Until I can run Photoshop and Illustrator natively, Linux will not be anything more than a hobby for me. Yes there are alternative programs out there such as GIMP and inkscape that could substitute in extremis, but the fact is when it comes to design work Adobe Creative Suite is the one and only game going anymore. If Adobe released a version of Creative Suite for Linux I'd switch over in a heartbeat. But as it stands, my iPhone, iPad and Mac Mini all integrate seamlessly, and even though I occasionally chafe under certain restrictions (please Apple let me set a different default browser in iOS), I have far fewer headaches now than I ever did working in a Windows environment.
Every aircraft with a gas tank could be considered a bomb by that logic. While I don't know the exact composition of regular jet fuel, I'm pretty sure it is just as combustible as pure hydrogen if not more so.
<sarcasm> For that matter, why does the whole world still insist on keeping track of time in a non-decimalized fashion? I mean 24 hours to a day, 60 minutes to an hour, whats that all about? Why not have a day divided into 10 units, and further subdivided on a base ten system? If it works for length, weight, area, and volume, why not time? </sarcasm>
I spent a couple of years living in Russia back in the Yeltsin years of the mid 90's. Overall Russians are extremely friendly and hospitable, but they have a long sad history of instituting governments that are in effect a legitimized mafia. From the 10th through the 19th centuries the rule of the Tsars were essentially a gang of thugs with pretensions of royalty. The better part of the 20th century they switched to a government that was another gang of thugs with pretense of communism. And now they have switched to a new band of thugs with pretensions of democracy. (Actually this is still the same band of thugs as the communist ones, they just switched pretensions). It seems that Putin is slowly dropping any pretense of democracy.
The result could be an effectively impenetrable way of securing communications, possibly outperforming quantum cryptography keys.
When I read this, I had a flash back to a Dr. Who episode.(paraphrasing)
Army General: Trust me doctor this place is impenetrable.
Doctor: The problem with impenetrable is that it sounds too much like unsinkable.
Army General: Well whats wrong with that?
Doctor: Ask the passengers of the Titanic.
I always get a little bit itchy whenever people start throwing superlatives around like unbreakable, impenetrable, etc. Nature, Human ingenuity, or Human stupidity all have a nasty habit of proving us wrong.
And they need land and resources.
You must be kidding. Saying that Russia is in need of land and resources is like saying that China is facing a manpower shortage. Even accounting for the percentage of the country covered in permafrost, they have more usable land than any other country in the world. And as for their natural resources, they are hardly hurting there either.
When done properly, (IMHO) programming (and in general all forms of Hacking) is a Craft. And like all crafts, there is an important scientific component to it (just as the science of metalurgy is important to blacksmithing), but scientific knowledge only gets you so far. For example, you probably wouldn't want someone fresh out of college with a degree in metalurgy having a go at the forge right away. All crafts require a certain "feel" for the work, an intuition for knowing what works and what doesn't, and more than anything lots of experience. This component equates more with peoples artisitc side.
Part of the problem is that in the corporate culture of most companies today, anyone the ability to truly craft a good peice of code usually gets stifled or beaten down till they comply with the "do things according to proceedure or you're fired" mantra (or thier jobs get outsourced).
"No article of this kind would be complete without mentioning that users get confused with two buttons."
While on the face of it, this statement sounds ridiculous, I have experienced cases where it has proved true. I relate the following Tech Support True Story.
me: Okay ma'am, I want you to move your mouse pointer over the My Computer icon and click your right mouse button.
caller: The right mouse button?
me: Yes ma'am.
caller: Which one is the right button?
me: (starting to get annoyed) You have two buttons on your mouse, One on the left and one on the right, I want you to click the right button over the My Computer icon.
caller: Um, your right or my right?
me: (putting my phone on mute and desperately trying to avoid laughing hysterically)
Your point is well made, and I agree is probably more to the point here.
I would also like to point out here that I do find it odd that whatever position people take on the subject, either that of religious belief or of scientific scepticism, both feel the need to debate and evangelize the point. (and yes there are scientific evangelists as well as religious) If your faith doesn't require proof, then there is no cause, basis, or need for debate about it. If a scientist is honest about his experiments and the information retrieved from them then he should be confident in his conclusions, and shouldn't feel the need to dabate them with those who don't accept them as fact. I don't uderstand why people simply can,t say to one another, "Thank you for your information and opinion, however I respectfully disagree." And then go thier separate ways.
First, let me say that I am a Christian, and I hold my faith to be a guiding and supporting influence in my life. As to the authenticity of Shroud of Turin, I personaly have doubts about its authenticity, but I refuse to pass final judgment on the matter as I doubt we will ever have all the facts. In the final analysis however no proof, scientific or other wise will matter.
"For those who do not believe no proof is sufficient. For those who do believe no proof is necessary." -- Unknown source
I too saw the move at a late showing last night. I found it thoroughly enjoyable in all respects. The story was great, the acting (both vocal and animated) was supurb, and the effects were spectacular. I agree with the review in that while I would have no hesitations in bringing children to see this movie, it is not a "kids movie." There are some very mature themes in this movie that deal with family dynamics, middle age crisis, and the use of force/violence.
One of my favorite parts of the movie (spoiler alert) is when Elastigirl is talking to her children while hiding from the bad guys in a cave and warning them:
"You know those Saturday morning cartoons you used to watch? Well the bad guys here are not like that. They will not exercize restraint just because you're children. They will kill you if they can."
Again, while I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, I have a sinking fear that Disney is going turn this into another franchise that they will milk for all its worth. Until it has none of the spark which makes this movie so enjoyable.
I've never seen Terry Gilliam's Brazil, so I can't compare this with the machine he says its based on, but it is very reminiscent of the computer used by the private detective in the Detective Story short film in The Animatrix. Very retro-cool. Though why build it with old circa 1980s Mac parts instead of present tech escapes me.
I snooped around and found another mirror site as all my downloads from the main site were canceling out and bit torrent is taking for bloody ever! Try this: http://www.whatisthescape.de/files/revoluti ons_640 _dl.mov
I managed to get it off there pretty quick. I pray that they have the bandwidth to stand up to a slashdotting.
I generally judge a reviewer's validity by compairing thier reviews to a known quantity (so to speak). I try to see if a reviewer has reviewed another product (book, movie, gadget) that I have also used or am familiar with. I then try to compare thier reaction with my own, and use that as a gauge of thier review of something with which I'm unfamilliar. It also helps if the review which I'm using as my point of reference is in the same category/genre as the product I'm investigating. If there is no common point of reference, then I will either ignore the review, or see if the product has numerous reviews, then it helps to find the genereal consensus.
Regardless of what ethics you personally hold, the fact is that in our present culture the diamond ring is one of the penultimate status symbols for women. Regardless of what a woman says, if her man doesn't give her the best color/carat/cut/clarity that he can afford without going bankrupt, the she will carry a secret nugget of resentment for as long as the relationship will last.
There are good and vallid reasons that scientists and researchers would wish to anounce and publicise thier theories prior to testing and or discovery. Like most every one else, scientists crave fame and recognition for thier efforts. If a given scientist gets thier theory published first, no matter how odd or rediculous it sounds at the time, no matter who's tests and experiments prove it, then they are the ones who earn the credit and the glory for the discovery. If the theory is later debunked, then all they have to say is, "Hey, it was just a theory."
"Really, with the widespread adoption of DVD, what is the motivation for film companies to provide widespread support for another format?"
Thier motivation for supporting such a format should be fairly obvious. With all the hulabaloo going on with the DMCA, DeCSS, file swapping, etc, the MPAA and its component members, are very likley to adopt and push anything that will help them maintain/expand thier monopoly.
Now as to whether they can successfuly market something that has no obvious advantages (to the end user at least) over DVD, and costs three to five times as mutch. Well.... I seriously doubt it, but I'm enough of a cynic to belive that the public will buy into almost anything if its sold to them the right way.
I was so shocked when I read this, that I spewed Mountain Dew all over my monitor. I've been a reasonably content Qwest DSL customer for over a year now. The service has been pretty reliable, and I've had only a few minor complaints. The possibility that MSN (or any company for that matter) could buy my internet subscription without my consent is both chilling and infuriating. I'm also a former MSN internet help desk employee, and I couldn't get out of the job fast enough. I got fed up with the "Support Boundaries" that prevented me from going out of my to help a customer. It was the only job I've had that actually made me feel dirty. Slashdot's Bill-of-Borg icon is all to close to the truth sometimes.
Starblazers was incredibly cool. I was so addicted to it, that I can still feel the trauma whenever I missed an episode (for whatever reason). I even had a personal project to build the Argo/Yamato out of my legos. (I think I did pretty well too).
I think the reason that American cartoons never or rarely have ongoing plotlines, is that most american cartoons are about comedy, with the occational action/adventure series. And you can only develop a ongoing plot around some serious drama. The same is true about all american TV, not just cartoons.
Slashdot Mirror
Dante's Inferno has been renamed Dante's Beer Cooler.
Adobe Creative Suite
Until I can run Photoshop and Illustrator natively, Linux will not be anything more than a hobby for me. Yes there are alternative programs out there such as GIMP and inkscape that could substitute in extremis, but the fact is when it comes to design work Adobe Creative Suite is the one and only game going anymore. If Adobe released a version of Creative Suite for Linux I'd switch over in a heartbeat. But as it stands, my iPhone, iPad and Mac Mini all integrate seamlessly, and even though I occasionally chafe under certain restrictions (please Apple let me set a different default browser in iOS), I have far fewer headaches now than I ever did working in a Windows environment.
Every aircraft with a gas tank could be considered a bomb by that logic. While I don't know the exact composition of regular jet fuel, I'm pretty sure it is just as combustible as pure hydrogen if not more so.
"One nation, under surveillance."
<sarcasm>
For that matter, why does the whole world still insist on keeping track of time in a non-decimalized fashion? I mean 24 hours to a day, 60 minutes to an hour, whats that all about? Why not have a day divided into 10 units, and further subdivided on a base ten system? If it works for length, weight, area, and volume, why not time?
</sarcasm>
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't out to get you.
I spent a couple of years living in Russia back in the Yeltsin years of the mid 90's. Overall Russians are extremely friendly and hospitable, but they have a long sad history of instituting governments that are in effect a legitimized mafia. From the 10th through the 19th centuries the rule of the Tsars were essentially a gang of thugs with pretensions of royalty. The better part of the 20th century they switched to a government that was another gang of thugs with pretense of communism. And now they have switched to a new band of thugs with pretensions of democracy. (Actually this is still the same band of thugs as the communist ones, they just switched pretensions). It seems that Putin is slowly dropping any pretense of democracy.
Yes, but in order to be that dedicated you would first have to be committed... To a to a highly secure facility for the chronically insane
When I read this, I had a flash back to a Dr. Who episode.(paraphrasing)
Army General: Trust me doctor this place is impenetrable.
Doctor: The problem with impenetrable is that it sounds too much like unsinkable.
Army General: Well whats wrong with that?
Doctor: Ask the passengers of the Titanic.
I always get a little bit itchy whenever people start throwing superlatives around like unbreakable, impenetrable, etc. Nature, Human ingenuity, or Human stupidity all have a nasty habit of proving us wrong.
And they need land and resources.
You must be kidding. Saying that Russia is in need of land and resources is like saying that China is facing a manpower shortage. Even accounting for the percentage of the country covered in permafrost, they have more usable land than any other country in the world. And as for their natural resources, they are hardly hurting there either.
When done properly, (IMHO) programming (and in general all forms of Hacking) is a Craft. And like all crafts, there is an important scientific component to it (just as the science of metalurgy is important to blacksmithing), but scientific knowledge only gets you so far. For example, you probably wouldn't want someone fresh out of college with a degree in metalurgy having a go at the forge right away. All crafts require a certain "feel" for the work, an intuition for knowing what works and what doesn't, and more than anything lots of experience. This component equates more with peoples artisitc side.
Part of the problem is that in the corporate culture of most companies today, anyone the ability to truly craft a good peice of code usually gets stifled or beaten down till they comply with the "do things according to proceedure or you're fired" mantra (or thier jobs get outsourced).
While the statistician was running around starting new fires because he needed more samples.
While on the face of it, this statement sounds ridiculous, I have experienced cases where it has proved true. I relate the following Tech Support True Story.
me: Okay ma'am, I want you to move your mouse pointer over the My Computer icon and click your right mouse button.
caller: The right mouse button?
me: Yes ma'am.
caller: Which one is the right button?
me: (starting to get annoyed) You have two buttons on your mouse, One on the left and one on the right, I want you to click the right button over the My Computer icon.
caller: Um, your right or my right?
me: (putting my phone on mute and desperately trying to avoid laughing hysterically)
Your point is well made, and I agree is probably more to the point here.
I would also like to point out here that I do find it odd that whatever position people take on the subject, either that of religious belief or of scientific scepticism, both feel the need to debate and evangelize the point. (and yes there are scientific evangelists as well as religious) If your faith doesn't require proof, then there is no cause, basis, or need for debate about it. If a scientist is honest about his experiments and the information retrieved from them then he should be confident in his conclusions, and shouldn't feel the need to dabate them with those who don't accept them as fact. I don't uderstand why people simply can,t say to one another, "Thank you for your information and opinion, however I respectfully disagree." And then go thier separate ways.
First, let me say that I am a Christian, and I hold my faith to be a guiding and supporting influence in my life. As to the authenticity of Shroud of Turin, I personaly have doubts about its authenticity, but I refuse to pass final judgment on the matter as I doubt we will ever have all the facts. In the final analysis however no proof, scientific or other wise will matter.
"For those who do not believe no proof is sufficient. For those who do believe no proof is necessary." -- Unknown source
One of my favorite parts of the movie (spoiler alert) is when Elastigirl is talking to her children while hiding from the bad guys in a cave and warning them:
"You know those Saturday morning cartoons you used to watch? Well the bad guys here are not like that. They will not exercize restraint just because you're children. They will kill you if they can."
Again, while I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, I have a sinking fear that Disney is going turn this into another franchise that they will milk for all its worth. Until it has none of the spark which makes this movie so enjoyable.
I've never seen Terry Gilliam's Brazil, so I can't compare this with the machine he says its based on, but it is very reminiscent of the computer used by the private detective in the Detective Story short film in The Animatrix. Very retro-cool. Though why build it with old circa 1980s Mac parts instead of present tech escapes me.
considering the fact that most l33t speakers stereotypicaly lack reproductive partners
I snooped around and found another mirror site as all my downloads from the main site were canceling out and bit torrent is taking for bloody ever!i ons_640 _dl.mov
Try this:
http://www.whatisthescape.de/files/revolut
I managed to get it off there pretty quick. I pray that they have the bandwidth to stand up to a slashdotting.
I generally judge a reviewer's validity by compairing thier reviews to a known quantity (so to speak). I try to see if a reviewer has reviewed another product (book, movie, gadget) that I have also used or am familiar with. I then try to compare thier reaction with my own, and use that as a gauge of thier review of something with which I'm unfamilliar. It also helps if the review which I'm using as my point of reference is in the same category/genre as the product I'm investigating. If there is no common point of reference, then I will either ignore the review, or see if the product has numerous reviews, then it helps to find the genereal consensus.
Regardless of what ethics you personally hold, the fact is that in our present culture the diamond ring is one of the penultimate status symbols for women. Regardless of what a woman says, if her man doesn't give her the best color/carat/cut/clarity that he can afford without going bankrupt, the she will carry a secret nugget of resentment for as long as the relationship will last.
You have been warned...
There are good and vallid reasons that scientists and researchers would wish to anounce and publicise thier theories prior to testing and or discovery. Like most every one else, scientists crave fame and recognition for thier efforts. If a given scientist gets thier theory published first, no matter how odd or rediculous it sounds at the time, no matter who's tests and experiments prove it, then they are the ones who earn the credit and the glory for the discovery. If the theory is later debunked, then all they have to say is, "Hey, it was just a theory."
Thier motivation for supporting such a format should be fairly obvious. With all the hulabaloo going on with the DMCA, DeCSS, file swapping, etc, the MPAA and its component members, are very likley to adopt and push anything that will help them maintain/expand thier monopoly.
Now as to whether they can successfuly market something that has no obvious advantages (to the end user at least) over DVD, and costs three to five times as mutch. Well.... I seriously doubt it, but I'm enough of a cynic to belive that the public will buy into almost anything if its sold to them the right way.
I was so shocked when I read this, that I spewed Mountain Dew all over my monitor. I've been a reasonably content Qwest DSL customer for over a year now. The service has been pretty reliable, and I've had only a few minor complaints. The possibility that MSN (or any company for that matter) could buy my internet subscription without my consent is both chilling and infuriating. I'm also a former MSN internet help desk employee, and I couldn't get out of the job fast enough. I got fed up with the "Support Boundaries" that prevented me from going out of my to help a customer. It was the only job I've had that actually made me feel dirty. Slashdot's Bill-of-Borg icon is all to close to the truth sometimes.
Starblazers was incredibly cool. I was so addicted to it, that I can still feel the trauma whenever I missed an episode (for whatever reason). I even had a personal project to build the Argo/Yamato out of my legos. (I think I did pretty well too).
I think the reason that American cartoons never or rarely have ongoing plotlines, is that most american cartoons are about comedy, with the occational action/adventure series. And you can only develop a ongoing plot around some serious drama. The same is true about all american TV, not just cartoons.