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User: Plekto

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  1. Re:GH3 vs Rock Band on Complete Set List for Guitar Hero III · · Score: 1

    The number of really good bands that are missing is large, though. Most of them stayed with Harmonix/MTV (Rockband). It just somehow seems flat. A few good songs, and then tons of B side fillers. Loads of 70s and 80s stuff. None of the cutting-edge modern feel that Harmonix did so well. It really IS Dance-Dance-Hero. Good job, Sony.

    Rock Band will cost more, but it's well worth it.

    Oh, Rockband will cost the same as Guitar Hero III if you just want the game and a guitar controller. The $200 package has the drums, mic, and guitar. The drums kit is essentially a MIDI drum pad setup with a little bit or reworking, which is quite a deal, considering what they usually run.

  2. Re:it still doesn't answer the most important ques on High-Res Scan of Mona Lisa Reveals Its History · · Score: 1

    Was she a virgin or not?
    ****
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15029288/

    No, the clothes she is wearing were common for expecting women of her time. It's also probably who Leonardo might have made her cheeks look less round. There is some speculation that he tried to cover up the fact later in his life by altering the painting.

  3. Re:Have they solved the longevity issue? on Alienware Puts 64GB Solid-State Drives In Desktops · · Score: 1

    So file A is written somewhere, AND NEVER GETS CHANGED AGAIN.
    ****

    Which brings up the most obvious problem. If your drive is ~80% full(I would figure so given how expensive it is to waste space on such a drive), that means that all of those reads and leveling and such is happening in that unused space. Excel and last week's email don't move at all. Nor do 95% of your game and application files.

    So the failure rate just shrank in real use to 1/5th of what the magazines and websites keep going on about.

  4. Re:what does it do to load times? on Alienware Puts 64GB Solid-State Drives In Desktops · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Yes, Windows memory requirements basically quadruple with virtual memory turned off(which is rally what it is - no different than using system ram for video, for instance, and just as much of a speed killer).

    Windows is a frighteningly bloated beast. But I'm pretty much preaching to the choir here I suspect.

    The way to deal with the swap file is a ramdisk. 3 gigs for Windows(assuming you're NOT stupid enough to be running Vista) and the remaining 1 gig windows doesn't usually access is the swap file. Problem solved. You just tricked Windows into using real ram instead of the hard drive.(as it should have been)

    It nearly quadruples speed in XP, btw.

  5. Finally becoming viable on Alienware Puts 64GB Solid-State Drives In Desktops · · Score: 1

    As I see it, the real issue isn't the longevity of the modules so much as how Windows does a half-baked(another terms comes to mind that's less than G rated implementation of memory and swapfile management.

    Fix this and it's a done deal. Myself, I swear by it. My very first laptop had the OS in Rom and a CMOS battery backed ramdisk. Not exactly the same thing, but booting up in two seconds fifteen years ago, having zero issues with failures, and no noise or heat to speak of(plus 5-6 hours battery life back them) was worlds better than a hard drive.

    I suspect that my turning off the swap file/virtual memory entirely, reliability issues would become moot. Of course, that would force you to have 2-4 times the physical memory that you now have if you are running Windows, but ram is cheap enough now.

    Another method might be to just make a ramdisk and put the swap file on that. That's not an impossible bit of programming, either. CMOS changes could probably set aside one bank of memory(say, color it white vs the other 4's black or purple/green(which seems common))that is always the ramdisk. CMOS battery of course - and Windows tosses the swap file onto that virtual drive.

    usage of the solid state drive would drop to only when you actually are moving files around. MTBF wold be measured in decades.

  6. Re:apple's labels fail too on Amazon DRM-Free Music Store Goes Beta · · Score: 1

    I call bullshit. Why would they pull out of iTunes? They can still offer DRM-free recordings at higher bit-rates on iTunes and they get more money for it on iTunes.
    ****

    The simple fact is that Apple claims that it takes almost all of the $99 cents a song that they charge to run the site, so artists get very little in return. CD Baby by comparison gives 6-8 times the profit to the artists. (91% on average)

    http://cdbaby.com/mp3 - the only problem is they have mostly smaller bands and the prices aren't very competetive(plus massively smaller sales/exposure) If Amazon can beat Apple's price, which I expect them to easily do, then they might be the middle-ground that many small bands have been looking for.

    Plus, Apple's DRM is annoying. Unless you want to pay more for no-drm(well, not really - it's got nanny-ware/tags embedded). Jobs is a bit like a typical politician in that he says one thing, but really ends up doing almost nothing different when it comes to his bottom line. So Apple's DRM and inflated prices are still there. And, to top it all off, the encoding and bitrates aren't as good.

    Plus the whole iPhone debacle has me not liking Apple recently. They're becoming their old top-heavy self of the 80s again.

  7. Re:Major Labels? on Amazon DRM-Free Music Store Goes Beta · · Score: 0

    It looks like you will need Windows or maybe an Apple to purchase the songs. Why the downloader? Probably to watermark the files with your user information.
    ***
    My guess is that they are worried about security and want a secure connection like your bank does when you get online. Probably smarter, too, given the way browsers get hijacked so easily.

    I'm sure they will offer some method for *ix users in the future - it's Amazon, after all. Oh - and also expect bulk rate gift cards and the like. (being Amazon and all)

  8. Re:apple's labels fail too on Amazon DRM-Free Music Store Goes Beta · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Of course, without DRM few of the major labels play with them.
    ****
    The reality is that 90% of the stuff out there isn't on BMG or one of the few big labels anymore. In any case, it blows a big hole in ITunes. No DRM, cheaper, and a pretty large catalog. I know of several smaller labels that are going to almost certainly stop selling on ITunes as a result.

    All Itunes can do at this point is damage control. It's the old Apple proprietary mentality at work again. And Apple getting burnt again by the cheaper and more open alternatives.

    Oh - the bitrate appears to be 256K. Another plus - it's actually fairly decent quality.

  9. Re:Debian PPC to the rescue on Apple's Leopard Will Exclude 800MHz G4 Processors · · Score: 1

    And they also make a version of Ubuntu for PPC. Who would have figured?

  10. Re:Bad Summary! Article doesn't say G5-only! on Apple's Leopard Will Exclude 800MHz G4 Processors · · Score: 1

    Old news, really. The Apple retailer near me(not an Apple Store, but an old-fashioned, been in business 20 years store) told me weeks ago about this.

    But it's as Kelson stated, It's G3 that's being dropped entirely. G4 will still work, because there are an enormous number of G4 machines out there(and they've only been selling Intel based Macs for a couple of years now)

  11. Re:He should have held out for legal fees. on Man Wins Partial Victory In Circuit City Arrest · · Score: 1

    I think that this is particularly insightful. Faced with a egg on their face situation, they dug in everyone in his family's records and used mafia-esque tactics to get to him via another family member/relative. Probably some unpaid taxes or unpaid child support or similar.

    I'd still have fought it, though. The city was looking at least losing 50-100K if this went to a jury, btw, plus the firing of several employees, most likely.

    If you ever find yourself against the government with them having 0% chance of winning and you being 100% in the right, don't give up.

  12. OLPC? on Canadian Dollar Reaches Parity with US$ · · Score: 1

    I guess the OLPC will soon hit the $200 a unit mark.

  13. Re:TV reporters are idiots. on Boeing Dreamliner Safety Concerns Are Specious · · Score: 1

    If you watched that recent show on Mythbusters about airplane crashes, it was clear that the largest reason people die in crashes is because the impact appears to break their legs almost 100% of the time. If your legs are broken, you're not escaping in the 20-30 seconds it takes to keep from being asphyxiated or killed by the toxins from the burning materials.

    In any case, carbon fiber is no better or worse than aluminum. Both have their strengths and weaknesses.

  14. Re:A new tool for the torture we don't do... on Journalist Test Drives The Pain Ray Gun · · Score: 1

    I wouldn't be surprised if it was invented with torture in mind. Note how we've twisted the rules in the U.S. to include pain as being acceptable but not physical harm?

    Congratulations - we've just invented the world's perfect torture device. Completely unresistible and foolproof. Causes no long-term physical harm, either. An hour in the agony room and presto.

    I give our enemies 5-10 years before they start using it on us as well. Oh, and the LAPD... six months.

  15. Re:Why does /. love ubuntu? It gives nothing back. on Walt Mossberg Reviews Ubuntu · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I personally agree, but the fact is that Ubuntu is going to be the one most of the new drivers and so on will work best with, because it's the currently most favored version out there. And it apparently works best running Windows games under Wine or other emulators.(a huge reason it draws in such a large crowd, actually)

    Myself? I vote for Xandros for the first time newbie from Windows. Very clean and easy to use. Does tons of hand-holding and has a nice windows migration assistant built in that most average users can deal with. Not free, though, but so be it - most users will pay once and get free idiot-proof support and libraries for their trouble.

    But, yes, Ubuntu isn't the only variety by a long shot(plus I personally don't like the Gnome interface)

    As for the original article, I love the quote about it not being ready for prime-time. Newsflash: Vista never was, either. At least with the various versions of unix, they make it obvious that you're installing beta-ware.

  16. A lower dollar is better, actually. on OLPC Cost Rises To $188 Per Laptop · · Score: 1

    If you consider that the dollar is dropping in value, it actually is a better deal for the end consumer.

    - Most of the parts are outsourced from China and wherever, which are so silly low cost to produce that the dollar would have to drop to 1/5th what it is now to actually cause a real problem.

    - Since we still get the components for a decent price, the lower dollar actually helps the countries and people who want to buy one outside of the U.S. to afford them easier. ie - a year ago, 100 UK pounds was about $150USD. Now it's about $200USD. So while the price appears to have gone up, it's still comparable to $140-$150 a year ago. Only the U.S. customers get hurt by our current currency woes. If our value drops 25-30% more, it will soon cost $200 for the laptop, but with double the purchasing power versus the dollar, they just might make the original target price-point.

  17. Re:logging firewall and TALKING on How To Configure Real PC Parental Controls? · · Score: 1

    Of course, but I don't have to worry at all about what happens at my house. That's all I can really do, afterall.(most of his friends' parents are also very strict as well.

    I fully expect him to get into porn and the like like all boys do in a couple of years, but the rubbish on the net is something he doesn't need right now.

  18. Re:logging firewall and TALKING on How To Configure Real PC Parental Controls? · · Score: 1

    The only solution is to just not have an ethernet card in the machine. My son's computer has NO internet and he's just fine. He uses one of ours (and we are in the same room when he does - usually watching TV, but he knows we have a record of where he went since it's our own machines - and can turn around way faster than he can hide it ;) ).

    His machine also doesn't need ANY antivirus/malware finder/firewall/etc. A huge bonus from a maintainence standpoint.

  19. Re:Which begs the question... on Microsoft Installs New Software Without Permission · · Score: 1

    Does this mean that somewhere hidden deep in the API is the ability to automatically download and install files without user consent? Does this mean that somebody else could use that exact API to do something a bit less friendly? Does anybody else feel a whole new batch of windows security alerts?
    ****

    Absolutely. How else do you think the RIAA and the various government agencies get into people's boxes and see what they are pirating? There are built-in backdoors in most firewall software and the OS itself. Thankfully, it's pretty easy to deal with in XP to get rid of most of the holes, but Vista is a lost cause. You install Vista, you are at their mercy.

    Tick tock... As soon as ATI's new drivers come out for Lunix, I'm jumping ship. Between Cedega/Wine and other apps, I'm pretty much set for gaming, and the rest... well, I can live without most of it to no longer have to deal with the 20 minutes a day I spend tweaking, scanning, and manipulating Windows to keep it running.

  20. Re:Best solution on Entry-Level Astronomy? · · Score: 1

    Yeah I caught that after I typed it, but this site doesn't have an owner edit function.

    Anyways - that's what you would want. Best deal for the money other than making it yourself.

  21. Re:Most users could not care less on Will GPLv3 Drive Users from Linux to FreeBSD? · · Score: 1

    I smell FUD.

    Want to do stuff commercially? use BSD. Want to use stuff for free - well, GPL version 3 or 4 or whatever won't change that - commercial profiteers have long ago ditched Linux for this reason.

  22. Best solution on Entry-Level Astronomy? · · Score: 1

    I'm amazed that only one person before me has mentioned Orion Telescopes.

    What you want is a dobsonian mounted refractor. They all these "light buckets" and or the money, they are without a doubt the best thing to do entry-level viewing with. Yes, they are hard to keep aligned to a specific spot at times(though modern drive systems exist to compensate), but the view is stunning.

    Go to their site. Telescopes --> Dobsonian --> Orion® SkyQuest(TM) XT10 IntelliScope®
    It finds objects for you, tracks them for you, and at 10 inches, is a big enough lens to keep you occupied for at least a decade or more. At 56 lbs, it's heavy, but not unreasonably so(the tube is about 40lbs). $790 and 14,000 objects in the computer to look at. even including shipping, you'll be well under $1000.

    This is an amazing deal for the entry-level astronomer.

    The 12 incher would fit in your budget as well, but it's nearly 70lbs and isn't very portable. If you are planning on keeping it at your house and NOT taking it on the road, the 12 incher at $1,120 is an even better deal. Though slightly outside your budget, it's well worth it for a home only user. But for most first time astronomers, I'd recommend with the lighter and more portable 10.

    I'd really recommend the computerized versions as well, since us old-schoolers can do it by ourselves, but having the computer do it for you is a great thing. It really makes beginning much more fun.

    Also:
    If you go to their main page and click on the clearance tab up near the top, you get this as the first item:
    *2nd* SkyQuest XT 6i w/CI RA F - $323. An amazing deal that blows the department store models away. Perfect for looking at the moon, major planets, the ISS, and so on for dirt cheap. 34lbs and 45 inches long makes it a snap to fit in most any car if need be as well.

    Oh - you normally want at least 8 inches, as much smaller won't allow you to see very well given the light pollution in most of the U.S. and Europe.

    P.S.
    Under Reflectors:
    StarBlast(TM) 4.5 Imaging Reflector $140. This is essentially a massive telephoto lens made for taking pictures. You would need some mounts and so on, but it's a 450mm F4.0 lens.

    http://www.sfsidewalkastronomers.org/telescopes/building
    Best site I know of. I've met him in person and he's a great guy - willing to answer almost any question. Very helpful group.

  23. Re:Linux gaming arena? on AMD To Open ATI Specs · · Score: 1

    But just imagine how awesome nethack will look!

    Like this?

    http://web.itctel.com/~apwhite/Andrew/adom.jpg

  24. Re:Branch of Samba? on Samba Adopts GPLv3 For Future Releases · · Score: 1

    But it's a big, complex project with a few people behind it and they're pretty good at what they do. Unless you can poach one of them to work on your fork, it'll probably be a good 6 months before anyone on your fork even understands what's going on under the hood, let alone is able to substantially improve on it.

    And this is exactly the business model that people need to follow. You make money because you have a bigger dev team and can innovate faster than the others. They can look at your code but changing it and upgrading it - ten people are going to move at warp speed compared to a guy in his living room. They make money because they are faster, smarter, and innovate.

    I find it amusing as well as a bit frustrating to hear people whine about how they can't make money off of open source code by sitting on their rear ends waiting for royalties to come rolling in.

    P.S. A perfect example of this is:
    http://www.slimdevices.com/
    You can make a copy the software if you wish. Go ahead. Good luck making it look better, work better, and cost less. (btw last I heard, the owner was quite wealthy - even before selling the company)

  25. Good for them on Samba Adopts GPLv3 For Future Releases · · Score: 1

    This is noteworthy in a mall degree given the tactics and caving by half of the industry to Microsoft. Once a project is under V3, they can ignore Microsoft. The companies that sold out to their pressure are going to soon find themselves in a bad situation - abandoned and outdated.