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It has no backlight.It has date-book, address-book, memo-pad, and to-do-list manager. Also has a calculator, a palm expense program, and a clock.

A good review at techtv.com.

Here is the url.

Well, yet again, we have another article stating the obvious. Of course, if you buy better equipment, you're gonna get a better picture. Of course my PS2 will look better on a 50" plasma TV, with overly expensive cables. This makes sense.. otherwise, well, everything would be cheap now wouldn't it.

If you're looking for the ultimate in picture quality, and gaming flexibility, why not try This...

If not for /., TechTV's Screen Savers would actually have to do research.

heh heh

If not for /., TechTV's Screen Savers would actually have to do research.

heh heh

This guy was on Tech TV the other day.

http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/answerstips/sto ry/0,24330,3399433,00.html

There's a link to the article

Two links from his techtv page:

OS Files

FreeByte

Read the above mentioned techtv page for more details... I seriously doubt all of them are licensed, though... Oh, and the reason why? Maybe I know because I live in a nearby city in the same state. His story made the local news a while back. Check his state of residence - Utah. Can you think of much else to do here? :)

I am still responding to this because you are insulting everyone who has chosen Linux as their daily desktop OS (myself and most of slashdot) by saying that it shouldn't even be considered as a choice.

Since you had a rather long post, let me see if I can sum up your points, and provide a brief response to each.

1. The least computer savy person you know needs to be able to get images from her digital camera and manipulate them. This can be done in Mac/Windows, but not in Linux.

The least computer savy person may not have the least demanding needs, but rather advanced needs (like friend); a very computer savy person may not have the most demanding needs, but instead rather basic needs (like myself). So your example of what "the least computer-savy person" you know needs to be able to do on a computer isn't representative of the basic needs people have of a computer, which everyone who buys a computer today will want to do. The most basic computer needs are document presentation/preparation (i.e., MS Office / Open Office), e-mail checking, internet browsing, DVD-watching, and MP3-downloading. You say "no-one downloads MP3's" because that's illegal; well, forgetting about the legality of it, there's at least 60 million nobodies who used Napster to download MP3's. Must be alot of nobodies in your world.

But anyways, lets run with your "least computer-savy person," who needs to get images from a digital camera and perform simple manipulation to them. For the manipulations you mentioned and any other simple manipulations which a typical user of PhotoShop would perform, the GIMP would work fine; its only for the more advanced manipulations which professions would need to do where the GIMP wouldn't suffice. In that case, PhotoShop runs fine via Wine or VMware in Linux. Any major application like such (i.e., MS Office, Quicken, Photoshop, etc) will run fine under Linux via Wine; if not, VMware can always be used. Games or anything which requires intensive reiterated calculations won't work well under Wine or VMware, but such applications are usually only for scientific and professional special effects, of which there are many in Linux.

So, your friend can in fact manipulate the image using either GIMP or PhotoShop in Linux. She also use the tools provided in gPhoto, or Agfa. I'm sure there are many more tools, but that's beside the point.

You also seem to imply (if I read you right) that there's no way to get images from a digital camera to your computer using Linux. At first, I thought that would be hard as I figured it'd require specific drivers; however, one can simply mount the digital camera's hard drive like any other device. Though the explanation of how to do it in this article is a very tech-savy, I'm sure there's easy-to-use UI interfaces which simplify the process.

2. GNUcash is inadequate for the typical home users financial needs. Home users need something like Quicken.

Lets just say that your description of what the typical home user needs is correct; big deal. Run Quicken through Wine or VMware. As I said before, applications which don't require reiterated runs of a complex number-crunching algorithm will run fine under Wine.

3. Because the majority of the many software packages included in Linux are useless, their sheer number is irrelevant.

Really? Have you looked any of the some 7,000 packages in Debian? I'd suggest you check out Debians' Editors, Electronics, Graphics, Ham radio, Mail, Mathematics, Newsgroups, Science, Sound, and WebSoftware. There are many useful packages that come with (for example) Debian. gPhoto is one of them. Please do care to check out your facts before stating something patently false.

On that note, I must say that's one big flaw in every Linux distro I can think of. None of them let you know all of the applications on them. There are tons of useful packages, but the user isn't made aware of them (i.e., gPhoto for digital cameras). There should be something like a graphical menu which lists a bunch of things you want to do, where you select one and then it lists all the tools for that and descriptions of the uses of each. I'll admit its little good having all these packages if the average user (like yourself, obviously) is completely unaware of them.

4. There's nothing one can do in Linux, scientific or otherwise, that can't be done in Windows or Mac. If there is, one can recompile the program for Mac or Windows, or port it.

Well, to name one app which you doesn't work as is on OSX, LightSpeed. You say you can recompile it for Mac or Port it to MacOSX; true, but the average user doesn't even know what the world compile means (let alone recompile) or what the word port means, except in reference to the left side of a ship.

5. The ability to customize software to one's needs is irrelevant; all that matters is having an easy-to-use default configuration, which can be intuitively understood.

I'll agree that an easy-to-use default config is needed in order to help orient a user new to the software. However, default configs are necessarily inefficient for every user. Different users use software in different ways, and will work more efficiently if they eventually can adjust it to meet their needs. For example, I like things best when I can for all programs to make F1 the first menu, F2 the second, F3 the third, and so on, as was the case back in the old DOS days; I really feel that's a much better way of doing things than Alt-F for file menu. F1 is one button, and always the first menu -- rather convenient.

6. The license under which an OS is sold/given away is irrelevant to the user.

A rather naive statement. What happens when MS raids your company and you can't find documents proving you bought every copy of Windows running? A million-dollar settlement, in which you effectively agree to whatever terms MS dictates; that's what happens. Same thing for Apple, though we haven't heard as much about that. What happens when you post or want to download an improvement to an application, which is prohibited by its EULA? Well, if you post an improvement, your legally liable. Same thing if you download one, though there's little way to enforce that. I can go on and on. In short, its the difference between enslavement (MS/Apple in the GUI) and freedom (BSD/Linux); namely, the enslavement or freedom of the user. There's a good reason why Richard Stallman created the FSF.

7. For Linux advocates, it all comes down to "you should use Linux because of politics"

An invalid simplification. For people who believe as Richard Stallman and the FSF do, the main reason one should use Free Software is because it gives one freedom; another good reason is that, in general, they think its better. For people who believe as Linus Torvalds and the OSS does, its just the oppostie: you should use Linux because in general its better, then because it gives you freedom. In short, I'd say that about half of the Linux community believes in using it because of its technical superiority, as they see it (this is verified by the fact that Linux outperforms, for example, Win2k and *BSD in server performance tests).

Now, I realize that you probably have one more objection to my post: still, why use Linux? You can accomplish all the same stuff in Mac OS X and Windows.

Well, regarding Windows, there are no powerful Unix commands unless you get Cygwin or something like it, which is not an adequate solution; also, you don't benefit from the superior performance, security, and stability of Linux. Despite XP's stability improvements, its still not as stable as Linux; and its, as Steve Balmer of MS says, "just not built with security in mind".

Regarding MacOSX, it is true that it basically offers alot of the functionality of Linux through the terminal. But its based on BSD and Mach; and performance tests have shown that Linux outperforms BSD, though not being as secure out of the box. However, Apple's OSX is not shipped secure out of the box, as is OpenBSD, so that's a non-issue.

Performance aside, basically MacOSX basically offers all of the same powerful UNIX applications that Linux does. So why use Linux over MacOSX? Simple: cost. Do you really expect PC users to buy much more expensive Macs when essentially the same performance is available from a PC at a lower cost? Do you really expect them to dump their PC w/c they paid for just to buy a Mac with OSX on it?

What about for people who already have Mac hardware or like Mac hardware better? Linux is still a better cost option. OSX is some 120 or so dollars. Linux can be free if you download it, and if you want to buy the CD, ranges from $60 dollars for personal RedHat t o $15 or so for Debian. For that money ($0 [or the cost of downloading it] to $60) you get a OS with functionality equivalent to MacOSX. Additionally, you get tons and tons of useful software packages, which had you bought proprietary equivalents of would probably cost you tens of thousands of dollars. For example, just think about how much it would cost you to buy the proprietary equivalents of all he compilers that come with Linux for "free" or nearly so.

Good post, but you missed something here.

Microsoft (and most of the other console vendors) actually sell their consoles at a loss. They make up the profit by getting a cut of every game sold. By hacking the box and running Linux on it, you are completely removing their profit potential for that unit. Effectively, they just paid you to have a new Linux box in your living room.

Medieval: Total War

My sister will soon be a history teacher in rural Illinois. She is a gamer, and would gladly assign the right game as homework. There are equal access issues to consider, however. If the school doesn't have a nice big computer lab, you've just assigned homework that only the relatively rich kids can do.

Untitled Document

TechTV featured Lawrence Lessig on one of their shows, Big
Thinkers. Listen to him explain his view of cyberlaw in a video clip found
at the same web site...

Is Evolution not usable?

Evolution

Ummm...Saudi Arabia itself has 25 percent of the world's known oil reserves. The U.S. only has 3 percent of the world's known oil reserves.

"Electric wheels just dont turn as hard as gas-driven ones. (torque)"

Electric motors actually have more torque, pound-for-pound, than gasoline engines do. Furthermore, electric motors have a perfectly flat torque curve from 0 RPMs, whereas most gasoline engines don't hit their peak torque until at least 1,750 rpm. This means electric motors have a MUCH larger area under the torque curve !! Thus, I would argue electric motors have substantially more torque than gasoline engines. If you don't believe me, check out this link and this link.

Nice summary by O'Reilly
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Zaurus user's site
Sharp Developer site
ZDNet UK review
cNet review
Linuxdevices.com review
ZDnet review
TechTV review
ThinkGeek review
PC Magazine review
IT Reviews review
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Buy @ Amazon

And I think it's called Public Access, which probably has fewer viewers than the population per square mile of North Dakota. Not just a day late, but two dollars short. And I think this is something you might be interested in... !Link!. Yay. 3 channels. Editable. W00t. I'm just not seeing the light here...

Thank Goddess TechTV is privately held, or it would have been gone by now.

TechTV on Kleinrock

There's a similar AI robotic combat program Tech tv did a story on called MelBotWars.
It's basically a plugin for maya which uses the MEL(Maya Embedded Language) programming language for coding your bot's AI, and uses the rigidBody dynamics in Maya for the physics.
Also, take note that you only need the Maya personal learning edition to use it, which is free.

Sometimes, the accounting overhead costs more than the thing is worth.

Very true. For example, the New York City subway pays as much to pay for the expenses of fare collection as it actually collects in fares. Making the subway free wouldn't hurt the bottom line, except for the fact they'd lose federal matching funds for the fares - so they have to throw money down a hole to get money from the Feds.

Las Vegas local phone calls are free. They probably save money on NOT billing.

Of course, that's all assuming your phone isn't hacked.

This was talked about by Vint Cerf himself on June 18, 2002 live on The Screen Savers on TechTV. Watch the video (encoded in WindowsMedia) (part one and part two) of the interview if you dont believe me, as nothing is stated in the text of the article. He mentioned that a new protocol would be needed as the ping time to Mars would be much longer and packet loss might occur frequently.

This was talked about by Vint Cerf himself on June 18, 2002 live on The Screen Savers on TechTV. Watch the video (encoded in WindowsMedia) (part one and part two) of the interview if you dont believe me, as nothing is stated in the text of the article. He mentioned that a new protocol would be needed as the ping time to Mars would be much longer and packet loss might occur frequently.

This was talked about by Vint Cerf himself on June 18, 2002 live on The Screen Savers on TechTV. Watch the video (encoded in WindowsMedia) (part one and part two) of the interview if you dont believe me, as nothing is stated in the text of the article. He mentioned that a new protocol would be needed as the ping time to Mars would be much longer and packet loss might occur frequently.

This was talked about by Vint Cerf himself on June 18, 2002 live on The Screen Savers on TechTV. Watch the video (encoded in WindowsMedia) (part one and part two) of the interview if you dont believe me, as nothing is stated in the text of the article. He mentioned that a new protocol would be needed as the ping time to Mars would be much longer and packet loss might occur frequently.

This was talked about by Vint Cerf himself on June 18, 2002 live on The Screen Savers on TechTV. Watch the video (encoded in WindowsMedia) (part one and part two) of the interview if you dont believe me, as nothing is stated in the text of the article. He mentioned that a new protocol would be needed as the ping time to Mars would be much longer and packet loss might occur frequently.

Amusingly, you're right: The default *is* Ctrl-Alt-Del-T. And here I thought you were being sarcastic :-) The trick is that apparently there's a password, too.

Apparently my memory of the 1964 Picturephone is faulty, because it says here that "The image only refreshed once every few seconds." That's sure not the way I remember it, but...

On the other hand, something doesn't quite jibe, because this article says that the bandwidth was 1,000,000 Hz, which was about one-quarter that of full broadcast EIA RS-170-A black-and-white video; so if you assume that the screen resolution was half that of broadcast in both dimensions, it should have been possible to get a full 30 fps. Or if the screen had full broadcast resolution, it should have been possible to get 7 fps, which is a far cry from "once every few seconds."

Or, like in RoboCop II, maybe a shock generator? Or like in South Africa, those anti-car-jacking under-car flamethrowers?

Tech TV ran a great program on this some time ago.

Check it out here.

A co-worker of mine has a friend in China, and it is something that he really takes seriously. He actually wrote an article in our IT newsletter a few months ago, talking about the waste that we dump into Asia. All sorts of countries are doing this. Companies are paying to dump this junk off to the cheapest landfill. It is sick. It is something that we need to take seriously. Large ships take this stuff to Asia every day.

I also read that there are start-up companies that are trying to take this stuff and dismantle it properly. Recycling this stuff, and appropriately preventing serious toxic hazards.

The first way to start is simple... Don't throw this stuff into the trash. Landfills are becoming full of this stuff. Donate working computer stuff, or try to find a suitable recycling facility. It is important to realize that this can be done with all electronics.

ComputerRecycle.com.

I am a Transgaming subscriber, but it's hard to justify paying for one of these games, when I have the Loki version of KIS, Starcraft (still haven't finished it), and Warcraft 3 to keep me busy.

I'm tempted to chip in for one of these games anyway, just to encourage a future port of Kohan II (when it is released next year) as well as due to the outstanding reviews Kohan has received.

More reviews here.

While Cmdrtaco is hanging with the TechTV people, I would be greatly disappointed if he didn't try to get Megan Morrone to do an interview.

This thing was on TV back in June...

http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/products/stor y/0,24330,2398475,00.html

Link

• Pros: Unique and compact form factor; record/encode into MP3; memory expansion slot
  
• Cons: No status display; counterintuitive recording

The Vectron Flying Saucer is insanely fun and less than $100.

Check out this Tech TV article.

I bought one recently and my only regret is not letting the Vectron have it's recommended cool-down breaks. I was having too much fun and the constant use killed it in one weekend.

If you don't have vaulted ceilings, get some. :-)

...that you never hear of any accounting 'errors' that make the company look less wealthy than it is?

Actually, I believe Microsoft was guilty of doing just this -- under-reporting their profits when they were doing extremely well, so they could put some away to pad earnings reports in the future if they were not doing so well... I believe it was called "cookie jar" practices.

A google for "microsoft cookie jar" comes up with:

• BBC: "Microsoft settles 'cookie jar' case"
• TechTV: Microsoft Agrees to Stop 'Cookie Jar'
• The Register: MS and SEC reach cookie-jar deal

One step closer to realtime ratings and the world of Max Headroom. I've been watching the episodes on Tech TV and it's scary how prescient that show was.

Last time I checked, GameCube is no PC.

No, but Dolphin is. Dolphin is the workstation that GameCube developers use.

What's the difference between a PC with a video card and a PC with a console on a card?

The reason that the instructions are "hard to follow", might be that the site the article is on, TechTV, is a network video broadcasting site... So there's a video show, "The Screen Savers" (Weekdays 7 p.m. Eastern) that's going to be showing more about the project, I assume. Further, I guess that's almost impossible to figure out if you're a Slashdot editor (or, now that I've started to bitch, a story submittor). Heh.

Maybe you should try clicking on some of the links in the article with pictures next time?

The question is whether or not you can copyright a legal document such as the EULA.

You're covered.

Gamecube, PS2, NES, Atari 2600, PC and an Xbox all in a big ass Lian Li case.

It's already been done but also included a PS2, NES, Gamecube, Xbox and a huge gaming pc in one box. it's awesome. Check it out here

It's probably true that the system, as a whole, is pretty weak. But, this isn't really news. I remember, the group L0pth, speaking at the US Congress a few years ago and they said the exact same thing. See the artical(s) here:
here and here

This story is The Screen Saver's Question of the Day today. Go to http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/opinion/story/0 ,24330,3393166,00.html to vote on this. So far, 83% says Google isn't too good (in other words, the NYT article is off its rocker).

just get one of these?

IANAL...However...I remember watching a TechTV special with Lawrence Lessig talking about copyright and the Internet. In the program, he said that cable can regulate what they can and can not carry. Phone companies, however, because they are a "common carrier", have to allow any type of transmission on their network without bias and discrimination.

If you are looking for a really small camera, be sure to check the SMaL Ultra Pocket. It is the size of a credit card and 6mm thick.

You can find it as the "Fuji Eyeplate" or as the "Logitech Pocket Digital".

I've got mine and its really cool.

Fh

What is this mysterious data that can't be expressed in HTML???? Blipverts!!!??!!?? Maybe they'll put cartoons into the bill--to help explain why they passed it. Oooo...maybe they can put in complex equations so everyone will think they are smart.

I think some people just believe XML is some sort of magical file format that should be used no matter what. I expect MPEG 5 will be in XML, then they'll wonder why the files are so much larger and takes 10x the processing time and memory to decode.

XML may be useful in some places, but not everywhere. Replacing it with binary formats is bad because it will unnecessarily increase the filesize and resources to decode them. Using it for config files will require all programs to run an XML parser and make the config files less human readable. Using it to express laws will just make them inaccessible to the common person by requiring them to have expensive proprietary software (or software made by an illegal monopoly) to even view them.

If they want bills to be searchable, they should be designing database tables for them, and allow the public to export the database (or subsets of it) in a standard database format. For online viewing, they could easily export the data into HTML (or XML) using PHP.

Using "Microsoft Word and a special converter to do the job" is just stupid. Creating a program that allows some intern to key the data into the database would probably be easier and more effective in the long run.

Can't you see what's going on here? Did you see the commericals for Applied Digital Solutions' VeriChips, the implantable chip (which could eventually be used for tracking kidnap victims) immediately following the news story on CNN about Elizabeth Smart?*

Obviously, the kidnapping is a conspiracy orchastrated by the news agencies themselves to boost public approval and acceptance of implants. Which will only lead to a global police state run by Satan himself.*

*not really

Last year Icebox.com signed a three-year deal with John Kricfalusi (creator of Ren & Stimpy). It was for three new series by John K, that term (until 2003!) Icebox will be the exclusive Web home for content generated by Spumco (www.spumco.com), John K's animation studio.