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User: Fox_1

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Comments · 267

  1. Re:Netflix works on linux on JMS and Wachowskis Teaming Up for New Netflix Funded Scifi Series · · Score: 1

    The main reason I'm commenting is to affirm this statement.
    Netflix has been working for a long time on a couple of my systems using the wine solution.
    AND get this crazy folks
    linux, virtualbox, old windows license = also working, for an even longer time - which is just as much cheating as wine, but come on, this isn't hard.
    I have even had netflix working on an old blackberry running BBOS6 - though technically that was just a stream from a linux host system I could still control it with the blackberry.
    The point is, what the hey hey?
    *I suppose since I'm in Canada I should point out that my netflix isn't HD, perhaps that's the issue for people, these solutions probably break at HD workloads.

  2. Re:Not true. on Ohio Judge Rules Speed Cameras Are a Scam · · Score: 2

    Flashing Green doesn't mean what you say in Canada. Here if the green is flashing it means that your direction of travel is allowed to go, while oncoming trafic is still stopped. It is often used before a full green at an intersection to clear out people making Left hand turns where they would cross the lane of oncoming traffic. So if I saw a flashing green in europe and the rules are like you say, then I would probably cause a helluva an accident.

  3. Re:The not so obvious answer on Ask Slashdot: Monitor Setup For Programmers · · Score: 1

    I'm with you, no karma in it, but I also can't reach the OP to slap sense into them.
    Are we really wasting time on this question?
    This is the: ' I need 3 highlighters in different colours in order to study crap ', delay, delay, delay, because the OP has no clue what to do. The perfect setup isn't going to suddenly make you 100x more productive. Besides it's actually easier to adjust your setup after you done some work. Once you know what you are doing you optimize, rather than some kinda weird guess at future needs without any idea how it'll actually work.
    The truth is: if the OP is spending this amount of effort and time in trying to resolve how to setup his frigging display at his new job, then the OP probably has no idea what they are doing.

  4. Re:It's about the administrators not the kids on With NCLB Waiver, Virginia Sorts Kids' Scores By Race · · Score: 1

    yeah I pointed that out as a possible outcome of this decision, but not in any seriousness.

    It would be an interesting approach to education if you could tie aggregate knowledge gain of the students to rating of the school/educator and create a market for students with UnTapped Potential. With all this rhetoric of kids being out greatest resource why not treat them as resources. Allow those able to extract the most gain from kids have access and cut off access for those that fail to exploit the kids potential to the fullest.

    Of course that's just a thought experiment, again, what is being done in Virginia is not in my mind meant to make things better for the kids, only the administrators.

  5. It's about the administrators not the kids on With NCLB Waiver, Virginia Sorts Kids' Scores By Race · · Score: 1

    So having read the article near as I can tell schools are 'scored' based upon their students test scores. Schools with predominately asian students do well, schools with predominately black students don't, and whites and hispanics fill the middle.
    The school system has decided to change how those scores are calculated based upon the race of the students. So that now all those schools that were lower performing can use the lower standards for the black students to bring up their scores.


    In one sense I could almost see schools competing for black enrollment so that their score goes up, but that is about the only positive thing about this law. And not likely to happen.
    The reality is that instead of using those metrics to identify schools that are failing their students and local community, so that funding or corrective action can be taken, the system has decided to skew the numbers to bury the problem. I'm pretty sure based upon recent events it's clear that skewing numbers to make things look better leads to a lot of wishful thinking but nothing concrete. To actually address the problems is harder work, and potentially more embarassing to the administrators than it is to blame the kids. Never mind how incredibly ignorant and insulting their approach is.
    Again, it's about the administrators, not about the kids.

  6. Re:last post on Sandy Sinks HMS Bounty, Knocks Off Gawker Websites · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The Bounty left port a week before the storm. The captain's stated intention was to skirt around/through the storm and head south. Let me repeat. The captain intentionally sailed into Sandy.
    There was a plenty of warning of the scale and scope of this storm before the Bounty left port. This wasn't a case of it being caught unprepared in harbour with a hurricane bearing down on it trying to get to sea. This captain made a decision to put this ship into incredible danger. A ship which is 400 years out of date in technology and used as a school ship to teach sailing.
    This was not the right decision.

  7. Re:Don't quit your day job on A Day in Your Life, Fifteen Years From Now · · Score: 1

    Second person perspective writing is a crime against humanity.
    YOU have just got your 7th grade exercise in creative writing posted to a news site read by people who actually don't enjoy having their eyeballs bleed. YOU giggle as the tags and cries of despair come pouring in across the interwebs. But then something happens when YOU see YOUR cackling face reflected in the nearby plastic cover of YOUR David Hasslehoff poster. David's honest face and oh so tight leather pants make YOU realize that this is not what The Hoff would do.
    YOU become ashamed of YOURself and take YOUR soul destroying ass to a short pier where YOU plan on taking a long walk. YOU will do this because YOU know that it is the only way YOU can find absolution from this horror that YOU have perpetuated upon this world. Also YOU know that YOU will never have the respect of YOUR friends and coworkers until YOU have taken this corrective action.

  8. Re:You know what would be cool? on Ask Slashdot: Teaching Typing With Limited Electricity, Computers? · · Score: 2

    I know this (the parent) is a joke, but the basis of learning to type is drill and repitition. I see nothing wrong with just geting a bunch of keyboards, don't bother to get computers for them and have the kids drill.
    A A A A
    S S S S
    ASDF
    etc.
    If the kid is going to hit the letter 'W' 12 times in a row, they don't need to see it actually show up on screen or paper, that's not the point, the point is to establish the muscle memory. Make sure the kids have the finger movements down in drill before you ever sit them at a powered computer. Just walk around the class and make sure the kids are hitting the right key as you call it out.

  9. Re:Text of the shirt on Booted From Airplane For Wearing Anti-TSA T-shirt · · Score: 1

    It's been a while but I do recall being informed in an airport once (in Canada) that it is a crime to joke about bombs at the airports in Canada. This information came as I was watching my carry on being searched and I made an inopportune comment as the agent pulled out my travel clock.
    I think we can all agree he was joking with the shirt. (ZOMG he's serious!!)
    So basically he could have spent the night in jail or paid a fine had he been in Toronto.
    Either way, really poor taste and inconsiderate behaviour on his part, not just the bozos working at Delta or the various cops.

  10. Re:Summary of Apology on Cooks Source Magazine Apologizes — Sort Of · · Score: 1
    Recently I got a bug up my butt and complained about crappy service at the my local coffee shop.

    In my complaint I said I had waited for 3 minutes before one of the two counter people finally addressed me and took my order. It was a simple complaint about slow service in an empty shop.

    The reply from the coffee shop manager was ten paragraphs long. In it they gave several possible explanations for why the counter people didn't take my order ranging from being engaged in a business related conversation to unavoidable staffing issues. The reply also included a detailed timeline of my visit to the shop based upon the security camera footage. Literally detailed to the second. Apparently my rough estimate of 3 minutes was wrong, I had actually only waited 1min 43 seconds, and the manager made sure to point that out in their email.

    My reply was less than polite and ended with:

    "Was the point of your email to keep me from ever being a customer again?
    In what way did you think the ten paragraphs below are a better response than
    'Sorry, our bad, next ones on us.' ? "

    Sometimes it makes more sense say "Sorry" and stop digging that hole.

  11. Re:As a Canadian... on EU Demands Canada Rework Its Copyright, Patent Law · · Score: 1

    Actually you brought up a direct comparison of Canada to the US to push this idea of Unilateralism being either good or bad but not both.

    It's a dumb idea, or question, or red herring. Unilateralism describes actions, it's those actions that determine the good or bad consequences.

    If you don't understand that concepts such as sovereignty, security, and the various legal and moral traditions of a nation apply to it's policies and governance, than I don't recommend a career in international relations.

  12. Re:WTF does this mean??? on Highly-Paid Developers As ScrumMasters? · · Score: 1

    My first thought on reading the article was : "What a f*cking Idiot"
    Seriously make my eyes bleed some other day.

  13. Well there's always Switzerland, they have some incredible medical treatments. They wouldn't mind us sponging, especially since we do pay our own way. Or any of the other westernized countries with modern medicine. Just like other countries send patients here for medical procedures and treatments that they don't offer. It's a small world now, and reciprocity is an understood concept.

    But really the fact is regardless of the style of medical care or health system offered, because the US is a large, educated, wealthy, populous, first world nation, it will always be a natural aggregate point for advanced medical techniques.

    It doesn't matter how you pay for it, in the end medical advances will continue.

    I don't begrudge those citizens of the US that lie to get Canadian health care (sometimes for things as simple as the flu). I do sincerely wish that there were better options for them. I suspect a lot of Canadians think like that.

    I was wrong when I said I'd be laughing two years later, that was cruel and I'm sorry. The reality is I mourn all unnecessary deaths.

  14. Re:One number wherever I go? Already have that. on Google Voice Grabs 1 Million Phone Numbers · · Score: 1

    The above may be a joke - but I used to sell this kind of technology years ago (just before the 2001 bubble burst).

    I concluded then that the reason for the failure of the company I worked for was that we were competing with cell phones. Find me Follow me, One Number, etc, however you market the service ultimately you are adding a layer of complexity and hassle when 90% of the phone calls will be coming to your cellphone anyways.

    There's nothing here that hasn't been done by unified communications software and providers before. Of course Google has a name and cachet, but my prediction is that for most the current cell phone/voicemail solution will continue to endure.

  15. Re:Peppy on Univ. of Wisconsin's 30-Year-Old Payroll System Needs a $40 Million Fix · · Score: 2, Informative

    And why do so many Americans come to Canada and lie to get basic medical treatment?

    Here's the deal:
    Most Canadians would rather not get stuck in some American hospital bankrupting themselves for survival. So most of us don't go to the US for care.

    The thing about Waiting Lists is that because we have regular contact with our doctors (free contact) we can identify issues early on. It's called Preventative Medicine, rather than addressing problems after they happen, we identify them before they start. It sucks to wait 9 months for a knee replacement, but that knee problem was spotted potentially months earlier for a Canadian as opposed to an American who may have waited until they were forced to go to an expensive doctors visit because their knee doesn't work.

    However there are some treatments that are more developed in the US, some of the *rare* cancer treatments. That's because there are 300million Americans, allowing for more specialization in health problems that affect a very small .00001% of the population.

    And here's the kicker: Our Socialized medicine will pay for Canadians to go to the US for these treatments when they aren't offered here.

    Some Canadians aren't going to the US for rare treatments though. There are also some who feel that good enough Health Care isn't fast enough. They spend their own dough in the US, saving my health system money and generally showing their stupidity.

    And then there are the Boobs. I'm hard pressed to find anything comparable to the Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon in Canada. Of course Socialized medicine shouldn't be buying Boobs as a general rule of thumb.

    -------
    What it really comes down to is LIFE EXPECTANCY
    You can shout to me until your blue in the face that the United States has a superior Health Care system than Canada. It's certainly more expensive per capita, but 2 years after you're dead I'll still be here laughing.

  16. Re:Squatter on Buying a Domain From a Cybersquatter · · Score: 1

    Being Canadian I like to follow the rules as well KraftDinner.
    It's the Canadian way really, just like saying 'sorry' when someone steps on our foot. We just have to watch out for our tendency to over legislate things once in a while.

    It is not a failing to play by the rules when others cheat. There are sometimes bigger pictures beyond individual situations that the rules are meant to address. If the system and participants in it encourage cheating then the whole thing ultimately breaks. (cough banking cough)

    Some countries and businesses may disagree, I just don't have to respect them. Though I'd never say that to their face.

    Instead I'd give them a little of the silent moral condemnation that we Canadians can do so well.

    Something like acknowledging what few 'merits' there may be in their solution, things like it being fast and cheap while subtly reminding them of the legal ramifications those 'merits' may bring with them.

  17. Re:Slashdot achievements on Slashdot Launches User Achievements · · Score: 1

    Sigh, I suspect I did a useless post as well.
    Ah well. We can't all be smrt on the internets.

  18. Re:aprilfools tag... on Conficker Worm Strike Reports Start Rolling In · · Score: 1

    yeah but now we know where to post to get the achievement.

  19. Re:I am tired of UK being a EU member on UK Government Wants To Kill Net Neutrality In EU · · Score: 1

    This docile Canadian can't help but notice that the US and UK both have flushed their banks down the toilet. I can notice things like that because I'm not worried about my banks. See us docile Canucks somehow managed not to screw the pooch and deregulate banking to the extent that the whole industry collapses. In fact, and this is real funny, our banks are the healthiest in the world.

    Now back to enjoying my tea and looking down my nose at my neighbours.

  20. Re:Nintendo is Amazing (impressive at least) on NRDC Rates Energy Efficiency of Video Game Consoles · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I appreciate that the Wii does't have nearly the processing power of the Xbox 360 or PS3, and the report also seems to respect their differences by comparing the Xbox 360 and PS3 extensively without including the Wii.

    Now back to the business: Here we have an lower spec machine that competes and wins over the other two machines in terms of total sales. That's impressive. What's really amazing is while the competitors have increased Power Consumption in tandem with Processor Specs, Nintendo has managed to remain relatively flat on Power Consumption while still increasing Processor Specs (not as much granted) and remaining competitive. Nintendo pretty conclusively earned the power friendly bragging rights this report implies. This large a difference, to me, appears to be by design and I don't mean hardware.

    The simpleness of the Wii itself should not be confused with Nintendo's business. Nintendo has demonstrated an understanding of the gaming industry and gamers themselves that far surpasses it's rivals. The Wii is just an expression of that.

    That's what happens when you have a low UID, after a couple of bubble bursts you look past the shiny lights and fancy hardware.

  21. Nintendo is Amazing (impressive at least) on NRDC Rates Energy Efficiency of Video Game Consoles · · Score: 5, Informative

    In looking at the power consumption figures on Page 10-12 it's amazing the difference between Nintendo and the other Console Makers.

    MS Xbox off 3.1 W Idle 117.5 W Active 118.8 W
    SonyPS3 off 1.1 W Idle 152.9 W Active 150.1 W
    N's Wii off 1.9 W Idle 10.5 W Active 16.4 W

    That's just some of the numbers and no typo's Nintendo is an order of magnitude more efficient when running. Amazing. The more and more I learn about the Wii and Nintendo's current business the more impressed I am.

  22. Re:No sense... on Online Carpooling Service Fined In Canada · · Score: 3, Informative

    Historically there's been problems with this kind of car pooling service. A number of years ago a company (allo cars? or something) was doing the same type of service. Some of the drivers were using big old crappy vans with no seatbelts. That continued until one of the vans wiped out and the company was shutdown.

    The point is it's a great idea to car pool and to coordinate that with others on a website. It's a bad idea for people looking to make a buck to co-opt the website and run unlicensed, uninsured and unsafe private taxi/bus service. That is what was happening here.

  23. Re:absurd on Afghan Student Gets 20 Years For Blasphemy · · Score: 1

    What a load of crap/flamebait
    I call *BULL*

    So southeast asia is smartest?, followed by the former soviet union and Europe. Meanwhile North America and the rest of the world can barely tie their shoes? (IQ's of 90 or less??)

    The numbers are low, the distribution is wrong, and the map is garbage. Never mind the fact that IQ testing is NOT an effective measure of peoples abilities or a nations success.

    Now go buy a Mensa membership so that you can carry a fancy laminated card that says you are SMART.

  24. Re:How do you smell space? on The Smell of Space · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You can smell underwater , well not you per se- there's a creature - a shrew or vole I think, or maybe muskrat. Anyways there is a Rat like creature that when underwater blows a small bubble of air out it's nose and then sucks it back (kinda the inverse of the spit/snot drop we've all done as kids). This allows it to smell the water and the scent of things in the water. It can actually track underwater by smell.

    I think this story is referring to the locker room smell of human habitats in space, not actually the smell of space. But there are chemicals in space - it's not actually nothing nothing nothing and then planets and sun. In theory one could put atmosphere into a sample of 'vacuum' and try to sniff anything that volatilizes. But concentrations of matter are so low in space that it still seems kinda implausible.

    So my point is, I don't know how to smell space, but I didn't know how smell underwater either until I watched the discovery channel.

  25. Re:How should I quench my thirst? on Email-only Providers? · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Well based upon my years of consuming and expelling fluids I can tell you with assurance that the best solution "Drinking fluids like athletes" is obviously the wrong one for you. I would advise a direct shunt into a large vein - there are some nice ones in your legs and neck. Through this shunt you can pump a nutrient solution directly into your body, bypassing that clumsy mouthpart. With a little lube and a tube we can also address that "Where should I go to the bathroom problem of yours?".