Letters to the Editor
dawdler
Published Letters: 98 Editor's Choice: 10
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What was Said on Facebook is not the Truth, Even if it was True
[Read the article: I was betrayed by people I trusted]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Your "friends" may have stated some things that were consistent with your personality or behaviors.
But make no mistake - the way they went about saying these things was not "the truth". It showed a lack of integrity and essential weakness in their characters.
I think in human interactions like in other aspects of life the medium is part of the message. The way something is said holds part of the meaning of what is said. In that respect, you cannot separate what was said from the way it was said.
And since your friends said what they did in a way that lacked any integrity, you simply cannot accept what they said as any kind of fundamental truth about your own personality or being.
Also - your letter shows that you have a really mature grasp of reality now. Yeah, life is hard. But, as US3 said, you've got mad knowledge of self... ;)
And I agree that San Francisco may be a good destination. Or Berkeley.
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Too Many Guitarists Already!
[Read the article: How "Guitar Hero" saved guitar music]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I played drums in a band before I picked up guitar. I can honestly say that people who play guitar are a DIME A DOZEN! :) God help the band that needs a bass player or a drummer. But if you need a guitarist or singer/songwriter, just post an ad and you'll be swarmed.
Seriously, though. If GH inspires kids to play a REAL instrument, great. And I agree with other commenters that guitar is really actually not that hard to learn. I picked it up in about six months (as in I can play simple songs and improvise pretty well).
But learning a real instrument will always take commitment and patience.
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Exactly Right about "The Pick-Up Artist"
[Read the article: I Like to Watch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Heather - you hit it. It doesn't matter that the premise is absurd and everything else is just ridiculous trash.
The voyeur component to the show is an instant hook. Getting to watch as both the geeks (contestants) and the freaks (Mystery et al) went out into a bar crowd and made their attemps was riveting.
I think the second generation reality shows on Bravo like Top Chef and Project Runway are the best reality shows because they combine soapy drama, intense suspense and genuine talent, skill and professionalism.
The first generation of reality shows (Real World, Bachelor, and even Survivor etc.) were basically like watching the moron popular kids in high school rutting.
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That's why they're called "Breeds"
[Read the article: Pit bulls are innocent]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It does actually mean something. The word - "breed".
The dogs were "bred" to do things.
Hounds BARK (or bay).
Terriers CHASE vermin.
Labradors RETRIEVE.
Pit Bulls FIGHT.
I know, I know - this doesn't mean that humans can't control the bred behaviors.
But dogs bred for a behavior will tend towards that behavior.
I wouldn't buy a Border Collie, for example, unless I had lots of space for it to run and lots of time to excersize it etc. Because they need it. And if they don't get it, they may get antsy.
I wouldn't buy a hound if I wanted a quiet dog.
And I wouldn't buy a pit bull unless I KNEW I had the time and inclination to ALWAYS exert PHYSICAL and BEHAVIORAL control over the dog.
Problem is most people don't understand this.
It's disingenuous to imply that it's just the owners. It's not.
Pit bulls have a higher POTENTIAL for violence. And that's enough to warrant a breed ban in my book.
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Leap of Faith?
[Read the article: Why Blockbuster is gaining on Netflix]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Netflix's users are fiercely loyal; if Netflix makes it easier for them to leave, many would see the move as a sign of the company's faith in its own product and would, paradoxically, see more reason to stay.
Wow. That's quite an assumption. Easy for Manjoo to armchair CEO, but it could be a pretty big gamble on Netflix's part to remove one of the main switching costs for heavy users.
But then again, I wonder what portion of Netflix users actually have enough ratings to make a switch to Blockbuster that expensive? Maybe some portion of the Early Adopters. But in the online video delivery market, it seems that we're probably just entering the Early Majority. I bet the market is still growing geometrically. Therefore, potential and new customers outnumber existing customers -- especially existing customers with a lot of ratings. And those new customers don't have a lot of ratings yet.
So how valuable is it for a company to keep Early Adopters who are a small overall percentage of a growing market?
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Is it really "Locked In"
[Read the article: Why Blockbuster is gaining on Netflix]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Depends on how important recommendations are to you. If they're important, you're locked in.
To "Bernard HP Gilroy" - I respectfully disagree with your assertion that your data is available. In my mind, in the world of web applications these days, having to "scrape" your data does not count as available. Only a true Export function would count as "available". A manual export (i.e. a "scrape") may not be too bad with a handful of reviews. But if you have hundreds, that's not just annoying. That's an effective lock. Why? Because practically NOBODY will actually do a manual export. So whether the data is theoretically available, it's not practically available. And that - in my book - is what counts.
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It IS Just Like TIVO
[Read the article: Why Blockbuster is gaining on Netflix]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]TIVO's great. Got loyal users. Everybody who uses it loves it. But once the cable companies with their near monopolies come into the game, TIVO just can't compete. Joe Sixpack probably just goes with Comcast's DVR solution because it's bundled with his cable service and installed in one fell swoop.
Netflix doesn't have it QUITE as bad because it's not like Blockbuster has a true monopoly leverage like the cable companies do. But still. Great products are often elbowed out by the gorilla in the market because when it comes down to the individual customer decision, the customers often go with what's easier to get at that moment or what's a bigger name with more marketing dollars.