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Domain: bellsouthpwp.net

Stories and comments across the archive that link to bellsouthpwp.net.

Comments · 13

  1. Tunnels of Doom by sproketboy · · Score: 1 · on Vintage Games

    Does it mention Tunnels of Doom? This was a game ahead of it's time. There's rebooted version here.

  2. Re:ISBN's owned by no one by teamhasnoi · · Score: 1 · on Don't Take Notes In the Bookstore
    Actually, the transition period is over as of Jan 2007. I'm guessing you're seeing books printed before this date, as conversion to ISBN-13 is easy. Really, the only difference is in the display of the ISBN; you don't need to show the ISBN-10 anymore. Those who lag behind must have some infrastructure still needing to be adjusted to deal with the bigger number.

    This is a pretty good resource, if you're looking for info on ISBN.

    It covers the transition, placement, and some of the technical side of ISBN.

    ISBN numbers are assigned, but ownership is not transfered - they remain the 'property' of the company that issues them.

    OT, but interesting: In the early days of EAN or UPC-A (garden-varity barcode), those who bought a prefix (first 6 numbers) were allowed to 'resell' upc numbers to other entities. The issuing company was not happy about it, so changed the 'license' to prohibit that.

    George J. Laurer, inventor of the barcode, goes into it further on his website, here. He's not really cool with it :)

  3. Multiple Amiga owner AND Stock Holder by Amigan · · Score: 1 · on The Rise and Fall of Commodore
    Being the owner of an original A1000, and then an A3000 (still functioning - dual booting AmigaOS 3.9 and Debian Sarge) - I was impressed with the technology. You can see what I have at:


    http://bellsouthpwp.net/h/e/heymanj/Amiga/Amiga.ht ml


    I thought so much of it, that I bought enough shares to paper a good sized room - and lost it all :-(


    I bought the book to understand what kind of cluster f**k management was. I would make the book required reading for any graduate level business management (MBA type) course so that they understand that bad management + good products still equals failure.

  4. TI 99/4a, and later a Mac Classic by Bob+Uhl · · Score: 1 · on What Was Your First Computer?
    My family's first computer was a TI 99/4a, complete with external disk drive and a cable so it could write to an audio cassette. I remember the oldest of my little brothers helping me carry that huge disk drive down the stairs (well, we were something like 4 and 6) so that we could play Tunnels of Doom. I'd get my issues of The Electric Company and type in Basic programmes--the only problem was that they were always for Apple or IBM Basic, so I had to translate 'em. Without a reference manual, or any real understanding of what was going on. And then I'd record them to a tape, which like as not wouldn't play them back properly. Those were the days!

    The first computer I ever owned was a Macintosh Classic my parents got me for Christmas one year. That was probably the best Christmas present I've ever gotten, and is probably responsible for my love of computers and my current career.

  5. TI-994a by sproketboy · · Score: 1 · on What Was Your First Computer?

    Tunnels of Doom was the best game of it's time.
    Tribute page
    TOD reboot

  6. Re:Not true by hackstraw · · Score: 1 · on World's Most Powerful Subwoofer
    I don't think it has to do with the 4 Hz signal.

    I don't have the disk handy, but it goes into details in the liner notes about the frequency response of the cannons from the initial crack down to the low rumble. The liner notes also said that the original cannons when recorded blew out a window about a mile away. From http://www.telarc.com/gscripts/title.asp?gsku=0541 :
    When the 1812 was released, the cover read "Caution! Digital Cannons," and the interior of the booklet warned the listener that "the cannons of the Telarc 1812 Overture are recorded at a very high level. Lower levels are recommended for initial playback until a safe level can be determined for your equipment." Reviewers also issued cautions: "Just be sure the volume isn't so loud that one of the shots spreads pieces of speaker cone all over your floor," (Digital Audio); and "Its peaks would crack your window panes and maybe your speaker cones, too." (Knight-Ridder Newspapers).
    Also, this url, http://bellsouthpwp.net/l/j/ljfrank/Samples.html says: "Telarc's recording of the 1812 Overture with it's Digital Canons reaching down to 6 Hz!"

    I had a 12" subwoofer that "bottomed out" playing this recording. Meaning the cone hit the frame or the magnet hit the frame or something. To watch the woofer was scary. It really does go that low. I was off by 2 Hz I guess, I was reciting 4 Hz from memory the last time I read the liner notes 8 or so years ago.
  7. Re:Tunnels of Doom! by kpkca · · Score: 1 · on Look Ahead to the RPGs of 2005

    Kevin Kenney here. Thanks for the ToD mention. A site about the original game for those interested is at:
    http://bellsouthpwp.net/e/d/edburns00/classic-gami ng/tunnels/

  8. Useful to compare/contrast with autism? by Two99Point80 · · Score: 5, Insightful · on Cognitive Enhancement Drugs
    I am autistic, and seem to have some of the "enhancements" being discussed here such as very good situational focus and access to unfiltered detail. However these come at considerable cost, for example susceptibility to sensory overload, sometimes-extreme difficulty with unscheduled or illogical changes, and so forth. (Perhaps these attributes could be analogous to "side effects" of the cognitive enhancement drugs?) While it could be argued that "everybody does/has/experiences this", the degree of it can be extreme for some of us, and may point to caveats regarding the meds.

    FWIW I've come up with a number of metaphors for my experience of being autistic, and it might be useful to examine these in the context of "cognitive enhancement". There are in the "self-awareness" article directly accessible here (URL may change in the future) or through my domain.

    In any event, it may be prudent to go back to the movie "Charly" and ponder his answer to the question, "What do you see?" and the ensuing dialog. Seeing more clearly comes at a price...

  9. Re:Special Characters != More Secure by NaDrew · · Score: 1 · on Password Security Not Easy
    Of course, if you want security, you should go with tolken-based authentication.
    Oooh, I know this one! "Speak 'Friend' and enter"
  10. Re:We need a "truth-in-DRM law" by grondu · · Score: 1 · on Cory Doctorow on Digital Rights Management

    Yes, you can find tools that will handle dvr-ms files. For example, Cyberlink's Power Director will. If you search for "DVR" in this PDF file, you will find this statement: "Users who have used Windows XP Media Center Edition to record videos can now import files for editing in PowerDirector 3.". I know other tools can do it also.

    From Microsoft: "This supplement is an update to Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 1. Users who want to play Media Center PC digital recording files (.dvr-ms) in any other Windows XP SP1 system should download this update. You must use a player that supports DirectShow® and have a Windows XP compatible DVD decoder installed. Windows Media Player® Series 9 is an example of a DirectShow player that can support .dvr-ms files with this download."

    Here is a guide to ripping dvr-ms files to DVD compliant MPEG-2 files

    I found these (except the XP update which I knew about) in a few minutes using Google.

  11. Re:Dead or Alive by Black+Hitler · · Score: 3, Informative · on Simpler Sometimes Better In Videogames?
    It's Team Ninja's baby, and with such great gameplay achievements such as 'Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball' to emphasise the point, it's easy to see why the DoA series gets criticised.
    The funny thing about DOAXBV is that the creator actually admitted the gameplay was so simplistic you could play it with one hand. His explanation was that he wanted it to be easy enough for his 5-year-old daughter. Uh huh.
  12. When "disability" influences identity... by Two99Point80 · · Score: 1 · on Perl for the Disabled
    I am autistic (and my username is the DSM code for autism). A common but IMO erroneous view of autism is that there is a "real person 'trapped inside' the autism". That sure isn't my experience - what I am is an autistic person, not a person with (and therefore concealed by) autism.

    This may not be case for every condition labeled a "disability"; just speaking up for my own circumstances :-)

  13. For a reliable printer, you just can't beat... by phillymjs · · Score: 4, Informative · on Are Printers What They Used To Be?

    ...the Apple LaserWriter II series.

    I can't find an exact release date on them after a few minutes of Googling, but they are all well over 10 years old and plenty of my clients still have a few of them around. They aren't the fastest printers, but they are built like tanks and the toner carts are fairly generic and still rather widely available.

    I wanted something a little better, so in 1994 I bought a ~$1400 LaserWriter Select 360, IMHO one of the best printers Apple ever made. 600DPI, 10PPM, 16MB maximum RAM, and even an internal fax card option. My Select 360 will be 10 in February, and it shows no sign of its age.

    The newer printers I work on just feel cheap and insubstantial to me, especially the inkjets. And if this DMCA crap they're pulling to keep third parties from making toner/ink carts continues, I will keep my older printer for as long as I possibly can, with the help of fixyourownprinter.com, if necessary.

    ~Philly