guess what, i lost that unit! it was 96% complete!

    i'm so mad right now :mad:





    poems for friends. friends/poems/
  • friends/poems/



  • LarryC
    Mar 25, 12:11 AM
    I'm still waiting for Apple to realize what a horrible mistake they made and give us OS 9.3 :D Yeah baby, 9.3 that's what we really need!

    I wonder how many versions of OS X there will be? And when we will get to OS XI?



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    poems for friends. poems for best friends.
  • poems for best friends.



  • The Scotsman
    Jan 12, 06:36 PM
    Look, people--

    There is nothing amazingly new or innovative technology-wise in the iPhone. Everything in it has been done before, and it does not even employ some of the latest (3G) features that its competition does.

    Niether did the original iPod. Grasshopper, go and learn from Thread #500. People thought that product was "crippled" by high price and no new technology ("An overpriced HDD-based mp3 player with a B&W LCD display? Who cares?").

    I predict that Apple will have 20% of the entire cell phone market and 50+% of the high-end communication device within three years of its June release. That will mean 150-200 million units.

    In the intervening six months before formal release, or shortly thereafter, some of the smaller issues will be attended to (like the ability to at least open and review MS files, sync'ing issues, interfacing w/iTunes Store, what have you). The rest won't matter.

    Apple does not sell products, people. They sell personal productivity, great user experiences, wow and chic. This phone phone meets all of those criteria. For consumer devices like these, a streamlined and intuitive user experience is like money in the bank. The only thing innovative about the iPod is the stupid click-wheel, and yet 75% of the ENTIRE aac/mp3 player market is controlled by ONE COMPANY. The one with the click-wheel.

    So it is with this product. If the final build quality of the unit proves durable, reliable, and cosmetically superior, and the unit functions as billed, it will not only make a huge forray into that giant market, but essentially create a new one.

    Right now, the "smartphone" is really a piece of business equipment. Apple just invented the quintessential "consumer" version of the same product. It doesn't matter that it is expensive or lacks some high-end features. If is actually works as effortlessly and seamlessly as billed, it will become another cultural icon. Apple marketing will see to it that everyone on the planet is aware of how "cool" this device is.

    I'm glad to be on record here. I hope that when this thread is reviewed three years from now, everyone is talking about the foolish naysayers of Thread #3245138 (or whatever this one is).

    I agree with your predictions but I do not think it will be got with the 1st gen iPhone. iPod was not good until a range started and I think the phone will be the same.





    poems for friends. poems about friendship.
  • poems about friendship.



  • xappeal
    Sep 12, 06:24 AM
    Plus quicktime already has online features....



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  • cayley
    Apr 4, 06:54 PM
    but B&E is B&E no matter how you look at it and is illegal.



    Yea... but with all that dog **** everywhere, I bet the cops won't want to stay very long gathering evidence :)





    poems for friends. Friends#39; Poems.
  • Friends#39; Poems.



  • Aniej
    Jan 5, 04:11 PM
    I didn't see any replies to my idea about posting a counter to tick of the DD:HH:MM:SS until climax, I mean Keynote.;) Usually I take that as a bad sign, but you know how you all get when you have blue b..., you can't think straight. So is this idea worth pursuing, kinda like the widgets available, but might be nice to have directly tied to the link with no spoilers.



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    poems for friends. friends forever poems. friends
  • friends forever poems. friends



  • Warbrain
    Nov 16, 12:48 PM
    Do they have to remake a new "Universal Binary?" Because aren't the current UB's for Intel and PPC? Please tell me they wont. I don't wnat to have to wait again for new UB's

    I think it would just be an additional code in the x86 part of the UB. Correct me if I'm wrong...





    poems for friends. bloggerest-friends/poems
  • bloggerest-friends/poems



  • Muscleflex
    Apr 7, 03:07 AM
    The McRib is BACK!!!!!!!!! YUM YUM!!!



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    poems for friends. to thank her friends.
  • to thank her friends.



  • Chris204
    Jan 10, 03:38 PM
    I bet they won't be getting press passes again next year to CES.





    poems for friends. cute poems for friends
  • cute poems for friends



  • Proud Liberal
    Sep 12, 10:33 AM
    ...I know the media invite says "It's Showtime" and we know what the connotation is for that. But I find it interesting that the theater where the event is being held is done up with huge silhouette iPod ads, which doesn't really fit the "It's Showtime" theme, unless the new true video iPod is also going to be announced in conjunction with the movie download service. :confused: :confused: :confused:



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    poems for friends. special friends cat or dog
  • special friends cat or dog



  • azentropy
    Mar 28, 04:13 PM
    http://scoopertino.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/kool-aid_lime.jpg

    Ooh the arguments are getting heated up in this thread :D

    Thought I'd offer a light refreshment.

    What no orange or cherry?

    Sure Apple can offer 7 different iPod Nano colors but they can't offer more than 2 different Apple Kool Aid flavors?!?!?





    poems for friends. best friends poems^quotes 6859
  • best friends poems^quotes 6859



  • Philberttheduck
    Oct 3, 06:19 PM
    I expect the iPhone and Full screen iPod before Christmas.





    poems for friends. Poems (Hits: 0)
  • Poems (Hits: 0)



  • Mattie Num Nums
    Apr 8, 12:58 PM
    I wonder what the special promotion is.

    Perhaps! New Hardware is coming out (iMacs???) and the promo will be a buy a Mac get an iPad for $X.





    baryon
    Apr 7, 09:08 AM
    If Windows 8 doesn't have something as simple as Spaces or multiple desktops, then it's an inferior OS.





    wordoflife
    Mar 17, 05:54 PM
    It's probably the lines fed to them by retail employees at point of purchase. This is actually cheaper yet better than the iPhone because *insert random pro here*

    It has a kickstand lol





    aliensporebomb
    Apr 25, 11:50 AM
    Curiouser and curiouser.

    If it's a fake, whoever did it did a pretty interesting job on it.

    It looks plausible.

    I mean we had:

    iphone 3g
    iphone 3gs

    why not
    iphone 4
    iphone 4gs

    Which would give incentive for people to go for the white one I guess.

    then the 5 comes out later?





    transcend
    Sep 26, 11:42 AM
    What's hilarious is that you guys are arguing about beta software and a product that, up until this point, has been a huge disaster. Asking someone to rotate a raw image 180 degrees with a straightening tool is absurd. It isn't meant to do that. End of story.

    I am not sure how many of you are professional photographers, but I can tell you that most of us have tried both products and are still using what works best: Iview media pro and C1 Pro (as well as photo mechanic for iptc info in batches). All 3 products have been around forever, and work flawlessly. What's comical, is that running all 3 of those apps concurently, is faster than running only aperture on my powerbook G4, as well as on my Mac Pro.

    Aperture is a pig even on a shiny new mac pro compared to C1 and Iview. Lightroom just doesn't feel complete, and to be frank, the way the program is laid out is annoying as hell when you need to get things done quickly (like when filing from a football game, on deadline while sorting through 1000+ shots). It takes all day just to even get them imported into aperture, while I view does it in about 2 minutes. In 2 minutes, I can be choosing selects and sepertating the wheat from the chaff. This is not the case with either aperture or lightroom.





    SthrnCmfrtr
    Jan 9, 12:03 PM
    really? do you have one or is this from a distance opinion? Asking, because I am on the verge...

    I wouldn't put much faith in the opinions of a person demonstrably unable to coherently express himself.



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