Things that really wind you up?

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hunnymonster said:
But it's not closed really - it accepts many formats natively - it just so happens that one of them is proprietary (AZW) but based on an open standard (Mobipocket).... no different to the DRM-encumbered ePubs. Rather than being a closed system it's limited (in that it can't read some formats - but they can be converted...) no different to most ePub readers that can't natively read mobipocket files. Again conversion is trivial.
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Whispernet is the closed-network part, not the .azw file format. Whispernet is their own private "Internet" that no one else has access to. Anyone who is remotely interested in keeping the Internet open and accessible to everyone is opposed to Whispernet. Thankfully, with the new Fire tablet, it looks like Amazon is taking its first steps away from Whispernet. With any luck, it will become just a legacy for older devices to utilize until they phase it out completely.

The whole DRM and file-format issues came up because someone mentioned converting files. I think most countries have laws against DRM removal, not just the US (I believe Switzerland in an exception.) Without illegally removing DRM, you can't convert to other formats--well-documented on the Internet or not. Also, try buying a .azw book from Amazon and reading it using one of the multitude of apps out there (no illegal DRM removals allowed). Amazon just won't let the app developers build that into their apps. They're keeping that for their devices and their app only. I think other stores are allowing it, at least the ones using EPUB and Adobe's DRM. It's still not an ideal setup, but heaps better than Amazon's proprietary and heavily-controlled ecosystem.

Oh, you're right. Large companies everywhere engage in unethical practices or practices that are not good for society as a whole. There are many in the tech industry as well. It's just that Apple and Amazon are the worst offenders among tech companies--and not just by a little.
 
People who get so drunk they don't know what their doing and then post about it on Facebook.

I don't really like Facebook but one of my wife's contacts put on their about getting drunk, and falling asleep after climbing on the kitchen table. The thing is she just lives with her 10 year old son and went on to explain how he found her and put a pillow under her head.

Now that can't be a first I would guess, as we know she likes a drink, but we wouldn't say she is an alcoholic. I am not denying her a good time but you have certain responsibilities. SO VERY WRONG !!!!
 
hunnymonster said:
Accessibility regulations gone mad. The fire station in town has a disabled parking space ffs.
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A civilian (i.e. non-firefighting) employee, perhaps might have a disability? Actually, hm, your post is a perfect example of my moan about the able-bodied begrudging those of us with disabilities getting a bit of help here and there. How much skin is it off your nose that the parking space exists? If you're complaining abut the cost to the taxpayer, I can assure you that repainting a few lines and adding a disabled symbol doesn't cost much.

Anyway, if you exempt fire stations from the Disability Discrimination Act, what else? Police stations? After all, coppers don't use wheelchairs. Hang on though, what about civilian employees? I can assure you the Police would be in deep s**t if it was found that they refused to employ a disabled civilian worker because they were exempt from the requirement to make a reasonable attempt t provide access (which is all the law requires; hence why my nearest branch of HSBC is inaccessible to me, being in a Georgian building in a nearby market town with a huge step and no ramp).

OK, I got a bit het-up, which is hypocritical as I recently posted my disappointment at another thread getting heated. No beef against you at all, just pointing-out a few facts and expressing my disappointment that people (not hm, but in general) still seem to think that those of us with disabilities should shut up and not make a nuisance of ourselves.
 
chrisbell said:
hunnymonster said:
Accessibility regulations gone mad. The fire station in town has a disabled parking space ffs.
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A civilian (i.e. non-firefighting) employee, perhaps might have a disability? Actually, hm, your post is a perfect example of my moan about the able-bodied begrudging those of us with disabilities getting a bit of help here and there. How much skin is it off your nose that the parking space exists? If you're complaining abut the cost to the taxpayer, I can assure you that repainting a few lines and adding a disabled symbol doesn't cost much.
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Nope - it's a 1 appliance "retained" (ie. unstaffed apart from the time they're training and/or the 30 seconds they're there on a shout) rural station. What's most amusing about it is that the only entrance (other than the front door where the appliance comes out - typically at high speed so you'd be unwise to be entering through that one, disabled or not) has steps... that's the one (with steps) labelled as the disabled entrance by the way.

As for begrudging - no I don't, in this case it's just crazy - there is precisely one marked parking space in total and no disabled staff so why on earth is it required?
 
hunnymonster said:
chrisbell said:
hunnymonster said:
Accessibility regulations gone mad. The fire station in town has a disabled parking space ffs.
Click to expand...

A civilian (i.e. non-firefighting) employee, perhaps might have a disability? Actually, hm, your post is a perfect example of my moan about the able-bodied begrudging those of us with disabilities getting a bit of help here and there. How much skin is it off your nose that the parking space exists? If you're complaining abut the cost to the taxpayer, I can assure you that repainting a few lines and adding a disabled symbol doesn't cost much.
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Nope - it's a 1 appliance "retained" (ie. unstaffed apart from the time they're training and/or the 30 seconds they're there on a shout) rural station. What's most amusing about it is that the only entrance (other than the front door where the appliance comes out - typically at high speed so you'd be unwise to be entering through that one, disabled or not) has steps... that's the one (with steps) labelled as the disabled entrance by the way.

As for begrudging - no I don't, in this case it's just crazy - there is precisely one marked parking space in total and no disabled staff so why on earth is it required?
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Good point, I retract my criticism and apologise.:blush: Does seem mad.:huh: I still maintain that there are some who begrudge things, though.
 
SlowRain said:
Their closed network (Whispernet), mainly. Their locked down file system and their reluctance to share, secondly. Thirdly, their heavy-handed business practices.
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Still none the wiser to what you are actually annoyed about the closed network and what you want them to do to enable you to use it (or what you want to use it for). Don't worry about an explanation. Im losing the will to carry on reading.
 
No - that's the source code for the Kindle itself... which has been used amongst other things to bring later versions of the firmware to devices that Amazon have abandoned updates for... it's also been combed through to be able to add in the screensaver modifications and other modifications.

Since the Kindle is a straightforward Linux device, you simply need to be able to cross-compile from your desktop to the correct architecture for the Kindle.
 
Simply put, closed networks are bad for everyone in society except for the ones who control it. They allow the one who controls it a heavy hand regarding regulation. If Amazon's Whispernet would have taken off and lasted longer*, they could have regulated content as to what websites their customers were allowed to view, potentially weeding out anything negative about Amazon (think The Great Firewall of China), or they could have charged websites a fee for being allowed through. They could have regulated political commentary so that only content from Jeff Bezos's preferred candidate(s) got through, or at least done something to tilt the odds in their favor. All the brouhaha surrounding Google's ranking their own services above competitors' could have been equally true for Whispernet.

An additional problem would be fragmentation of the Internet. No longer would it have been the World Wide Web, it would have been 3, 5, 10 World Wide Webs, because you can bet Facebook won't sit still if Apple and Amazon can do it. Nor China. And not everyone would have access to all of them. There's enough problems regulating one web, multiple webs would be a nightmare. It would run counter to keeping the Internet open and freely accessible for everyone like it is now. (And openness and freedom are things I value highly.)

Basically, what these companies are counting on is apathy and ignorance (China doesn't need either, they have an army). They hope that either through convenience or image, or both, they can get people to buy into a small fragmentation at first. They downplay the closed-network aspect and play up the perceived benefits. People either don't care or don't realize what's going on. Then they grow their number of users. Both Apple and Amazon had been very successful at this. Google's Android seems poised to keep Apple in check, and Amazon may be giving up on Whispernet (see below).


* I'm going on the assumption that, with the introduction of the Fire tablet, they'll use the real Internet as their primary portal and use Whispernet mainly for people in rural areas who don't have access to decent Internet service. I'm okay with this scenario.
 
You know that WhisperNet is simply the name they give to the service used to deliver content (primarily to make it sound cool and make marketing people wet their pants) and it requires the internet to be able to run right? Amazon have not built a parallel internet for it. The 3G connectivity is simply internet via the mobile phone network... yes Amazon have restricted the sites accessible via 3G (because the carriers would otherwise cane Amazon for the data usage) - a commercial decision based on the greed of every mobile data network in the world. WhisperNet over 3G is no different to any other MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator - like Virgin Mobile) who doesn't have his own physical network - but leases capacity on one on commercial terms.

In the case of the 3G Kindle you make the choice to buy the 3G Kindle and have outsourced the decision on which network will be used to deliver your books to Amazon when you are not wifi connected (a 3G device will still use wifi by preference if you're connected to both). If you have a wifi Kindle then you have the choice (to use your home wifi, a wifi hotspot in a cafe, the wifi hotspot application on your phone...)
 
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