Archives for November 2014
добавим снобизма
7 November 2014 | Watches | No Comments
вот, кстати, то, что называется часами. а не всякое там говно с калькулятором.
the winter is coming
7 November 2014 | Politics, Technology | No Comments
о настроениях:
I live in a big city in central Europe. As most of you know from recent news, most of Europe’s (and quite a bit of China’s) gas supply comes from Russia and is very likely to be cut off several times during the next few winters (China’s time will come in later years). What many might not know is that not just our natural gas supply, but also our petrol (‘gas’ for the Americans in the audience) often comes partly from Russia and some of our electricity comes from gas powered stations. Most of our leaders, at least in Germany and Hungary, are in bed with the Russians and likely won’t do anything about fuel security. I live in an building with a south-facing roof and I own the roof space but I don’t have enough land here to put a wind turbine or something similar on. Can anyone make good suggestions for ways to cut down my dependence on unreliable power supplies? Extra points for environmentalism, but I am even willing to pay more to be sure the heating is there in winter and my server keeps running.
to give some perspective, this is a Slashdot discussion.
sweetheart deals
7 November 2014 | Economics, Politics | No Comments
More than 300 companies, including PepsiCo Inc (PEP.N), AIG Inc (AIG.N) and Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE), secured secret deals from Luxembourg to slash their tax bills, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reported, quoting leaked documents.
иными словами, платить за все будет обычный средний класс. как и всегда.
скопом
6 November 2014 | Apple, Microsoft, Technology | No Comments
несколько заголовков:
- Lenovo тоже копируют iPhone. говорит ли это, что они не в состоянии спроектировать аппарат сами? кто знает (в конце концов, Lenovo не Xiaomi — или уже да?). но вообще, если задуматься на минутку, то я бы не стал доверять компании, что продает ворованные идеи под собственной маркой. есть у них свои разработчики, или нет… это уже не столь важно — раз чужим представлениям там доверяют больше.
- Microsoft сделали мобильный Office бесплатным для iOS устройств, подписка больше не нужна. полагаю, вопрос уже не только в конкуренции, но еще и в самом подходе, а необходимы ли офисные продукты вообще[1]? видимо, они понимают что бороться им не только с Google, но и с нашим изменившимся образом действий — т.е., заново набирают пользовательскую базу.
- Кой Вин рассуждает о том, понимают ли сами Apple, что такое iPad? и если да, то почему мы не видим действтельно революционного программного обеспечения, что в принципе изменило наш подход к компьютерам? в чем-то он прав, да (и цифры не врут). но говорить, что “in many ways, the iPad has become exactly what many of its critics said it was in the beginning: just a big iPhone without its own phone number”? даже не смешно[2].
the ministry of love
5 November 2014 | Copyright, Jurisprudence, Politics, Privacy | 1 Comment
ну, еще немного про Австралию, там все чудеснее с каждым днем и веселее:
A series of slips by the nation’s top cop followed by communications minister Malcolm Turnbull has made Australia’s data retention bill even more of a potential horror than it seemed when it was introduced last week.
It started with the Australian Federal Police commissioner Andrew Colvin saying that stored telecommunications metadata could be used to go after people who infringe copyright online. That statement, made on October 30, was unequivocal – he used the word “absolutely”.
интересно будет посмотреть, как сможет обычный гражданин тягаться с корпорациями, что станут бомбардировать суды одна за другой с требованиями о доступе к истории ваших интернет-посещений.
бороться, протестовать, вы скажете? да ладно, это же Австралия!
[Т]he Australian state of Victoria passed a controversial law giving police wide-reaching powers over protesters.
Police can now move on, fine or arrest people they believe are ‘causing or likely to cause’ obstructed access to buildings or impeding the movement of people or traffic, or people they anticipate may become violent. Additionally, courts can issue exclusion orders (bans on being in a designated public space for up to 12 months). Breaching a penalty order can result in two years’ imprisonment.
вот уж, право, годы крепостного каторжного права не уходят бесследно.
под микроскопом
4 November 2014 | Art | 5 Comments
кстати, Яцик Йерка, чудеснейший, завитками жизни.
чудеса изворотливости
3 November 2014 | Economics, Politics | No Comments
гоосударствм, однако, в их тайных дискуссиях никто и никогда не указка:
Hon PHIL GOFF: When the Minister has the right under Trans-Pacific Partnership rules to provide negotiating texts in confidence to relevant groups outside the Government, why has he not taken advantage of that right to ensure that core groups like medical professionals are properly informed about the issues under negotiation?
Hon TIM GROSER: We are trying to make this negotiation a success, and the member is well aware that there is some quite heavy politics here and that full disclosure to certain parties is likely to lead this to go immediately into the public debate on an ill-informed basis.
ну, как говорится, охренеть можно.
при этом, только благодаря Wikileaks, уже сегодня очевидно, что Транс-Тихоокеанское партнерство опасно для всех нас не меньше любого иного бандитского сговора.
bank secrecy is no more
3 November 2014 | Economics, Politics, Privacy | 2 Comments
а деньги, тем временем, заканчиваются совсем серьезно:
Finance ministers and tax chiefs from 51 countries signed an agreement on Wednesday to automatically swap tax information, which Germany’s finance minister said heralded the end of tax evasion via secret bank accounts.
так держать
3 November 2014 | Culturology, Literature | No Comments
с Толстым, кстати, все идет по намеченному курсу.
on adaptation
2 November 2014 | Economics | No Comments
и еще немного: в то время, как разработчики месторождений сланцевой нефти ждут будушего роста цен (Китай, потребность в топливе — кхм… — нет альтернативы, вот это все), стоимость разработки тоже, в общем-то, падает:
However, their costs have already fallen sharply, and could fall further. The median North American shale development needs a US crude price of $57 a barrel to break even today, compared with $70 a barrel in the summer of last year, according to IHS, the research company.
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Accenture, the consultancy, believes the average cost of a US shale well could be cut by up to 40 per cent by better management of factors such as planning, logistics, and relationships with suppliers[1].
но вот и другая сторона все той же медали:
Downward pressure on costs will heighten if the oil price continues to fall. Drilling rigs and other equipment such as pumps for fracking tend not to be tied up on long-term contracts, meaning that producers can adjust their spending quickly in response to oil price movements.
In a deepening slump, the service companies providing services such as drilling and hydraulic fracturing are likely to come off worst, according to Steve Wood of Moody’s, the rating agency.
узнаете своих? впрочем, что-то такое мы уже проходили:
There could be a parallel for US oil in shale gas production. When prices fell to a 10-year low in 2012, it seemed that most US shale production would be uneconomic and output would collapse.
As it turned out, production did fall in higher-cost areas such as the Haynesville shale of Louisiana and Texas, but it continued to rise in the Marcellus Shale of Pennsylvania.
The best companies were able to produce at costs that were much lower than many people had expected. Cabot Oil and Gas, for example, says it has a cash cost in the Marcellus of just 75 cents per thousand cubic feet, compared with a benchmark US gas price of about $3.70
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well… совершенству логистики и планирования, ясное дело, нет предела, но цифры все же смотрятся чересчур энергично, на мой взгляд. ↩