Yah, but the hypothetical (isn't it?) Voyager 10 was similiarly lost contact with... Anyway, that's what it reminded me of first. But you have a point about ST:5. Argh, now you've triggered all those unpleasant flashbacks. -J
It was the Borg. They were collecting Voyager probes, weren't they?
To other hard-core trek fans: I know the borg were never specifically mentioned in Star Trek: TMP, but I like to think that's how it worked. And besides, if william shatner writes it, it must be true! (well...not really...what a weird book....) -J
Please, contribute to the fund that will help feed and clothe me and hire people to do my homeowrk for me for a year so that I can help this Elven mage Ascend.
Well, I think it's worthy....;)
Actually, I kind of worry. Does this mean he'll sepnd a year doing nothing but Perl? Just working on this one program day in and day out? Maybe I'm not fanatic enough, but that's kind of scary... I mean, some variety would probably be healthy. -J
...are called pill bugs. The rainbow butterfly has a nice picture here.
It seems that they are isopods, and they are also known as woodlice. It's rather confusing; I still ahven't figured it out. In any event, there's an extensive site all about woodlice, in various forms, here. A sample: "They have no waterproof waxy cuticle on their exoskeleton and are therefore more likely to suffer from desiccation compared with other arthropods such as insects which have a well developed waxy layer." (credit to the author) Now i'm all self-conscious about my waxy cuticle...
But I am confused. Are these "woodlice," which seem to be New Zealand beasts, the same as the pill bugs in my garden? Am I anywhere close to being on-topic? -J
Tux is fat, someone tell him to lose some weight...
Well, yes, but can you imagine a skinny penguin? Penguins are sort of inherently chubby... something to do with blubber or something like hat... keeps 'em warm.
Wow, waaaay OT, and I don't even particularly like Tux. Past my bedtime.. -J
I think they quesiton might be better as "Should Linux ever be ported to the Palm?"
Ok, that's a bit harsh. Certainly it would be a neat hack, and I like a neat hack as much as the next being. But is linux right for the palm? Say you install linux on your palm, and want to use, for example, bash. Unless you're amazingly good at graffiti, it will be a lot slower than on your desktop. You could, conceivably, use a keyboard (all hail the PPK!), first writing a driver for it, but you can't do that on a regular basis (as in jotting down a number on the subway). Yah, you could write a GUI for it, or adapt X, or soemthing, but....why? Does linux have to run on everything and its duck? I'm not a linux expert, but it seems to me that PalmOS is on the right track with they're handheld OS: simple, streamlined, totally GUI oriented. Just some things to think about. And I still WinCE when I think about Microsoft's attempt to squeeze their desktop OS onto a handheld.... -J
I am very concerned about the upcoming PS/2 crisis. What if the next computer I buy only has USB ports? That means I can't use my favorite mouse! I'll have to buy an adapter or soemthing! Nooo! [/facetiousness] -J
... that whole attitude of "Good gods, I don't want anything that even loks like windows anywhere near my linux box" is a fair summary of the maniacal anti-microsoft rantings I hear all too often from linux fanantics. And while it is clearly illogical, well, there's a reason "fanatics" applies...
He is being pretty silly, though. Isn't QT designed to look like an MFC app? I might have that wrong... Anyway, I have to agree that saying that the problem lies in a linux program which happens ot look like a windows program is absurd. Refusing to use the app because of this reason is even more so. -J
If I were feeling spiteful and bitter, I'd say something like, "We're not gonna get much info on this anytime soon, cause the/. crew never actually read the page, as we saw earlier today with the PS2 thing."
But I'm not in that kind of mood. It just occurred to me (though preocess: i want to know more about this -> more info must come from/. team -> they will find out when they see it -> when will they see it). Of course, the "hackers" say they emailed the admins, so whatever.
I dunno, I think this is all kind of cute. Thinking back to what happened to a certain PDA news site recently (I forget which one), this could have been much worse. -J
As a windows user, I can see what you're tlaking about, and I have the same issues with other people's windows machines, though not to the same extent. For the most part, you can trust the Start menu to have the same 8 (if you're using win95) initial items. Anything found above that can probably also be found under Programs.
But there are little things. Color scheme, though that's not much of an issue. Font size (under Control Panel->Desktop->Settings) can give me a sort of vague feeling of discomfort, because it messes with the maximize/minimize/close buttons, till I eventually break and set it all to Small fonts with 1024x768 (then I restore it when I'm done;D ). Radically different cursors can give me that same, pseudo-subconscious feeling that something isn't right. And when you have things with panels that slide out when you nudge the edge of the screen with the mouse, the same thing happens. But it's the same with every OS, I think. I'm used to my customized DOS prompt (LCARS | C:\> in bright green, so the basic C:\> in light gray is kinda boring). I'm used to the way I have apps arranged on my Palm. From what I can tell of Linux, though, you have a much greater degree, or at least ease, of rearrangement and customization. -J
...that this post hasn't got a hope in hell of getting modded up, being so far down the list and all, but oh well.
Personally, I don't believe in a god. My friends tell me I'm too scientifically minded; I think that's close: I'm too logical. Or something. I can't accept the idea of any god. But on the other hand, I know many people do. And I think that, for them, in some way, that god is real. But I doubt that there is one Jewish god, or one Christian god, or one Muslim god, or that they're all the same, or whatever, because I think that each person's god would be different. Religion is sort of a symbiont: you serve it, but at the same time, it serves you. And so I think everyone believes in their religion the way it best suits them, and thus their god in the way it suits them, and so there's really a god for every person.
Well, maybe. I'm still not sure. All I know is that I don't have a god. I guess for that you need faith, and I can't put faith in something I have no tangible evidence for the existence of.
On an almost totally related note, I have noticed varous spellings of magic. Magik, magick, magic... I am reminded of Terry Pratchett's recent masterpiece, Carpe Jugulum. It's about vampires. But they're trying to be modern (unhurt by garlic, holy wayter, etc.), so they call themselves vampyres. But in the end, holy water burns them the same as any other Creature of the Night. The narrator ntoes, "Vampyres are just like vampires, except they can't spell" or some such. Does it matter how you spell it? It's the same idea, no? (I might be totally off. Magic and magick could be totally seaprate things and it's just beyond my comprehension. If that's the case, please tell me) -J
I hear ya. The "slippery slope" I was referring to was more along the lines of restriciton of access in general, but your is also pretty good. I guess I assumed everyone would know what the "slippery slope" was in this context, since it's used so much. Come to think of it, that kind of reduces its effectiveness in arguments, kind of like assuming everyone knows why open source software is good. What was it they told me in journalism class? "Assuming makes an ass out of u and me?" Doesn't make much sense when you really think about it, but it's the thought that matters.:) -J
Good gods, what are you thinking? Do you want to lose all your karma? You can't go saying things like that on slashdot.
Heh. Anyway, I have to agree. {If | When} I have children, I am sure that I will want to control, at least to some extent, what they are exposed to. My own aprents did that, at least a bit (nothing excessive, though PBS was highly emphasized;)), and I think that I'm truly the better for it. On the other hand, though, there's the "slippery slope" threat. We have to be careful of the line between protection of children and infringement of rights. Also, there's no way the government should be in so much control that it is a total substitute for parental supervision. "Limited control," as long as it can be kept limited, sounds fine with me. -J
I won a free membership attendance thing to Chicon, but was unable to attend because of social engagements and school (grrr...). But I can recall looking at the list of panels, seeing "The Physics of Fantasy," and saying to myself, "Score! That's what I want to go to!"
I do a lot of writing, and I've been working on a very physically-consistent and restrained fantasy setting. But anyway. Did you go? Was it good?
You get this sort of consistency in what I might call "hard fantasy" (as opposed to hard sf, though it's probably not a good name for it). Robert Jordan, for instance: the magic (ok, magic analog, all you WoT sticklers) in his books has a clear set of rules and works quite like a machine. anyway, i'm rambling... -J
It's almost as bad as reading things like "133t h4x0rs." The gods gave us letters for words, numbers for counting, and punctuation for punctuating. Don't screw with the gods. -J
Since I placed in this(don't ask...my english teacher handed me a form a couple years ago when they started the contest and I've been entering ever since. It's compulsive.), I had a chance to attend Chicon. Unfortunately, it conflicted with school starting and some social engagements. But I really wish I had gone, primarily to see the Hugos. I seem to recall the ceremony at the Baltimore Worldcon was quite good, and it sounds like this was just as cool. One of the things which the author mentions is the pure craziness of being in the vicinity of all these authors and other perosnalities in the SF field. I certainly remember that from Balticon, but no petty panel discussion on alien evolution can beat this guy's experience. Hell, he makes me want to go and win a Hugo. Congrats, Cory. Now go write some more!;)
On a related note, I see that the Science of Discworld didn't make it. It' s apity, it really is a good book.
On another related note, I see some people complaining that the Matrix didn't win. I'm not all that surprised. Phenomenal effects, yes. Intriguing storyline, yes. Lots and lots of shooting and killing and blowing things up, yes. But the "it's not real we're all in some grand simulation" idea isn't exactly brand-new (yes, I know, few ideas are, but it was just a wee bit formulaic). Galaxy Quest, on the other hand, was just as entertaining and effects-pumped, but it said a bit more about science fiction, star trek, fans, and humanity. I'll probably get my eyebrows singed for that one, but it had to be said. Please note that The Matrix was also an excellent film. I'm just saying that I can see why Glaxy Quest might have been chosen.
On yet another related note, hurrah for Gardner Dozois. I don't know much about him other than that he edits Asimov's, but there's some tanj fine stuff in that magazine. -J
Slashdot Mirror
Yah, but the hypothetical (isn't it?) Voyager 10 was similiarly lost contact with... Anyway, that's what it reminded me of first. But you have a point about ST:5. Argh, now you've triggered all those unpleasant flashbacks.
-J
It was the Borg. They were collecting Voyager probes, weren't they?
To other hard-core trek fans: I know the borg were never specifically mentioned in Star Trek: TMP, but I like to think that's how it worked. And besides, if william shatner writes it, it must be true! (well...not really...what a weird book....)
-J
Please, contribute to the fund that will help feed and clothe me and hire people to do my homeowrk for me for a year so that I can help this Elven mage Ascend.
;)
Well, I think it's worthy....
Actually, I kind of worry. Does this mean he'll sepnd a year doing nothing but Perl? Just working on this one program day in and day out? Maybe I'm not fanatic enough, but that's kind of scary... I mean, some variety would probably be healthy.
-J
No, no, that wasn't flamebait, just a sleep-deprivation-induced observation. ;)
Bye bye.
-J
...are called pill bugs. The rainbow butterfly has a nice picture here. It seems that they are isopods, and they are also known as woodlice. It's rather confusing; I still ahven't figured it out. In any event, there's an extensive site all about woodlice, in various forms, here. A sample: "They have no waterproof waxy cuticle on their exoskeleton and are therefore more likely to suffer from desiccation compared with other arthropods such as insects which have a well developed waxy layer." (credit to the author) Now i'm all self-conscious about my waxy cuticle...
But I am confused. Are these "woodlice," which seem to be New Zealand beasts, the same as the pill bugs in my garden? Am I anywhere close to being on-topic?
-J
Tux is fat, someone tell him to lose some weight...
Well, yes, but can you imagine a skinny penguin? Penguins are sort of inherently chubby... something to do with blubber or something like hat... keeps 'em warm.
Wow, waaaay OT, and I don't even particularly like Tux. Past my bedtime..
-J
To Steer on Mir, possibly. That's what I always though it was.
Heh, whatever. Funny bunch, those capitol steps.
-J
Sorry, forgot to login... ;)
-J
I think they quesiton might be better as "Should Linux ever be ported to the Palm?"
Ok, that's a bit harsh. Certainly it would be a neat hack, and I like a neat hack as much as the next being. But is linux right for the palm?
Say you install linux on your palm, and want to use, for example, bash. Unless you're amazingly good at graffiti, it will be a lot slower than on your desktop. You could, conceivably, use a keyboard (all hail the PPK!), first writing a driver for it, but you can't do that on a regular basis (as in jotting down a number on the subway). Yah, you could write a GUI for it, or adapt X, or soemthing, but....why? Does linux have to run on everything and its duck?
I'm not a linux expert, but it seems to me that PalmOS is on the right track with they're handheld OS: simple, streamlined, totally GUI oriented.
Just some things to think about. And I still WinCE when I think about Microsoft's attempt to squeeze their desktop OS onto a handheld....
-J
...of the upcoming PS/2 Crisis...
I am very concerned about the upcoming PS/2 crisis. What if the next computer I buy only has USB ports? That means I can't use my favorite mouse! I'll have to buy an adapter or soemthing! Nooo!
[/facetiousness]
-J
... that whole attitude of "Good gods, I don't want anything that even loks like windows anywhere near my linux box" is a fair summary of the maniacal anti-microsoft rantings I hear all too often from linux fanantics. And while it is clearly illogical, well, there's a reason "fanatics" applies...
He is being pretty silly, though. Isn't QT designed to look like an MFC app? I might have that wrong...
Anyway, I have to agree that saying that the problem lies in a linux program which happens ot look like a windows program is absurd. Refusing to use the app because of this reason is even more so.
-J
If I were feeling spiteful and bitter, I'd say something like, "We're not gonna get much info on this anytime soon, cause the /. crew never actually read the page, as we saw earlier today with the PS2 thing."
/. team -> they will find out when they see it -> when will they see it). Of course, the "hackers" say they emailed the admins, so whatever.
But I'm not in that kind of mood. It just occurred to me (though preocess: i want to know more about this -> more info must come from
I dunno, I think this is all kind of cute. Thinking back to what happened to a certain PDA news site recently (I forget which one), this could have been much worse.
-J
As a windows user, I can see what you're tlaking about, and I have the same issues with other people's windows machines, though not to the same extent. For the most part, you can trust the Start menu to have the same 8 (if you're using win95) initial items. Anything found above that can probably also be found under Programs.
;D ). Radically different cursors can give me that same, pseudo-subconscious feeling that something isn't right. And when you have things with panels that slide out when you nudge the edge of the screen with the mouse, the same thing happens.
But there are little things. Color scheme, though that's not much of an issue. Font size (under Control Panel->Desktop->Settings) can give me a sort of vague feeling of discomfort, because it messes with the maximize/minimize/close buttons, till I eventually break and set it all to Small fonts with 1024x768 (then I restore it when I'm done
But it's the same with every OS, I think. I'm used to my customized DOS prompt ( LCARS | C:\> in bright green, so the basic C:\> in light gray is kinda boring). I'm used to the way I have apps arranged on my Palm. From what I can tell of Linux, though, you have a much greater degree, or at least ease, of rearrangement and customization.
-J
...that this post hasn't got a hope in hell of getting modded up, being so far down the list and all, but oh well.
Personally, I don't believe in a god. My friends tell me I'm too scientifically minded; I think that's close: I'm too logical. Or something. I can't accept the idea of any god. But on the other hand, I know many people do. And I think that, for them, in some way, that god is real. But I doubt that there is one Jewish god, or one Christian god, or one Muslim god, or that they're all the same, or whatever, because I think that each person's god would be different. Religion is sort of a symbiont: you serve it, but at the same time, it serves you. And so I think everyone believes in their religion the way it best suits them, and thus their god in the way it suits them, and so there's really a god for every person.
Well, maybe. I'm still not sure. All I know is that I don't have a god. I guess for that you need faith, and I can't put faith in something I have no tangible evidence for the existence of.
On an almost totally related note, I have noticed varous spellings of magic. Magik, magick, magic... I am reminded of Terry Pratchett's recent masterpiece, Carpe Jugulum. It's about vampires. But they're trying to be modern (unhurt by garlic, holy wayter, etc.), so they call themselves vampyres. But in the end, holy water burns them the same as any other Creature of the Night. The narrator ntoes, "Vampyres are just like vampires, except they can't spell" or some such. Does it matter how you spell it? It's the same idea, no? (I might be totally off. Magic and magick could be totally seaprate things and it's just beyond my comprehension. If that's the case, please tell me)
-J
I hear ya. The "slippery slope" I was referring to was more along the lines of restriciton of access in general, but your is also pretty good. I guess I assumed everyone would know what the "slippery slope" was in this context, since it's used so much. Come to think of it, that kind of reduces its effectiveness in arguments, kind of like assuming everyone knows why open source software is good. :)
What was it they told me in journalism class? "Assuming makes an ass out of u and me?" Doesn't make much sense when you really think about it, but it's the thought that matters.
-J
I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. Ihave to quote Terry Pratchett:
I would like it to be clearly understood that this book is not wacky. Only dumb redheads in Fifties' sitcoms are wacky.
No, it's not zany either.
-Equal Rites
OK. Also, please tell me that the "Sealand is in treacherous waters" thing was unintentional. Please.
heh...I need a nap...
-J
Good gods, what are you thinking? Do you want to lose all your karma? You can't go saying things like that on slashdot.
;)), and I think that I'm truly the better for it.
Heh. Anyway, I have to agree. {If | When} I have children, I am sure that I will want to control, at least to some extent, what they are exposed to. My own aprents did that, at least a bit (nothing excessive, though PBS was highly emphasized
On the other hand, though, there's the "slippery slope" threat. We have to be careful of the line between protection of children and infringement of rights.
Also, there's no way the government should be in so much control that it is a total substitute for parental supervision. "Limited control," as long as it can be kept limited, sounds fine with me.
-J
I won a free membership attendance thing to Chicon, but was unable to attend because of social engagements and school (grrr...). But I can recall looking at the list of panels, seeing "The Physics of Fantasy," and saying to myself, "Score! That's what I want to go to!" I do a lot of writing, and I've been working on a very physically-consistent and restrained fantasy setting. But anyway. Did you go? Was it good?
You get this sort of consistency in what I might call "hard fantasy" (as opposed to hard sf, though it's probably not a good name for it). Robert Jordan, for instance: the magic (ok, magic analog, all you WoT sticklers) in his books has a clear set of rules and works quite like a machine.
anyway, i'm rambling...
-J
that no one seems ot have mentioned that it is Jack Valenti's birthday. He's 79.
;D
I'm really not sure if I can bring myself to wish him a happy birthday, though...
-J
I'm with you on this, comrade. But...
Whatever appeared on television was fair game for taping (well, aside from HBO and other specifically copyrighted materials).
There you have it. What if, using this digital tech, they only keep you from taping said specifically copyrighted materials? Would that be acceptable?
Thinking about it, I'd say no. I'm a big supporter of copyright law, but on the other hand, that would let them get a foot in the door. Hmmm....
-J
It's almost as bad as reading things like "133t h4x0rs." The gods gave us letters for words, numbers for counting, and punctuation for punctuating. Don't screw with the gods.
-J
From the application page:
if you are a corporation or private party and wish to create a link.
/. isn't, is it?
-J
I've never seen Thirteenth Floor. It was a predecessor, no? Is it worth seeing?
-J
Since I placed in this(don't ask...my english teacher handed me a form a couple years ago when they started the contest and I've been entering ever since. It's compulsive.), I had a chance to attend Chicon. Unfortunately, it conflicted with school starting and some social engagements. But I really wish I had gone, primarily to see the Hugos. I seem to recall the ceremony at the Baltimore Worldcon was quite good, and it sounds like this was just as cool. ;)
One of the things which the author mentions is the pure craziness of being in the vicinity of all these authors and other perosnalities in the SF field. I certainly remember that from Balticon, but no petty panel discussion on alien evolution can beat this guy's experience. Hell, he makes me want to go and win a Hugo.
Congrats, Cory. Now go write some more!
On a related note, I see that the Science of Discworld didn't make it. It' s apity, it really is a good book.
On another related note, I see some people complaining that the Matrix didn't win. I'm not all that surprised. Phenomenal effects, yes. Intriguing storyline, yes. Lots and lots of shooting and killing and blowing things up, yes. But the "it's not real we're all in some grand simulation" idea isn't exactly brand-new (yes, I know, few ideas are, but it was just a wee bit formulaic). Galaxy Quest, on the other hand, was just as entertaining and effects-pumped, but it said a bit more about science fiction, star trek, fans, and humanity. I'll probably get my eyebrows singed for that one, but it had to be said. Please note that The Matrix was also an excellent film. I'm just saying that I can see why Glaxy Quest might have been chosen.
On yet another related note, hurrah for Gardner Dozois. I don't know much about him other than that he edits Asimov's, but there's some tanj fine stuff in that magazine.
-J
You need Windows? Reboot.
Funny, this also seems to be the case on my Windows-only computer. Quite often, in fact.
;)
-J