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Les jeux vidéo envahissent la Cité des sciences... par LeNouvelObservateur

Because...

Fancy

I'm back! After a three day breakdown of my HP Pavillon running Windows,

it's back up and all is running well. A lot of people complain of agonizing or going-

dead desktops. My problem: improperly fitted memory bars. Take a look at the

insert location empty, and play with the levers at the ends. When the lever is in the open

position, there is a metallic element in the slot that is lifted. That's what is making

the fitting difficult, even impossible. One has to insert and fit the levers

at the same time, and all is well.


I also experienced a problem at start-up, with the computer going on and then shutting

down. My fault: in my neurotic state of mind, I was holding the start button down too long,

effectively starting and shutting down the computer at the same time. Ladies, a manicured

fingernal goes into the slot on the on button, for a short push. The computer will then boot

up sans problèmes.


HP, I have been an ungrateful wench; that computer works. I saw those fancy all-in-ones

running Windows 8 at the store on the week-end. Might just buy another one.

Too True

Yak

The greatness of Apple, qua marketers, is the slight-of-hand it has long operated

on the knowing consumer. It has positioned its product as avant-garde and well-designed 

and by-the-way a little expensive. An electronic product which is screamingly expensive 

will necessarily be better than one that is not. Apple, under Steve Jobs in

any event, found the way to make the consumer pay for what he really wanted:

a reliable machine. Kudos!

Microsoft, as its name indicates, is in the software business. Just as Apple made the

consumer a partner in the adventure of the personnal machine, MSoft has embarked

him/her on the wonder of the software that runs it. Putting together one’s own machine,

fighting off malware, twearking and tweeking, and endless hours on Visual Studio

watching little bits of code make things happen have been a true frontier of learning.

Kudos as well!

I bought a MacBook Pro in 2009 and at the time, thinking such a light-weight expensive

machine would be fragile, bought a $300 insurance plan for 3 years. Four years later,

haven’t had a whisper of a problem with it. Indeed, it is the Mac that looks for solutions

when my desktop hybrid running Windows gets a virus or crashes to a BSOD as just

happened. Alternatively, the Mac is becoming something of an elderly relative, by technology 

standards: can no longer watch pay movies on it in bed, because Videotron

technology has moved on. Tried to run my Wacom tablet on it yesterday. Told me

it would need a newer OS to make it run, but of course the stylus worked on it as if

it had been a wireless mouse. Reliable, as I said.

I must discipline myself to think more like a techie. For days my windows destop had

been telling me that the Wacom driver wasn’t working. (Of course its wasn’t, I had

disconnected the tablet to work with the mouse for a while) Did I take heed to all

the little warnings? Nooooo. Do I have to share my life secrets with you, Windows?

The BSOD, in its last appearance, explicitly said I needed to reconfigure and that things

weren’t right. 

So I neurotically removed my new graphics card and memory extensions, and limped back 

by running last year’s new motherboard dvd. Of course, this proves unlivealbe.

I uninstalled the Wacom completely for the time being and put back the improved

memory last night. And I doubt the morning will go by without the new graphics card

coming back on. Memory makes a huge difference to the speed of things. The Graphics 

card allows me to run the Windows Phone Emulator and play with settings and gadgets.

Windows runs a planetary phone with the possibility of a black background, which allows 

the user the conserve battery life under difficult circumstances. But it is also difficult on the 

developer/graphics person who must plan for all possibilities. So If the user ever needs 

to show koala pictures in a yak ...

image from Rutkas and Tabor, Windows Phone7 Development

 

 

 

 

Action

For Dinner

An app idea for busy people. One partner fills out the
following, and the information is sent to the other,
not necessarily in real time.

 

 

 

You Asked!

Windows">http://vimeo.com/20668897">Windows Phone 7 - Episode 5 - Pages
from Den">http://vimeo.com/dennisdel">Den Delimarsky on Vimeo.https://vimeo.com">Vimeo.>

Menace

from Le Nouvel Observateur

by Donald Hébert

'translation': Doxa-louise

4-10-2013


UNITED STATES. A paiement default would amount to Lehman Brothers tenth power
'The ripple effect would be immediate and very violent', explains Thibault Prébay,a specialist in stock market affairs. The interview.
A strange ambiance reigns in Washington, where the government has closed down part of the federal administration beacause of a lack on budgetary accord in Congress. In this showdown climate between Republicans and Democrats, a due date looms: as of october 17, the United States will no longer be able to borrow unless the debt ceiling is raised. A scenariofor bankrupcy with consequences so terrible that it appears improbable for Thibault Prébay, directeur of the department for rates on  Ireturns at Quilvest Gestion.


How is it that the United States could be bankrupt?
An anomaly in this world, the United States have chosen to put a ceiling on their debt, that isthe government cannot borrow over a certain sum without the approval of Congress. And now the latter is partly controlled by the Rebublicans, of whom a certain number would liketo see Barack Obama put off his reform of 'Med Insurance', which the latter refuses to do. If this stalemate goes on, the United States will no longer be able to borrow as of October 17. Indeed they will no longer be capable of paying off already contracted debt. This would be a paiement default.


Could this really happen?
It is extremely improbable. Such discussions happened a number of times in the past, although this time the shutdown on the budget adds a colorfull note. Every time, the party blocking the situation comes to antagonize public opinion. All the more because it is countering a decision of an elected president.


What would transpire if it did happen?
The government would find it impossible to propose a budget that incurs a deficit, which can only be financed by borrowing. it would have to reduce public spending on the order of 4% of GDP(GrossDomestic Product). Barack Obama then has the possibility to ground his position on the constitution, which holds that the State must meet its obligations, and thus re-imburse its creditors. The down side risk: if this argument is not deemed legally sound, he risks destitution. Finally, the federal State can tell its borrowers, that it cannot pay.


Then what?
In actual fact, markets allow one day, in the case of technical problems. Then, the government needs to declare a selective default: it proposes to pay off everything, exceptfor a certain debt which will be payed later. if it cannot in this case, it declares default. Thebonds emitted go over their time limit until the United States has renegociated with all creditors.


What would be the consequences?
The cRating agencies would put the United States at the bottom of the ratings list.No one would want to advance funds to them, and the value of their 'sovereign' (cf ' dSouveraine) bonds would go down. This would create a hole in the holdings of banks worldwide, who are obligated to hold some for stability purposes. Many would go bankrupt, taking others with them. in many countries, the healthcare systems and pension plans which holds such bonds would no longer be financed. The riplling out would be immediate and very violent. In comparison, the downfall of Lehman Brothers or Greece would appear ridiculous. And the American State would be paralysed. Bring down the planetary economy, all that over putting off Obamacare by one year? it is impossible to countenance that Congress could be incapable of reaching accord.


Yet Barack Obama has counselled Wall Street on the troubling behaviour of the Republicans. The extremist members of the 'Tea Party' faction seem capable of anything...
It is in the interest of each to remain inflexible, so that the other side seems responsible for the blockage. But that doesn't really worry financial markets. Fluctuations in the past few weeks are mainly due to uncertainty as to the potential for growth in the US. If the Stock Market was taking the menace seriously, that would translate into a drop of at least 15%.

　

　

　

Awesome!

After much (it turns out, unnecessary) apprehension, installed my new graphics
card 'like a boss'. Voilà!

Impasse

We are going to assume here - for the clarity of the argument - that boh sides

in the current US budgetary impasse are utterly sincere and disinterested. What

is the Healthcare disagrement really about, then. In essence, it is about who gets hurt.

The pro healthcare think the poorest 15 % should have show-a-card access to 

medical services, the con argue that current proposals are irresponsible job-killers.

Indeed, the very same who might be talked about in both cases. In these terms, 

we really do have an impasse, for our sincere debaters would be morally to blame to 

abandon their ideals.

Can the debate be reformulated into an argument about a what. This messy situation

is probably the result of having failed a needed reformulation.

What happens if we make a distinction between health services and medical care. The

health stuff is a state responsibility, and the private sector is free to contribute. Indeed,

unions can negotiate for different treatment rather than for standards!!.

The medical stuff needs to insured, and to the extent that medical bills are a form of unfair 

taxation, the government can use the tax system to stabilize low-income citizens.

That is it.

Such a split does solve some problems. Universal health care is a bottomless pit

because sooner or later, eveyone is entitled to a boob job. Medecine, on the

other hand, can be a restricted good, with some priorities: only so many bariatric 

procedures a year, so many hospital beds for heart patients and so forth. Heath care 

can be different in different areas: California might want to offer weight management 

clinics starting at school age, another state might off nutrition counselling and school

breakfasts. One state promotes breast feeding; another feeds young mothers. According 

to need, then, and the wisdom of the local political class.

Insurers and professional associations will want medical standards. That is their

respective priviledge. Health indicators can vary across the land, and you can move.

Might work.

Summer 2014

                            CHANEL                                  PHOTO: Nouvel Obs                             

'ISABEL MARANT'   

                                                                 'ACNE' STUDIOS

Fun

                                                                           

 

 

 

Proof

 

http://staff.argyll.epsb.ca/jreed/math20p/quadraticFunctions/quadStandard.htm