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User: DarkProphet

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Comments · 378

  1. Re:Why does more data mean a longer install? on Windows 7 Upgrade Can Take Nearly a Day · · Score: 1
    I think its because it does something like this during the process:
    • Copy C:\Users\* -> C:\temp\
    • Delete C:\Users\*
    • Copy Installer:\Users\* -> C:\Users\
    • Copy C:\temp\* -> C:\Users\

    Ditto for Program Files and other stuff. Though, thats a dumb way to do it if thats what is in fact going on. It would seem easier to simply modify the file allocation table to temporarily modify directory structure instead of physically moving bits around on the disk.

  2. Re:Easier explanation on Attractive Women Make Men Temporarily Stupid · · Score: 1

    Too objectively? No man, this is Slashdot. Consider the audience :-)

    I think your parent poster was insinuating that the emotion of love is due largely to a chemical response in the body. If thats the case, would it not be reasonable to expect that other species may exhibit that trait? I'd hypothesize that any species that mate for life probably have very similar distinct chemical response towards their mate. I'm actually curious if there has been any study into this. The results would be interesting either way.

    That aside, I am afraid that your explanation only explains part of "love," otherwise people wouldn't still be in love after raising children or not being able to have children.

    Not necessarily. If "love" is an evolved survival trait, why would it even turn off? Why can octogenarians still father children? Why does a sterile person still desire sex? Probably because a strong family produces more successful offspring. </talkingoutmyass>

  3. Re:yes! on Augmented Reality In a Contact Lens · · Score: 1

    I actually saw a show that featured this technology earlier today. I think it was on the Science Channel or Discovery Channel, wasn't really paying attention. Attention Deficit FTL.

    Anyway, I got the impression that the lens would communicate via radio frequency and presumably get its power the same way. They didn't really go into much technical detail on that, so I may be assuming too much. Tech like this would be beyond cool if they get it to work, but honestly I was left with the impression that its not a particularly viable way to get your HUD overlay... Personally I think we'd have a better chance of getting that functionality by interfacing directly with the optic nerve or brain.

    Then again, I'm not an engineer nor a neurologist, so I probably don't understand the respective challenges involved :-)

  4. Re:Worst ask slashdot ever on Suitable Naming Conventions For Workstations? · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why even do that? Just give it an incremental ID and make it the primary key a database of whatever it is you want to know about the machine -- eg: location, serial number, IP address (if you use static addressing), whatever else. You shouldn't ever change the unique ID you give a machine. That's bad. IMHO its always better to avoid putting metadata in a unique identifier altogether. It does involve an extra step for the netadmin to get information about the machine, but the bonus is he can find out whatever he wants. Work smarter, not harder :-)

  5. Re:Our old sys admin on Suitable Naming Conventions For Workstations? · · Score: 1

    Funniest thing I've read in weeks!

  6. Re:What about Perl? on C# and Java Weekday Languages, Python and Ruby For Weekends? · · Score: 1

    Thats right. I stopped giving credence to the rest of that post after they misspelled Perl.

    Yeah, seriously I did.

  7. Re:Where do I begin on Working Off the Clock, How Much Is Too Much? · · Score: 1

    I suggest you take this up with your company's HR department. They typically take a very dim view of the type of activity you are complaining about -- mostly because it would be very easy for you to to sue the company. If you can't get your HR rep to put the heat on your management to have some integrity, then direct your lawyer to the HR rep. The problem should resolve itself pretty quickly :-) I work in middle management and at least at my company I can tell you for sure that if I were to jerk around my employees like that, HR would be having a long discussion with me about how playing nice is a good thing and if I want to be an asshole I can take it somewhere else.

  8. Re:And why not Sagan? on Tomorrow's Science Heroes? · · Score: 1

    Thats actually pretty hilarious because in recent runs of Cosmos (on The Science Channel, IIRC), certain facts/figures in Sagan's dialogue have been overdubbed to convey more up-to-date data!

  9. Re:Software version vs. sequels on The Amazing World of Software Version Numbers · · Score: 1

    Yup, there is a reason they are calling it Windows 7 instead of what it really is -- Vista SP3. Nobody wants to pay for a service pack.

  10. Re:Not to fanboi all over the place... on Nielsen Recommends Not Masking Passwords · · Score: 1

    My old-ass Nokia's web-browser has this behavior. This feature does indeed predate the iPhone.

  11. I hate to say I told you so... on iPhone Users Angry Over AT&T Upgrade Policy · · Score: 1

    Eh. Though the iPhone seemed pretty damn cool when it came out, I said 'no' and stayed with my current phone and provider because, well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I didn't want to leave the provider I have been with for 8 years that has provided reliable (and relatively bullshit free) service throughout. I especially didn't want to switch to AT&T. It sucks, but I don't really feel bad about those who feel bent over. You took that risk in the first place and now have to pay the piper. I'd like to have an iPhone, but I will wait until Apple ends its exclusivity contract with AT&T and multiple providers support the iPhone. Until then, my phone will remain, just a phone. Until then, laissez faire!

  12. Re:Using the data for good purposes on Hackers Claim To Hit T-Mobile Hard · · Score: 1

    Perhaps some day people will finally notice that the free market doesn't result in utopia either.

    I'm not sure if I am reading this statement correctly. Are you saying that the status quo is a free market? For the telcos specifically, I'd have to say it is not a free market, considering some providers have an effectively monopoly in certain areas -- although this is much more evident in ISP and cable companies. Not to mention that the telcos got a huge government subsidy to increase infrastructure, which never happened -- if slashdot 'common knowledge' is to be believed. A truly free market might not lead to utopia after all, but I don't think this is a good example to use :-)

  13. Its all about the wallpaper on Keeping a PC Personal At School? · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am guessing using goatse as your wallpaper will cut down on the requests.

  14. Re:But it's not free on What Free IDE Do You Use? · · Score: 1

    I am pretty sure the Express versions are now, but I don't think they were always "free". Unless you mean "free" as in compiling the IDE from source yourself, in which case it is not! :-)

  15. Re:Seconding this on What Free IDE Do You Use? · · Score: 1

    Hmm I dunno if this is true. I tried to install Visual C# Express on wine/Kubuntu 9.04 and the installer fails with a missing module error or some dumb thing.

    Has anyone been successful in installing Visual Studio under wine? I'd actually really like that!

  16. Re:Make an educational MMO Game on How To Help a Friend With an MMO Addiction? · · Score: 1

    It really depends on that person's specific circumstance. If a person plays excessively and flunks out of school, loses their job, and/or develops health problems -- it still doesn't answer the question of WHY do they do it? That question needs to be asked whether its a WoW addiction or alcoholism.

    I'm not a very social person in the first place. Social anxiety, I guess. FWIW, I don't consider posting on slashdot to be the same thing -- I don't have to look you in the eye or talk to you live :-)

    My main WoW character has something like 65 days of play time logged in the last 2 years. That works out to about 2 hours a day. I know people who watch more TV than that, but I digress. If I didn't play WoW, I'd be doing something else alone, like hacking perl or C# code, like I did before I discovered WoW. I'm not trying to justify my behavior, but WoW or perl or whatever is not the cause of issue, only a symptom.

    But hey, I am gainfully employed and my behavior doesn't negatively impact anyone else, so everything's cool right?

  17. I bought a whole box of them... on A History of 3D Cards From Voodoo To GeForce · · Score: 4, Funny

    at best buy a couple weeks ago... too bad the box was supposed to contain a Nvidia 260... s3, 3dfx, all kinds of old ass graphics boards in the box.. but no 260...

  18. Re:You sir may have just created a new religion. on Star Trek's Warp Drive Not Impossible · · Score: 1

    Cake rocks, and that's no lie. XD

  19. Re:Great on Microsoft Office 2007 SP2 Released, Supports ODF Out of the Box · · Score: 1

    Eh, I am pretty sure its just the same export to PDF functionality that OO.org has had for years. FWIW, I was trying to do just this with Office 2007 vanilla the other day, and was pleasantly surprised to see that though it doesn't export out of the box, a quick add-in download supplied the functionality and it worked like a charm. I believe they also had an ODF add-in as well. I am not sure how long this has been supported, but it looks to me like the service pack just rolls in some of these add-ins into the base installation. Nice to see this from MS, but as I said, its not exactly earth-shattering since OO.org has done this for quite a while :-)

  20. Re:...No on Atari Emulation of CRT Effects On LCDs · · Score: 1

    Hmm yeah, Model T's are fun to ride in, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it comfortable. I think the same applies here, playing old games is fun, but they were ugly then and this filter makes them the same king of ugly. It really gives you the true experience I suppose. It is true that a lot of old games look arguably worse on a nice new LCD.

    /shrug

    I've played with the NTSC filter in an NES emulator before, and yes it really does look like the real deal, but its ugly to me so I have to turn it off :-)

  21. Re:Wow.... on Air Force One Flyby Causes Brief Panic In NYC · · Score: 1

    You're foreign, you don't get to check a box at all :-)

  22. Re:Money drains on Google Losing Up To $1.65M a Day On YouTube · · Score: 1

    I wouldn't be surprised if Google dumps YouTube and starts charging for GMail.

    Its possible, but I think its unlikely. Think of the sort of user profiling data they can get from services like GMail, which can be used to deliver better-targeted ads to users. Thats got to make GMail an asset for Google even if it doesn't generate revenue directly.

  23. Re:Nothing to see here... on College Police Think Using Linux Is Suspicious Behavior · · Score: 1
  24. Re:Complaining when you got what you asked for on Time Warner Transfer Caps May Inspire Fair-Price Legislation · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If those are really the annual net gains then it boggles my mind why they wouldn't start upgrading and building out infrastructure and taking more tax writeoffs. They would simply have to pay for their own network, write off the costs, and reap the long-term benefits of their shiny new network. Hell, they might even reduce the average customer bill and still make more money by gaining more customers. I am missing something here-- is this a simplistic view, or are ISPs simply too greedy to bother investing in their own future?

  25. Re:Shit wifi performace is a standard Linux 'featu on Using Linux To Make a Slow, Awful WAN Connection · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You know, I have noticed this with my laptop in my house. Under windows xp I get one bar of connection and its flaky at best. Granted this is on the other side of the house from the router and also on a different floor, so I am not surprised by that. But in the same location on the same laptop running an Ubuntu liveCD gets better signal and a much more reliable connection.

    My guess is that the linux driver allows for a higher power setting, though over the years I've come to think that the Linux TCP/IP stack seems a little speedier than Windows... I dunno if that is really the case, but I like to think so :-)