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Slashback: Gnoogle, PlayStation, Assault
Location, location, location. A lot of people were interested in the Google contest whose winner was announced last week; Dan Egnor creator of that entry, writes "FYI, I've released the code for the winning Google contest entry under the GPL."
You mean they weren't just saying Hi? Anonymous Goodfella writes: "In an update to the Dangers of Being a Microbiologist, the AP [news.com.au] is reporting an attack on a Tennessee state medical examiner who gave evidence to an inquiry into the death of infectious diseases researcher Don Wiley. Coroner O.C. Smith was left tied with barbed wire to an apparent explosive."
Jakob Nielsen says Flash No Longer Evil Allen Varney writes "Given that Flash MX now supports the back button, Unicode, and accessibility, and has introduced p$user interface components, usability guru Jakob Nielsen today updated his famous 'Flash: 99% Bad' rant from October 2000. (Scroll down to see the update, stirringly titled 'Flash Now Improved.') His Nielsen Norman Group has formed a strategic alliance with Macromedia to start educating one million Flash designers in the fundamentals of good design. You did know that Flash .SWF is now an open format, right?"
Step 47: remove blindfold, scream. For those anxiously awaiting (or judiciously pondering) the Linux upgrade kit for the PS2, some words to consider from reader silvaran, who writes: "I just received my Playstation 2 Linux kit in the mail. I was disappointed to find that none of the monitors (3) that I had function properly with it. So I took to following the instructions on a blind install. It's not the most elegant of solutions, but it works. You need a blank memory card to install, but everything else is included in the kit. I'm on my way to a full Linux installation, complete with 100mbit networking, 40-gig HD and a USB keyboard and mouse; also included are full documentation on taking advantage of the PS2 hardware under Linux."
That blind install looks not for the faint of heart -- still, it would be nice if every distro included a simple walk through like that for when a monitor just isn't handy :)
Reader microwerx adds some a few more words of advice and caution: "[T]he PS2 Linux Kit will not read CDRs, so you'll have to use the supplied 10/100 Ethernet Adapter to get stuff in and out of the machine. One very good thing about the PS2 Linux Kit was the documentation regarding the Emotion Engine chip, etc. There's at least 2000+ pages of information regarding how it all works in glorious PDF format. There is also a OpenGL-like library (ps2gl) that supports the hardware. I also understand that SDL also works. Another is the amount of equipment you receive. You get a USB mouse and keyboard, a 10/100MBPS Ethernet Adaptor, A VGA convertor, and a 40Gb Hard drive. And all of this stuff appears to have some future use (you may have to remove Linux to use them nonetheless). So, once again, unless you just want the novelty of having a PS2 Workstation, developing console games, or setting up a small home server, I don't believe that you'll gain too much additional functionality. An overall rating of 3 1/2 stars out of 5 is certainly in order (because after all, it is for game development)."
The correct URL
It's all pretty X-files, and while quite a few "microbiologists" (defined loosely, as some of the people have not really been true microbiologists) have died under mysterious circumstances lately I can't shake the feeling that the story is being "shaped" into this whole conspiracy dogma format.
Anyway, here's a link to one of the nutball sites (this is Mike Vreeland's "The Government Made 9-11 Happen" site) which has some writeups on it.
Proceed with caution. You're reading heavy spin here...
So Nielsen's partnering with Macromedia to educate people on proper Flash design. It's a PR gesture on Macromedia's part to silence one of Flash's most vocal critics, but it's not going to accomplish much in the real world. The real Flash offenders are not going to attend a Macromedia seminar on usability or study Nielsen's guidelines. That would restrain their "creativity" -- most of them use Flash specifically because they want to be different, which is the antithesis of Nielsen's usability mantra.
My browser filters out all swf files, so if you use Flash and you don't provide an HTML alternative (most sites don't), I'll never see your content. That's a good thing. I don't want to play "chase the links as they fly across the screen" or listen to your music blended with the mp3 I'm playing.
Fireworks are exciting, pretty toys too, but each July 4 police scour the streets for people who set them off because they're dangerous in the hands of most people.
I understand where the patch is for Q1 to make it work under SDL, but... Where's this 3d wrapper? Dunno who Brian is!
Regards,
Spooticus
actually slackware is quite easy to install, surely you can figure it out... I mean, I did as a 13 year old.
At about 10:00, I took 25 mg of 2C-B orally and my wife took 10 mg. I had eaten a short while before, nonetheless, I began feeling the effects within 15 minutes. Everything seemed to come into focus and my sense of being took on a very warm aspect. During the buildup, I listened to a mixset of very loud, very powerful psychedelic trance, and was quite impressed by 2C-B's audio- enhancing effects. The trip continued gaining momentum for what I would approximate to be 2 hours. I also took some GHB during the buildup, which synergized very nicely. At this level, the visuals were reminiscent of LSD as I viewed the carpet, but there were also sparkling filaments of every color flying around of a sort that I had never encountered before. The trails or "tracers" were among the nicest and most pronounced of any I have ever seen, they seemed to light up with neon colors and float away. Tactile sensations were also, as promised in what I had read, greatly enhanced. My wife and I were abstaining from sex due to a recent addition to the family, otherwise I would have investigated the tactile-enhancing aspect of this substance further. Kind of like a brighter, hotter-burning version of its longer-lasting sibling, DOB.
At about 3 or 4 hours into it a lightbulb came on over my head. I had read how 2C-B can make the Ketamine state easier to assimilate upon return to "normal" reality. I figured since this could be my once-in-a-lifetime shot at trying 2C-B, I may as well engage in some serious psychonautics while I had the opportunity. I dissolved 60mg of K in a ml or so of water, and administered with a rectal syringe. I could see within minutes that I was in for a Krazy ride.
I was talking to my wife. None of the words that were escaping my mouth had been formulated in my mind before saying them, and I was only vaguely aware of what I might have been saying. I remember saying something along the lines of "I have no idea how I am able to stand here and communicate with you right now". My consciousness was a spinning vortex made up of swirling neon cloud-glaxies and random thoughts/phrases. The 2C-B was keeping my pieces together and providing an amazing lightshow as K space crept upon me more and more. At about 30 minutes after taking the Ketamine, I laid down on the couch and finally blasted off.
My perceptual field was flooded with insectoid imagery. I experienced the form and unity of the Hive Mind. The Hive and the Anthilll as intelligent lifeforms. A giant mantis-looking thing holding the planet Earth in its grasp (literally!). Neon honeycomb- looking things. One Mind. Gaian Mind. Hive Mind. A lot of the same imagery and thoughts that I had received on high-dose psilocybin encounters were present. I saw myself as the ant, and was well aware of this strange alien power's ability to crush me as such. I was informed that as long as my intentions were good and I was acting on my True Will, I had nothing to fear from these obviously superior lifeforms. On the visual level, everything was flowing and electric. Neon tracers persisted for what seemed like over 10 seconds and floated off into obscureness. I saw the synchronicity in my life reaching a climactic point in the not-so-distant future, at the will of this anthill/hive-type Universal Mind. On an emotional level, the combination of K and 2C-B was extremely opening, and helped me to view my life in a new light- as a series of interacting mechanisms and external forces beyond my control which all culminate to make things happen and to make "me" behave in a certain manner. I looked forward to some events which I knew were coming up in my life with great disdain, knowing that I had fucked up greatly to cause things to be where they currently were. The harsh and verbally abusive way I had been raised as a child follows me to this day, fully interweaved with my being and the way I handle things. Looking at "me" from the outside, witnessing the various mechanisms which make up "me", I realized I have some serious issues I have yet to resolve. The overall message, as has been the message I have received on other psychedelics, is that if I wish to better myself and free myself of the demons that haunt me, I need to quiet my mind and seek clarity through meditation.
The K wore off about an hour after taking it and I rode out the comedown chilling on the futon with my wife, taking bonghits of some rather tasty nug to smooth the landing. While the 2C-B helped to retain much of the K experience, I feel there was still a signifigant portion that I was unable to bring back (secrets humankind was not meant to know, I suppose!). It is unfortunate that these two casualties of the "War on Drugs" are not more widely available, for I feel if more people examined this particular combination, humanities collective unconscious would reap signifigant benefits. I am thankful for this new insight into my own life and the Universe as a whole, and I hope some day I am fortunate enough to experience this particular combo again.
"You're just scared like a little white pussy. I'll fuck you till you love me, you faggot!"
Agreed. I'm amazed by the sheer number of people who bought the kit without understanding what they were getting. Not so amazed by the number of people who simply refuse to read the FAQ or peruse the forums - that's par for the course, right? Where would we be without dozens of newbies asking exactly the same question about X configuration for their NTSC sets? :)
Still, it's been a kick compiling packages for the mipsel. So far it makes for a great MP3 client for my server, XMAME will be good for yuks once a bug is sorted out, and I still have all that graphics demo code to crack open. It's not for everyone, but I'm having fun.
if your really want a console to read cd-r buy a dreamcast... here is ow much one costs:
:)) the ps2 is more difficult to prgram for because you must constanly squeez the video bandwidth with swapping textures and that is a bitch to code into your programs...
dreamcast - $50
....
wait is that it?... YES...
you can buy a keyboard and mouse if you want but to get linux on you need no kit... just downlaod a dreamcast distro and burn it onto a rgular cd-r
not only is it easy but its better than the ps2... the ps2 has 4 megabytes of video ram which have an insame amount of bandwidth... although it can equal the dreamcasts 8 meg opengl (w/full screen antialiasing of course
so if you want a hackers toy get a dreamcast... you can get a 10/100 mb network card for it jsut like the ps2 and its FAR easier to program for
unzip; strip; touch; finger; mount; fsck; more; yes; unmount; sleep
What part of "Sync-on-green monitor required" didn't you understand?
Most PC monitors are designed to be as inexpensive to manufacture as possible. This means that "extra" features (that any decent monitor _SHOULD_ have) such as sync-on-green get left out.
Don't expect to be able to be a cheapskate and buy the least expensive monitor you can find and still have it work as well as a much nicer (but more expensive) monitor.
I don't know that I agree that the "wrong sort" of people are getting it. We are all newbies at one point or another. If the kit lets people who otherwise would've never touch Linux to learn/use, and maybe even enjoy Linux, then it's already worth it.