Slashdot Mirror

A pleasant discovery about Avir and another reason to use it instead of AVG (even the new no-nag variant):

The integrated scanners in AVG and Avir will report a file which is suspected of being bad when you try to copy, move, rename or otherwise access the file.

AVG prohibits you from using the file unless you disable AVG's realtime protection because it disobeys your instruction to ignore the status and keep processing.

Avir will warn you but does NOT prohibit you from file operations after you've chosen to ignore the warning. AVG treats you like an imbecile, Avir lets you decide if the perceived threat is a problem. That was true even with AVG 7.

It is quite common for heuristic detection to report a compressed executable is dangerous. With Avir, you pick the option to ignore and keep running. With AVG 7 or AVG 8, you pick the option to ignore and YOU are ignored.

AVG also kicks up quite a few erroneous hits for less-than-common compilers. Example: It will prohibit running MPEG2Repair http://users.adelphia.net/~mwilczyn/mpeg2repair/. If you have UltraISO and AVG 7 or AVG 8, try making an ISO which includes mpeg2repair.exe and see what happens. AVG will complain and will refuse to accept your desire to override.

Here's an amazing little gadget someone built with a breadboarded Z80 and some rolls of tape and such: http://users.adelphia.net/~silvan/z80.avi

I had been interviewed by someone who asked me a barrage those "thinking" questions. The last one was like this one:

Interviewer: Which way is this bus facing?

I sat there, silently for about 2 minutes. Just as the interviewer was going to say something, I stand up. I looked at the board, and I doodled some mathmatical equations it, then erased it. I acted like I was actually doing some thinking, like cupping my hands together with my index fingers touching my bottom lip. Stuff like that. This went on for about another 10 minutes or so. Then, the interviewer interrupts me...

Interviewer: Um, I need to go to lunch, do you have an answer or do you give up?
Me: Oh, I had an answer 10 minutes ago. I just wanted to test you to see how long you are willing to wait for an answer. Anyway, the answer is 42.

The interviewer snickered and ended the interview session. I was made an offer that day, but I turned it down. I ended up not liking the company.

Salve! Of course odi, odisse is a weird little verb -- but as far as I can see, odi is acting as the first principal part, assuming he means to say "I hate." Concur with the rest. I bet the Vatican has coined a word or phrase for the Internet that could also be used. I wasn't able to find it with a quick Google, but this non-canonical page suggests internetum, -i, n.

You can see a picture of the windshield at http://users.adelphia.net/~jfields026/shuttl~1.jpg

http://users.adelphia.net/~apiszcz/piszcz.html

You can view them here for now until Linux Gazette gets a chance to fix them!

Thanks,

Justin.

Works just fine for me. How about trying to uninstall then re-install it, hmmmm?

Take a look at http://users.adelphia.net/~scottkin/scottcam1.jpg

--ScottKin

I like the Playboy Bunny Favicon... screencap

I was just trying to add a hit counter and was modestly surprised that I could not find the syntax documented. I then became astounded at Adelphia's refusal (or, more likely, inability) to explain why they supported FPSE but not cgi scripting when they were running Apache under Red Hat. (That discussion logically followed when they could not point me to resources either.)

Anyway, the broken hit counter is here. Web searches turn up similar problems, but none that I could understand that were outside the context of using FrontPage to make the page.

I would prefer a text-based counter. I have no idea if FPSE can provide that.

By visit the page, you mean try the URL for phpinfo.php file? I see the code, so I am SOL. http://home.adelphia.net/~bmss/phpinfo.php

I built my cabinet using these plans: http://users.adelphia.net/~seanhat/arcade/ (click on the Design link on the left) You can download the plans in .pdf form. I modified them a little to my liking. I had never done any woodworking like this before and I found it extremely rewarding. Now for the controls. I priced out all the parts I wanted on Happ Controls website (http://www.happcontrols.com/) and came to the conclusion that if I bought a prefab control that I wouldn't be out of so much more money. After careful research, I settled on the best: http://www.slikstik.com/ If you want to shell out the dough, it is well worth it. I used a fairly decent pc I had around and then found a 27 inch tv cheap at circuit city. I used a 19" monitor at first but the tv was so much better especially on the older arcade games which didn't really have great resolution anyway. Then, I finished it off with some cheap 5 1/4 car stereo speakers. Good Luck! Tom

Also, mine wasn't as ugly:

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Also, mine wasn't as ugly:

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Also, mine wasn't as ugly:

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Still sounds like a neat project but they need someone with both a technical and a business mind to help a lot I think.

As I understand it, the project is for hobbyists' fun (which is fine!) but does not make obvious economic sense (a problem with hardware projects it seems).

I'd like to suggest they consider morphing the project to make it more interesting (depth) and applicable (breadth).

For one thing I have noted in a past thread on this a number of things that would make me buy the card, maybe they should look at old threads again. Personally I am not a target of this project, yet, since I would want one of the new high-end cards for my work. But cost is a factor and I would buy one also if it provided additional support for multiple projectors, outputs, video switching matrices, synchronization with cameras or other sources, and other things. In fact I'd be most interested if it worked ALONG WITH a well known high end graphics card, to provide additional functions not already on the one I have. How many people are actually going to buy only this open video card and NOT buy a full-fledged one too?

I also would buy a card if it was multipurpose, not just for video. For example if it provided special audio functionality (possibly provided by software not even on the card) I could imagine recommending it for art projects.

Personally I would definitely buy a card that allowed me to run perl at C++ speed. Maybe this is something to laugh about but there must be a lot of people who wish there was an open source system (fpga + software) to accelerate whatever they do. Some people might seriously welcome it if you could port the latest perl regex engine onto an fpga. Or how about running the perl 6 emulator on it?

Perhaps it would be interesting if a version was sold that included common pattern matching algorithms (like BLAST for genomics, or maybe geometry or facial extraction from video feeds?). Is there nothing that could be added to help the home PVR market?

And what about adding some real cutting edge science stuff to the card? Is there a good reason why this kind of a project must seek as its goal to achieve the worst example in the field? (Yes I know "but it's free".) For example how about something that models neurons? Maybe it could be done much more easily with just a little more hardware support in addition to the fpga. And there was a recent thread about the cell chip, sure you probably won't get to use it (though it sure would be nice!) but there was also a mention about the COSA Operating System and
synchronous reactive programming in general. These seem like very cool things! It doesn't sound so crazy to imagine being able to get funding (maybe even DARPA, who knows) if a well known university got behind COSA et al and the hardware project. And universities themselves might be very interested in investing financial and other resources in developing a continually growing hardware platform. Some schools even have fabs you know!

Well I am definitely not a hardware engineer but it does not seem too crazy to imagine some very nifty things coming out of developing such a platform (specifically a COSA-style platform in an FPGA card). Why not ask the COSA guy what he would need? You might want to consider that some cool things the Cell processor of Sony's is supposed to be able to do might also be achievable with a radically designed free hardware/free software platform, including media processing, and also in new kinds of programming.

Is it crazy to imagine a card that you would buy as the base and then purchase additional functional modules you could snap in? Could it be the size of a motherboard instead? (Note how luckily my lack of knowledge allows me to be silly or hopefully provocative.)

If you are involved with enough research projects, each one could provide a portion of the amount needed to produc

I got the perfect OS for the Cell Processor. I just need funding. :-D

The COSA Operatin System

See also the link below.

like its recent major DNS outages. And Comcast wants to buy Adelphia? I don't think Adelphia people will be happy with that if Comcast can't handle its own issues.

Speaking of crackpots, Louis Savain (aka MOBE2001) is one of the more well-known crackpots on the Usenet sci.physics* newsgroups. Some of his rants, for your reading pleasure...

Like I said, they're not prone to mixing, but I LIKE to think of myself as at least fairly attractive..., but I can't be so sure how I look to others.

It just seems that physical attractiveness (the socially defined ideal) and intelligence don't often mix. As you said, an exception to the rule.

Water cooling is the WORST for of cooling if have encountered.

When a water filled radiator is used on a cpu instead of a fan the heat that leaves does not get dealt with. Small components overheating aren't any better than the cpu. Sure, you can put in a powerfull (loud) set of case fans to deal with the extra heat, but what's the water system there for then?

I worked in a small "geeks for hire" computer support team. ALL THREE of the water cooled systems I worked inside of had HEAT problems. And one was leaking!

The problem with computers heating up is caused by tower cases. If you lay the components out on a sheet of plywood and use regular fans you get superb cooling. Submerged in mineral oil works great too. Don't be an idiot though, you need depth, a few millimeters over the cpu won't cut it (this guy is going to use a pump and copper radiator for what would have cost $2 in mineral oil!).

Here it is in the "mostly finished" stage:

Picture 1

Picture 2

Here it is in the "mostly finished" stage:

Picture 1

Picture 2

Well I'm going to get this guy Slashdotted.

The COSA OS. Try matching that with the CELL?

Did someone say chicks? http://users.adelphia.net/~chickencam/

BTW, not much to see at night.

Most modern PDAs, and most old ones for that matter, can play Vorbis. For instance, there is PPC software for it here. Just FYI...

Yes, I saw that, but your objects are algorithmic. I saw AND gates and OR gates and other gates, built up into more complicated objects. Welcome to the world of algorithms.

You still don't get it. It is not the use of an algorithm that leads to unreliable software. It is the accumulation of many algorithms. Reliability decreases as the number of algorithms increases. In COSA there is only one algorithm. Adding a new software object does not add a new algorithm in COSA as it would in a conventional programming environment. For those of you who do get it, here's the link to the site:The Silver Bullet

PS. Thanks to all of you who have contacted me to offer your support and comments. Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to answer all of your emails. Too many of them. But I'll give it a try.

They go on and on about how bad algorithms are... and create an alternate system that still runs on algorithms

The point of the article completely went over your head. I guess it is my fault for not being clear enough. But then again, one can never please the entire world. I'll give it a try.

Since a von Neumann computer is a sequential machine, algorithms cannot be eliminated. This is obvious to everybody. But, due to the availability of fast CPUs, one can easily emulate parallel systems in a computer. This is done all the time (e.g., neural networks, simulation programs, video games, etc...).

The Silver Bullet

Note that using an algorithm does not necessarily mean bad software. A simple algorithm can certainly be reliable. It is when you use a lot of algorithms that the reliability problem increases proportionately and, at times, exponentially.

The idea is to minimize the number of algorithms as much as possible. In COSA, there is only one algorithm, the execution kernel, a very simple program which can be made bug-free through thorough testing. No new algorithmic code is ever allowed. At the application development level, it is all synchronous software objects.

In the future, when we develop non-von Neumann computers, there will no longer be a need for an execution kernel as all software objects will be self-running.

Wow, that was almost a sad experience, reading that (and also you must read this). They go on and on about how bad algorithms are... and create an alternate system that still runs on algorithms, only instead of concentrating on a clean implementation they have this amazingly obscured one that will guarentee the impossibility of any human ever understanding a COSA "program", by taking componentization to truly absurd levels. They have successfully hidden the algorithms from themselves, perhaps, but I still see them, and they will still be bitten by them.

It would be funny if it weren't also sad.

Brooks still reigns and there remains no Silver Bullet. Wake me when these guys have a decently complex program that is better than anything I can come up with in Python. (Don't miss that second clause; making a program do something in 2004 is nothing special. It needs to be better. Handwaving is not an OS.)

Fact 1: The most important factor in software work is not the tools or techniques used by the programmers, but rather the quality of the programmers themselves.

This may be true as far as conventional algorithmic programming is concerned. But the reason that algorithmic programming is wrong-headed has to do with this well-known fact:

Fact 31: Error removal is the most time-consuming phase of the life cycle.

Why is this true? It is because there is something fundamentally wrong with the way we program our computers. It has to do with the old practice of using the algorithm as the basis of software engineering. For an alternative approach to software construction, check out the info at this site: The Silver Bullet

Of course authors, pundits, and visionaries continue to make fortunes rolling out countless new methodologies and writing books proving they are right.

They are not new methodologies. They are just variants of the same old tired methodology, the algorithm. For a completely different non-algorithmic solution, take a look at the The Silver Bullet and Project COSA

Of course authors, pundits, and visionaries continue to make fortunes rolling out countless new methodologies and writing books proving they are right.

They are not new methodologies. They are just variants of the same old tired methodology, the algorithm. For a completely different non-algorithmic solution, take a look at the The Silver Bullet and Project COSA

Will super-specialization of software development teams help the industry to push out better software faster?

The answer is a resounding no. The problem is not how to manage or organize teams. The problem is in the way we develop software. We are doing it wrong. The solution requires a fundamental change in the way we program our computers. In my opinion, the main reason that software is so unreliable and so hard to develop has to do with a custom that is as old as the computer: the practice of using the algorithm as the basis for software construction. I believe that moving to a pure signal-based, synchronous software model will result in at least an order of magnitude improvement in both reliability and productivity.

Currently there exist hundreds of programming languages, operating systems and development tools competing against one another, not counting custom proprietary technologies. A veritable tower of Babel. Worse, the complexity of many of the tools is often greater than that of the applications themselves. Becoming proficient in their use often requires years of training and experience. This is a sign of the chronic immaturity of the software industry. Software engineering will not come of age until a single software construction and execution model is universally adopted. More on this at The Silver Bullet.

In Universe in the Nutshell, Hawking puts the odds at macroscopic time travel being possible at less than 10^(10^60) to one against.

Which shows how much of a crackpot he is. There is no chance at all:
Voodoo Physics

And no, time travel is not crackpot stuff. Time travel is fun stuff! :-)

Says the crackpot.

Unfortunately, it's paranoia of getting sued that drives this. Companies all over the place do things they know are ridiculous to cover themselves in the event that someone does a really stupid thing that they should know better. The company I work for has just annoyed over a thousand customers by insisting that advertising "lightboxes" are moved inside as we have been informed that there is a very slight chance that if someone touches it when it is very wet that they may get a minor electrical shock.

Of course companies need to act responsibly when they determine that a danger exists. However, the issue of mobile phones at petrol pumps is similar in many ways to the infamous do not eat stuff you find all over the place. Design something idiot proof, and they'll design a better idiot. People manage to hurt and main themselves doing all kinds of really stupid things.

* Petrol = Gasoline for Americans who don't what I'm on about

You can find themes for both LiteStep and DesktopX at DeviantArt and WinCustomize.

For an example of how the depth of customization you can get for Shell Enhancers, check out my DesktopX screenshot --ScottKin

Speaking of tasers...

Its a great place to start and an almost bottomless supply of links to vendors and parts sources. There are about a dozen or more arcade cabinet plans out there on the net and at least as many companies offering a far better product than the X-Arcade stuff.

Gratuitous links:
Lusid's arcade flashback
Cocktail Cab Plans

Happy Slashdotting!

MUCH better than the shitty Windows Media player, this baby plays OGG, MP3, DivX (approx. 320x240 at 15FPS with 11KHz 16bit audio, or 240x176@24FPS), XVid, etc. and generally kicks ass. Use DivX's "portable devices" (or whatever it's called) preset to guarantee compatibility.

Oh, please donate if you'd like further development of this app, Marc deserves a few pennies for helping you make your pr0n portable ;)
(submitted as an AC 'cause I'm not a karma whore)

MUCH better than the shitty Windows Media player, this baby plays OGG, MP3, DivX (approx. 320x240 at 15FPS with 11KHz 16bit audio, or 240x176@24FPS), XVid, etc. and generally kicks ass. Use DivX's "portable devices" (or whatever it's called) preset to guarantee compatibility.

Oh, please donate if you'd like further development of this app, Marc deserves a few pennies for helping you make your pr0n portable ;)
(submitted as an AC 'cause I'm not a karma whore)

Note: This represents a FULL Screen, not some cute little VWM sitting in the lower right of your desktop.

Desktop Manager screenshot

When you click on the leftmost button on the Desktop Manager, your current Windown zooms-out to occupy it's appropriate spot, and the Manager zooms-out to show all of the defined workspaces/desktops.

This is not like fvwm, Starfish/HP Dashboard or any other kind of workspace manager.

Get a clue and get educated about a topic before you shoot your collective mouths off.

--ScottKin

..or those who want a big burst of "holy shit that's right!", here's a little sample of what an arcade SOUNDED like, circa 1981...

By 1983, game audio was getting more advanced, and sounded a bit like this.

A couple more are here.

Pacman fever. It's driving me crazy.

W

..or those who want a big burst of "holy shit that's right!", here's a little sample of what an arcade SOUNDED like, circa 1981...

By 1983, game audio was getting more advanced, and sounded a bit like this.

A couple more are here.

Pacman fever. It's driving me crazy.

W

..or those who want a big burst of "holy shit that's right!", here's a little sample of what an arcade SOUNDED like, circa 1981...

By 1983, game audio was getting more advanced, and sounded a bit like this.

A couple more are here.

Pacman fever. It's driving me crazy.

W

Not to mention DivX plays well on Palm and PPC. PocketMVP for Pocket PC and MMPlayer for PalmOS both play DivX just fine.

Several vendors have external batteries (or chargers) for the iPod.

A quick search gave me two AA powered solutions.

Myself, I just keep mine plugged in in the car and have 10 hours of charge whenever I leave the car. Easy enough?

" Traffic Consumption Allowances. Adelphia has the right to monitor, measure and report bandwidth consumption by You. Adelphia reserves the right to establish, modify and/or enforce consumption allowances at any time now or in the future, with or without notice, and apply a surcharge for excess usage. "

So for all of you like me that are using Adelphia cable internet services, they can terminate your account with no notice, for excessive usage based on download/upload caps they can make on the spot.

You can get the full agreement here.

Click this link to download a torrent that contains a 5MB zip file of the demonstration movies from Nature.com (free registration required to obtain, so I saved you all the trouble).

My cable (internet) went out for a couple hours earlier, too. I called Adelphia and the guy told me "Looks like you're part of an outage. From Ukiah (California, my town) to Los Angeles."

Of course, Adelphia doesn't serve a large amount of markets in that area, but anyway, I wonder if it's really because of this. Somehow I'll bet it's not. It wasn't like it was slow, it just couldn't even sync upstream.

What is your ISP and metro area?

Why not build your own cab and slap MAME on it. It's what I'm doing. It's very easy to do.
Arcade Controls Everything you need to know about creating your own Arcade Game.
MAME
Lucid's Arcade Cabinet DesinGet your cabinet plans here.

Does your company IT bureaucracy disable POP/IMAP access to the exchange server?

Cutsomized munpack

This special version of munpack adds a "-m" flag to extract "message/rfc822"'s to a named file. This can be useful if your company has annoying policies (must have exchange account; no POP or IMAP access; etc) designed to force you to use Microsoft Outlook and Exchange.

Instead, you can set up a rule to "forward as attachment", and then use a combination of this tool, some procmail rules, and a shell script (included) to read your mail on any UNIX system with any standard mail reader.