Crunching the numbers on the pay-what-you-like Humble Indie Bundle package, the Wolfire people noticed a curious thing: Linux users contribute twice as much as Windows users. "So far, the average Mac user is donating 40% more, and the average Linux user is donating 100% more!" I've got a half-formed theory in my head that living in a world where people are generous and share makes you generous and sharing, while living in a world where people are stingy and proprietary makes you stingy and proprietary. This would be why Econ students play the Ultimatum Game more cruelly than civilians.
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10:45 pm Fri
May 7, 2010
Linux users twice as generous as Windows users
Charter/Spectrum sold customers expensive home security systems, then killed the program and left them high and dry
Prior to being acquired by Charter, the cable company Spectrum aggressively marketed home security systems to its customers, inducing them to spend hundreds of dollars on proprietary cameras and other equipment that integrated with their cable networks and offered them remote monitoring and other services.
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The bubbles in VR, cryptocurrency and machine learning are all part of the parallel computing bubble
Yesterday's column by John Naughton in the Observer revisited Nathan Myhrvold's 1997 prediction that when Moore's Law runs out -- that is, when processors stop doubling in speed every 18 months through an unbroken string of fundamental breakthroughs -- that programmers would have to return to the old disciplines of writing incredibly efficient code whose […]
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New Jersey mom and dad open Amazon diaper order and discover poopy diapers
On Amazon, the box was described as “Used: like new.”
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Flip your flapjacks & omelets in style with this twin-skillet design
Eating pancakes and omelets? Super fun. Cleaning up afterward? Almost more trouble than its worth. Nothing makes us appreciate our mothers more than having to scrape the batter off those well-worn skillets and griddles, just like we never had to do after those magical Saturday morning breakfasts. Now, making those breakfast treats might just be […]
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The Motorola Smart Safe lets you monitor and open it remotely
When it comes to safes, there’s typically not a lot of features beyond extra security. Keypads, fingerprint or retina IDs are all in the service of keeping things under lock and key (even if there’s no physical key). Of course, that’s the main concern. But what about those times you might need to open it […]
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The H2 Belt Light lets you use your peripheral vision in pitch darkness
There’s a reason why most people do their jogging in the morning. Even though it might be muggy, foggy or warmer, there’s a certain amount of safety that comes with daylight. I mean, it’s not like you can just take a flashlight on your run. Or can you? With a simple but innovative design tweak, […]
