Is that the same as watching half the Superbowl, as I did? I didn't intend to. I generally dislike professional football, and I didn't care to see it... but those that decided to drop in and ruin my relaxing evening did.
So I caught the second half of the game. Everyone there was rooting for New York. I don't like the city of New York (it's too much for me, or something), and I loved Baltimore the only time I've been, so I rooted for Baltimore. I'm unfamiliar with either team, so it seemed like a good team to go for. By the end of the game, they all hated me.:-)
I didn't really care for the game much; I only really paid attention when the commercials came around. And do you want to know my favorite one? I don't know why, but I thought it was funny. I believe it was late in the fourth quarter... NSync showed up on some old guy's step and told him thanks for telling his kids not to drink, etc., and it turned out being a Budweiser commercial. I thought it was incredibly ironic at first that Budweiser was using NSync in their commercial since half of them can't drink, and even more ironic that an alcholic beverage was taking a "don't let your kids drink" stance, since kids seem to be the number one consumers of beer in this country.
Ah well. Good game, I guess. Good commercials. Good night.
Read what I said again. I did not say hide the news from me. I also did not say we need to be reminded of it. Bad things happen; we are informed and re-informed constantly about them. Good things happen; no one gives a darn, and so we are under the impression, as you said, that the world is not a nice or friendly place.
Sorry, but where I come from, the world is as nice and friendly as you make it and as you allow others to make it for you. If you let them tell you that your world is not nice or friendly, then have it your way - it won't be. If you're strong enough to enjoy life for what it is and shrug off the disasters as simply natural occurences that are bound to happen regardless of information, then life can very easily be nice and friendly.
This can't be that great because I can't think of anything good to say in thinking of a 15 year old disaster. It's something I prefer not to think about. Disasters are just as natural as the good things in life, so why do the disasters get so much attention? Are we so drawn to suffering that we must give them more attention? What is it about our culture that makes death and violence so entertaining?
It really does sicken me. I really don't like being reminded of such "horrible" losses in this way. Has anyone ever thought that maybe those people were saved from this hellhole we're living on? I know they probably had so many more things to do with their lives, but at least they don't have to go on living with their sufferings. I'd imagine that a few of the crew of that shuttle wouldn't have survived till now had it made it's orbits of the planet and returned safely.
Maybe next time we can think of something a little less emotionally disturbing?
With your tenure as the Federal Communications Commission's Chief Techologist potentially coming to an end in the very near future, what are your plans regarding your position at the University of Pennsylvania (or another university, for that matter)? How do you plan to use these past few years full of awards and recognition to support your life, your career, and those with whom you surround yourself and will surround yourself in the approaching future?
1. It's times like these that I wish I was still a gamer. I used to kickass at Tribes, and I'm sure that if I had continued with any of a number of current games, I could have developed my skills well enough to... make some cash... once in a while... maybe.
2. Um, the site this article links to can't handle the/. effect... it's lagged quite badly.:\ I guess I'll read the particulars about all this later...
I don't mean to be... whatever the adjective is that describes what I'm being right now (I drew a blank, sue me)... but everyone is biased. Period. It is impossible not to be. Everyone makes a decision based on what they feel is right, and that's what bias is. Using your own experience and morals to make a decision is bias. No one has a perfectly open mind, except those with no experience, or in other words infants.
No offense to anyone who agrees with the judge. I only mean to share my opinion... and it's probably biased.
I admire this man for his amazing sky-diving feats, but that's all it was - sky-diving. 100,000 feet is almost 19 miles, and that is not anywhere near the outer limits of Earth's atmosphere. Of course, the sky all around you and above you at that height is very dark and would make anyone without knowledge of the atmosphere's limits believe that it is in space, but it isn't. You aren't in space until you reach... oh... 1,000,000 feet. And keep in mind that the moon is about 100,000,000 feet out.
Of course, if you were the man with the clever back in the shop, you would have enjoyed this little activity. However, I can see that you are at least somewhat on the same level of sanity as I, and I know I would rather have... well there are hundreds of bad things that I would rather have happen to me than have to do that, so... Luckily I'm only 18 and I don't have any bad work experience... yet.
"Brian Milburn, president of Cybersitter, says that one of the worst things about this job is stumbling upon sites featuring photos of severed body parts. Gross."
You think being a porn sifter is one of the worst jobs? What about the poor person who's limbs are being severed for the sake of an internet site? I would personally like to think that we all agree that that would be a much worse job than any of the other five mentioned.
The market being what it is, and consumers being what they are, I'm guessing that this "Key Device Revocation" won't last too long. As HDTV becomes more and more the standard, consumers and/or companies will begin to complain and of their respective losses (quality or the ability to record for the consumers, ability to make money off the consumers for the companies, and probably all sorts of little things in between). In short, I don't expect this "problem" to be much of a problem when HDTV takes over.
As with any major market shift, it only takes time. Just look at where we are with CDs...
For those of you that live on that tiny island of [insert name of obscure island to be hit] in the Pacific Ocean, perhaps you should think about ordering some of those pillows that that guy on the Yahoo commercial did. They work wonders protecting poorly-built trailors from falling satellites.
On a slightly more serious note (just slightly), what do we do if part of the satellite happens to fall onto some boater or an important buoy or pipe? (I don't know much about the global positioning of our bandwidth pipes, but wouldn't it be horrible if the transatlantic pipeline were cut in two? Just a thought. And it won't happen, so dismiss the thought from your mind. Now.
If you bail out of a space craft of any kind at 100 miles above the Earth's surface, you'll drop to the earth like pigeon crap, if the parts of you left are even that big. No parachute would work at such a speed, for there is no air up there. Even if you pulled it when there was enough air to slow you down, you'd be going so fast that the air would rip it to shreds. At least when you drop from 50,000 feet there's enough air to keep you from building up too much speed.
And the thrusters to slow you down? This may be the only method of keeping acceleration to ungodly speeds down, but I don't see it being too economical or practical.
And there are many other factors, such as temperature, air to breathe, etc., surely some of this will be covered by the special space diving suit -- that would be one helluva suit...
Either way, if this "space diving" is ever to become a reality, it will take years of research and computer-guided test-drops into the atmosphere with on board items such as those parachutes and thrusters... but of course NASA's already considered that at some point.
I have always loved my Sony stereo systems; they were always the best. However, when it came time to get a new stereo this year, there was no way I was going to go without hearing my CD-R's, so I picked up an AIWA system. Sony is basically implying in this that it prefers business over consumers. What Sony doesn't realize is that consumers are the business. Maybe by not supporting CD-R's in the first place they were able to sign a few extra deals, make some extra cash, and it might actually work out for them in the end, but it's also helping to drive the Sony fanboys to other brands of electronics (myself included).
(This is unrelated - fair warning.) As for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, there is only one major reason why I don't want either: only two controller ports. I have reached the age where I don't have time to play games on my own any more. The only gaming I do is with friends, and the Nintendo 64 is the only system available that suits our needs. Lots of racing games, sports games, shoot'em'up games, etc., and four can play at once! I'll admit that Sony's game consoles are excellent pieces of equipment, and I have enjoyed a few games on the first PlayStation, but I do not like it because it is unsuitable for my gaming needs. However, since I don't do much gaming, this can be looked over...
Defense good.
Deadly weapons operated without human interaction, bad.
I like the idea of a missile-destroyer thing-a-ma-bob, but is it necessary to have it completely automatic? If something goes wrong, who would we blame? And think of the mess we'd have to go through while someone tried to fix it. Perhaps it would be a better idea to let it lock onto its target on its own, and then a human operator of some sort can press the "don't push this button" button, letting the machine do its thing when it's just right.
Not that I don't have faith in our ability to create machines perfect for such a task, but Murphy's Law states that things will go wrong given the opportunity... So I'd rather think that it was simply human error, which is natural, than internal error of some tiny computer parts, which would require time, money, long speeches on every channel by the president... You get what I'm saying.
What I find incredibly interesting is that we know lots about the shallow depths of the oceans, lots about the ocean floors, but we know very little about the deep depths between the surface and ocean floor... Can't we get some kind of sensor with a specific density that can only go down so far before... just kinda hovering? I mean, I would expect that the pressure down there is pretty intense, and there would have to be a certain point at which some objects just couldn't sink any deeper. Of course, being the marine biologist that I'm not, I could be wrong.
Oooh! With luck, we can catch news of our arrival on this new planet before the dawn of the next millenium! Get Timmy and Lassie inside, quick! This calls for milk and cookies!
Seriously, I don't mind the whole space exploration thing, but could we please stop searching so far away and concentrate a bit more on what we have right in front of us (so to speak, Mars, Venus, the moon, etc.)? We keep looking into deep space at stuff that we can never touch when we should, if we plan to exist on this planet for any extended (biologically speaking) period of time, be patrolling our solar system for vital substances or locations... and whatnot. You get the idea.
Okay, so even if this copy-protection implementation on future hard disks is to pass, which hard drives will be independent of such legislation? Consumers want and need to know. We don't necessarily want this restriction placed on us, and we have the right to buy the products we choose, right?
Because I'm sure I'm not alone on this, I would venture to guess that those companies that do choose to implement this copy-protection crap on their disks would lose and lose big, because the few companies that don't will be making a killing on the market. Even if the "good" disks have to be produced by third-party manufacturers and imported from random countries throughout the world, I can't see this copy-protection business taking over.
I mean come on... Napster is still alive and well...
Nintendo didn't completely miss anything with Nintendo 64, and frankly I am very tired of hearing this argument. They chose to stick with the cartridge for several reasons, and they have profitted mightily because of that. They did not want to use the discs (yet) because they did not have any proprietary formats ready to go... they needed time to develop it. The lifespan of the Nintendo 64 was the perfect window of opportunity for Nintendo to give the cartridges one last go without the worries of piracy that Sony and Sega are up against. Also, believe it or not, there are many more "Nintendo fanboys" out there that would rather buy a $60 cartridge than two $30 discs any day. Why? Because they are absolutely convinced that Nintendo is the best. Nintendo had the ability to support using a cartridge-based system one more time, so they did it, and they did it very well. Perhaps the only great loss was that of Square and the Final Fantasy series, but that actually happened before the unveiling of the Nintendo 64, which actually helped Nintendo's decision to continue with a cartridge-based system even easier.
As for Sony's immediate success with PS2 right now, there is one simple reason for that: Nintendo is waiting to blow them away. And Microsoft too, for that matter. Sony's shortage has helped to ensure that every machine sells, and the price has helped to make them lots of money. However, come next Fall when both Microsoft and Nintendo release the Xbox and GameCube, respectively, Sony is going to go down the same spiral Sega's in right now. I don't expect Sony to suffer near as badly as Sega, but without any great add-ons or additions, or truly innovative games, I don't expect Sony to put up much of a fight a year from now.
I really hate that the Xbox is turning out to look like a good piece of equipment, because I don't expect to ever see myself buying one. It's not that I have anything against it or Microsoft - I never have. I just believe that three companies is enough for the console market. On the other hand, if Sega actually vanishes into the night, Microsoft might be a good addition to the console wars. Still, I think Microsoft should stick to making their software better instead of entering a new market. They've stuck their nose in nearly every electronic market in existence as is... I don't think we can stand much more. Hopefully the Xbox will prove to me that they deserve this market. If not, Microsoft may lose my support (of course my support never meant anything... I'm just a kid).
I don't expect Windows to be split, but in the event that it does happen, I don't expect it to slow the company - er companies - down any. However, we might actually see better software, as two companies could then become somewhat competitive. They may say they won't, but with some guys going to the Windows branch and others to the Office branch, who's to say that someone won't start trying to show off their knowledge of the other side for their own gain? A little competition is always good, and better software as a result is welcome by me. I'm not for the destruction of Microsoft, but if it means better software, I have nothing against breaking the company down.
Slashdot Mirror
So I caught the second half of the game. Everyone there was rooting for New York. I don't like the city of New York (it's too much for me, or something), and I loved Baltimore the only time I've been, so I rooted for Baltimore. I'm unfamiliar with either team, so it seemed like a good team to go for. By the end of the game, they all hated me. :-)
I didn't really care for the game much; I only really paid attention when the commercials came around. And do you want to know my favorite one? I don't know why, but I thought it was funny. I believe it was late in the fourth quarter... NSync showed up on some old guy's step and told him thanks for telling his kids not to drink, etc., and it turned out being a Budweiser commercial. I thought it was incredibly ironic at first that Budweiser was using NSync in their commercial since half of them can't drink, and even more ironic that an alcholic beverage was taking a "don't let your kids drink" stance, since kids seem to be the number one consumers of beer in this country.
Ah well. Good game, I guess. Good commercials. Good night.
Sorry, but where I come from, the world is as nice and friendly as you make it and as you allow others to make it for you. If you let them tell you that your world is not nice or friendly, then have it your way - it won't be. If you're strong enough to enjoy life for what it is and shrug off the disasters as simply natural occurences that are bound to happen regardless of information, then life can very easily be nice and friendly.
As it is for me.
It really does sicken me. I really don't like being reminded of such "horrible" losses in this way. Has anyone ever thought that maybe those people were saved from this hellhole we're living on? I know they probably had so many more things to do with their lives, but at least they don't have to go on living with their sufferings. I'd imagine that a few of the crew of that shuttle wouldn't have survived till now had it made it's orbits of the planet and returned safely.
Maybe next time we can think of something a little less emotionally disturbing?
With your tenure as the Federal Communications Commission's Chief Techologist potentially coming to an end in the very near future, what are your plans regarding your position at the University of Pennsylvania (or another university, for that matter)? How do you plan to use these past few years full of awards and recognition to support your life, your career, and those with whom you surround yourself and will surround yourself in the approaching future?
2. Um, the site this article links to can't handle the /. effect ... it's lagged quite badly. :\ I guess I'll read the particulars about all this later...
No offense to anyone who agrees with the judge. I only mean to share my opinion... and it's probably biased.
I admire this man for his amazing sky-diving feats, but that's all it was - sky-diving. 100,000 feet is almost 19 miles, and that is not anywhere near the outer limits of Earth's atmosphere. Of course, the sky all around you and above you at that height is very dark and would make anyone without knowledge of the atmosphere's limits believe that it is in space, but it isn't. You aren't in space until you reach ... oh ... 1,000,000 feet. And keep in mind that the moon is about 100,000,000 feet out.
Of course, if you were the man with the clever back in the shop, you would have enjoyed this little activity. However, I can see that you are at least somewhat on the same level of sanity as I, and I know I would rather have... well there are hundreds of bad things that I would rather have happen to me than have to do that, so... Luckily I'm only 18 and I don't have any bad work experience ... yet.
You think being a porn sifter is one of the worst jobs? What about the poor person who's limbs are being severed for the sake of an internet site? I would personally like to think that we all agree that that would be a much worse job than any of the other five mentioned.
As with any major market shift, it only takes time. Just look at where we are with CDs...
On a slightly more serious note (just slightly), what do we do if part of the satellite happens to fall onto some boater or an important buoy or pipe? (I don't know much about the global positioning of our bandwidth pipes, but wouldn't it be horrible if the transatlantic pipeline were cut in two? Just a thought. And it won't happen, so dismiss the thought from your mind. Now.
Yeah, well, AIWA plays my CD-Rs and Sony doesn't. So I don't care who owns them.
"Get in there and fight! I've got your back! I'm right behind you!"
(Friend gets pummeled by ungodly large muscled thing.)
"I'm still behind you!" (as opposed to being in front of you getting pummeled in your place)
Sorry, this was unrelated to the space diving. For my comments on that, read this.
And the thrusters to slow you down? This may be the only method of keeping acceleration to ungodly speeds down, but I don't see it being too economical or practical.
And there are many other factors, such as temperature, air to breathe, etc., surely some of this will be covered by the special space diving suit -- that would be one helluva suit...
Either way, if this "space diving" is ever to become a reality, it will take years of research and computer-guided test-drops into the atmosphere with on board items such as those parachutes and thrusters... but of course NASA's already considered that at some point.
(This is unrelated - fair warning.) As for the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, there is only one major reason why I don't want either: only two controller ports. I have reached the age where I don't have time to play games on my own any more. The only gaming I do is with friends, and the Nintendo 64 is the only system available that suits our needs. Lots of racing games, sports games, shoot'em'up games, etc., and four can play at once! I'll admit that Sony's game consoles are excellent pieces of equipment, and I have enjoyed a few games on the first PlayStation, but I do not like it because it is unsuitable for my gaming needs. However, since I don't do much gaming, this can be looked over...
Deadly weapons operated without human interaction, bad.
I like the idea of a missile-destroyer thing-a-ma-bob, but is it necessary to have it completely automatic? If something goes wrong, who would we blame? And think of the mess we'd have to go through while someone tried to fix it. Perhaps it would be a better idea to let it lock onto its target on its own, and then a human operator of some sort can press the "don't push this button" button, letting the machine do its thing when it's just right.
Not that I don't have faith in our ability to create machines perfect for such a task, but Murphy's Law states that things will go wrong given the opportunity... So I'd rather think that it was simply human error, which is natural, than internal error of some tiny computer parts, which would require time, money, long speeches on every channel by the president... You get what I'm saying.
What I find incredibly interesting is that we know lots about the shallow depths of the oceans, lots about the ocean floors, but we know very little about the deep depths between the surface and ocean floor... Can't we get some kind of sensor with a specific density that can only go down so far before ... just kinda hovering? I mean, I would expect that the pressure down there is pretty intense, and there would have to be a certain point at which some objects just couldn't sink any deeper. Of course, being the marine biologist that I'm not, I could be wrong.
I'll believe it when I see it.
Seriously, I don't mind the whole space exploration thing, but could we please stop searching so far away and concentrate a bit more on what we have right in front of us (so to speak, Mars, Venus, the moon, etc.)? We keep looking into deep space at stuff that we can never touch when we should, if we plan to exist on this planet for any extended (biologically speaking) period of time, be patrolling our solar system for vital substances or locations... and whatnot. You get the idea.
It's just Romania... nuke the bastard. (kidding... for those that can't tell)
Because I'm sure I'm not alone on this, I would venture to guess that those companies that do choose to implement this copy-protection crap on their disks would lose and lose big, because the few companies that don't will be making a killing on the market. Even if the "good" disks have to be produced by third-party manufacturers and imported from random countries throughout the world, I can't see this copy-protection business taking over.
I mean come on... Napster is still alive and well...
As for Sony's immediate success with PS2 right now, there is one simple reason for that: Nintendo is waiting to blow them away. And Microsoft too, for that matter. Sony's shortage has helped to ensure that every machine sells, and the price has helped to make them lots of money. However, come next Fall when both Microsoft and Nintendo release the Xbox and GameCube, respectively, Sony is going to go down the same spiral Sega's in right now. I don't expect Sony to suffer near as badly as Sega, but without any great add-ons or additions, or truly innovative games, I don't expect Sony to put up much of a fight a year from now.
I really hate that the Xbox is turning out to look like a good piece of equipment, because I don't expect to ever see myself buying one. It's not that I have anything against it or Microsoft - I never have. I just believe that three companies is enough for the console market. On the other hand, if Sega actually vanishes into the night, Microsoft might be a good addition to the console wars. Still, I think Microsoft should stick to making their software better instead of entering a new market. They've stuck their nose in nearly every electronic market in existence as is ... I don't think we can stand much more. Hopefully the Xbox will prove to me that they deserve this market. If not, Microsoft may lose my support (of course my support never meant anything... I'm just a kid).
I don't expect Windows to be split, but in the event that it does happen, I don't expect it to slow the company - er companies - down any. However, we might actually see better software, as two companies could then become somewhat competitive. They may say they won't, but with some guys going to the Windows branch and others to the Office branch, who's to say that someone won't start trying to show off their knowledge of the other side for their own gain? A little competition is always good, and better software as a result is welcome by me. I'm not for the destruction of Microsoft, but if it means better software, I have nothing against breaking the company down.
Like I said, it's a common occurrence, and does not deserve headline news.