If only it would/could install without root perms. I hate apps that don't offer that as an option since to have root at work I have to use my Linux bootable cd to bypass the Mac's security and that is probably not a good career choice so I've avoided doing it.
My experience is that you can shutdown most site's AdWord ads by clicking on them a hundred times a day for a few days. It seems Google will decide they're cheating and cut them off without any chance to defend themselves. So if you see an annoying AdWords site now you know how to hurt them..;)
My websites will always be free. A couple to try.. Techie Stuff and File Sharing. Funny, if all banner-paid sites had to go away then the websites made by people actually doing it out of interest might get more traffic. I'm sure users would hate that.. search for something and actually find a site with real info rather than just ads.
I'd rather spend $10 on something interesting like this than on something mundane like a video game but I suspect I'm one of the few. Most people are more interesting in mindless entertainment than in science and art. Damn the need for a cure for cancer.. I'd rather invest in a new video game and a case of beer!
I leave my computer on all the time because I use it all the time. I don't have to be sitting in front of it for it to be doing something useful for me. And I access it remotely as needed. If it weren't on then I wouldn't be able to.
I do agree that there isn't much use in keeping Windows machines running all the time though. It's not like they are likely to be doing anything useful when not being used to play some game.
Real-time digital paper would be really awesome. I'd love to have streaming cameras hooked to posters or even wallpaper. I could be sitting in the office and see a live feed of the beach on my wall. That'd be fun. It is similar to watching a feed on tv but IMO it'd be much better from paper as it'd be less bulky, easier on the eyes, and use less electricity. (Hopefully be cheaper too.) Having the whole wall act as your screen would be cool even if it wasn't as clear as your tv/monitor and didn't refresh as often.
I'd like to have it on my wall especially if they could hook an indoor/outdoor thermometer up to it. It sounds like it is easier to read than most such devices and would be low power so I'd not have to change the battery very often. I wonder if they could make it into a poster. Such that a normal poster with a clock somewhere in the picture would show the real time. That'd be fun.
I largely blame the poor documentation of using Javascript and incompatibilities in implementation for my wish of a better scripting language in web browsers.
I've often thought of creating a lite version of Python or Prolog that have some built-in DOM access added and all their parts that pose security issues removed. In general I think that it's a shame that we're mostly limited to one or two languages of limited compatibility for client-side web scripting. At least we can write some of that stuff in the language of our choice on the back-end now and just use JS to communicate between the browser and the server seamlessly.
I'd like to see a thin language that just lets a server-side RPC service be connected to and gives the server-side script full access to all browser events and the DOM. That'd be pretty cool. Something as simple as defining the host and then using RPC calls as if they were client-side calls.
Which brings to mind.. how do you observe something without changing it? If we can only observe times past but can't change them and observing always causes changes then isn't THAT a contradiction?
If not then I plan to make a machine that clones objects and people from the past into the present. I'll set this machine up to run in the distant (or not so) future when everyone is immortal and to copy me into that future a few minutes before my own death.. rushing me to a hospital, making me young again, and of course immortal. Ahh my religious experience is mapped out. Who needs Scientology and alien help? Maybe I'll make myself my own copy of Katie too..
People would rather pass laws that take away our freedoms than take the personal responsibility of learning to protect themselves. It's how we end up with bonehead ideas like local cops, the FBI, Homeland Security, etc and no doubt they'd love to create a China-like situation where the Internet is kept safe at the mere expense of liberty.
End-users have the responsibility to protect their computers and themselves when they go online. If they can't do it, or haven't the time, then it's their responsibility to hire outside help.
I do think companies should be held legally accountable. Software producers should be open to lawsuits for not providing quick, free, and easy security updates to all their products. Companies that don't bother using those updates, not choosing better products, or not otherwise maintaining their security should also be open to lawsuits and possible criminal charges if they work with sensitive data or their compromised systems are used to attack other systems. In the majority of companies I've worked for security was an issue that was totally swept under the carpet. I think that is the #1 reason the Internet has so many security problems.
Those that won't be responsible by choice should be punished instead of the rest of us constantly cleaning up after them. I like ISPs that disconnect end-users that are detected to be compromised. I'd like to see that built directly into the protocols that define the Internet. That is where these issues should be fixed - not at the government level or even the software level.
Exactly. It forces social responsibility. A little something most of us think of as a good thing. Because everyone has to play fair it allows more code to be developed. You can contribute with the expectation that nobody can take your work and tell you go screw yourself. Using the GPL is something like expecting your employer to pay you. Freedom only works so long as there is responsibility. Without responsibility there is anarchy and things just don't function very well.
BSD people just confuse me. They give away their code in such a way that those who use it owe them nothing back at all. Company X can take your code, change it significantly, make it into a popular product, and give you absolutely nothing back. To me that is bad design. In a world where people played fair it might work but in this world it's the same as bending over in a prison shower. It definately is a way to make sure you get used but it doesn't mean it's going to create a relationship that benefits everyone involved. The BSD system only keeps working as long as new people step up to be used. The GPL system forces users to become producers and helps define a community. It works because it is viral.
Maybe Theo is pissed because he lets himself get used and people still use Linux more? Would Linux be used as much and developed for as much if it wasn't GPL licensed? I don't think so.
A freshly registered domain would work better. The spammed domain will more likely be blacklisted for being a spammer and if it's not then changing all the website's content suddenly may flag you as suspicious.:)
Might help a little but repeated links from the same website don't count nearly as well as unique links. Instead of wasting time and money on making junk links why not just create some real content and some good links?
I agree that most SEO companies and scammers just trying to make a quick buck. There are legitimate companies though that teach legitimate techniques. What are legit techniques? Basics that make your website easier for your users to find and use. Do those things and you will rank okay in search engines. I actually wrote up a short howto of the basic seo concepts the other day. I only wish more non-commercial websites would make some effort to optimize their websites. It's especially useful for documentation.
Usually you get mailing lists because they are the only documentation on what you are searching for or at least the only documentation or the only documentation that seems real to the search engine. This is A) Why I encourage people to write to mailing lists when they've found the answer to their problem and B) write up some real documentation and put it on the web and then send the link to that documentation to the mailing list. I try to do these things and it seems to help a lot of people.
Search engine optimization isn't wrong. Every website should do it. It's the fact that a lot of websites with real information don't make any effort at all that lets spammers so easily screw with search engines. If you don't help the search engines find the right information then they'll give you spam or their best guesses such as mailing lists.
Re:Handicapped users hate DVD menus.
on
DivX 6.0 is Out
·
· Score: 1
Usually but certainly not always and there is often a lot of variance with things such as picking the right subtitle or language, selecting the desired chapter, etc. A real pain for people with mobility issues. What about people who can't work the controls at all? It makes it almost impossible for them to watch movies because it is so difficult to build features such as auto-play in.
Handicapped users hate DVD menus.
on
DivX 6.0 is Out
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
DVD menus are absolutely horrible for handicapped users. They should be optional with a required logical declaration as to what titles on the disc are for what. Maybe some sort of XML document that declares the main feature, soundtracks, subtitle tracks, etc.
Cutting and pasting is akin to using your finger to point at something and then to point to where you want it to go. The mouse is often the easier tool for this. In the cases where it isn't then just choose to use the keyboard. You can do both.
The problem with OS X is that it neither implements keyboard control or mouse control properly. For 99% of users it probably isn't noticable but for hardcore users such as programmers it certainly is. If you can't mouse and type at the same time then you aren't geek enough to understand.;)
JWZ is mostly a programmer that likes to whine a lot rather than just fixing things. He obviously has skill but other than lame ass stuff like xscreensaver (who needs screensavers in this decade) what has he written that matters to me?
He bailed on Mozilla with much fanfare and whining and IMO it's currently the best, even if not flawless, browser on the market in the reborn form of Firefox. He whined about the problems in Mozilla.. other people went and fixed them.
If he has a problem with sound in Linux then why not bang out some code? Or if he isn't that energetic then why not make an itemized list of problems and how to fix them? I can agree that sound has always been pretty screwed up in Linux. It's never really mattered to me though cus I usually don't leave my speakers on for all the stupid little desktop sounds and crap like that.
The distros really should have got together by now and worked out a solution. They need to get the developers of ALSA, GNOME, KDE, and major apps like xine and xmms together and hammer out a sound system that works for all of them and then make that the default. OSS/ALSA probably are fine for the low level system but programmers shouldn't need to be using that system. KDE and GNOME both have higher level sound systems but they aren't compatible and neither is really that great. Why not create a single standard, better, high-level sound system and move to change all major apps to support that system? Definately RedHat and Novell should be able to manage that shouldn't they?
I can't stand using OS X. Compared to Linux it's a major pain if you're a programmer used to being able to use all the keys on your keyboard and having one click cut n'paste and nice features like that. I hope JWZ has fun adapting to those things.:)
I didn't say it'd be a good interface. Just that it'd be cool to do.;) Fingerworks doesn't do the parts that are really cool.. namely being able to wave your hands around in the air and by doing so control your computer. I think a combination of voice and hand tracking would be cool. Make your tv respond to voice commands or hand signals.. say "TV alert" and the tv focuses it's attention on you and lets you change the volume, channels, etc using simple hand gestures instead of having to find a remote. Flick your fingers up and down for channels.. right and left for volume. Interesting things like that.
Probably so (never actually looked at it closely) but what'd be really cool is if it could be accessed in some standard way like a keyboard or mouse without needing to know what's happening behind the curtain.
I assume it tracks motion so possibly it could pass that along as mouse data. It'd be pretty cool to use actual hand gestures to control my apps from across the room. Wave my hand down to scroll down, up for up, jab my fist in to click, stuff like that. Maybe have a coloring book I could color on just by waving my hands or even feet. Or make a game like Everquest that lets you cast spells with hand motions... swish and flick!
I guess I could research how it works and write my own API that creates such an interface from any camera but it'd be better if Sony did it as they actually have experience in the area.:)
Slashdot Mirror
If only it would/could install without root perms. I hate apps that don't offer that as an option since to have root at work I have to use my Linux bootable cd to bypass the Mac's security and that is probably not a good career choice so I've avoided doing it.
Fear digital paper. :p
My experience is that you can shutdown most site's AdWord ads by clicking on them a hundred times a day for a few days. It seems Google will decide they're cheating and cut them off without any chance to defend themselves. So if you see an annoying AdWords site now you know how to hurt them.. ;)
My websites will always be free. A couple to try.. Techie Stuff and File Sharing. Funny, if all banner-paid sites had to go away then the websites made by people actually doing it out of interest might get more traffic. I'm sure users would hate that.. search for something and actually find a site with real info rather than just ads.
I'd rather spend $10 on something interesting like this than on something mundane like a video game but I suspect I'm one of the few. Most people are more interesting in mindless entertainment than in science and art. Damn the need for a cure for cancer.. I'd rather invest in a new video game and a case of beer!
I leave my computer on all the time because I use it all the time. I don't have to be sitting in front of it for it to be doing something useful for me. And I access it remotely as needed. If it weren't on then I wouldn't be able to.
I do agree that there isn't much use in keeping Windows machines running all the time though. It's not like they are likely to be doing anything useful when not being used to play some game.
Real-time digital paper would be really awesome. I'd love to have streaming cameras hooked to posters or even wallpaper. I could be sitting in the office and see a live feed of the beach on my wall. That'd be fun. It is similar to watching a feed on tv but IMO it'd be much better from paper as it'd be less bulky, easier on the eyes, and use less electricity. (Hopefully be cheaper too.) Having the whole wall act as your screen would be cool even if it wasn't as clear as your tv/monitor and didn't refresh as often.
I'd like to have it on my wall especially if they could hook an indoor/outdoor thermometer up to it. It sounds like it is easier to read than most such devices and would be low power so I'd not have to change the battery very often. I wonder if they could make it into a poster. Such that a normal poster with a clock somewhere in the picture would show the real time. That'd be fun.
I largely blame the poor documentation of using Javascript and incompatibilities in implementation for my wish of a better scripting language in web browsers.
/>
I've often thought of creating a lite version of Python or Prolog that have some built-in DOM access added and all their parts that pose security issues removed. In general I think that it's a shame that we're mostly limited to one or two languages of limited compatibility for client-side web scripting. At least we can write some of that stuff in the language of our choice on the back-end now and just use JS to communicate between the browser and the server seamlessly.
I'd like to see a thin language that just lets a server-side RPC service be connected to and gives the server-side script full access to all browser events and the DOM. That'd be pretty cool. Something as simple as defining the host and then using RPC calls as if they were client-side calls.
<script type="text/xml-rpc" host="http://xmlrpc.example.com:80/"
<span onFocus="focus">Yada yada yada.</span>
Which brings to mind.. how do you observe something without changing it? If we can only observe times past but can't change them and observing always causes changes then isn't THAT a contradiction?
If not then I plan to make a machine that clones objects and people from the past into the present. I'll set this machine up to run in the distant (or not so) future when everyone is immortal and to copy me into that future a few minutes before my own death.. rushing me to a hospital, making me young again, and of course immortal. Ahh my religious experience is mapped out. Who needs Scientology and alien help? Maybe I'll make myself my own copy of Katie too..
People would rather pass laws that take away our freedoms than take the personal responsibility of learning to protect themselves. It's how we end up with bonehead ideas like local cops, the FBI, Homeland Security, etc and no doubt they'd love to create a China-like situation where the Internet is kept safe at the mere expense of liberty.
End-users have the responsibility to protect their computers and themselves when they go online. If they can't do it, or haven't the time, then it's their responsibility to hire outside help.
I do think companies should be held legally accountable. Software producers should be open to lawsuits for not providing quick, free, and easy security updates to all their products. Companies that don't bother using those updates, not choosing better products, or not otherwise maintaining their security should also be open to lawsuits and possible criminal charges if they work with sensitive data or their compromised systems are used to attack other systems. In the majority of companies I've worked for security was an issue that was totally swept under the carpet. I think that is the #1 reason the Internet has so many security problems.
Those that won't be responsible by choice should be punished instead of the rest of us constantly cleaning up after them. I like ISPs that disconnect end-users that are detected to be compromised. I'd like to see that built directly into the protocols that define the Internet. That is where these issues should be fixed - not at the government level or even the software level.
Which is why I just make up nonsense words as the names for my websites. No trademark issues and they're easy to search for.
I was told that Kavlon is pretty close to some rather amussing Greek words though. It makes Greeks think I'm a pervert. Rather funny.
Exactly. It forces social responsibility. A little something most of us think of as a good thing. Because everyone has to play fair it allows more code to be developed. You can contribute with the expectation that nobody can take your work and tell you go screw yourself. Using the GPL is something like expecting your employer to pay you. Freedom only works so long as there is responsibility. Without responsibility there is anarchy and things just don't function very well.
BSD people just confuse me. They give away their code in such a way that those who use it owe them nothing back at all. Company X can take your code, change it significantly, make it into a popular product, and give you absolutely nothing back. To me that is bad design. In a world where people played fair it might work but in this world it's the same as bending over in a prison shower. It definately is a way to make sure you get used but it doesn't mean it's going to create a relationship that benefits everyone involved. The BSD system only keeps working as long as new people step up to be used. The GPL system forces users to become producers and helps define a community. It works because it is viral.
Maybe Theo is pissed because he lets himself get used and people still use Linux more? Would Linux be used as much and developed for as much if it wasn't GPL licensed? I don't think so.
A freshly registered domain would work better. The spammed domain will more likely be blacklisted for being a spammer and if it's not then changing all the website's content suddenly may flag you as suspicious. :)
Might help a little but repeated links from the same website don't count nearly as well as unique links. Instead of wasting time and money on making junk links why not just create some real content and some good links?
I agree that most SEO companies and scammers just trying to make a quick buck. There are legitimate companies though that teach legitimate techniques. What are legit techniques? Basics that make your website easier for your users to find and use. Do those things and you will rank okay in search engines. I actually wrote up a short howto of the basic seo concepts the other day. I only wish more non-commercial websites would make some effort to optimize their websites. It's especially useful for documentation.
Usually you get mailing lists because they are the only documentation on what you are searching for or at least the only documentation or the only documentation that seems real to the search engine. This is A) Why I encourage people to write to mailing lists when they've found the answer to their problem and B) write up some real documentation and put it on the web and then send the link to that documentation to the mailing list. I try to do these things and it seems to help a lot of people.
Search engine optimization isn't wrong. Every website should do it. It's the fact that a lot of websites with real information don't make any effort at all that lets spammers so easily screw with search engines. If you don't help the search engines find the right information then they'll give you spam or their best guesses such as mailing lists.
Usually but certainly not always and there is often a lot of variance with things such as picking the right subtitle or language, selecting the desired chapter, etc. A real pain for people with mobility issues. What about people who can't work the controls at all? It makes it almost impossible for them to watch movies because it is so difficult to build features such as auto-play in.
DVD menus are absolutely horrible for handicapped users. They should be optional with a required logical declaration as to what titles on the disc are for what. Maybe some sort of XML document that declares the main feature, soundtracks, subtitle tracks, etc.
An unoffical i386 mirror I set up for Fedora Core 4. http://www.linuxfiles.info/
Cutting and pasting is akin to using your finger to point at something and then to point to where you want it to go. The mouse is often the easier tool for this. In the cases where it isn't then just choose to use the keyboard. You can do both.
;)
The problem with OS X is that it neither implements keyboard control or mouse control properly. For 99% of users it probably isn't noticable but for hardcore users such as programmers it certainly is. If you can't mouse and type at the same time then you aren't geek enough to understand.
JWZ is mostly a programmer that likes to whine a lot rather than just fixing things. He obviously has skill but other than lame ass stuff like xscreensaver (who needs screensavers in this decade) what has he written that matters to me?
:)
He bailed on Mozilla with much fanfare and whining and IMO it's currently the best, even if not flawless, browser on the market in the reborn form of Firefox. He whined about the problems in Mozilla.. other people went and fixed them.
If he has a problem with sound in Linux then why not bang out some code? Or if he isn't that energetic then why not make an itemized list of problems and how to fix them? I can agree that sound has always been pretty screwed up in Linux. It's never really mattered to me though cus I usually don't leave my speakers on for all the stupid little desktop sounds and crap like that.
The distros really should have got together by now and worked out a solution. They need to get the developers of ALSA, GNOME, KDE, and major apps like xine and xmms together and hammer out a sound system that works for all of them and then make that the default. OSS/ALSA probably are fine for the low level system but programmers shouldn't need to be using that system. KDE and GNOME both have higher level sound systems but they aren't compatible and neither is really that great. Why not create a single standard, better, high-level sound system and move to change all major apps to support that system? Definately RedHat and Novell should be able to manage that shouldn't they?
I can't stand using OS X. Compared to Linux it's a major pain if you're a programmer used to being able to use all the keys on your keyboard and having one click cut n'paste and nice features like that. I hope JWZ has fun adapting to those things.
I didn't say it'd be a good interface. Just that it'd be cool to do. ;) Fingerworks doesn't do the parts that are really cool.. namely being able to wave your hands around in the air and by doing so control your computer. I think a combination of voice and hand tracking would be cool. Make your tv respond to voice commands or hand signals.. say "TV alert" and the tv focuses it's attention on you and lets you change the volume, channels, etc using simple hand gestures instead of having to find a remote. Flick your fingers up and down for channels.. right and left for volume. Interesting things like that.
Probably so (never actually looked at it closely) but what'd be really cool is if it could be accessed in some standard way like a keyboard or mouse without needing to know what's happening behind the curtain.
:)
I assume it tracks motion so possibly it could pass that along as mouse data. It'd be pretty cool to use actual hand gestures to control my apps from across the room. Wave my hand down to scroll down, up for up, jab my fist in to click, stuff like that. Maybe have a coloring book I could color on just by waving my hands or even feet. Or make a game like Everquest that lets you cast spells with hand motions... swish and flick!
I guess I could research how it works and write my own API that creates such an interface from any camera but it'd be better if Sony did it as they actually have experience in the area.