I have a Model M, purchased from PCKeyboard.com about 5 years ago. The keyboard is a tank. It is heavy, tough, with nice large clicky keys. It is noisy, and ugly looking... but these are the best keyboards ever made!!!
I highly recommend that you buy one if you see it priced under $100. They are uncommon, and last a lifetime.
Re:For those that don't want to click a lot ...
on
Games of the Year
·
· Score: 2
Who cares? There are plenty of great computer games. Just because they haven't been released this year doesn't mean anything.
People still play Soccer, after hundreds of years.
People still play Chess.
People still play Quake.
People still play Civ2.
People still play tetris.
People still play Sokoban.
etc...
A minor correction. "Space Wars" is the name of the later arcade version of the first computer game called "Spacewar". Spacewar is the game that I was referring to, but "Space Wars" is nearly the same game.
Why not describe Subspace in terms of "Space Wars", the first computer game ever? Space Wars ran on the PDP mainframe, and it involved two space ships dueling in space. You have gravity effects, momentum, etc...
Seems silly to describe Subspace in terms of a game that doesn't share the same gameplay. Not only that, but it is illuminating to see where Subspace truely draws its roots, that is, from the first computer game.
"Donkey Kong" (Arcade) was the first platform game, and yes it was Miyamoto's work.
"Adventure" (Atari 2600) was the first action-adventure RPG, and yes it was NOT Miyamoto's work. Adventure is a great game, and I suggest that you check it out. Of course, since it predates the first Zelda, it is extremely primitive... but it is still fun to play! It is also the first game to have a easter egg secret.
However, I still love both Adventure and the Zelda series (except Zelda II), and I agree that Blackley is an idiot. Miyamoto is the Walt Disney of video games. Without Miyamoto, Nintendo will go the way of Disney (corporate greed).
As far as I can tell, Miyamoto's "Donkey Kong" predates any other platform game, however, Adventure for the Atari2600 predates Legend of Zelda... so... Another interesting first is that BattleZone predates any other first person shooter. So id software didn't invent the FPS.
In fact, nearly all of the main video game genres were created before 1990. So it isn't hard to argue that most games released these days are derivative.
Check out an AVI of the actual gameplay in action. I must say, the graphics engine looks great, but the art could definitely use some work. For example, the lightning bolt effect looks real, but not correct.
I am a big KDE fan and KDE user. I used to think Konq was the best browser for Linux, and it truely was... until Mozilla 1.0. Yes, for years I swore that Mozilla was going nowhere, but once 1.0 was released, and I could see how stable it was... how well it rendered sites. It was then that I realized that Mozilla did it.
Netscape is back! It reminds me of that Obi-wan quote:
"You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
How is Netscape more powerful than ever? Well technology wise, functionality wise, and performance wise, it matches Internet Explorer... but what truely makes it invincible is that it is open source software. Just like Obi-wan returned from the grave so has Netscape.
The mathematics upon which most of science is based is not fasifiable. "1+1=2" is not falsifiable. Neither is "A and B implies A". Mathematics starts with things that are true because they say so.
Well, I should say classical mathematics because there are philosophies of math that don't rely on the classical notion of truth. The important thing is to realize that there is no truth, only ideas in your mind. Math, for example, isn't about truth. Instead it is about ideas that you create in your mind. 1+1=2 is just a thought construction. It is like a data structure or program in your mind. Your notion of truth is the same thing. It is just another construct that you have created in your head.
We choose to fill our heads with concepts that we like. The bible thumpers tend to like creationist stories abour Adam and Eve. It is simple, and that is why they like it. Scientists enjoy something more useful and indepth. It is complex and neverending. That is why most people don't like it.
In fact, the notion that the only truely scientific theories are ones that are falsifiable, is something that is itself, not falsifiable. So the rule of what is science is not scientific at all. You could even say it is somehow similar to the Bible the creationists like to thump. It is true because it is holy. It is science because it is scientifically-holy.
You have your bible, they have theirs. Pot meets kettle, but neither sees eachother for what they are.
Mozilla's "downloads" window also needs to be better integrated into the whole tabbed browsing idea. There should be a "downloads" tab, one for each browser window open. That way I have a mozilla open for work sites and another one for fun sites. Each Mozilla window should have all I need for each task of surfing and not mix them.
Are you kidding me? I use the latest Mozilla on Windows 98, and it is far more stable than the latest IE. Hell, IE crashes on MSN.com!
Mozilla is faster, more stable, and has more useful features than IE. Not only that, but it is free, opensource, and runs on just about every platform.
The new upgrade trend for the general public will no longer solely be done for a faster PC with more storage space. Most users need only about 20GB HD for their MP3s, emails, etc... because the general public doesn't have a porn collection or tons of video games installed.
My prediction is that people will start demanding silent PCs that are power efficient, don't take up much space, and have a chasis, moniter, speakers, keyboard, and mouse that fit the fashion of the day.
Oh, and people will want a PC that is more easily maintained. For example, just last night, I help a friend fix his sister's PC. Turned out there were no hardware problems at all with this thing. Instead, she had a rotted out Windows 98 install with over 250 spyware infections, 40 virus infections, and about 50 processes running in the background and system tray.
It turned out that this girl's PC wasn't very old. It was about a 700mhz machine (can't remember exactly), which is faster than both my computers (windows and linux). Anyway, after removing all of the spyware, viruses, and unnecessary background processes, then 3 Windows Updates, updated drivers, a scan disk (tons of errors found), and a disk defrag later... the computer performed wonderfully!
I also cleaned the "broken" mouse, which now works wonderfully. Before I "fixed" this broken computer, it performed like a 386 with 8 megs of ram...
Basically, computers are like cars: people are going to have to take them in to a specialist every once and a while, to have them tuned. The problem is, I got to thinking that once this girl gets her computer back, in 24 hours, she will reinstall most of the spyware, and after a few months, she will reinstall most of the viri. So maybe people need to learn how to use their computer in addition to taking it to get tuned up by a specialist.
My point is that the average computer user only needs to upgrade because their computers are so un-tweaked and they are running so many spyware daemons and viri.
AT&T Broadband Internet has got to be the worst ISP I have ever used. Yes, I am still stuck with them right now, as DSL is not available in my area, but many times I have been minutes away from calling them and telling them to cancel my service.
AT&T BI is a great ISP if you enjoy...
75% packet loss or more to servers in the same city as you.
300ms latency to servers in the same city as you.
packet jitter so bad you could swear you really were SURFING the internet because the packets come in waves.
not playing online games.
your "always on" internet service being disconnected.
paying 5x more for the same service that a 56k user gets.
the worst customer support center EVER! One of the many outages took 2 weeks to fix, and thats because they didn't send anyone out until one and a half weeks after I called!
having your ISP change the TOS on you every other day.
The one thing with ATTBI that has always worked correctly has been email... well, that is when I am connected.
I will go back to dialup if I have to. Heck, its just $10 a month. Saving $40 a month and still getting roughly the same service... sounds like a wise move.
...and there were people in Palestine before the Jews were there. Read the Old Testament of the bible for tons of stories about how the Jews killed tribe after tribe, nation after nation. The bible says that they are god's people, and that is why god leads them to victories over so many nations.
The argument that it is the Jewish homeland is a fascist argument. The rule of thumb is that there was always some race their before yours.
I used Sprint PCS for a year 4 years ago. It was horrible. I got voice messages days after they were left, and calls were often dropped. I ended up ditching the phone, as it was nothing more than an expensive piece of crap that causes brain cancer (yeah don't forget that little doozy).
Then last Christmas, my parents got me a new phone... one that was already setup to use Cingular's service. Cingular's horrid service made me dream for the crappy Sprint PCS service. Both are rip offs, but Cingular's service doesn't work 90% of the time. I call a number, and it fails. Someone tries to call me, and it fails. I get voice messages days after someone left them.
Btw, I live in a major city. So its not like I am living in the boonies here.
If you want to talk about bad service though, I have something that is even worse than my cell phone: AT&T Broadband Internet Cable Modem. Can you say 75% packet loss and 300ms latency.... to servers in the same city as me?!?!?!?! And I pay $50 a month for this shite! The problem is, broadband ISPs are basically monopolies. I can't get DSL, so I am stuck with crappy cable.
I tell you, once all of the corrupt CEOs are out of the picture and the bad investments are gone... the thing that will hold back the internet is the last mile. People should be able to get cheap broadband to their homes, otherwise new internet services such as video on demand, voice over ip, etc... will never take off.
The thing is, large fat telecom monopolies don't want such services to take off. They like things the way they have always been: under their control.
I am a casual Star Trek fan, and a casual Conan O'brien fan. How did you come to know Conan? I ask because I always see you on his show. You two should work some permanent gig out cuz when you are on his show, its always a riot.
GEB isn't the best source for learning about Godel's incompleteness theorem. I suggest Kleene's "Introduction to Metamathematics", which is a real math book written by a real mathematician. Kleene's book talks about all of the popular applications of diagonalization, from Cantor to Godel to Church and Turing.
The important distinction that most people don't get when they learn Godel's incompleteness theorem is that it only proves that FORMAL mathematics is incompete. In another type of mathematics known as Intuitionism, Godel's incompleteness theorem doesn't even apply.
Slashdot Mirror
The Segway is the most overhyped letdown in recent history!
Citeseer is the best free computer science digital library. Every computer scientist should have that site bookmarked!
Such problems can usualy be solved through interlibrary loaning (ILL), which involves faxing copies of required articles.
However, ILL can take days, when you need the article within minutes!
A central digital library for mathematics and science papers would greatly improve the productivity of research, worldwide!
Maybe you haven't tried to play Tenebrae Quake, which uses the same graphics technology as the upcoming Doom 3.
Tenebrae makes most graphics cards look insufficient.
I have a Model M, purchased from PCKeyboard.com about 5 years ago. The keyboard is a tank. It is heavy, tough, with nice large clicky keys. It is noisy, and ugly looking... but these are the best keyboards ever made!!!
I highly recommend that you buy one if you see it priced under $100. They are uncommon, and last a lifetime.
Who cares? There are plenty of great computer games. Just because they haven't been released this year doesn't mean anything.
People still play Soccer, after hundreds of years.
People still play Chess.
People still play Quake.
People still play Civ2.
People still play tetris.
People still play Sokoban.
etc...
Truely good games last forever.
A minor correction. "Space Wars" is the name of the later arcade version of the first computer game called "Spacewar". Spacewar is the game that I was referring to, but "Space Wars" is nearly the same game.
Why not describe Subspace in terms of "Space Wars", the first computer game ever? Space Wars ran on the PDP mainframe, and it involved two space ships dueling in space. You have gravity effects, momentum, etc...
Seems silly to describe Subspace in terms of a game that doesn't share the same gameplay. Not only that, but it is illuminating to see where Subspace truely draws its roots, that is, from the first computer game.
Keen is a Super Mario Bros rip off. Id originally intended to make a Super Mario Bros clone for the PC, but Nintendo said no, so they changed the art.
"Donkey Kong" (Arcade) was the first platform game, and yes it was Miyamoto's work.
"Adventure" (Atari 2600) was the first action-adventure RPG, and yes it was NOT Miyamoto's work. Adventure is a great game, and I suggest that you check it out. Of course, since it predates the first Zelda, it is extremely primitive... but it is still fun to play! It is also the first game to have a easter egg secret.
However, I still love both Adventure and the Zelda series (except Zelda II), and I agree that Blackley is an idiot. Miyamoto is the Walt Disney of video games. Without Miyamoto, Nintendo will go the way of Disney (corporate greed).
That brings up a good point. Games should be games, not movies. A good game doesn't need a story at all, for example: Tetris and Sokoban.
Stories get old after playing through a game 5 or 6 times. However, I still play Tetris and Sokoban to this day!
As far as I can tell, Miyamoto's "Donkey Kong" predates any other platform game, however, Adventure for the Atari2600 predates Legend of Zelda... so... Another interesting first is that BattleZone predates any other first person shooter. So id software didn't invent the FPS.
In fact, nearly all of the main video game genres were created before 1990. So it isn't hard to argue that most games released these days are derivative.
Check out an AVI of the actual gameplay in action. I must say, the graphics engine looks great, but the art could definitely use some work. For example, the lightning bolt effect looks real, but not correct.
I am a big KDE fan and KDE user. I used to think Konq was the best browser for Linux, and it truely was... until Mozilla 1.0. Yes, for years I swore that Mozilla was going nowhere, but once 1.0 was released, and I could see how stable it was... how well it rendered sites. It was then that I realized that Mozilla did it.
Netscape is back! It reminds me of that Obi-wan quote:
"You can't win, Darth. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
How is Netscape more powerful than ever? Well technology wise, functionality wise, and performance wise, it matches Internet Explorer... but what truely makes it invincible is that it is open source software. Just like Obi-wan returned from the grave so has Netscape.
The mathematics upon which most of science is based is not fasifiable. "1+1=2" is not falsifiable. Neither is "A and B implies A". Mathematics starts with things that are true because they say so.
Well, I should say classical mathematics because there are philosophies of math that don't rely on the classical notion of truth. The important thing is to realize that there is no truth, only ideas in your mind. Math, for example, isn't about truth. Instead it is about ideas that you create in your mind. 1+1=2 is just a thought construction. It is like a data structure or program in your mind. Your notion of truth is the same thing. It is just another construct that you have created in your head.
We choose to fill our heads with concepts that we like. The bible thumpers tend to like creationist stories abour Adam and Eve. It is simple, and that is why they like it. Scientists enjoy something more useful and indepth. It is complex and neverending. That is why most people don't like it.
In fact, the notion that the only truely scientific theories are ones that are falsifiable, is something that is itself, not falsifiable. So the rule of what is science is not scientific at all. You could even say it is somehow similar to the Bible the creationists like to thump. It is true because it is holy. It is science because it is scientifically-holy.
You have your bible, they have theirs. Pot meets kettle, but neither sees eachother for what they are.
Mmmmmm, pot.
Mozilla's "downloads" window also needs to be better integrated into the whole tabbed browsing idea. There should be a "downloads" tab, one for each browser window open. That way I have a mozilla open for work sites and another one for fun sites. Each Mozilla window should have all I need for each task of surfing and not mix them.
Are you kidding me? I use the latest Mozilla on Windows 98, and it is far more stable than the latest IE. Hell, IE crashes on MSN.com!
Mozilla is faster, more stable, and has more useful features than IE. Not only that, but it is free, opensource, and runs on just about every platform.
The new upgrade trend for the general public will no longer solely be done for a faster PC with more storage space. Most users need only about 20GB HD for their MP3s, emails, etc... because the general public doesn't have a porn collection or tons of video games installed.
My prediction is that people will start demanding silent PCs that are power efficient, don't take up much space, and have a chasis, moniter, speakers, keyboard, and mouse that fit the fashion of the day.
Oh, and people will want a PC that is more easily maintained. For example, just last night, I help a friend fix his sister's PC. Turned out there were no hardware problems at all with this thing. Instead, she had a rotted out Windows 98 install with over 250 spyware infections, 40 virus infections, and about 50 processes running in the background and system tray.
It turned out that this girl's PC wasn't very old. It was about a 700mhz machine (can't remember exactly), which is faster than both my computers (windows and linux). Anyway, after removing all of the spyware, viruses, and unnecessary background processes, then 3 Windows Updates, updated drivers, a scan disk (tons of errors found), and a disk defrag later... the computer performed wonderfully!
I also cleaned the "broken" mouse, which now works wonderfully. Before I "fixed" this broken computer, it performed like a 386 with 8 megs of ram...
Basically, computers are like cars: people are going to have to take them in to a specialist every once and a while, to have them tuned. The problem is, I got to thinking that once this girl gets her computer back, in 24 hours, she will reinstall most of the spyware, and after a few months, she will reinstall most of the viri. So maybe people need to learn how to use their computer in addition to taking it to get tuned up by a specialist.
My point is that the average computer user only needs to upgrade because their computers are so un-tweaked and they are running so many spyware daemons and viri.
AT&T BI is a great ISP if you enjoy...
- 75% packet loss or more to servers in the same city as you.
- 300ms latency to servers in the same city as you.
- packet jitter so bad you could swear you really were SURFING the internet because the packets come in waves.
- not playing online games.
- your "always on" internet service being disconnected.
- paying 5x more for the same service that a 56k user gets.
- the worst customer support center EVER! One of the many outages took 2 weeks to fix, and thats because they didn't send anyone out until one and a half weeks after I called!
- having your ISP change the TOS on you every other day.
The one thing with ATTBI that has always worked correctly has been email... well, that is when I am connected.I will go back to dialup if I have to. Heck, its just $10 a month. Saving $40 a month and still getting roughly the same service... sounds like a wise move.
Console gaming systems have been doing this for decades. A weak CPU, plus badass graphics and sound processors.
...and there were people in Palestine before the Jews were there. Read the Old Testament of the bible for tons of stories about how the Jews killed tribe after tribe, nation after nation. The bible says that they are god's people, and that is why god leads them to victories over so many nations.
The argument that it is the Jewish homeland is a fascist argument. The rule of thumb is that there was always some race their before yours.
I used Sprint PCS for a year 4 years ago. It was horrible. I got voice messages days after they were left, and calls were often dropped. I ended up ditching the phone, as it was nothing more than an expensive piece of crap that causes brain cancer (yeah don't forget that little doozy).
Then last Christmas, my parents got me a new phone... one that was already setup to use Cingular's service. Cingular's horrid service made me dream for the crappy Sprint PCS service. Both are rip offs, but Cingular's service doesn't work 90% of the time. I call a number, and it fails. Someone tries to call me, and it fails. I get voice messages days after someone left them.
Btw, I live in a major city. So its not like I am living in the boonies here.
If you want to talk about bad service though, I have something that is even worse than my cell phone: AT&T Broadband Internet Cable Modem. Can you say 75% packet loss and 300ms latency.... to servers in the same city as me?!?!?!?! And I pay $50 a month for this shite! The problem is, broadband ISPs are basically monopolies. I can't get DSL, so I am stuck with crappy cable.
I tell you, once all of the corrupt CEOs are out of the picture and the bad investments are gone... the thing that will hold back the internet is the last mile. People should be able to get cheap broadband to their homes, otherwise new internet services such as video on demand, voice over ip, etc... will never take off.
The thing is, large fat telecom monopolies don't want such services to take off. They like things the way they have always been: under their control.
I am a casual Star Trek fan, and a casual Conan O'brien fan. How did you come to know Conan? I ask because I always see you on his show. You two should work some permanent gig out cuz when you are on his show, its always a riot.
Citeseer is one of the best free online Computer Science digital libraries. If you are ever doing research in CS, check out Citeseer first!
GEB isn't the best source for learning about Godel's incompleteness theorem. I suggest Kleene's "Introduction to Metamathematics", which is a real math book written by a real mathematician. Kleene's book talks about all of the popular applications of diagonalization, from Cantor to Godel to Church and Turing.
The important distinction that most people don't get when they learn Godel's incompleteness theorem is that it only proves that FORMAL mathematics is incompete. In another type of mathematics known as Intuitionism, Godel's incompleteness theorem doesn't even apply.