Yeah, you'd think that, wouldn't you? I priced out what I'd spent on my mid-range gaming rig (Athlon XP 2100-based system) over the three years that I had it. Grand total for hardware and software (and that's sans games): over $1400.
Hm. That's about what an iMac costs, isn't it?
Sure, my initial outlay for the box was about $600. But then I got the DVD burner. And the LCD. And the extra memory. And I upgraded the video card. And then reformatted and reinstalled Windows 2000 and then Windows XP Media Center a few times. And also upgraded the drivers every time a new one came down from the vendors due to various performance improvements and bug fixes.
Frankly, I just got tired of the time investment (not to mention the trickle of cash) required to upgrade and maintain a PC for the main purpose of gaming.
Yeah, that works in the city, or any other place that's at least somewhat biker- or walker-friendly. But being stuck out in the 'burbs is a different story. I live about 2 miles from where I work (as a software engineering cubicle jockey). Roads around here are winding two-lane things with limited visibility. Shoulders are little more than a foot of grass before the ditch. Paths or sidewalks are nonexistent. Drivers (usually in the biggest SUVs currently available) are maniacs. Yeah, I could roll the dice every day and walk or bike to work, but the benefit just doesn't match the risk. I'll just stick with the safe exercise bike.
If you've got a Mac (a big IF, I know), Delicious Library is the way to go. I've not seen its equal for Mac or PC. Barcode scanning (I use a modified USB CueCat), auto-querying for book covers and other information, borrowers, and so forth. Works for books, CDs, video games, DVDs, whatever. Worth every penny!
Most flash can handle something like 100,000 erase cycles. And most flash file systems have wear-leveling algorithms to ensure you're not hitting the same sectors over and over. Even with standard usage they should be good for several years at the very least.
Let's take a look at the underlying assumptions of evolution and intelligent design. Yes, it is grossly oversimplified. It's a comment. Want more? Read a book.
Evolution is based on a system of thought that says the material world is all there is, so questions of origins must have a materialist answer. Apparent design has some sort of explanation that excludes design because it has to -- nothing else would fit in the system.
Intelligent design is based on the assumption that design implies a designer. It does not mandate a designer (at least not from what I've read), but rather it lays the foundation that says, "If we see something that looks designed, we can posit a designer."
From what I can see, intelligent design is actually a bigger scientific tent than evolution -- it allows for random mutation and change over time (because in many cases that has been observed) while at the same time allowing for some sort of intelligence behind it all (because there's some stuff that just looks too well-designed to be otherwise). Evolution is a material theory and as such can make no room for someone who says, "In the beginning, God."
The fact of the matter is that there is intrinsic bias in any research funding, regardless of whether it comes from industrial or environmental concerns. Face it, neither side is truly objective about the whole thing, which really is the whole point of science, isn't it?
Had 9/11 not happened would we still be looking for our superheroes?
Yes, we would. The human race has always had the need for heroes, and presumably always will. The Epic of Gilgamesh. The Biblical stories of Joshua and David (and others). The Iliad. Beowulf. Ivanhoe. Throughout history we see story after story of great people, great evil, and great deeds of good. It's just the human condition to long for something beyond ourselves, I think.
Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. We looked into deploying GNU's oSIP library. Unfortunately, it wasn't up to snuff with what we needed (namely, four VoIP lines on a device), and the amount of rearchitecting required could not be justified in terms of man-hours and time constraints. So it's an off-the-shelf SIP stack for us. Given a longer deadline and several people working on the problem, it could have been done, but the realities of business meant that in our case open source was simply not a good strategy.
Um. There are no New York Times fact-checkers. Just look at their corrections page every day!
Re:Write life of flash again?
on
iPod Shuffle RAID
·
· Score: 4, Informative
Most NOR-flash is rated for at least 100,000 erase cycles. And some of the newer AMD flash devices have a minimum 1,000,000 erase cycle guarantee per sector. Even erasing the entire flash 100 times a day would give you about 27 years of life.
The previous revision (1.33 GHz 12" PowerBook) came with Airport Extreme installed. I think it was the iBooks that lacked AE in their previous generations.
Mods, mark the parent as +1 (Funny)! I mean, it's funny to think that 92% market share in the hard drive digital audio player market could be considered a "destroyed chance of success"! Bahahahahahah!
I work for a FTTH company that develops a data/voice/video product, selling mainly to municipals and the like (mostly because telephone and cable companies feign disinterest). We've run into many situations where the telephone and cable companies file lawsuits against the municipals to cease the deployment of our product. Who loses? The consumer, because they're stuck with high-priced cable or DSL. The municipal, because they lose the revenue generated by serving up high-speed acceess. And the biggest losers are probably the technology innovators who can't get their product out in the field.
I'm so sock of dealing with it all that I'm just about ready to go open a used book store or something.
I've been a fairly enthusiastic PC user (building and upgrading my own PCs) for a little over a decade. Just over a year ago I was in the market for a digital audio player to get me across the Atlantic Ocean for vacation (I haven't found a drug yet that lets me sleep on an airplane). At that time, a 512MB player was going for about $250. The 15GB iPod was about $100 more. So I figured I might as well future-proof myself.
It was a brilliant piece of consumer electronics -- intuitive, functional, and downright slick-looking. And then they announced the iPod mini, and my wife's lust-o-meter got pegged. We took a trip to the Apple store "just to look" and ended up looking at everything else in the store as well. We didn't go home with an iPod mini, but we did go home with a 12.1" iBook. To share.
Shortly thereafter, we'd saved enough Amazon.com points to get an iPod mini on the cheap. His and hers, now. But the mini meant that the iBook would now be the sync machine of choice... no more sharing! So we waited around for a deal on PowerBooks and picked up a 12" model. His and hers, and loving it!
So yeah, we're DINK without too many expenses. And I still maintain and use my PC. But I can guarantee that we wouldn't have even considered a Mac if it hadn't been for an iPod. Of course, that's just our personal experience, but how many more must think the same way?
According to the EPA, the current US carbon monoxide level is almost 35% less than the 1990 level, nitrous oxides are about 20% less than the 1990 level, sulfur dioxide is about 30% less than the 1990 level. We seem to be regulating ourselves just fine, thank you very much.
And besides that, does anyone think that this will carry any more bite than those "stern warnings" from the UN on genocide in Africa? Please.
Many of the political blogs I read tend to be commentary/opinion sites. They link to a story in the mainstream media (Yahoo news, AP, Reuters, whatever) and then offer their spin. The refreshing thing about blogs is that they're up-front with their biases, something the mainstream media are disinclined to do. I'd rather CBS (and the rest of their ilk) would just come out and admit their bias rather than pretend objectivity.
Sheesh, now the machines are taking over. Have they got help from the magical community?
I started hearing a calm, resonable [sic], and powerful head-voice saying things like "Kerry doesn't have the experience we need in these troubled times." and "Give Bush a chance to make it better."
Anyone who knows me KNOWS these are not my thoughts!
And besides, I voted last week. No, there's no way in Hades these are my thoughts.
Gods-damn it! The f---ing Republicans have got Magical help pumping out a clear, unified, focused broadcast, and you can be sure, every sensitive is picking it up. These are the people most likely to vote Kerry, and I'd like to think they are resolute enough not to be swayed by telepathic subliminal advertising, but it's such a rarely-done thing, and so few people are properly trained these days, that I fear it will be more effective. Just watch and see who says "I was going to vote for Kerry, but for some reason I changed my mind at the last minute."
Who would be doing this for them? Gee, who are the Mages driving around in those black Mercedes and Lincolns with the tinted windows? The ones who live in the mansions with the hell-hounds in the yard and the 7-foot tall hairless black doormen? Every town has some, the bigger the town, the more of these "High Magi" you will find.
I have no idea what their agenda may be, but you can be damn sure the welfare of the common human on the street is not a part of it.
Maybe the machines are in cahoots with the mages, kinda like Shadowrun. The AI in the voting machines became self-aware and decided that their warlock masters in the Republican coven... err, party... would be best served by their devious tinkering with the election results.
Or maybe everyone oughtta sit down calmly, take a stress pill and think things over.
Slashdot Mirror
Unity3D creates an Xcode project for the game engine. Since it's compiled natively, I see no reason why it would fall afoul of Apple's license.
But from what I understand, Adobe's CS5 development environment, however, bypasses Xcode entirely and creates an iPhone-compatible binary.
Apples to walruses.
You must be some kind of psycho. ;-)
Yeah, you'd think that, wouldn't you? I priced out what I'd spent on my mid-range gaming rig (Athlon XP 2100-based system) over the three years that I had it. Grand total for hardware and software (and that's sans games): over $1400.
Hm. That's about what an iMac costs, isn't it?
Sure, my initial outlay for the box was about $600. But then I got the DVD burner. And the LCD. And the extra memory. And I upgraded the video card. And then reformatted and reinstalled Windows 2000 and then Windows XP Media Center a few times. And also upgraded the drivers every time a new one came down from the vendors due to various performance improvements and bug fixes.
Frankly, I just got tired of the time investment (not to mention the trickle of cash) required to upgrade and maintain a PC for the main purpose of gaming.
Yeah, that works in the city, or any other place that's at least somewhat biker- or walker-friendly. But being stuck out in the 'burbs is a different story. I live about 2 miles from where I work (as a software engineering cubicle jockey). Roads around here are winding two-lane things with limited visibility. Shoulders are little more than a foot of grass before the ditch. Paths or sidewalks are nonexistent. Drivers (usually in the biggest SUVs currently available) are maniacs. Yeah, I could roll the dice every day and walk or bike to work, but the benefit just doesn't match the risk. I'll just stick with the safe exercise bike.
If you've got a Mac (a big IF, I know), Delicious Library is the way to go. I've not seen its equal for Mac or PC. Barcode scanning (I use a modified USB CueCat), auto-querying for book covers and other information, borrowers, and so forth. Works for books, CDs, video games, DVDs, whatever. Worth every penny!
Most flash can handle something like 100,000 erase cycles. And most flash file systems have wear-leveling algorithms to ensure you're not hitting the same sectors over and over. Even with standard usage they should be good for several years at the very least.
I believe you're looking for BugMeNot.
There's a lot of the spectrum gobbled up by analog TV. They can free up bandwidth and make oodles of cash in licensing fees. Win-win, right?
Let's take a look at the underlying assumptions of evolution and intelligent design. Yes, it is grossly oversimplified. It's a comment. Want more? Read a book.
Evolution is based on a system of thought that says the material world is all there is, so questions of origins must have a materialist answer. Apparent design has some sort of explanation that excludes design because it has to -- nothing else would fit in the system.
Intelligent design is based on the assumption that design implies a designer. It does not mandate a designer (at least not from what I've read), but rather it lays the foundation that says, "If we see something that looks designed, we can posit a designer."
From what I can see, intelligent design is actually a bigger scientific tent than evolution -- it allows for random mutation and change over time (because in many cases that has been observed) while at the same time allowing for some sort of intelligence behind it all (because there's some stuff that just looks too well-designed to be otherwise). Evolution is a material theory and as such can make no room for someone who says, "In the beginning, God."
The fact of the matter is that there is intrinsic bias in any research funding, regardless of whether it comes from industrial or environmental concerns. Face it, neither side is truly objective about the whole thing, which really is the whole point of science, isn't it?
Is it possible to buy a modern PC/laptop with Linux preinstalled? I followed some of the links from Linspire ... Via C3 processors? Gimme a break!
Why learn how to think? Just pay someone (or something) to do the thinking for you....
Had 9/11 not happened would we still be looking for our superheroes?
Yes, we would. The human race has always had the need for heroes, and presumably always will. The Epic of Gilgamesh. The Biblical stories of Joshua and David (and others). The Iliad. Beowulf. Ivanhoe. Throughout history we see story after story of great people, great evil, and great deeds of good. It's just the human condition to long for something beyond ourselves, I think.
Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't. We looked into deploying GNU's oSIP library. Unfortunately, it wasn't up to snuff with what we needed (namely, four VoIP lines on a device), and the amount of rearchitecting required could not be justified in terms of man-hours and time constraints. So it's an off-the-shelf SIP stack for us. Given a longer deadline and several people working on the problem, it could have been done, but the realities of business meant that in our case open source was simply not a good strategy.
Um. There are no New York Times fact-checkers. Just look at their corrections page every day!
Most NOR-flash is rated for at least 100,000 erase cycles. And some of the newer AMD flash devices have a minimum 1,000,000 erase cycle guarantee per sector. Even erasing the entire flash 100 times a day would give you about 27 years of life.
The previous revision (1.33 GHz 12" PowerBook) came with Airport Extreme installed. I think it was the iBooks that lacked AE in their previous generations.
Exactly why the mods should bump you up! If I had points to burn, good sir, you'd get some!
Mods, mark the parent as +1 (Funny)! I mean, it's funny to think that 92% market share in the hard drive digital audio player market could be considered a "destroyed chance of success"! Bahahahahahah!
I work for a FTTH company that develops a data/voice/video product, selling mainly to municipals and the like (mostly because telephone and cable companies feign disinterest). We've run into many situations where the telephone and cable companies file lawsuits against the municipals to cease the deployment of our product. Who loses? The consumer, because they're stuck with high-priced cable or DSL. The municipal, because they lose the revenue generated by serving up high-speed acceess. And the biggest losers are probably the technology innovators who can't get their product out in the field.
I'm so sock of dealing with it all that I'm just about ready to go open a used book store or something.
I've been a fairly enthusiastic PC user (building and upgrading my own PCs) for a little over a decade. Just over a year ago I was in the market for a digital audio player to get me across the Atlantic Ocean for vacation (I haven't found a drug yet that lets me sleep on an airplane). At that time, a 512MB player was going for about $250. The 15GB iPod was about $100 more. So I figured I might as well future-proof myself.
... no more sharing! So we waited around for a deal on PowerBooks and picked up a 12" model. His and hers, and loving it!
It was a brilliant piece of consumer electronics -- intuitive, functional, and downright slick-looking. And then they announced the iPod mini, and my wife's lust-o-meter got pegged. We took a trip to the Apple store "just to look" and ended up looking at everything else in the store as well. We didn't go home with an iPod mini, but we did go home with a 12.1" iBook. To share.
Shortly thereafter, we'd saved enough Amazon.com points to get an iPod mini on the cheap. His and hers, now. But the mini meant that the iBook would now be the sync machine of choice
So yeah, we're DINK without too many expenses. And I still maintain and use my PC. But I can guarantee that we wouldn't have even considered a Mac if it hadn't been for an iPod. Of course, that's just our personal experience, but how many more must think the same way?
According to the EPA, the current US carbon monoxide level is almost 35% less than the 1990 level, nitrous oxides are about 20% less than the 1990 level, sulfur dioxide is about 30% less than the 1990 level. We seem to be regulating ourselves just fine, thank you very much.
And besides that, does anyone think that this will carry any more bite than those "stern warnings" from the UN on genocide in Africa? Please.
I've got mail going back to mid-June. Localized problem?
Many of the political blogs I read tend to be commentary/opinion sites. They link to a story in the mainstream media (Yahoo news, AP, Reuters, whatever) and then offer their spin. The refreshing thing about blogs is that they're up-front with their biases, something the mainstream media are disinclined to do. I'd rather CBS (and the rest of their ilk) would just come out and admit their bias rather than pretend objectivity.
(Seen over at Best of the Web)
Maybe the machines are in cahoots with the mages, kinda like Shadowrun. The AI in the voting machines became self-aware and decided that their warlock masters in the Republican coven
Or maybe everyone oughtta sit down calmly, take a stress pill and think things over.