You know, I got to thinking this Thanksgiving afternoon and the question, "why would Microsoft not ship enough consoles to meet demand?" came to mind. Some believe that M$oft didn't know the perceived demand ahead of time. Others say that because a company loses so much money on consoles they only want to ship what will sell.
But let me offer another suggestion...
Let's say a large company known for "playing rough" in the field of business has pre-knowledge that its competitor's next-generation console will sell for about the same amount of cash. And also armed with the knowledge that they won't be shipping any "must-have" game titles at launch, this large, bad company realizes they must get as many consoles shipped and purchased as possible. The solution? Create a high demand. Do they do it through traditional means? (i.e. advertising, rebate offers, free-bees, demos in stores, etc...) No, that works, but not very fast.
What would happen if we (the large bad company) held shipments for all retailers across the globe, but promise complete order fulfillment as soon as "possible"? Exactly what we are experiencing right now. With the only new console being released this season, you must exploit this position as much as possible as competition is starting to peer over the horizon. So, you make your console hard to get for a period of, say, 4 to 6 weeks to make the "have nots" want your console. Let's face it, the PS3 has much better technical specification, however, the XBOX360 is out now with visual performance better than anything currently on the market. Checkmate!
2 kids on the neighborhood block tell the other kids that their Madden 2006 is unbelievable. The rest of the kids now want it. Parents are reinforced in their quest to capture the prize of "#1 Mom/Dad" when they feel they can purchase something their neighbors cannot. What does the big bad company do? Quietly begin fulfilling orders to stock shelves during the Holiday/Winter season. When one finally sees a unit on a store shelf, the knee-jerk reaction of "better get it now" kicks in for fear of another mass "shortage". Brilliant. But I digress. If the only thing you have to show for your new console is Call of Duty 2 and the ability to swear at individuals residing in the Republic of Elbonia, you really don't have a new platform for entertainment. You only have an expensive upgrade that gives you new capability. When the PS3 is released, they will immediately have more titles at launch, 3 kick-butt "must-haves" and pioneering technology (BLu-Ray). Wake up, America! Large corporate big-wigs are smart. But only because you allow them to be.
Thanks, Bill. Again.
-The Flipster
---------------------
Update: 11/28/05
How is it possible this online retailer is claiming 875 new units to arrive this week and then another 2,000 by December 9, 2005? Still don't believe me???
(http://www.atomicpark.com/xq/aspx/microsoft-xbox-360-premium-system/prodid.22869/buy.software/qx/productdetail.html)
-The Flipster
---------------------
Update: 12/09/05
I ran across this today. --> http://www.blackfriarsinc.com/blog/2005/11/sold-out-marketing-strategy-for-xbox.html This is just further proof the Flipster is dead-on when it comes to this fiasco. The real winners here are the lucky ones who new managers of retail outlets, acquired XBOX 360's and are now selling them on ebay at huge premiums.
As long as it's not Microsoft... :-)
-The Flipster
--------------------
Update: 12/29/05
Check it out! Wall Street may be catching on to this scam. ---> http://www.thestreet.com/_mktwrm/tech/gamesandgadgets/10259460.html?cm_ven=CBSM&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA
-The Flipster
Friday, November 25, 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Yeah! I guess...
By LAURIE KELLMANAssociated Press Writer
WASHINGTON
House and Senate negotiators struck a tentative deal on the expiring Patriot Act that would curb FBI subpoena power and require the Justice Department to more fully report its secret requests for information about ordinary people, according to officials involved in the talks.
The agreement, which would make most provisions of the existing law permanent, was reached just before dawn Wednesday. But by midmorning GOP leaders had already made plans for a House vote on Thursday and a Senate vote by the end of the week. That would put the centerpiece of President Bush's war on terror on his desk before Thanksgiving, a month before more than a dozen provisions were set to expire.
Officials negotiating the deal described it on condition of anonymity because the draft is not official and has not been signed by any of the 34 conferees.
Any deal would mark Congress' first revision of the law passed a few weeks after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. In doing so, lawmakers said they tried to find the nation's comfort level with expanded law enforcement power in the post-9/11 era _ a task that carries extra political risks for all 435 members of the House and a third of the Senate facing midterm elections next year.
For Bush, too, such a renewal would come at a sensitive time. With his approval ratings slipping in his second term, the president could bolster a tough-on-terrorism image.
The tentative deal would make permanent all but a handful of the expiring provisions, the sources said. Others would expire in seven years if not renewed by Congress. They include rules on wiretapping, obtaining business records under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and new standards for monitoring "lone wolf" terrorists who may be operating independent of a foreign agent or power.
By noon, House Democrats on the panel were issuing objections to the seven-year expiration, arguing that since the House had endorsed the four-year expiration dates enacted as part of the Senate bill, the three provisions should "sunset" at four years, not seven. They also complained that Republican negotiators shut them out of the last phase of talks, a charge Republicans deny.
The draft also would impose a new requirement that the Justice Department report to Congress annually on its use of national security letters, secret requests for the phone, business and Internet records of ordinary people. The aggregate number of letters issued per year, reported to be about 30,000, is classified. Citing confidential investigations, the Justice Department has refused lawmakers' request for the information.
The 2001 Patriot Act removed the requirement that the records sought be those of someone under suspicion. As a result, FBI agents can review the digital records of a citizen as long as the bureau can certify that the person's records are "relevant" to a terrorist investigation.
Also part of the tentative agreement are modest new requirements on so-called roving wiretaps _ monitoring devices placed on a single person's telephones and other devices to keep a target from evading law enforcement officials by switching phones or computers.
The tentative deal also would raise the threshold for securing business records under FISA, requiring law enforcement to submit a "statement of facts" showing "reasonable grounds to believe the records are relevant to an investigation. Law enforcement officials also would have to show that an individual is in contact with or known to be in contact with a suspected agent of a foreign power.
Not included are several "add-on" bills to which Democrats objected, including measures to limit federal appeals of state court decisions, require that sex felons face up to 20 years in prison for failing to comply with registration requirements, and tighten courthouse security.
WASHINGTON
House and Senate negotiators struck a tentative deal on the expiring Patriot Act that would curb FBI subpoena power and require the Justice Department to more fully report its secret requests for information about ordinary people, according to officials involved in the talks.
The agreement, which would make most provisions of the existing law permanent, was reached just before dawn Wednesday. But by midmorning GOP leaders had already made plans for a House vote on Thursday and a Senate vote by the end of the week. That would put the centerpiece of President Bush's war on terror on his desk before Thanksgiving, a month before more than a dozen provisions were set to expire.
Officials negotiating the deal described it on condition of anonymity because the draft is not official and has not been signed by any of the 34 conferees.
Any deal would mark Congress' first revision of the law passed a few weeks after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. In doing so, lawmakers said they tried to find the nation's comfort level with expanded law enforcement power in the post-9/11 era _ a task that carries extra political risks for all 435 members of the House and a third of the Senate facing midterm elections next year.
For Bush, too, such a renewal would come at a sensitive time. With his approval ratings slipping in his second term, the president could bolster a tough-on-terrorism image.
The tentative deal would make permanent all but a handful of the expiring provisions, the sources said. Others would expire in seven years if not renewed by Congress. They include rules on wiretapping, obtaining business records under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and new standards for monitoring "lone wolf" terrorists who may be operating independent of a foreign agent or power.
By noon, House Democrats on the panel were issuing objections to the seven-year expiration, arguing that since the House had endorsed the four-year expiration dates enacted as part of the Senate bill, the three provisions should "sunset" at four years, not seven. They also complained that Republican negotiators shut them out of the last phase of talks, a charge Republicans deny.
The draft also would impose a new requirement that the Justice Department report to Congress annually on its use of national security letters, secret requests for the phone, business and Internet records of ordinary people. The aggregate number of letters issued per year, reported to be about 30,000, is classified. Citing confidential investigations, the Justice Department has refused lawmakers' request for the information.
The 2001 Patriot Act removed the requirement that the records sought be those of someone under suspicion. As a result, FBI agents can review the digital records of a citizen as long as the bureau can certify that the person's records are "relevant" to a terrorist investigation.
Also part of the tentative agreement are modest new requirements on so-called roving wiretaps _ monitoring devices placed on a single person's telephones and other devices to keep a target from evading law enforcement officials by switching phones or computers.
The tentative deal also would raise the threshold for securing business records under FISA, requiring law enforcement to submit a "statement of facts" showing "reasonable grounds to believe the records are relevant to an investigation. Law enforcement officials also would have to show that an individual is in contact with or known to be in contact with a suspected agent of a foreign power.
Not included are several "add-on" bills to which Democrats objected, including measures to limit federal appeals of state court decisions, require that sex felons face up to 20 years in prison for failing to comply with registration requirements, and tighten courthouse security.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
The dumbest shit ever! - I don't need to say a thing.
Hamburgers cause asthma, NZ research says
Eating hamburgers more than once a week nearly doubles the risk of asthma attacks and wheezing in children, according to research carried out on 1300 New Zealand school pupils. Other takeaway food and fizzy drinks also increase the chances of getting asthma, doctors found. Youngsters who eat at least one hamburger a week are 75 per cent more likely to have asthma and almost 100 per cent more likely to suffer wheezing problems, according a study published yesterday in the international scientific journal Allergy.
Dr Wickens said diets containing junk foods which are high in salt could be contributing to the problem.
"The high salt content in hamburgers may increase the risk of wheezy illness," she said. Asthma is worst in developed countries, which tend to have about 6 per cent of their population affected. New Zealand has the highest incidence in developed countries at 20 per cent. A greater proportion of teenagers in New Zealand than in other countries suffer from asthmatic symptoms, such as wheezing, breathlessness and tight-chestedness. Some theories have blamed Western diets, higher standard of living, falling levels of exercise rates, and increased dustmites and pollution. But Tokyo, with higher pollution than Wellington has only one fifth of the asthma incidence, while the Scottish island of Skye has the highest incidence of asthma in Britain and almost no pollution.
Eating hamburgers more than once a week nearly doubles the risk of asthma attacks and wheezing in children, according to research carried out on 1300 New Zealand school pupils. Other takeaway food and fizzy drinks also increase the chances of getting asthma, doctors found. Youngsters who eat at least one hamburger a week are 75 per cent more likely to have asthma and almost 100 per cent more likely to suffer wheezing problems, according a study published yesterday in the international scientific journal Allergy.
Dr Wickens said diets containing junk foods which are high in salt could be contributing to the problem.
"The high salt content in hamburgers may increase the risk of wheezy illness," she said. Asthma is worst in developed countries, which tend to have about 6 per cent of their population affected. New Zealand has the highest incidence in developed countries at 20 per cent. A greater proportion of teenagers in New Zealand than in other countries suffer from asthmatic symptoms, such as wheezing, breathlessness and tight-chestedness. Some theories have blamed Western diets, higher standard of living, falling levels of exercise rates, and increased dustmites and pollution. But Tokyo, with higher pollution than Wellington has only one fifth of the asthma incidence, while the Scottish island of Skye has the highest incidence of asthma in Britain and almost no pollution.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Old fashioned Cat-fight
Fricken' Awesome!
-The Flipster
READ!
http://www.tampabays10.com/sports/sports_article.aspx?storyid=20844
-The Flipster
READ!
http://www.tampabays10.com/sports/sports_article.aspx?storyid=20844
Friday, November 04, 2005
Al Franken is a racist.
Forget Andy Rooney. That senile old fart will be dead soon. Al Franken is a racist and this book proves it.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385513496/ref=dp_return_1/002-7689246-4313649?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&v=glance
Go check it out if you don't believe me.
-The Flipster
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385513496/ref=dp_return_1/002-7689246-4313649?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&v=glance
Go check it out if you don't believe me.
-The Flipster
Thursday, November 03, 2005
New kind of battery
A123Systems has developed a new generation of Lithium-ion batteries, that will deliver up to 10X longer life, 5X power gains and dramatically faster charge time compared to conventional Lithium technology, as validated by independent testing at Motorola and government research labs. They are delivering batteries to Black and Decker with unprecedented power, safety, and life as compared to previously used batteries. Their batteries use proprietary nanoscale electrode technology built on research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and exclusively licensed from MIT. The initial family of batteries is targeted at applications such as power tools, advanced medical devices, hybrid electric vehicles, mobility products such as electric scooters, robotics, and consumer electronics.
The company is working with the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a major undertaking to develop battery materials for future use in hybrid electric vehicles. Preliminary performance results show a technology with great promise for the future of electric and hybrid electric vehicles. DOE is evaluating whether it can replace the NiMH batteries in hybrid vehicles with lithium-ion batteries weighing one-fifth as much. Their batteries will enable a significant cost
and weight savings vs. NiMH or conventional Li-Ion technology for hybrid and plug-in vehicles.
These advantages include:
1 - Twice the energy density of other Li-Ion HEV cells, While having the highest power to weight ratio of any commercially available battery (100C pulse capability).
2 - The lowest impedance of any cell/packs in its class
3 - Low impedance growth even at very high charge/discharge rates
4 - Proven to withstand thousands of discharge cycles with outstanding calendar life
5 - A design that withstands extreme shocks and vibration
6 - Operable over a wide temperature range (-30 to 60 degrees C)
7 - Intrinsically safe chemistry which is especially important for vehicular applications
-----
Now maybe your slutty mom will finally be satisfied with that vibrator of hers.
-The Flipster
The company is working with the U.S. Department of Energy as part of a major undertaking to develop battery materials for future use in hybrid electric vehicles. Preliminary performance results show a technology with great promise for the future of electric and hybrid electric vehicles. DOE is evaluating whether it can replace the NiMH batteries in hybrid vehicles with lithium-ion batteries weighing one-fifth as much. Their batteries will enable a significant cost
and weight savings vs. NiMH or conventional Li-Ion technology for hybrid and plug-in vehicles.
These advantages include:
1 - Twice the energy density of other Li-Ion HEV cells, While having the highest power to weight ratio of any commercially available battery (100C pulse capability).
2 - The lowest impedance of any cell/packs in its class
3 - Low impedance growth even at very high charge/discharge rates
4 - Proven to withstand thousands of discharge cycles with outstanding calendar life
5 - A design that withstands extreme shocks and vibration
6 - Operable over a wide temperature range (-30 to 60 degrees C)
7 - Intrinsically safe chemistry which is especially important for vehicular applications
-----
Now maybe your slutty mom will finally be satisfied with that vibrator of hers.
-The Flipster
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
I thought riots only occurred in the Southern US?
Chirac seeks to calm Paris riots French President Jacques Chirac warned of a "dangerous situation" and called for calm after six nights of riots in suburbs in the north-east of Paris.
At least 15 cars were torched overnight in Aulnay-sous-Bois. Police fired rubber bullets and arrested 34 people.
Unrest flared after two North African teenagers were electrocuted. Locals say they were fleeing police, which the authorities deny.
"The law must be applied in a spirit of dialogue and respect," Mr Chirac said.
"A lack of dialogue and an escalation of disrespectful behavior will lead to a dangerous situation," he told a cabinet meeting, according to a spokesman.
Anger fuelled
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy have delayed trips abroad to try to calm the situation.
When you fire real bullets at police, you're not a 'youth', you're a thug Nicolas Sarkozy French Interior Minister
Both met relatives of victims, police officials and community leaders on Tuesday in an effort to calm tensions. But fresh violence broke out even as the pair opened talks, and spread to new parts of Paris.
Police said as many as 69 cars were set on fire on Tuesday night in nine towns in the Seine-Saint-Denis region, home to many impoverished communities.
The original flashpoint of Clichy-sous-Bois, where police were out in force, was calmer, but trouble flared in nearby areas.
Correspondents say anger grew after a tear gas canister was hurled into a mosque in Clichy-sous-Bois on Sunday night. Emotions have also been fuelled by mass arrests.
War of words
Mr Sarkozy, criticized for his description of the rioters as a "rabble", has repeated his condemnation.
"I speak with real words," Mr Sarkozy, who has cancelled a visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan next week, told Le Parisien newspaper.
"When you fire real bullets at police, you're not a 'youth,' you're a thug."
Mr de Villepin has delayed a trip to Canada to try to ease tensions.
He and Mr Sarkozy have been accused of playing politics with the situation in an effort to win favor ahead of a presidential campaign in 2007.
Unrest flared in Clichy after two teenage boys were electrocuted on Thursday at an electricity sub-station.
Local people insist they were fleeing from police and scrambled in to hide. Police say they were not chasing the boys.
An official investigation is under way.
Clichy saw five successive nights of confrontation between police and young people from the mainly north African Muslim communities in the north-eastern suburb.
Unemployment and social problems are rife in many of France's poorer suburban areas.
Police have reported sporadic incidents involving mobile groups of youths in the Val-d'Oise, Seine-et-Marne, Hauts-de-Seine and Yvelines regions of Paris.
____
Surprise! These problems exist worldwide!!!
-The Flipster
At least 15 cars were torched overnight in Aulnay-sous-Bois. Police fired rubber bullets and arrested 34 people.
Unrest flared after two North African teenagers were electrocuted. Locals say they were fleeing police, which the authorities deny.
"The law must be applied in a spirit of dialogue and respect," Mr Chirac said.
"A lack of dialogue and an escalation of disrespectful behavior will lead to a dangerous situation," he told a cabinet meeting, according to a spokesman.
Anger fuelled
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy have delayed trips abroad to try to calm the situation.
When you fire real bullets at police, you're not a 'youth', you're a thug Nicolas Sarkozy French Interior Minister
Both met relatives of victims, police officials and community leaders on Tuesday in an effort to calm tensions. But fresh violence broke out even as the pair opened talks, and spread to new parts of Paris.
Police said as many as 69 cars were set on fire on Tuesday night in nine towns in the Seine-Saint-Denis region, home to many impoverished communities.
The original flashpoint of Clichy-sous-Bois, where police were out in force, was calmer, but trouble flared in nearby areas.
Correspondents say anger grew after a tear gas canister was hurled into a mosque in Clichy-sous-Bois on Sunday night. Emotions have also been fuelled by mass arrests.
War of words
Mr Sarkozy, criticized for his description of the rioters as a "rabble", has repeated his condemnation.
"I speak with real words," Mr Sarkozy, who has cancelled a visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan next week, told Le Parisien newspaper.
"When you fire real bullets at police, you're not a 'youth,' you're a thug."
Mr de Villepin has delayed a trip to Canada to try to ease tensions.
He and Mr Sarkozy have been accused of playing politics with the situation in an effort to win favor ahead of a presidential campaign in 2007.
Unrest flared in Clichy after two teenage boys were electrocuted on Thursday at an electricity sub-station.
Local people insist they were fleeing from police and scrambled in to hide. Police say they were not chasing the boys.
An official investigation is under way.
Clichy saw five successive nights of confrontation between police and young people from the mainly north African Muslim communities in the north-eastern suburb.
Unemployment and social problems are rife in many of France's poorer suburban areas.
Police have reported sporadic incidents involving mobile groups of youths in the Val-d'Oise, Seine-et-Marne, Hauts-de-Seine and Yvelines regions of Paris.
____
Surprise! These problems exist worldwide!!!
-The Flipster
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
I know it's wrong but...
I just had to laugh at this example of humankind's stupidity.
I turned on the TV this morning and there was a story about local police in Hurricane-ravaged Mississippi and New Orleans taking potentially dangerous pets from residents and having them put to sleep. But here's the twist. The police are tying the animals to trees and posts and shooting them on the street. This is completely absurd! Funny as hell, but absurd!
-The Flipster
I turned on the TV this morning and there was a story about local police in Hurricane-ravaged Mississippi and New Orleans taking potentially dangerous pets from residents and having them put to sleep. But here's the twist. The police are tying the animals to trees and posts and shooting them on the street. This is completely absurd! Funny as hell, but absurd!
-The Flipster
The Cabbie and the Nun
A cabbie picks up a nun. She gets into the cab, and the cab driver won't stop staring at her. She asks him why he is staring.
He replies, "I have a question to ask you, but I don't want to offend you."
She answers, "My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I am and have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I'm sure that there's nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive."
"Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun suck me off."
She responds, "Well let's see what we can do about that. But there are two rules:
#1 you have to be single, and #2 you must be Catholic."
The cab driver is very excited and says, "Yes, I am single and I'm Catholic!"
"OK" the Nun says. "Pull into the next alley." Without hesitation, the Nun fulfills his fantasy with the most erotic and sloppy blowjob that would make a hooker blush. But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying. "My dear child," said the nun, "why are you crying?"
"Forgive me, but I've sinned. I lied. I must confess, I'm married and I'm Jewish!"
The nun says, "That's OK. My name is Patrick, and I'm going to a Halloween party."
-The Flipster
He replies, "I have a question to ask you, but I don't want to offend you."
She answers, "My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I am and have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I'm sure that there's nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive."
"Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun suck me off."
She responds, "Well let's see what we can do about that. But there are two rules:
#1 you have to be single, and #2 you must be Catholic."
The cab driver is very excited and says, "Yes, I am single and I'm Catholic!"
"OK" the Nun says. "Pull into the next alley." Without hesitation, the Nun fulfills his fantasy with the most erotic and sloppy blowjob that would make a hooker blush. But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying. "My dear child," said the nun, "why are you crying?"
"Forgive me, but I've sinned. I lied. I must confess, I'm married and I'm Jewish!"
The nun says, "That's OK. My name is Patrick, and I'm going to a Halloween party."
-The Flipster
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