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Seriously, you walked right into that one. :)

there...
I can't get over thinking that they are some sort of /. affiliate :)

i think the design of this thing is kindof dumb. firstoff, the fact that this thing has the controllers built into the whole unit. so if you wanted to put this thing on your coffee table, you'd need to have a bunch of wires running to your tv (sound, video, power, etc)

furthermore, i just think that it's way too expensive. it would be much easier and likely cheaper to use a flexatx pc, get a decent case so it looks good with your home equipment, and then buy fancy controllers and whatnot.

I suppose I should get my Anti-MPAA/RIAA Stickers now then.

I suppose I should get my Anti-MPAA/RIAA Stickers now then.

I'd like my users to buy me T-shirts from ThinkGeek.

Right! The one that says "SELECT * FROM users WHERE clue > 0" would do nicely!

Or how about having the CEO buy you the one that says "I run this company".

That'd be swell!

I hate to perpetuate sterotypes, but you know very well that the single, male slashdot crowd (the majority) are pretty much limited to microwaved items, pizza, and stuff from here.

Those of us who have tricked wooed somebody into marrying us are probably sensible enough to let them handle things. Personally, I'm only allowed in the kitchen to peel stuff and take out the garbage.

So I suppose this slashdot article must be aimed at the female /. demographic (1% ?)

Just add a roll-up keyboard and you almost have one. Not sure about the mouse or CPU...

Of course, the CPU would be IBM's Linux wristwatch.

Just add a roll-up keyboard and you almost have one. Not sure about the mouse or CPU...

This... is my bro.

CRAZY EARL the sysadmin lifts a dustcover to reveal a toasted server

This is his party. He's the guest of honor. Today... is his birthday.

Email Mother calls out from down the hall: "Happy Birthday, Code Red."

I will never forget this day. The day I came to IIS city and fought one million Code Red worms. I love the little Commie bastards, I really do. These enemy worms are as persistent as thick-headed CIOs.

These are great days we're living, bros! We are jolly caffeinated giants walking the earth, with Bawlz. These worms we wasted here today, contain the finest code we will ever see. After we start working with real servers again we're gonna miss not having any worms around worth killing!

(obligatory reference for those who've never seen Full Metal Jacket)

What I'd like to see is something like the Cappucino get an LCD touchscreen and battery installed on it. This little subnotebook, as far as I can tell from the website, needs to be hooked up to a PC for software to be installed (unless you do it over Wireless). The Cappuccino, though larger and heavier could, with a screen and battery, be an actual fully functioning PC. If you hook a keyboard up. You know.

My grandmother likes Bawls

Well, just one more reason to order another case of Bawls

I have to agree with this. I'm a big fan of what "rom-dumping" projects are doing, even if most people consider them to be piracy in the short term. Culture or sub-culture, it's part of who most of us (on /. anyway) are. Maybe not to the grandoise scale that Katz makes it out to be, but none the less important to document.

I would like to see a similar book on the history of video games in Japan. It may seem to overlap a fair amount, but it is quite different. For instance the dominant system in Japan at the end of the 80's was the PC Engine (TurboGrafx-16 in the States), not the NES as it was over here. Also, the types of games that are popular in Japan are vastly different than in the US. Look through the screenshots of arcade games supported by MAME and try to count how man Mahjong games came out in Japanese arcades!

Also, for some great pictures of games from the late '70s to early '80s, check out Supercade (no, I am not affiliated with ThinkGeek.com -- buy it from where ever the hell you want!). Published by MIT Press, this book gets some of the facts wrong, but it's worth picking up just for the screenshots and pictures.

I agree. I don't think any true geek needs a special drink or sticker or t-shirt or anything to prove that he or she is a geek.

But if you want drinks like Bawls here's what you need to do:

1. Buy a large fridge

2. Buy Bawls online at thinkgeek

3. Set up repeat shipments using Scheduled Delivery

4. Plug Fridge into power outlet somewhere near work area, keep stocked with Bawls.

That's it, you can choose when to start your shipments, how often to send shipments, etc. Everything will work as long as you keep you shipping and billing info current.

"...for saving the honeypot, your own poohbear doll"

No stupid. The prize was this.

I am down to one clock that I have to set - my wristwatch.

Not if you had one of these.

Rounded Hard Drive cables

http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/computing/59ef.shtm l and http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/computing/59ef-2.sh tml

I've wanted one of these for a while. It's a fully functional PC that's not much larger than a CD (though a bit thicker, of course). There's also this one that adds firewire support and is based on the Intel 815 rather than the 810.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/computing/59ef.shtm l and http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/computing/59ef-2.sh tml

I've wanted one of these for a while. It's a fully functional PC that's not much larger than a CD (though a bit thicker, of course). There's also this one that adds firewire support and is based on the Intel 815 rather than the 810.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/computing/59ef.shtm l and http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/computing/59ef-2.sh tml

I've wanted one of these for a while. It's a fully functional PC that's not much larger than a CD (though a bit thicker, of course). There's also this one that adds firewire support and is based on the Intel 815 rather than the 810.

Have a Cappuccino.

With apologies to Ben Folds.

So you wanted
To make some change,
Inflate your stock price,
For once, get paid,

Well, FUCK YOU TOO!

Give me my money back,
Give my my money back, slash dot.

I want my money back.

And don't forget
to give me back my "Got Root?" shirt.

I wish I hadn't
Paid for reposts,
Unclosed <I> tags,
And misspelled head-lines (of course)

Give me my money back,
Give my my money back, slash dot.

I want my money back.

And don't forget

And don't forget

Open source cola? Right here dude.

OpenCola

http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/electronics/5834.sh tml

Walking around with an modded cell phone.. some incompetent idiot asked me:

Sir, why are you having an giant screen against your head ánd why are you even talking against it?

-> It's not just an screen, it's my modded mobile phone with an build-in 42 plasma screen, now I can finally read who's calling me :)

gee, some people just know nothing about technology :)

It's improved and faster, and I don't like it. I used to be able to get a cuppa joe while it started, and now it starts too fast. At least OOo is still slow-as-molasses.

It's improved and faster, and I don't like it. I used to be able to get a cuppa joe while it started, and now it starts too fast. At least OOo is still slow-as-molasses.

I have a Sony MZE3 Minidisc player (and a home deck too), an Intel Pocket Concert 128M and I keep finding neither one of them perfectly satisfying.

The iPod looks sweet, but the cost seems just too much. In the past 20 years I've owned easily a dozen walkmen (most high-end Sonys) and they always broke -- sometimes the mechanisms gave up, but usually they just got dropped/squished or otherwise manhandled. I can't imagine that computer with HDD could be that much more rugged that after a year or so it didn't crap out too.

I'm going to give this Teac MiniCD MP3 player a try to see what its like. It seems like a good compromise between an MP3 player and Minidisc player -- more music per disc than Minidisc/solid state MP3 and faster recording time and definitely more affordable given the breakability of a $499 iPod.

If the iPod was $199 and had USB I wouldn't mind it. The funny thing about USB is that its only *truly* annoying for "real-time" transfers of a dozen songs where you sit there waiting. Drive mes nuts on my Intel 128M. I wouldn't have a problem moving a couple of gig over, since I could just let it go and come back in a couple of hours.

this is all but the PDA input and firewire:

terapin mine

bet you could hook it up to a pda and just keep it in your pocket, too. or add a 802.11b-type PCMCIA card to it and access it wireless from your palm to your pocket. :)

This looks interesting. Doesn't look like an XBox adapter exists yet though...

Smaller? Hello... You need a bigger controller, of course! :D It does seem that the promised console adapters for this lovely-looking piece of joystickery still aren't available, but if they through some fluke of nature actually appear, this looks like a solid enough stick. I know I want one. And a suitable TV-ized box to MAME on. Oh, and a living room to put it all in. And, perhaps, a job with enough of a salary to pay for it, too. Darn.

ThinkGeek offers the Teac Mini-CD/MP3 Player, pretty compact unit (3.7" x 1.1" x 4.1").

I'd buy one right away but, oh wait, ThinkGeek doesen't ship outside the U.S... (idiots)

no just wear the geek shirt or better yet, the first post shirt.

no just wear the geek shirt or better yet, the first post shirt.

It's called the Terapin CD Video Recorder. ThinkGeek has been selling it for a long time.

What the hell is up with all of the exclaimation marks in that article? Did they have too much happy soap?

We ran an older story about the military's growing bandwidth crunch.

I guess if you get drafted it gives new meaning to the phrase "Will work for bandwidth?"

Do you think stories could use fewer links so readers can just focus on the specific article instead of having to sort through every link under the sun? Most stories should have just one link (additional cool pictures excepted, of course).

Check out ThinkGeek.Com. Lot's of cool toys to tinker with. Personally I think the Binary Clock is cool.

Check out ThinkGeek.Com. Lot's of cool toys to tinker with. Personally I think the Binary Clock is cool.

This "Ask Slashdot" question has been brought to you by ThinkGeek

Stuff for Smart Masses

Since the site is gone for the moment, here are some quick links:
Web Site:
www.terapin-mine.com
Purchase:
http://www.thinkgeek.com
Reviews:
http://www.digitaljournalist.org
http://www.edgereview.com
http://computers.cnet.com

We are in the process of replacing Windows bases kiosks with Linux. We were finding it is far too easy to destroy a windows installation, even when locked down to the point of being unusable. (We even went so far as to fabricate a plexiglas cover to block the control keys, f keys, and number pad.) We have not had a single problem with the Linux machines. We even had one set up as a survey kiosk, with a standard unprotected keyboard.

The main difference is that everything in Linux must be turned on, from Ctrl-Alt-Delete on up. Also, at least with RedHat, anything that requires mucking with the system through the X interface also requires the Root password.

If you are looking for some tips on how to set up a lab, and what sort of policies to enforce, the Unix System Administrator's Handbook is chock full of really nifty practical tips and anecdotes. I use my copy daily.

I guess since the authors didn't.
I might as well give the generic Think Geek plug.

Why not just store the key on a removable device. Doesn't have to be a fancy smart-card system, could be a USB key-ring thing, or a small external USB/Firewire drive, or a compact flash card. Most of these have Linux drivers which can map the device to some kind of file-system, which gets automounted when you attach it to your box. Whenever somebody does the billing, they pull out their key and have at it.

The only true security is an air gap.

I can also envision a robot hitting ALT-F4 when I get those annoying pop-ups.

If only I had the money for these robots then I would have something to do at work other than post!

"No, really this new format is crap. First of all, for home users, CD quality, length, and form factor are all just fine. Even if you're an "audiophile" who likes to pretend that your hearing goes past 20kHz, most CDs aren't recorded to their full potential in the studio anyway. No value-add here."

I find this argument a little short sighted. Quality can always be improved. I'm not an expert on audio, but I recently read a thread on how vinyl, in some cases, had better sound response than CD's because of their digital nature. It stands to reason (assuming I understand correctly, please be polite if I'm wrong...) then 96khz would provide a better reproduction of sound. At the very least, the bass response should be better. (Don't theaters use 96 khz sound?)

Let's say I'm wrong about that and you're right, there are still other factors to consider. What about surround sound? CD's hold 2 channels of sound, left and right. What about 5.1 surround? That extra data goes somewhere!

What about giving CD's a menu like DVD's have? Necessary? Not really. It seems feasible, though, that they could put music videos along with the songs on this disc, and create a more interesting environment for the hardcore audiophile.

Gimmicky? Maybe. But when people like stuff, they really like it.

Hell, the worst case scenario is the Beatles could release one disc with a huge collection of their songs for a premium. It'd be expensive, but you'd have one disc with 8 hours of their music on it. (if they've made that much music.. I'm not a Beatles fan so I have no idea...)

"...for home users, CD quality, length, and form factor are all just fine...

I disagree with this comment, but the SACD doesn't even try to solve this problem. I'd like to bring it up anyway because I think it's central to this whole MP3 Vs. the RIAA debate: Consumers have needs that the RIAA isn't filling. We want smaller music players. The physical size of a CD prevents players from becoming pocket sized. We want to make our own CD's with our own compliations on them, but the RIAA says that's piracy and that we're thieves for doing that.

It's a pity because technology allows me to fulfill both requests. I have a few 2.5 inch CDRW's sitting on my desk. They hold between 150-200 megs, which in Mp3 terms is a couple of hours worth. ThinkGeek.com sells an MP3 player that'll play these discs, it's 3.6 inches wide. They understand my needs, but the RIAA doesn't.

On the more serious side, microwave popcorn is always good -- college students go through tons of it (if you want to go healthy, buy her the low-butter kind) -- pizza gift certificates are always good, a DVD player (region free ones are the best) and lots of movies to go along with it (chick flicks for her and the roomie, action movies for the guy friends), perhaps a TV to go along with that DVD player, and maybe a video game system.

Oh, soups, the soups in a can are good -- easy to make, especially when you feel sick. On that note, Nyquil and Dayquil are highly recommended to go along with the rest of the stuff -- she'll thank you when she needs them when she gets her first really bad cold.

-CPM

On the more serious side, microwave popcorn is always good -- college students go through tons of it (if you want to go healthy, buy her the low-butter kind) -- pizza gift certificates are always good, a DVD player (region free ones are the best) and lots of movies to go along with it (chick flicks for her and the roomie, action movies for the guy friends), perhaps a TV to go along with that DVD player, and maybe a video game system.

Oh, soups, the soups in a can are good -- easy to make, especially when you feel sick. On that note, Nyquil and Dayquil are highly recommended to go along with the rest of the stuff -- she'll thank you when she needs them when she gets her first really bad cold.

-CPM